My Year in Review🌎

Hi Team!

I can’t believe we are less than a week out from Christmas and only two weeks away from 2026. I love the sense of possibility that comes with this time of year. The energy is magnetic and there is such an abundance of love, generosity, and joy. It is truly something special, and lately I will say I have definitely been in need of it 😭. It’s been so nice to experience this season both in NYC and at home in CT. I’ve been wandering through the Christmas markets, helping my mom with all of the decorating and baking, overserving myself in both drinks and cookies at the holiday parties, all while taking in the first snow of the season. There is nothing like the first snowfall to inspire reflection on the year. 

SO much of my life has changed in 2025, and I owe it in large part to the work I put in right before the year began.

Admittedly I used to be extremely skeptical about New Year’s resolutions, manifesting, vision boards…basically all of it. But, going into last year, I felt deeply unhappy and so stuck, I was constantly comparing my life to others and the paths I convinced myself I was too late for or couldn’t have. I knew something had to change. So, I ended up trying everything I once wrote off - rock bottom can really be a launching pad if you let it. With nothing to lose, I made a vision board and wrote a list of things I wanted to accomplish in 2025, and in just a year my life has become unrecognizable.

But, here’s what no one wants to hear: manifesting and resolutions really do work… but only if you do.

Writing out a list and never showing up for yourself isn’t manifesting, that’s wishing. And the hard truth is that your goals are your responsibility. It’s difficult, consistent work… but it’s also completely possible. If you show up for yourself, especially when you don’t feel like it, there is very little standing between you and what you want the year to look like. Before the new year starts, those goals can feel impossibly far away, trust me I get that, but the bridge between now and then starts with simply naming what you want.

I recently listened to Mel Robbins’ end of year podcast, and she talked about the power of new years resolutions and goals. She said no matter what is going on in her life she uses this exercise as a way to intentionally program her mind. By doing this, she creates a bridge between where she is right now and the version of herself she wants to become. So, if you don’t believe me - take it directly from the GURU of 2025. 

Here's what I wrote for 2025, and what actually happened:

• Complete a Half Ironman

  • Against all odds.. with 0 road biking experience 3 months prior, and during the race: two flat tires, a lost timing chip, brutal heat, insanely choppy water, and a referee and bike mechanic that tried to DQ me!

  • Chip time: 6:17:50

• Build a social media platform and community of likeminded women in endurance sports (15k EOY goal) 

  • Almost at 17k of you, which is crazy to think about. I started 2025 with 50 followers🤯

• Join a triathlon group/community (or create one?)

  • Created the community I wished I had when I started triathlon both on here and through Train Payne (and hopefully more to come with another launch in 2026❤️‍🔥)

• Become a certified yoga instructor 

  • Postponed… but started NASM CPT training! 

• New job/entrepreneurial venture

  • Left my corporate 9-5, created Train Payne & more to come!

  • Currently in NASM CPT training 

• Complete the Chicago Marathon

  • PR’d with a sub 4! And my first race without a med tent visit! 

  • Chip time: 3:49:32

• Write a book

  • This is a long term goal of mine, which obviously cannot happen in one year BUT,

  • I started this weekly newsletter to reconnect with writing again, something I have found myself missing postgrad. This has been the perfect outlet for me to practice, create, and re-engage with that part of myself <3

• Move

  • Moved out of NYC to go back home for a bit 

  • Not exactly what I had planned… but plans change!

• Go skydiving

  • This one was random…lol. My mom said it changed her life in her 20s - maybe this year! 

• Solo travel outside my comfort zone 

  • I want to pair this with my yoga certification 👀

  • Need more $$ before this is feasible lol

Writing these goals down and seeing them on paper made them feel real and helped me organize my thoughts and ambitions for the year ahead. But, the vision board is what really brought them to life. I put together a mix of photos that represented the life I wanted in 2025, and then I set it as my phone background for the whole year. I looked at it every morning, every night, and about 200 times in between (with double takes at 11:11). The visual repetition kept me going when I didn’t want to. It reminded me of the life I was building, even on days I didn’t feel like I was getting anywhere. It helped me see myself in the scenarios I once only imagined. I stopped seeing other people doing cool things and started seeing a future version of myself I actually believed in. So, if you’re running on empty right now, and feel like you can only manage one thing before the new year, do the vision board. Scroll through pinterest and save anything that brings you energy or excites you, and canva makes it easy to put it all together. See below for my 2025 vision board!

I will say, a hard but important lesson I learned this year is that nothing changes forever. You have to keep choosing the life you want. Every single day. Your new years resolutions from the year before do not just go away; they compound over time. One of my favorite quotes is “People look exactly like the choices they make every day.” And when we stop making these intentional choices, we can fall back into older versions of ourselves. I’ve noticed some of my old patterns creeping back in recently, and it’s a reminder that mindset work is not linear. You’re allowed to have relapses into old thinking. You’re allowed to give yourself grace while you climb out of it again. But your direction still matters. Your choices still matter. 

So, I will leave you with this as I reflect back on 2025. So many CEOs and founders started their life-changing work in their 40s and beyond. Age is not the limiter. Intentionality is. It’s never too late to choose differently. You are not behind, broken, or stuck, you’re just one decision away from shifting your direction. But, the time will pass anyway. You are not obligated to keep choosing the same path just because it’s familiar. The little choices matter more than the big ones, and they add up faster than you think. If you need proof that change is possible, let this be it. Let me be the reminder that momentum can start quietly, imperfectly, and right where you are.

Next week's newsletter will be on my 2026 goals and resolutions, manifestations, mindset shifts, and vision board themes!

Until then, start drafting yours!

XOXO
Caleigh❤️‍🔥