What I learned in 2025 and am bringing into 2026

This year changed me. Not in loud ways. But in the ones that last.

The Shift

This year didn’t arrive gently. It came in like a wave. Anxiety. Racing thoughts. Feeling off in my own body. Perimenopause and hormones shifted everything. What I didn’t expect was that the unraveling would actually become an awakening.

If you are in a season where your body, emotions, or energy suddenly feel unfamiliar, you are not broken. You are being invited into a new way of listening to yourself.

What I Let Go Of

I let go of pretending I could do what I used to.

The big plate. The endless stamina. The riding high pace. I learned that our bodies keep score. And when they ask us to slow down, it is not weakness, it is wisdom.

If you feel like you cannot push the way you once did, this might not be the end of your strength. It might be the beginning of a more sustainable one.

How I Grew

I fell in love with the temple. I spent more time in scripture than self help and fiction books. I took risks and sold my first products. I ate my carbs. I exercised less intensely. I listened to my body.

Growth did not look like pushing harder. It looked like aligning truer.

What I Learned

Writing a family cookbook connected to mental health, addiction, and recovery changed me in ways I never expected.

When Elise Caffee passed away, the project became something more than a book. It became a spiritual journey.

I learned how much we need our people. Our teams. Our friendships. When we create together with love and purpose, even grief can be held and transformed.

Everyone loves someone who is struggling. Mental health is not abstract. It is personal. It lives inside families.

And when we attach our work to a mission, it becomes healing for everyone involved.

What This Year Prepared Me For

Change is here and more is coming.

In my body. In my family. In my life.

This year taught me that faith matters more than control and that softness is not something to fear.

We are not meant to hold everything tight. We are meant to trust ourselves and our unique journey.

What I Am Grateful For

I realized I am living in “the good old days.”

A senior in high school. A house still full. A family still gathering around the table.

This season will not last forever and that makes it holy. I am grateful for every ordinary night that is quietly becoming a memory.

What I Am Carrying Into The New Year

I am carrying both.

Home and expansion.

Family and calling.

Gathering and growing.

I am learning that I am most whole when I honor all of who I am. A mother. A woman. A builder. A gatherer. A soul here to do good and love deeply.

And that balance is not about doing less. It’s about doing what matters most.