This ritual always feels sacred to me, a time to pause, appreciate, and celebrate what was before stepping into what’s next.
It’s a time to honor not just what looked good, but also what asked more of me—the lessons, the losses, and the happenings that shaped who I am becoming.
For me, 2025 held tenderness and transformation in equal measure.
There were seasons of profound grief, frustrating bureaucracy, big renovations (inside and out), deep love, new roots … and the steady making of a life that feels my own.
Our lives are not black and white. They are the full palette: challenge and laughter, loss and discovery, hard and joy.
All of it is welcome here.
A ritual of reflection is how we integrate. It’s how we learn what nourishes us, what depletes us, and what we want more (and less) of in our next chapter.
So, I invite you to join me in your own reflection ritual.
Look back over your year, calendar, photo album, journal entries, or even your heart’s memory bank and notice what moments stand out. What experiences shaped you? What transitions and truths unfolded? What did you become more you through?
Then, write them down, perhaps your “25 in 2025” honoring your lived moments from this past year.
Here are mine …
- Closed out my U.S. storage unit—with a sacred ceremony and all—officially relocating my life to Portugal.
- Completed my first-ever kitchen and bathroom remodel. Holy moly, that was intense!
- Began furnishing my new purple house piece by piece, choosing beloved items that reflect the new version of me.
- Hosted my sweet parents in Portugal and gave them a true local, non-touristy experience.
- Started taking consistent Portuguese lessons twice a week—forming new neural pathways feels so good!
- Deepened my healing around my anxious attachment system and came into closer relationship with my inner child and disowned parts of me.
- Continued surrendering to the wisdom and wildness of perimenopause.
- Grieved deeply, again and again.
- Consciously repaired with a Sister after a painful fallout.
- Advocated for a friend pause with a bestie that taught me new ways of honoring my needs.
- Deepened with new and old soul Sisters—here in PT and across the ocean.
- Hosted local and visiting friends in Portugal for slow dinners, long teas, neighborhood walks, wine toasts, and the coziest purple house sleepovers.
- Deep dived in Love with my Boo—long distance is no joke, thanks to weekly couples therapy and our commitment, we are still going!
- Spent a vibrant summer in the Bay Area, soaking up precious time with friends and in‑person clients.
- Celebrated love at my bestie’s wedding and had the honor of personally delivering their cake to their private table.
- Walked with a 200+ herd of sheep—yes, really.
- Survived two and a half weeks without hot water during a Portuguese winter, brrr.
- Gave a talk on Self Love in Business to big-hearted, women entrepreneurs in my new hometown.
- Pivoted my work from business coaching to guiding women leaders navigating big transitions and creating more depth and meaning.
- Founded The Outgrown Identity Club™.
- Led my first Outgrown Identity Club online workshop—104 women joined.
- Facilitated my first live event in seven years—a women’s circle with ritual, teaching, and deep sharing.
- Held space for family members health challenges—and for myself through it all.
- Turned 51 on a boat surrounded with friends and flamingos.
- Closed the year feeling a deeper sense of belonging—in Portugal, in myself—more aligned than ever before.
How about you?
What are your gems from 2025 that you want to name?
As always, I would love to hear from you! You’re invited to send me a reply with your list of 25 in 2025—including your highs and lows.
All is welcome. It is a new year, after all!