Staying above water this year in terms of work has been one of the hardest things. And today I sent my last Slack message to my team, my last client email, and my last WhatsApp update for 2025.
I feel emotional typing this. Realising that everything I did wasn’t just survival—it was accomplishment. It was something I never imagined I would get through, and yet here I am on the other side of it.
The last three months have been a series of consecutive moments of thriving. Moments of doing remarkably well despite everything I’ve faced, and I don’t know how to put into words the depth of relief I feel.
Though this year is defined by hardship, I am incredibly proud of how I showed up for my career.
There have been moments of unhealthy sacrifice, blurred boundaries, and overgiving, which I acknowledge and choose to remain aware of. I know that needs to change going forward, but naming these patterns only helps me understand myself more deeply. Which ultimately leads to a more gentle and wholesome version of myself.
As I close this chapter, I’m realising that strength isn’t always about pushing through relentlessly. Sometimes it’s about recognising when you’ve given everything you have, honouring that effort, and then choosing differently next time.
I made it through. Not perfectly, not without cost, but I made it through.
And now I get to rest—not as a reward for achievement, but as an essential act of self-preservation. The kind that will allow me to return next year, not just surviving, but actually living.
That feels like the most profound accomplishment of all.
