I’ve been doing yearly reviews in some form or another since 2013 (probably even earlier) as a way to pause, reflect, and process the various experiences that continue to shape me.
This year was the year I designed and renovated my kitchen, recovered from injury, spent more time outdoors, shifted gears around my work, and grieved the loss of both family and friends.
I knew that the kitchen renovation was going to be intense, and I wouldn’t have a lot of time for taking on any major projects. While my publishing output decreased dramatically this year, I knew at the beginning of the year that the kitchen project was going to require a lot of my time, energy, and attention, and I’d given myself permission to surrender to the chaos of it.
This wasn’t a year of business growth, workshops, masterminding, and Youtube videos.
I experienced many different kinds of grief and loss, and was reminded of how short our time is here on this planet, and how important it is to make time for the relationships that matter.
A lot of this grief I’m not able to share publicly, but I have been deeply impacted by in different ways, and expect to be working through in 2026.
There are both challenges and highlights to celebrate this year.
This year I did my year in review as a Notion document (which is much easier than formatting a blog post on this website which needs an overhaul!). A quick overview of highlights + challenges below; check out the full write up here.
Year at a glance
Highlights
- Designed and renovated my kitchen
- Returned to playing sports again (after my hip injury in 2024)
- Signed up for personal training
- Spent time in nature
- Attended Euchre tournaments and board game nights
- Went alcohol free
- Got Invisalign to correct my crowded teeth / bite
- Grew my backyard garden
- Attended a local Harvest Table dinner by One Straw Society
- Provided chef services (dinners) for two retreats
- Took an Indian cooking class at NWCAV
- Social: Quit Twitter, moved over to BlueSky
- Clients: Partnered with the Stanford d.school
Challenges
- With the current state of the political climate in the US, I decided not to do any US travel for the foreseeable future, and having been consciously avoiding purchasing US-based products to the best of my ability, always trying to find local Canadian alternatives wherever possible.
- I started Invisalign in July, which significantly changed a lot of my food habits. I’ve spent most of the year with a noticeable lisp and visible attachments on my teeth. It’s been a mild nuisance, and made me a bit self conscious, but admittedly I’m very happy with how my teeth are looking and my bite is feeling, so… it’s been worth it (so far!).
- The kitchen renovation was definitely chaotic and intense, and meant various contractors coming and going nearly every day, dust on everything, and not having a functional kitchen for months! I ate more frozen pizzas than I care to admit…
- I experienced extreme AI fatigue. I can’t really summarize this in a single bullet, but I have some opinions here, and let’s just say that AI is making me want to spend more time in the garden and outside in community with real people.
- There has been death, foreboding death, and serious health issues of several friends and family members which has really put some things into perspective, and encouraged me to think about how I prioritize the important relationships in my life. (A lot of this greatly impacted my desire and ability to focus on work this year).
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