2025 was a year of profound transformation, shaped by our theme of Remaking Possible. What began as a year of questioning everything—our careers, our home, our capacity to keep going—evolved into a story of bold decisions and complete reinvention. We didn't just challenge assumptions; we actively rebuilt our lives from the ground up. This year taught us that sometimes the most courageous act is admitting something isn't working and choosing to create something entirely new. Here's a look back at a year that felt like living two lifetimes in twelve months.
The Turning Point
The year started heavy. Coming off the end of 2024, I was deep in job applications while navigating an increasingly unstable tech industry. Big Four was experiencing major layoffs, and the stress was relentless. We were working 70-80 hour weeks while simultaneously maintaining a 4-bedroom house that needed significant work. Our roof needed replacing, interior doors were falling apart, and we were constantly choosing between investing in the house or saving for our future.
Right after Christmas, we toured apartments—not because we wanted to move, but because we needed to know our options. We ultimately decided to invest in the house: new roof, new doors, and began saving for other major upgrades. But the pressure kept building.
Breaking Point & Breakthrough
By summer, we hit our breaking point. We were exhausted, burned out, and barely present in our own lives. Most of our time and money went back into the house or savings. Travel—something we'd identified as essential to our wellbeing—kept getting pushed aside. We were surviving, not living.
In July, we made a decision that changed everything: another round of apartment hunting. This time, we found a place just a few miles down the road that we fell in love with. Within 24 hours, we applied. Seven weeks later, we had packed our entire 4-bedroom house and moved into a 2-bedroom apartment. We even completed all the repairs and renovations needed to prepare the house for renting.
It was a whirlwind, but it launched us into an entirely new season.
Dwelling: Simplifying & Letting Go
The move from a 4-bedroom house to a 2-bedroom apartment forced us to radically simplify. We sorted through years of accumulated belongings, deciding what truly mattered and what we could release. The process was emotional but liberating.
Major accomplishments:
Completed roof replacement and interior door upgrades
Renovated and repaired the house to rental-ready condition
Successfully transitioned to apartment living
Prepared the house to generate future rental income
The move taught us that we don't need as much space as we thought. What we need is peace, flexibility, and freedom from constant maintenance.
Work: Returning to Creative Roots & Healing
Six weeks after moving, I started a new position as a Senior Product Designer. The transition marked a significant shift: moving from management back to an individual contributor role.
At my previous position, I had taken on overwhelming responsibility. With the constant layoffs, I was essentially doing two full-time jobs—leading design on multiple projects while managing a global design system team. The stress manifested physically: sleepless nights, inability to disconnect from work, panic attacks. It wasn't sustainable.
Transitioning back to an IC role has been deeply healing. While I do miss some of the leadership opportunities and coaching others, I desperately needed a break from the constant pressure and responsibility. Now I can show up, do good work, and start rebuilding trust in leadership from a healthier headspace.
There's also something deeply meaningful about working in the medical industry—getting to "care for the caretakers" through delightful software. It's shifted my perspective on the purpose of my work.
The Mental Health Recovery:
It took months to realize how much damage I'd done to my nervous system. The healing process has been gradual but profound. I'm learning that work isn't everything. The pie chart of life is much more balanced now. I no longer feel the constant pressure to perform or prove myself in a competitive environment, or constantly protect my team. I can just show up and do good work.
Creativity: Finding My Voice
Toward the end of the year, being back in an IC role as a creative helped me focus on finding my own voice and creative expression—not just in work, but personally.
Photography and videography have always been passions, but this year I launched my own personal YouTube channel (technically my third YouTube channel). This one is different: it's focused on how I go through life—vlog style, documenting habits and systems I've created. It's been fun and challenging.
For the first time, I'm expressing myself as me. While there's still a lot of work ahead, it's been a meaningful new perspective to carry into the new year.
Health: The Anchor in the Storm
Despite everything, we maintained our commitment to health:
Continued attending the YMCA 3x per week throughout the upheaval
Claire began leading new fitness classes at the gym
Maintained our fitness routines even during the move and job transition
Focused on sustainable habits rather than perfection
Our consistency with fitness became an anchor during months of massive change. It was the one area where we could show up for ourselves when everything else felt uncertain.
Relationships: Deepening Connection Through Crisis
The pressure of the year could have driven us apart, but instead it brought us closer:
Marriage:
Weekly check-ins kept us aligned during the chaos
Continued biweekly date nights
Supported each other through career transitions and major life decisions
Family & Friends:
Maintained connections despite the hectic schedule
Continued the tradition of love letters for birthdays and special occasions
Built new friendships and deepened existing ones
The relationships we'd invested in became our support system when we needed it most.
Faith: Grounding in Uncertainty
During a year of constant change, our faith practices provided stability:
Maintained the Goodness Calendar practice
Connected with others in faith contexts through church camp
Explored church community options
Practicing meditation and appreciating nature
Our spiritual practices reminded us that we weren't alone in navigating these transitions.
Travel: Reclaiming What Matters
Despite the chaos, we protected our commitment to travel and used it to reset, connect, and remember what matters:
Franklin, Tennessee: Visited family and welcomed a new niece
Church Camp Retreat: Met new friends and deepened our faith community
Individual trips: San Antonio and New York to visit friends
Cancun: A restful week in the summer when we desperately needed it
Albuquerque, New Mexico: Work retreat to meet new coworkers
North Georgia Mountains: Camping and reconnecting with nature
Canada (British Columbia): 10+ day trip to end the year
Travel remained our reset button—helping us break from routine, try new things, and remember why we were working so hard to build this life.
Finance: Strategic Investments & Bold Moves
Major financial decisions:
Invested significantly in house improvements (roof, doors, renovations)
Prepared the house for rental income generation
Continued building emergency reserves
Maintained retirement contributions
Turo side hustle continued generating income
The house-to-rental preparation was one of our boldest financial moves, setting us up to convert what had been a drain on our resources into a future income-generating asset.
Reflection: Two Years in One
Looking back, 2025 feels like we lived two complete years. The first half is almost a blur—we were so focused on surviving that we weren't fully present. We were making decisions, taking action, working relentlessly, but rarely feeling the joy and peace we needed.
The second half, after the move and job change, felt like waking up. Suddenly we had space to breathe. We could be present. We found stability not through white-knuckling our way through impossible circumstances, but by making bold choices to change those circumstances entirely.
We challenged what was possible. Not to the point of burnout (though we came dangerously close), but to get the freedom and control we wanted. We questioned assumptions: that we had to stay in the house, that I had to stay at Big Four, that stability meant staying put. We painted a new picture of what our life could look like, and then we made it real.
Looking Ahead to 2026
As we step into 2026, we carry forward the lessons of Remaking Possible. We learned that:
Sometimes the bravest thing is admitting something isn't working
Bold decisions in the midst of chaos can create the breakthrough you need
Simplifying can be liberating, not limiting
Your nervous system matters more than your productivity
Work is just one slice of the pie—not the whole thing
The life you want requires actively building it, not waiting for it to happen
Consistency in small things (fitness, relationships, faith) anchors you through massive change
Rekindling lost passions brings you back to yourself
We're excited to see what we'll build in this new chapter—with more space to breathe, more freedom to create, and more capacity to actually enjoy the life we're crafting.
