2025, Notes from a working year
By the end of a year, it becomes tempting to compress twelve months into a story that makes sense. I’m aware of that temptation, but more convinced than ever not to give in to it.
What I remember most clearly about 2025 is not a sequence of milestones, but a persistent internal growth. It felt less like chasing outcomes and more like showing up for a session at the gym. The year asked for focus on the work itself, rep by rep and set by set, without much attention to where it was all supposed to lead. That mindset made it possible to keep going, even when progress wasn’t plainly visible.
Early in the year, I received an invitation to be on Comfortable Conversations, hosted by Jas Kirk. That experience was a defining moment for me. Her podcast marked the first time I openly talked out loud about my journey to where I am now. During that conversation, I found myself reflecting, perhaps for the first time, on my progress both professionally and personally. By the end, it left me with a liberated feeling: being able to tell myself “good job,” and to feel deserving of the results of my efforts.
The podcast didn’t change the direction of the year so much as it adjusted how I occupied it. The work continued largely the same, but my relationship to it felt slightly different; There was less need to constantly over-evaluate whether things were “working” and more willingness to trust the process.
As the year went on, another shift became harder to ignore. It wasn’t about changing direction, but about recognizing the opportunities in front of me, both within the industry I work in and within my role at INSURICA. That recognition arrived with both excitement and urgency, and with a sense that the opportunity was there for those willing to see it and engage it seriously. Being a student of the game started to feel less like preparation for something else and more like the work itself.
What this awareness brings with it is not certainty about where things lead, but a clearer sense of what is required in the meantime. The effort still matters, even without guarantees attached to it. Showing up, paying attention, and doing the work remain worthwhile on their own, regardless of how quickly or cleanly results appear.
Over time, that way of working began to widen my attention beyond my own effort. One place I’ve become more intentional is in how I invest in the people around me; largely because I’m aware of how much I’ve benefited from others doing the same for me. Much of what I’ve been able to do this year rests on time, knowledge, and support that were offered to me freely, often without an expectation of return. When I have the chance, I try to extend that same attention outward by recognizing good work, sharing it, or supporting the people behind it. It’s a small way of staying honest about how progress actually happens, and it’s a practice I intend to carry with me into 2026.