2019: Year in Review
2019: Year in Review
Behold: my inaugural Year in Review. I plan on making this an annual practice. I’ll likely tweak the following questions in the coming years, but starting here as a baseline.
What went well this year?
What didn’t go well this year?
What would be the theme to describe 2019?
What went well this year
1. Coaching Business
Coaching has been a side hobby of mine for years now, but 2019 marks the year I stopped receiving W-2s and starting building my business.
This highlight is, by far, my greatest one of the year. I’m beyond grateful to my near-decade working in Tech, mostly building early stage startups. This allowed me to learn countless skills and life lessons, all of which make it possible for me to start my own business. I’m also grateful for those of you who have been along this journey with me — whether you were a client, are a client, were a sounding board as I was terrified to quit my job, or just told me “you’re doing great” from time to time when I wasn’t sure. Damn, starting a business is terrifying, but endlessly rewarding. (I would make some reference to becoming a parent here, but given that I am not a parent, I am certain this is offensive).
Highlights:
Completed CTI’s certification program
Got my ACC credentials (60+ hours of training, 100+ hours of coaching)
Worked with dozens of amazing individuals
Met some lifelong friends/”co-workers” through CTI. You know who you are ;)
Worked inside of some amazing tech companies, helping to shift workplace culture and communication
Started publicly speaking re: coaching + building a business
Looking back to this time 1 year ago, I had goals set out to make sure I would get here. I knew I wanted to complete 2020 by saying I quit my job and started a business. I did not expect to do it so early in the year and to have so many successes follow. I’m taking many moments this week to sit and relish in this feeling I can only describe as, “proud”.
More than any of this, I need to say how fucking grateful I am for my clients. It’s because of you and how you show up, that I get to include this section in my Year in Review. Being a part of your journey to become a more fulfilled, healthier, more communicative, authentic version of yourself is nothing short of a treat. Watching y’all put in the work, week after week, inspires me to continue to grow into the best version of myself. Thank you, thank you for trusting me. I love you all.
2. Fitness
This category is one that’s been a huge part of the last decade, but oddly did not take a front seat for the first ~20 years of my life. Those formative years were spent in the marching band. Woof.
Running was my first fitness love, completing my first half marathon in 2011 to get me through one of the hardest breakups of my life. Since then, I’ve discovered a love for weight lifting, yoga, walking, sprinting, barre (kiiiinda), surfing, cycling, and essentially anything that gets my heart rate up and my body moving.
This year I had a goal to not end up in the ER. That may seem like a silly goal, but as an ER frequenter, I wanted to be a bit more careful with my body. I can proudly say I completed that goal. Oddly enough, that was my only “fitness” goal for 2019.
Highlights:
Ran 625 miles
Completed 95 runs (avg. run distance of 7 miles)
PR’d the Santa Rosa Marathon
Completed Morro Bay Trail Half Marathon (did not PR anything, maybe “slowest” run PR)
Cycled 862 miles
Completed 35 ride (avg. cycling distance of 25 miles)
Attended 209 workout classes: 98 (Classpass) + 111 (Barry’s)
Total workout count: 339. Meaning I didn’t work out 26 days this year (not including walks, hikes, or surfing)
Only 1 new injury (plantar fasciitis turned to heel spurs)
Biked with no hands on my handlebars for 10 Mississippi’s (this one came in juuuust in the knick of time — yesterday).
Used clip-in pedals for the first time AND wore padded shorts for the first time (and now these are staples, obviously)
I hope to always have fitness as a category of “what went well” in my yearly reviews. In order to keep everything up, I need to keep focusing on rest and rehab. Those are two things I struggle to prioritize, but am slowly chipping away at. I have dreams of still working out in some fashion when I’m 100 years old.
3. Adventure
“Adventure” is actually the word I’ve chosen for my main theme of 2020. 2019 did a great job wetting the ole whistle.
To me, adventure means doing an activity that is a little out of your comfort zone, inherently risky, but more importantly — feeds the soul. While this looks like physical activities many times, I’ve also been using it to describe risks I’m taking with my business (and all other aspects of my life).
Highlights:
Took a last minute trip to Portugal, which then led to an even MORE last minute trip to Berlin.
Surfed at midnight under a full moon (JOHNNY UTAH, WASSUP)
Spent time in Joshua Tree, hiking around big rocks
Went 4-wheelin’ (more specifically, went with the “advanced” group that led to me flipping my quad)
Spent a day on a couple of farms feeding pigs, goats, and other friends
Started hanging out with horses more (if you know me, this is A HUGE deal)
Bought Billie (my 4Runner), which has unlocked these and many more adventures
Camped in the woods with a group of mostly strangers
Backpacked for the first time for 4 days
Began cycling hills (I’m annoyingly scared of going downhill)
Took a few solo vacations (VERY risky for an extrovert like me)
Went free diving under beds of kelp
Backpacking was a life changing experience for me. I know that seems dramatic, maybe it is dramatic, who knows? It was an experience that showed me I can provide for myself in nature for an extended period of time, carrying everything I need on my back. I learned what it’s like to not look at a phone or communicate with anyone (besides my best adventure bud). I felt a mix of: joy, aliveness, connection, pride and probably a few others I’m forgetting.
4. Building a life in LA
2019 was my first full year living in LA and I really wanted to make it feel like home. To me, home means where my grocery store is (with a good bulk section) + where my people are.
While I left a lot of awesome people in South Carolina when I moved in 2011 and then another group of amazing people in San Francisco, I also feel like I was able to take so many of them along with me. No, lots of my friends are not physically living in LA, but weekly FaceTime dates, random texts, calls and DMs keep me feeling close.
I moved to LA with 2 friends here, both of which have become WAY closer. Now, I feel settled into many different groups, which is just the way I like it. I have the friends I call when I’m ugly crying over a breakup, the ones I call when I have a surf craving RIGHT NOW, friends who know the code to my lockbox and break into my house at random, friends who I can talk with about life until the wee hours of the morning (jk, it’s more like 9pm), and friends who reflect things for me that I’m not always able to see.
I also feel very settled in my bungalow in Venice. I still don’t own a coffee table (not sure I ever will at this point), but this place truly does feel like home.
I bump into friends in the ocean surfing, see people I know in Erewhon, know the barista at the cafe I bike to, have many go-to grocery stores, can drive a few places without GPS, am friends with my favorite bootcamp instructors, and know hundreds of dogs’ names along my morning walk.
I love my current life.
What didn’t go well this year?
1. Rest and Rehab
I called this out before — my ability to rest continues to be sub-par. Working out intensely is a love of mine like none other. Taking even 1 day off/week affects me in a negative way. I have a hard time being creative, thinking strategically, and just feeling like my best self without a workout in the morning.
This love leads to anywhere from 1-10 injuries / year. If I want to continue to workout until my 100th birthday (and beyond), my little body needs rest.
What gets me in trouble even more is rehabing injuries, or lack thereof. During my marathon training this summer, I developed plantar fasciitis. Instead of taking some time to rehab that (including rest), I pushed through the pain. The week after the race my podiatrist told me I developed spurs on my heels thanks to ignoring my body.
Fast forward to today: I still cannot run on pavement. If I would have listened to my body, I would likely be running again.
2. Finding an accountant
I promised myself I’d get an accountant to help with taxes and business financial goals, yet here I am, still accountant-less.
Not making an excuse here, though I feel like every time I talk to an accountant and tell them what I’m looking for, they politely tell me to save my money and do it myself. I’m no CPA, but I do understand financial basics. Basicsssss, people. I’m trying to give my money to someone who knows these things better than me, that’s it!
Anywho, let me know if you have your own business and love your accountant (preferably in LA).
3. Dating
Blargh, I don’t enjoy writing this section, but #transparency. I do need to caveat this whole section saying that I am extremely grateful for where I am now and do not regret this last year. It brought me to this place I’m beyond happy to be in.
I had to learn some tough lessons this year, when I thought I had already learned them. Sneaky lessons are the worst kind! Going to keep this one short, but all of this to say that I wouldn’t describe this last year as a pleasant one for dating. Again though, thank you 2019, you taught me so much.
Theme of 2019
Build.
Some huge things were built this year:
My business
A beautiful life in LA
Confidence
Thank you to everyone who was a part of my 2019, it’s only because of you that I learned the lessons I did and grew into this new version of myself. For that, and many other reasons, I am grateful.
