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I don’t know how else to come close to capturing this heavy, odd feeling that’s hanging around. I know I’m not the only one to feel exhausted and ready to say goodbye to 2025. Collectively we’ve been through a lot this year, whether we were directly affected by the worlds events, or just peripherally aware and carrying this deep sadness for the Earth we live on and the suffering of our fellow humans. 2025 has felt heavy in so many ways - and that’s not even taking into account the personal struggles and challenges that we face within our own lives, many of which we muddle through without fully realising how tough and tiring that can be.

I normally use this time to write a summary of what’s happened in my life over the last year, whether that’s small wins, big celebrations or the challenging times that shape who I am as a person. But this time around, I’m struggling to piece it all together. It’s not that I don’t know that amazing things have happened to me this year, but everything feels like it’s melted into a sort of gloopyness that makes it difficult to move through. I’m hoping for some solid ground under my feet soon. It’s needed.

There were some huge achievements hidden within this year for me, and I don’t want to just forget about them, even though the year is seemingly ending in a different place than it began.

I became a certified NeuroSomatic Flow® Teacher & Coach in 2025. The eagle-eyed will notice the new ® symbol, and I’m so pleased to announce that Jinju & Nova completed the necessary work to make it a registered trademark! I feel very proud of all the work I put into gaining these qualifications with NaiAsa Institute, and the experience of teaching and coaching, earlier this year. This is something that connects deeply to my heart and soul and it was such a joy to find something so aligned to who I am and how I can help others, but I am also very sad that for various reasons I’m not ending the year quite how I imagined I would.

I’m not going to lie, I am holding a lot of disappointment that I’ve not managed to start my own business, or take on any coaching clients this year. In lots of ways it feels like things haven’t changed, or even that they’re actually worse than before. And while I am trying to hold lightly to that, it is still adding to the heaviness and is something that I’ve really struggled with, alongside my health being more of a problem this year. I know that this path - this journey of life - isn’t linear, though. The fact that I’ve had to press pause on certain things and strip back others to the bare bones, doesn’t mean that my hopes and dreams will never become anything. I still have a fire within me that burns with a stubbornness gifted to me by my Grandmother. I am grateful for that. It may sometimes only seem like the tiniest flicker of an ember, but even the smallest spark can set alight the most magnificent fire if it is nurtured. I have been trying so hard to nurture that tiny flame this year, even through all the challenges.

There have been other things that I’m proud of, and grateful for, this year, and I want to do my best to at least write about a few more of them. I created and taught a workshop for The National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society, which was really successful and gave me the opportunity to see how I can take my experience of writing and reflection out into the world to help others. I hope to do more of this in 2026 because it was something I really enjoyed doing.

In 2025, I have connected more deeply with some really beautiful souls, and they have helped to support and carry me when I needed it most. Some years I list those who mean something special to me, but this year I am hoping they know already. I have tried to intentionally share my feelings and gratitude in each and every interaction I’ve had this past year (though it is very much still a work in progress). I want people to know how much they mean to me in every moment.

I have also lost touch with people and been let down by others. This year has made me really aware of who aligns to my soul, which interactions fill me up and feel like an equal partnership, and which give me absolutely nothing or even drain me. As my health deteriorated this year, so did my capacity for surface-level interactions or putting up with people taking the piss. In actual fact, this has been one of the best things to come out of a dip in my health and is something that I am taking forward into the new year. Sometimes things change, no longer align or suddenly reveal their true nature and, you know what, that’s great. I’m glad that happens. When you have a chronic illness, time and energy are especially precious and you don’t have a lot to waste.

2025 was the second time I’ve followed the year-long project of One Little Word. I have really loved being with my word of the year in a really intentional way, and the second time around I knew a little more of what to expect and how the year would flow. It’s been wonderful to be able to make the monthly live calls every now and again - it is such a deeply nourishing community of gentle and creative souls and hugely inspiring just to take part alongside them.

My word of the year was LISTEN and I didn’t end up choosing it until Susannah Conway’s Find Your Word in December 2024. In the past, words have shown up a month or two before the end of the year, but last year and this time around, they’ve made me work a bit harder to find them. In some ways, I think this actually helped me to really want to get to know Listen. It has been a word to encourage even more intentionality to my life and to be really curious about every moment as it happens. I have left more space to just ‘be’, and find myself savouring the times when I’m not glued to my phone. I have learned more about how to listen to my intuition and the innate knowing of what will feel best within my body in each moment. I am grateful to Sophie for helping with this particular exploration - taking part in two rounds of unmask? really helped me to sink into my body more and gave me intentional space to listen to how every moment changes and how it can be safe - really safe - to sink into those moments. This exploration is a long journey - particularly when I’ve avoided too much movement for fear of making me noticed or ridiculed for being weird. I’m both not afraid of being weird anymore, and also realise the importance of learning to allow this part of myself to exist. I have made myself very unwell by keeping myself so contained, and it is so very deeply ingrained into my way of being, that it will take time to unpick every sticky and solid piece. Listen reminds me to stop between breaths to hear my body and heart; to ask what I need and then truly listen for the answer. It has invited me into a deeper conversation with my body, which has helped me to show compassion to myself when things have been physically painful and overwhelming. Listen has cradled me this year, and will continue to hold me going forward, even though I will be exploring a new word in 2026.

My word for the next 12 months will be RETURN. It appeared at the Find Your Word workshop, after a lot of extreme discombobulation. I joked that maybe the opposite of discombobulation was my word for 2026 - and maybe that’s exactly what Return will be. I am excited to find out.

I am doing my best to leave this year behind with no hard feelings. Life has all sorts of layers to it, and not everything is going to be plain sailing. I have long understood the importance of holding space for all parts of the human experience, however painful, uncomfortable or overwhelming they are. The more difficult experiences are just as important as the easy breezy moments.

Although I end this year feeling that heavy-weird-melty-gloopy feeling, I know 2025 has been sprinkled with little joys, moments of contentment, love & support and time spent creating. I have befriended some pigeons and spend nearly every morning feeding them in the garden.

Every morning it takes more and more effort to get up and get dressed.

I have been able to spend lots of quality time with my brother at the end of this year and absolutely love how deeper the understanding between us is.

Walking is often something I can’t manage very much of. I worry about it, especially on days when it feels like my feet are made of concrete.

I have built a daily tarot/oracle practice, which is something I’ve been trying to do for many years AND I have made an excellent start on making my own Crone Card deck with collage ♥

I spend so many days not being able to do anything - not even any of the things I enjoy. Those are the days my mental health takes a battering.

I have had many deeply meaningful, insightful and inspiring conversations that have kept my brain and soul activated.

And been so frustrated, confused and hurt by other peoples actions and lack of care.

All these things co-exist within a year - within a life, and I take each moment as it comes. I do my best to enjoy the moments in which I find joy and contentment, and remind myself of my resilience through the times that are a challenge, knowing that everything changes and the wheel continues to turn.

As we come to the end of 2025 (and I am very much pushing the clock this year!), I want to wish all my readers the most peaceful of New Years. It doesn’t have to be anything other than the day after today, and it doesn’t have to be something you need to think about right now.

Onwards we go ♥

End of Year Overshare 2025

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