2025, A Year In Review

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 🎉

As the year draws to a close, and with this being my last post for 2025, I thought I’d pause to capture and share a few reflections on the year that’s been.

My word for 2025 was play.

Not only play in the fun, playing-with-the-kids sense, but play as an orientation.
Playing with ideas.
Playing with possibilities.
Trying things.
Exploring opportunities from new angles.

I held that word consciously as I went through this year. I’m proud to say I experimented more. I followed curiosity. I often reminded myself to hold things more lightly, and to participate instead of watching from the sidelines.

Still, the word that really sums 2025 up for me is transition.

This was a year of adapting to a new area, a new community, school, home, and a new way of living as we transitioned from Moonie and Goondiwindi to Echuca–Moama. We rented over the border for the year before moving to our new farm near Moama (in NSW) in early December.

It’s been a year of so much admin. Endless forms, processes, new platforms and people. Changing states a few times will do that to you! 🥴

There were also long stretches of solo parenting while Adam was away. Two surgeries in our household. The constant rhythm of mothering: activities, appointments, assessments, emotions to hold, bodies to care for, and the responsibility of keeping everyone safe, healthy and developing.

There have been many firsts this year, which has been exciting, and also asked a lot of me.

In my work, I went back to ground roots. I redesigned my business model to better align with my energy as a Mental Projector 6/2. Most importantly, I stopped denying the true love I have for writing. I decided to start making it more of a main thing rather than a backseat-to-everything-else thing.

Earlier in the year, I attended my first writing retreat in Barwon Heads — an experience that was pivotal for me and my work.

I committed fully to the Expert Author Community and learned a huge amount. I wrote a book proposal for the book I began last year, participated in the pitch party, met with publishers, and in September signed a publishing contract for Seen Again with The Kind Press.

Alongside that, I wrote a chapter for Anthologia II: A Collection of Stories by Women. I submitted a piece, participated in a photo shoot and celebrated the launch of Matrescence: Becoming Mother with Sarah Churcher.

In July, I began leasing a room two days a week at a studio in Moama. I started clarity coaching again with single sessions and small packages. I facilitated four quarterly planning meetings for farming family businesses. Co-hosted a wonderful retreat with Katrina Myers. All of which reminded me why I love what I do.

I upgraded my website, did a photoshoot with Fi Mims, and launched this Substack. I also moved the first fifty episodes of my ME + Motherhood podcast here.

Threaded through it all was Seen Again. I’m reminded of this quote from chapter ten:

“The more we learn about ourselves, the more we trust ourselves, and the more visible we become. Not because others suddenly believe in us, but because we finally believe in ourselves.”

I had to find belief again and again to keep writing. To keep moulding the manuscript. To hold the stories of eighteen other incredible women with care and integrity. To stay with the work even when it felt vulnerable, slow, and filled with doubt.

There was fun this year too! A family holiday in Anglesea. Seeing Sister Act in Brisbane. Our first AFL game in Melbourne. Visits from special people. New places to explore. Being a soccer mum on 2 degree mornings. Lots of walks. Endless bum and fart jokes (boys 🙄). Joy in watching our boys grow further into who they are. I also fell in love with the Murray River and the way it anchors this place we now call home.

Alongside everything else, I continued moving through grief. An identity shift. Missing people. Making new friends. Learning how to belong. Finding steady ground in a life that looks different to the one I once imagined. Learning to let go of what was, while slowly rooting ourselves into what is.

What has nourished me more than anything this year is nature and writing. The energy it gives me feeds so much else: my work, my mothering, my sense of self. Writing has steadied me when other things felt uncertain.

There have been plenty of ups and downs for our family this year. Big feelings. Lots of anxiety. Many changes. But I finish 2025 with a sense of peace in my heart, a knowing that we’re heading toward more stability.

This morning, we started working on the garden.
Our own garden.
My heart could have burst.

Looking back, 2025 has been a year of adaptation, experimentation, determination, and faith.

I played.
I transitioned.
I kept taking steps.

I’m finishing the year feeling content. Grateful.

I’m very happy to have some slower times for the next few weeks. I hope you can enjoy some downtime too, or at least spend moments on things that light you up.

As we approach a new year, I want to share another line from my upcoming book.

“We often think of big life choices or changes as requiring courage, which they do, but there is courage in the seemingly small steps and momentary shifts too.”

All the big steps are the culmination of many smaller ones. Remember to celebrate all your smaller but still courageous wins as you reflect on your year!

I’ll be back soon. Until then, go well!

With much love,

Benita x