on July 8, 2025

On December 31, 2024 I wrote “Reflection and Moving Forward.” I’m not one for setting goals and letting them drift into the universe, hoping they’ll magically manifest. So here’s where we stand—half a year in, with honest assessment and zero sugar-coating.

These were the goals I set for myself:

2025: Professional

Sell Thyme on Main
Work with a team to positively impact culture and profitability
Maintain A Gutsy Girl

2025: Personal

Explore
Begin (and finish?) writing my book
Bible in a Year
Dedicate time to embracing and navigating each child’s unique challenges.
Document a year of inspiring thoughts and quotes.
Read at least 12 books on Audible.
Finish my 50 before 50 list.
Take 2 solo trips (✓ btw – these have already been booked and planned!)

Six Months of Growth: What My 2025 Goals Are Really Teaching Me

So here it all is…..

The Reality Check: How It’s Actually Going

Thyme on Main – Still in progress, but we made a massive move by closing the Refinery 507 as a publicly operating kitchen + cocktail bar. This decision gave me so much life back, and we’re steadily inching toward the sale. Sometimes the path to a goal isn’t linear, and that’s okay.
~~Work with a team to positively impact culture and profitability~~ – done! And I documented it with Wink of an Eye. There’s something powerful about crossing off a professional goal that felt so significant at the start of the year. [p.s. I’m exactly where I need to be, but growing in a new capacity with it all. I’m getting contacted by others in the industry to run brand management for other teams – as I do for Food Babe. I’m not sure where this will take me yet, but excited to find out!]
Maintain A Gutsy Girl — Absolutely! This one’s getting carried through until the end of 2025, and I’m more committed to it than ever.
Explore — This might be my favorite development of the year. I’ve been exploring in every conceivable way, and I’m borderline obsessed with it. I sent my cousin J a message recently saying, “I’m in this really weird place right now where all I want to do is learn and explore.” When a goal becomes an obsession, you know you’re onto something.
Begin (and finish?) writing my book — Begin? Yes. Finish? No, and here’s why: There’s something holding me back. There’s a topic, theme, or element contained within the book that I don’t even know about yet. Because I feel this so deeply, I’ll never release the book until I’m confident about what that missing piece is. I’ve started writing and know the direction, but I’m learning to trust the process—even when it means patience.
Bible in a Year – YES! I haven’t missed a day yet, and today is Day 189 already! There’s something profoundly grounding about this daily commitment.
Dedicate time to embracing and navigating each child’s unique challenges. I work on this every single day. And every single day it proves incredibly challenging (for both me and them). But I’m committed to it because the most worthwhile things rarely come easy.
Document a year of inspiring thoughts and quotes. Yes! I haven’t missed a day yet. I’m so excited to see the entire journal of it at year’s end.
~~Read at least 12 books on Audible~~. — DONE and then some! I’ve already more than tripled this goal. (See #4—when you’re obsessed with exploring, consuming knowledge becomes second nature.)
~~Finish my 50 before 50 list~~. Yes, done! And you can read it HERE.
Take 2 solo trips (✓ btw – these have already been booked and planned!) – I did one, to Arizona, for my birthday. The other one that was planned didn’t happen (and that’s okay!) – I wrote about it HERE. Could I still do another solo trip this year? Sure. But is it a priority? Not really. Why? Because I’m about to cross off a HUGE (traveling) item from my 50 Before 50 List……

Finishing 2025 Strong: The Path Forward

As I look at the remaining months of 2025, I’m not interested in adding more goals just for the sake of productivity theater.

Instead….

I want to finish what I started with intention and create space for what wants to emerge.

What I’m Carrying Forward:

The Non-Negotiables: Bible in a Year continues daily. The inspiring thoughts and quotes journal continues daily. Maintaining A Gutsy Girl remains a priority. Growing again in the natural health and wellness space is a true commitment. These aren’t just goals anymore—they’re integrated into who I’m becoming.

The Patient Projects: The book will get written when it’s ready to be written. I’m learning that forcing creative work before its time serves no one. The missing piece will reveal itself, and when it does, I’ll know.

The Business Evolution: Thyme on Main will sell when it’s meant to sell. The Refinery 507 closure was the right decision, and I trust that the rest will unfold as it should.

What I’m Adding for the Final Push:

Deepen the Exploration: Since this has become my driving passion, I want to be more intentional about documenting what I’m discovering. Not for content’s sake, but for clarity about where this obsession is leading me. [p.s. this one is so important to me that I’ve even identified ways for going about this on a daily basis.]

Embrace the Unknown: That “huge item” from my 50 Before 50 List? I’m going to approach it with the same energy I’ve brought to exploring this year—full curiosity, zero attachment to specific outcomes. I’ll share about what this is soon.

Create Space for Emergence: Instead of filling every moment with productivity, I want to leave room for the unexpected. The best parts of 2025 so far have been the things I didn’t plan for.

The Final Six Months: Let’s Go!

I’m not interested in cramming more achievements into 2025.

I’m interested in finishing strong by honoring what I’ve started, staying curious about what’s emerging, and trusting that the woman I’m becoming through this process is exactly who I need to be.

The year isn’t over, but the foundation is solid.

Now it’s time to build something beautiful on it.

BTW – I’m a highly goal-oriented person by trait. So share your own goals with me. I’d love to hear them!

p.s. Some fave pics from the first half of the year.