Last year reminded us that longevity isn’t about escaping the trenches—it’s about learning how to tend the ground beneath your feet. It’s about knowing when to push forward and when to rest. When to expand, and when to protect what you’ve already built.

There’s a common saying in the business world: once you make it past your five years, you’re “out of the trenches.” And while that may be somewhat true, it’s also—if we’re really being honest—partly a bunch of BS!

There’s a common saying in the business world: once you make it past your five years, you’re “out of the trenches.” And while that may be somewhat true, it’s also—if we’re really being honest—partly a bunch of BS!

While some are ringing in the New Year with noise and sparkle, others are still shedding the final layers of the Year of the Wooden Snake. And then there are those of us—myself included—who are honoring winter exactly as it asks: slowly, quietly, in a state of hibernation.

As the year comes to a close, many of us feel pressured to reflect, reset, and reinvent ourselves overnight, so we invite you to a different approach—one rooted in compassion, integration, and small, meaningful steps.

As we move into the final days before the holidays, everything can start to feel louder—full calendars, heightened emotions, and the subtle pressure to do more, be more, show up perfectly. This is your reminder that peace doesn’t come once everything is done. It’s something you can choose now, even in the middle of the busyness.