Where I Am, As This Year Ends

As this year comes to a close, I find myself less interested in wrapping it up neatly—and more interested in honoring it honestly.

This year asked a lot of us.

It asked us to adapt again. To sit with uncertainty longer than we wanted to. To make decisions without perfect clarity. To keep showing up—even when we were tired, unsure, or quietly questioning what comes next.

And yet… there was also growth here. Even if it didn’t look flashy. Even if it didn’t come with tidy milestones or obvious wins.

I’ve learned this year that progress doesn’t always announce itself. Sometimes it whispers. Sometimes it looks like boundaries. Sometimes it’s choosing rest instead of pushing. Sometimes it’s staying when leaving would have been easier—or leaving when staying no longer fit.

What I’ve witnessed—in myself and in so many of you—is a deeper kind of leadership emerging. One rooted not in hustle or perfection, but in presence. In discernment. In learning how to listen to your body, your energy, and your values as much as your goals.

This year reinforced something I believe deeply: well-being is not a side conversation. It is the foundation.

How we care for ourselves shapes how we lead. How we manage our energy determines how we serve. How aligned we are internally shows up everywhere else—our work, our relationships, our decisions.

As we move toward a new year, I’m not rushing to set bold declarations just yet.

I’m giving myself permission to reflect first.

To notice what wants to be carried forward—and what is ready to be released.

If you’re feeling the same, know this: you don’t need to have it all figured out by January 1.

You’re allowed to enter the new year gently.

With intention instead of pressure. With curiosity instead of urgency.

To support this moment of pause, I created a guided year-end reflection journal—a simple, spacious PDF you can move through at your own pace. It’s not about fixing or forcing clarity. It’s about noticing. Acknowledging.

Letting the year be what it was, without judgment.

Inside the journal, you’ll find prompts to:

• honor what this year truly asked of you

• recognize growth you may be overlooking

• reflect on leadership, energy, and alignment

• release what no longer fits

• gently sense what you want to carry forward

  
  

You can sit with it all at once or return to it over time. There’s no right way to use it—only your way.

End of Year Reflection Journal_2025.pdf

Download PDF • 1.06MB

Thank you for being here. For reading, reflecting, engaging, and walking this path of growth and care alongside me. This community matters more to me than I can easily put into words.

May the close of this year bring you honesty, rest, and a deep sense of appreciation for how far you’ve already come.

With gratitude,

Mellanie xoxo