Rewind and reflect for what’s next

Welcome back to another episode of how to twenty-something and happy new year!!! Given that it’s the first monday of the year, I figured it’s not too late for a little rewinding and reflecting so we can prep for everything that’s to come with 2026

So today’s episode is to guide you through three things: wins from 2025, hard stuff or lessons learned from 2025, and how to use this reflection to look ahead to 2026 so you make goals that actually make a difference

I will say, 2025 was very unexpected in regards to all of my relationships, it’s come with some really high highs, and some really low lows

My business shifted a little, I’ve had more opportunities for in person experiences come my way, I started talking to a lot more parents of twenty-somethings and involving them in my coaching partnerships, and I have a really really big announcement that i’ll be sharing towards the back half of this episode.. Providing you haven’t already seen it on social media

But regardless, I think it’s important to look back on this year, before looking ahead to the next

It seems like most people are eager to end the year and start anew the second the ball drops on new years eve

Most of the time it consists of setting 1 or 2 new years resolutions and not taking into account things they can improve on from the previous year

Only on what they want to achieve this next year

But if you don’t pause for a second and acknowledge your accomplishments and your pitfalls then 

1. You’re not going to be able to learn from your mistakes so they don’t repeat themselves
2. You’re not going stay motivated towards what’s next because you don’t celebrate the wins when they happen

You like take them for granted, brush them off like it was no biggie, when it was something you used to only dream about and it actually happened

The example for me being that when I was awarded Charlotte’s 30 under 30 I was like eh it’s cool and all but is it really that big of a deal

My boyfriend forced me to celebrate and I’m very grateful he had me do so but I know I even told him this award isn’t worth popping off over.. The real quote unquote award would be landing something like a ted talk or forbes 30 under 30

I minimized my accomplishment, something I know we are all guilty of doing as we are in the pursuit of achieving what’s next or know there’s something bigger

So yes part of reflecting is celebrating your freaking accomplishments

And the other part is taking accountability for what didn’t go so well this last year

Which is why I wanted to make sure I popped in as your audio adulting coach before we get too far into January

And give you the chance to reflect along with me

And then we can focus on what’s next

For starters let’s look at the highlights and wins of this year

For me, that consists of standing up for myself when I’m feeling disrespected, starting and growing my relationship with Ryan, taking an improv course, going on a vacation for the first time in 3 years, conducting 3 parent workshops, getting paid to speak at two different universities, becoming a skillpop teacher, seeing my business coach and business community in person two times, being the maid of honor at my sisters wedding and bridesmaid in my best friends, and not missing a single monday for this podcast

There were a lot of good things that happened this year.. It was filled with a ton of growth and putting myself in different rooms to meet different people

I know I headed into 2025 really wanting a relationship 

I know I wanted more public speaking events and that showed itself between paid and unpaid ones

And I knew I was going to be in two weddings and see my business coach twice

But what I didn’t know was the value of changing my marketing to reach the parents of twenty-somethings who would then send their kid to me.

I didn’t know that my relationship would come with the guy i went on a first date with on January 1st

I didn’t know i would become a skillpop teacher which pays me to teach my workshops

Those were such good, exciting things that were a mix of what I planned for and didn’t plan for but am so happy they all happened

So maybe for you, you got a new job, a promotion, made a new friend, got into a relationship, traveled somewhere cool, was recognized for your hard work, received an award, ran a race you prepared for, hit a pr at the gym, was consistent in your routine

Literally anything you want to recognize you did well or you’re proud of yourself for doing, trying, and accomplishing over the last year

Regardless of what your new years resolution was

Because remember, we’re not measuring how well or not well you did something just that you went after the damn thing

I’d even recommend you pause this episode and answer for yourself what are 3 things you’re really proud of from 2025

Because once you do that we can go into the most avoided part of new year’s resolutions: the downfalls, the challenges, the unexpected hardships

I know for me there are plenty of major ones

I didn’t know I would quit f45 because of all the toxicity from those owners

I didn’t know my best friend throughout all of 2024 would disappear from my life entirely by the end of 2025 or if I really reflected back then it was about 75% through the year when I realized she wasn’t in my life anymore

Both of those situations caused me a ton of stress and unhappiness for months leading up to the final goodbyes

And it’s a shame that they happened, but I know I’m better off for sure without the owners of f45 in my life because god damn they were awful and should not be owners of any business let alone a people oriented one

And while I wish nothing changed within my friendship.. It did and I feel like I did everything I could to save it, but the truth was… it was never going to be saved

It’s sad, I hate losing relationships, and I realize I give people so many chances to treat me better and it takes me a really really long time to accept that I don’t deserve this and it’s time to walk away

I don’t regret this friendship from happening in any way and wish her no ill will.. It taught me a lot and connected me with some pretty cool people

But if I had it my way I would wish for none of the falling out to have happened

Where we could go on all the double dates possible since our boyfriends got along

Where we could have all the girls trips and game nights

Where we could support each others goals

But alas, it is a friendship that has run through its cycle and is no longer in existence and that sucks

So if you’re reflecting alongside of me and are also realizing that you began this year with someone you are not ending this year with then I want you to know that you are allowed to be upset

These things suck

I’ve done all sorts of episodes on breaking up with jobs, friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, everyone so scroll back and relisten because they never get any easier

But I think those were probably my two lowest moments of this year

Which really isn’t too bad to say, yes they caused major shifts to my income, my social plans, and my happiness, but you always know it was a good decision when you immediately feel relieved after it all concludes

Where my skin clears, I shed a few pounds literally because the weight of this stress is gone

And the best part is that I can recognize the level of growth I’ve had between this best friend experience and the last one, and how my entire world doesn’t feel rocked

In fact I feel better because I’ve finally stopped fighting the resistance that has been there all freaking year

I don’t hate her for her decisions and actions, but it’s not to say I’m not disappointed it came to an end 

But you know what they say, reason, season, or lifetime

And even the people you think are the for lifers are only for a tiny segment of your life

Overall, 2025 was not a bad year for me and I like that I can look back and see what’s come from the high highs and the low lows

Do I wish I made more money in my business? Yes

Do I wish I had more speaking opportunities? Also yes, but those are things I get to reflect on what I did or didn’t do in order to grow in those areas as well

And hopefully you’ve reflected on some moments for yourself too

Maybe you had an unexpected relationship end, lost your job, made a foolish purchase, accrued more credit card debt, made a terrible choice in moving to a new city, made a giant mistake at work that is haunting you to this day

Shit happens and you’re disconnected from reality if you think none the wiser

And it’s okay that shit happens, it’s knowing the role you played and how you can strive for a different outcome next time, that matters the most

Which means it’s time to look ahead to what’s next

What happened this last year that you would love to replicate or grow, what would you want to do differently so outcomes don’t repeat themselves, and what are you excited about?

For me, I would love to replicate and grow my parent marketing, it seems to be doing me many favors so I want to make an effort towards speaking to more parents of twenty-somethings

Which goes hand in hand with growing my public speaking career

In 2025 I spoke at UNCC, Wingate University, Charlotte Networking Knowledge, Skillpop, virtually to my own audiences, Speak Easy, and Speaker League

I know my speaker circle is growing as I meet more and more public speakers, learn from them, and hear about more opportunities

And looking ahead, I have my biggest speaking engagement yet where I will be giving my first ever Tedx Talk at the end of March!

An opportunity that I know is going to launch my speaking career and coaching business to the next level

I want to make 80k in my business this year across all streams of income and have a very consistent influx of new clients and renewing clients

I know in terms of my relationships, I want to nurture my existing charlotte friendships with shanna, courtney, christine, emily, and mandy

And maybe make another new friend I connect with

As well as my romantic relationship with ryan, moving in together, having conversations that deepen our connection and create harmony in our relationship, and making sure i’m supporting his dreams and goals as much as he already supports mine

I want to go on trips this year! I already have Niagara Falls booked with my family and I’m scheduled to go back to experience camps for the third year

I also want to plan a hiking type trip with my best friend Katie and our partners

And throw in another vacation to the mix

I’m telling you all of my goals and what I want to tweak so I can grow to hopefully spark some ideas in your own mind

Because you need to do this work too

Plus I think it’s fun to reflect and think ahead, it’s probably why I’m a coach

And know that your goals can be a mix of things already planned and things you want to have come to fruition

They should feel doable and stretchy so you can collect those wins along the way

But also not all doable because you do need to have a challenge that’s going to strengthen your grit and resilience which has tremendous carry over to every part of your life

And because you can’t move forward in your life if you don’t learn from past mistakes and that begins with recognizing what those were so you can correct faulty patterns to prevent history from repeating itself

It’s something I do a lot with my clients, when I know of an experience that didn’t go so well and I see the potential for it to reoccur

Like one of my college student clients had a big fall off last winter, he began working with me in the summer

So this winter, since we’re still working together, I’m able to have multiple conversations with him around what happened last year, what’s different this year, and what does he need to make sure he does so he doesn’t fall off again

And now he can head into this next semester on a far better note than this time last year

But now that we’ve covered what didn’t go well last year, what did, and what we can change for 2026, it’s time to let yourself get excited about all that’s to come

I know for me that’s my Tedx Talk, I am so so so excited and can’t wait to achieve this bucket list item

I’m excited for what will come my way once I hit that stage and the video goes live, which you guys already should know I will definitely be telling you all about

And in my personal life, I’m excited to grow with Ryan, we are planning on moving in together come February, at least that’s the current plan as I’m planning this episode out towards the end of November

And I know living with a boy will come with a whole slew of learning experiences

Living with someone in general honestly, because I’ve spent the last 4 years living all alone

And it’s an adjustment that I know we can handle

But hey, if you’re listening and you live with your partner, I’m all for unsolicited advice to make this transition as easy as possible

The bottomline is, let yourself get excited for this next year

New years always presents it’s self as a fresh start, a doover from the trials and tribulations of years past

And being in your twenties, you already know that every year is going to come with some kind of lesson to learn, just get ready to roll with the punches and grow from each of your experiences

At the end of the day, it’s asking yourself, how can I make this year different?

What do I hope to achieve by the end so that I can look back and feel good about how my 2026 went?

And share your answers with someone! A friend, your mom, even me I’d love to hear what you’re working towards this year so I can help you hold that vision for yourself

Afterall that’s a large part of what working with a coach is for

And my email is always in the show notes for you to access

So if you’re working on creating your goals or new years resolutions for 2026, the way I like to think about them is by putting them in different categories like career, friendships, dating, and fun

And then make a list in each of those buckets based on things that are stretchy, already in the queue, and doable

If you’ve already made your list, then maybe something I said either validated or inspired you to set out on your next growth journey on this floating rock through space

What are some things you want to feel, see, or achieve by December 31st 2026

It feels very far away but the year always flies by and it’ll be here before you know it

So on that note, this does conclude the first episode of 2026 for how to twenty-something

If you liked what you heard, learned something new, were inspired to reflect and look ahead for what’s next then please share this episode

Post it to your story, send it to a friend just please do something to help me expand my reach.. I know it wasn’t one of the goals I mentioned but I would love for my number of listeners to grow and bring this podcast to new heights

And I can’t do this work without you

And as always, I can’t wait to be in your headphones again next week with another brand new episode