2025 Year-End Review: What Worked, What Didn’t, and The Lessons I Learned

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“This was a year of refining, and I’m glad that I chose to take myself through that process.”

Since 2014, I have been completing some form of a year-end review with my online community. We’ve had classes, live chats, 30-day intensives, and of course, I’ve guided my one-on-one clients through a review of their own. But this will be the first year-end review on the podcast. And I’m excited about it!

What Worked

1. Prioritizing Habits for Healing.

And yes, I’ll plug the book here. I wrote a book called Habits for Healing, Reclaim Your Purpose, Peace, and Power. This year, that book was translated into Arabic.

Prioritizing Habits for Healing was very, very personal. When I went in to record Habits for Healing, the audiobook, I realized some things were bubbling up throughout the process of writing the book. I talked about things that I hadn’t talked about in years, some things that I hadn’t talked about ever. I started reading the words and hearing them in the headphones while recording the audiobook, and I started sobbing uncontrollably. That moment inspired a new level of healing that I needed to experience.

I went into 2025 focusing on self-care, self-forgiveness, and remembering who I am. Thanks to the book and the work I did on myself, I have met a new version of myself that I needed—a version of me that has carried me through this year.

2. Refining who I was as a person and as a businesswoman.

I went through a total rebrand. It took me most of the year to do so. And it was so helpful.

I said “yes” to some things that I didn’t know I had the gifts, talents, and skills to even do. I closed some things that were draining me—things that were no longer aligned with the version of myself that I need to be, the version of myself that I am. Things that were good, meaningful, made me a ton of money, and introduced me to a ton of people, but they weren’t working for me anymore.

This was a year of refining and I’m glad that I chose to take myself through that process.

How many of you know that the refining process is not an easy one?

This has been a year of growth, and I have experienced a lot of growing pains in the process, but it was so worth it. I’m excited to see who the version of myself that I met this year will be in the new year. What opportunities will come, what new levels I will reach, what new heights I will soar, and what new habits I will prioritize.

3. Spending less time with some of the people that I love.

I was not so available for phone calls and text messages with friends. I did not accept every invitation to go out, hang out, and do things. I thought I would be out in these streets. I said at the top of the year that I would be “outside.” But what I needed to do was go inside in so many ways: to stay in a house, sit inside my heart, and listen to my own voice. To pray more, listen to God, and to limit the access that some people had—and it absolutely worked. I was able to get so much more work done. Again, that is how I met this new version of myself, in isolation. I saw some truths that were so freeing this year.

What Didn’t Work

1. Getting outside.

As I said before, I thought I was gonna be outside this year. I just knew I was going to be on everyone’s stage, everyone’s panel, everyone’s retreat. I just knew I was going to be on every podcast, saying all of the things that my community needed to hear, giving pep talks that people didn’t know they needed. But my life was like, nah, sis, that ain’t what you need in this season of your life. You still have some healing, some growing, and some refining to do. Although all of that healing, growing, and refining actually worked for me, that’s not how I thought this year was going to go, so that is why I put it in the category of what didn’t work for me. I tried.

I tried going harder in business. I made all these plans to go out. I bought all these new clothes, but yeah, it wasn’t the year for me to pop out.

2. Extreme dieting.

I started to experience some symptoms that came out of what I thought was nowhere. The first thing that happened was hair loss—a ton of hair loss. I don’t even know where I am at this stage in the percentage of hair loss, but it was devastating. Some other things I started to experience were extreme fatigue, stomach issues, and some hormonal changes. I mean, it was a lot going on.

I’ve lost a loved one every year except 2024 (and I’m ending this year having lost two more family members). So there’s always something going on. I thought I was just stressed. But it turns out that I had what is known as polycystic ovarian syndrome, PCOS. The last symptom I experienced was weight gain.

I started limiting my intake, staying in an extreme caloric deficit, weight training, stretching, some yoga, and Pilates, but nothing was working. I decided I was just not gonna eat. I fasted most of the week, I ate one meal a day, and I started cutting out everything. It seemed like the harder I went on the diet, the more weight I gained. And it just wasn’t making any sense. So what I did instead was forego the extreme dieting and just nurture and nourish my body with foods that I like to eat when I like to eat them. I made sure I stay hydrated, got my protein and my fiber in, and that’s working for me. It’s working. I was finally able to lose weight.

3. Dishonoring my capacity.

I tried pushing myself. I tried going harder. I tried staying up later and doing all the things and my body, my spirit, my mind were like, “Oh no, you don’t.” Eventually, I had to be real and honest with myself about my capacity in this season of my life. Going harder is not something I can do at this age, stage, and season. It’s not. And I’m okay with that finally. This year sat me down and had a long conversation with me about my capacity. And now I realize that I accomplish more within my capacity than when I resist it, stretch it, know, and go beyond it.

Two Personal Lessons This Year Taught Me.

Wellbeing has to be first.

You know, there were years when I prioritized being a wife first. A mom first. A daughter first, A sister first. I claimed to be a people person who showed up for my community first. That no longer works for me. It didn’t work back then. It’s definitely not working now. What I realize is that I am at my best when I prioritize my well-being.

I am divinely guided and I am intuitively motivated and inspired.

My strategy for life and business must mirror that. It must be divinely deposited into me. My strategy is God. My life coach is God. I move intuitively. I ask questions like:

What am I feeling?

What is my heart saying?

Where is my spirit leading me?

I wanted to do all the things that see all of the other business owners doing. The whiteboards, the Zoom calls, and the PowerPoints, but that’s not what works for me. For me, it’s not a whiteboard, it’s prayer. It’s not a PowerPoint; it’s journaling. And that is okay.

Lessons Inspired By Client Sessions

In life, you get what you have the capacity for.

A lot of my clients felt like they were undervalued and overlooked. That they were missing out. They were being dragged. And life was not going their way. We were able to uncover that what was happening in their lives at the time was in alignment with their capacity. The good news is that if you’re looking at what you’re getting in life and you have decided that you want more or you know you desire more, you can increase your capacity. You can improve your capacity.

I did a lot of good work with clients on expanding their capacity, and I’m looking forward to helping clients do that in this new year.

Your relationships will reflect your level of healing.

Your relationships will reflect your level of healing. If you are looking at your love life, if you are looking at your friendships, if you are looking at your business partnerships, and you don’t like what you see, instead of pointing the finger at those people or working tirelessly on those relationships, it may be time to work on you and your healing. You accept what you think you deserve. You go after what you think you are worth. You tolerate and settle at the level you think you deserve.

Healing is a practice.

Healing is a practice—not just a prayer, a meditation, a therapy session, or a growth or purpose session with me. It is also the application of what those things inspire in action. So it is the actions you take, the things you do every single day to contribute to your well-being, to contribute to you. Prayer is necessary, meditation is necessary, therapy, coaching, mentoring, all of that is necessary. But when you leave those sessions, where are you? What are you doing? Who are you? How are you continuing the work? Where is it showing up in your life and your relationships, and in your work?

My Hopes For You In The New Year

I hope you will continue the work of becoming who you are meant to be in this lifetime.

I hope you meet the next version of yourself with love, excitement, and care.

I hope you are surrounded by people who get you, see you, hear you, and feel you.

I hope you continue to make good use of your gifts, talents, and skills.

I hope you honor your purpose in this season of your life.

A new year is also a new opportunity. Doors will open for you. Windows will open for you. Invitations will be sent to you. There are offerings and blessings and good things waiting for you. What didn’t happen in this year wasn’t supposed to. And everything that you needed to happen, happened. I hope you find the courage, the willingness, and the heart to show up for yourself every day in every way. I’m excited to meet you in the new year. I’m excited to work with you in the new year. I’m excited for the conversations.

Thank you for going on the journey with me. Some things worked, some things didn’t work, but we picked up lessons along the way. Happy, happy, happy New Year, beloved.

Until next time, I hope this helps.

Takeaways

Prioritizing healing and self-care is essential.

Refining one’s identity can lead to personal growth.

Isolation can provide clarity and focus.

Expectations may not align with reality—adaptability is key.

Honoring personal capacity leads to better outcomes.

Well-being should be prioritized above all else.

Healing is an ongoing practice, not a one-time event.

Relationships reflect personal healing and growth.

A new year brings new opportunities for growth and change.

Chapters

00:00 Year-End Reflections and Introductions

01:58 Prioritizing Healing and Self-Care

04:41 Refining Identity and Business

06:30 The Power of Isolation

08:08 What Didn’t Work: Expectations vs. Reality

09:58 Health Challenges and Dieting Struggles

13:16 Honoring Personal Capacity

14:39 Lessons Learned: Well-Being First

17:02 Divine Guidance and Intuition

18:28 Client Insights and Reflections

21:54 Healing as a Continuous Practice

23:20 Hopes for the New Year

You Are Invited to This Special Event

I’m doing something new this year! Instead of our typical annual series, we are in community with Wisdom for Life for The Best Year of Your Life Summit. Join me and 50+other amazing leaders, teachers, and guides for this special edition for free: https://bestyear.krtra.com/t/LXBFOkQplH9c