Reflecting on 2025

This year has been a whirlwind of determination, self-reflection, and finally putting my best foot forward to be the change I want to see in the world. That started with changing the one thing I truly have power over……me! I had to hit the brakes – hard, start from the bottom and build myself up, piece by piece, once again. It’s been the most challenging and most rewarding thing I have ever done, and it is a constant work in progress, and I’m grateful for it. 

Looking a bit further back

Truthfully, I feel like I have been clawing my way back since c-vid days, and I know many can relate with me on that! The past few years have been particularly difficult as I have experienced many seasons of loss. Loss of family, purpose, and, honestly, maybe my mind.

I have, like many others, a complicated family dynamic with layers of generational trauma that’s been passed down and around like a cherished family heirloom. That doesn’t stop them from doing their best with the cards they were dealt and loving furiously throughout it all.

They taught me to always follow my dreams, even if they sound crazy to the rest of the world, and to make the absolute best of what you have, because sometimes you don’t realize how beautiful what’s in front of you truly is. 

Remembering those we’ve lost along the way

I want to take a moment to remember those I have lost before carrying their memory with me into the new year-

🪽Grandma S gained her wings on 06/27/2024, your fierce spirit, and I can do anything I put my mind to attitude will live with me forever- I’m forever grateful for it.

🪽 Grandma M gained her wings on 04/19/2024: Your creative spirit and skills you’ve taught me are always to be remembered and cherished. 🪽 Grandpa L gained his wings on 03/14/2025- I know you missed her so much, and I find peace knowing you’re together again.

🪽 Great Grandma M gained her wings on 03/10/2025- your independent and unwavering spirit is held tightly by me, along with all of our letters.

🪽 Taylor gained her wings on 07/18/2019 – I hope you are proud. I really wish you could be here, but I will try to experience everything we talked about for both of us, love. I know you are with your family now, like you always wanted.

🐾🪽 Nevaeh gained her wings on 08/22/2021- my soul dog, we saved each other that summer, and you took a piece of me with you when you crossed the rainbow bridge, baby girl. I know you all are with me every day, and I do find peace in that. 

Trying to process the grief

While coming to terms with the loss happening in my life, I was also laid off from my full-time job in a field that I’ve been in since I was eighteen. It felt like a line from my favorite song, “you gotta get ripped apart to see why you’re breathing (to find your reason)”-NM. I sometimes felt like maybe I was being taught a lesson.

I entered a season in my life that felt so low, I didn’t know if I would ever make it back up. Luckily for me, up was the only way to go. When I finally opened my eyes, I saw the hands held out in front of me, waiting to help me get there. This time felt different; instead of feeling shameful or guilty for needing help, I welcomed it with open arms.

I created Sage Skye Herbals from this place. I was alchemizing all the sadness into something beautifully me. It fueled a spark that had always been there and became my life raft, holding me up in that dark place. 

Facing my problems instead of running from them

As we all know, you can’t outrun your problems; they will catch up to you, and that was happening to me. While I was trying to follow my dreams and share my passions with the world, I was also dealing with my own issues that were catching up to me. Health issues like chronic migraine, digestive issues, unprocessed grief, weight gain, insomnia, anxiety, you know the drill.

This time, we did things a little differently. Instead of pushing through, putting on a brave face, we stopped everything and started from scratch. I realized I was building my dreams on a cracked foundation, and now we can’t have that!! We must do it the right way and tear it down, repair the foundation, and build it back up stronger than before. 

Putting myself first

One thing about me is that I believe you can manifest your future. The way I think about it is just believing in yourself, honestly. You have to ACTUALLY feel it, though. Write it down, plan for it, act as if it’s already happening, and one day it will! It’s not easy, but it can be done. Imagine that, putting your mind to something and it working out the way you always dreamed. It can happen!

I promise you, you can not shame yourself into discipline or guilt yourself into your dream coming true- you can love and believe yourself into it, though. Sounds cheesy, but I promise you, when you start putting yourself first in a way you would want others to treat you, or you would like others to treat themselves, your life will change.

That was my problem: I tried to help everyone and everything around me while continuously neglecting myself, without even realizing it. A story as old as time. As my sweet, kind, and oh-so-patient therapist told me in one of our early visits, you cannot keep pouring from an empty cup; you must fill it first. Let’s figure out how to refill yours. 

Filling my cup and seeing the change

This year, I truly focused on reflecting and filling my cup no matter what. I started by admitting I needed help pulling myself out of this place. I found a new therapist. I’ve tried a few in the past, but it never works. I tried again, and this time it worked, and I’m so grateful I didn’t let the past cloud my future.

I still had to put in the work, though; this is the key here. You have to be ready to face it. I started to process the grief that was hiding inside. This is still a work in progress, obviously, but focusing on this first helped with the following steps, which were getting back to the basics, baby: sleep, food, safety, security, and self-love through it all.

Once you have mastered all the basics and set a new baseline yourself, you can reflect on your journey and what you truly want, and make a plan to get it! I am now awake before 7:00 am most days, have lost 35 pounds, and found a new career in a field aligned with my values that makes a real positive impact in people’s lives, including my own. I have finally reached a place where I am excited to share all that I have learned through my journeys around the sun thus far, and I hope it can help you fill your cup, too. 

Coming up next ➡️

There are some herbal blog posts that I transferred from Sage Skye Herbals to check out on the site and on our socials! I’ll be honest- it’s intimidating to post on the internet, in the age of you can do nothing right. Good thing we are in the season of following what calls to us and our creative passions. There is no room for overthinking and worrying about what other people think now. We are taking back our power- one step at a time.

Next up, we are going to explore getting back to the basics and how vital it is for building a strong foundation in your life. See you there!