If You’re Feeling Called to Play Bigger Next Year, Listen to This.

This final episode of the year is one I knew I had to record—not to recap accomplishments, but to talk honestly about what this year revealed. Because the end of the year isn’t just a finish line… it’s a mirror.

In this episode, I’m sharing the real, behind-the-scenes moments that shaped me this year: the resilience I didn’t know I had, the health challenges that forced me to slow down, the emotional weight of caring for my mom, and the sacred reset moments that reminded me who I’m becoming.

If you’ve felt stretched, tested, or quietly called to make next year look different… you’re not alone. And you’re not behind. This episode is your reminder that playing bigger isn’t always about doing more—it’s about choosing better.

This is the conversation I needed this year, and I have a feeling you might need it too.

In This Episode, I Cover:

The Truth About Reflection

• Why this moment isn’t about judgment
• How to look honestly at what worked—and what didn’t

The Hidden Lessons of a Hard Year

• What my mom’s health journey taught me
• How fear, worry, and responsibility almost consumed me
• The reminder that health is not optional

Resetting, Refocusing, and Restarting

The four-part framework I’m using to step into 2026, including:

1. Reset: What this year revealed about your energy, patterns, and capacity
2. Release: What you’re done tolerating
3. Refine: What actually supported your growth
4. Align: Who you want to build with next year

The Power of Relationships and Alignment

• Why certain opportunities fell away—and why that was the blessing
• Who I’m choosing to play bigger with next year
• How alignment became my highest standard

A Permission Slip for Next Year

• You’re not behind
• You’re not late
• You don’t need to burn your life down to grow
• Sometimes success just means choosing better

If you’re stepping into the next year with big goals and an even bigger heart… this episode will ground you, encourage you, and remind you of your strength.

If this episode spoke to you, inspired you, or helped you breathe a little deeper, hit Follow so you never miss an episode.

To stay connected, join our community, or see upcoming events, head to letsplaybigger.com.

I can’t wait to grow with you in the new year.

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🔗 Links & Resources

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Transcript

This moment right now isn't about judging yourself. It's about reflecting. It's about looking honestly at what worked, what didn't work, and where you are ready to make adjustment as you step into what's next. And if you're feeling called to Play Bigger next year, I want you to hear this. You're not behind. You're not late. Sometimes Playing Bigger isn't about doing more. It's about choosing better, better alignment, better support, better standards.

Welcome back to the Play Bigger Podcast. This is the final episode of the year and I cannot believe it. And I want to take this moment to speak to you directly, not about what you accomplished, but what about this year revealed? Because the end of the year isn't just a finish line. I believe it's a mirror and it shows you what worked, what costs you too much and what no longer fits the version of you that you are becoming. And if you've been feeling a quiet pool, that next year needs to look different, this episode is for you. 

Some of you had an incredible year. You set big goals, you showed up, and you crushed them, and I wanna celebrate you. And some of you didn't hit the goals you set. Maybe the year didn't turn out the way you imagined, or you fell short in ways that may feel frustrating. And I wanna celebrate you too, because making it through the year matters more than people give credit for. And this moment right now isn't about judging yourself. It's about reflecting. It's about looking honestly at what worked, what didn't work, and where you are ready to make adjustment as you step into what's next. And I'll be honest, I told a lot of my friends this year that I couldn't wait for 2025 to end, not because there weren't good moments, because there were. But because this year tested me in ways I didn't expect. I tried to stay healthy, and for the most part, I did. But there were plenty of nights I couldn't sleep because I was worried about my mom, about responsibility, about holding everything together. And there was a week I spent in the hospital this year with my brother, not knowing if my mom was going to come out of her coma. Days where I researched everything on chatgpt I could find about diabetes, about dementia, trying to understand and trying to control what I actually couldn't. Even my birthday this year, believe it or not, I was sick. And it reminded me something about myself. When I go down, I really go down, not just for a day, but for several days. And health is so important. 

So remind me next year. During December, I will not have speaking engagements because the middle to the end of the year are so important and I want to stay healthy. But what this year showed me is that I'm stronger than I think. I found resilience when I didn't even know it existed. And I gained awareness around something important that when worry takes over, I just can't stay there and live there. I worried about things that eventually didn't matter, like people's opinions and suggestions when it came to my mom's health. I realized later that I have to look at my options, make decisions and move forward even when it's hard. A few weeks ago on my birthday, I shared something that came straight from the heart. I talked about how many times you have to reset, you have to refocus and restart as many times as you need to. Because you are your own greatest project. And that message just wasn't a real, it was something I needed to hear myself to be quite honest. 

And this year reminded me that progress isn't linear. Sometimes you move forward, sometimes you pause, and sometimes you take a step back to realign. And that doesn't mean you're failing, it means you're just paying attention, maybe a little bit more closely. And resetting isn't about quitting. Refocus isn't about giving up. Restarting just doesn't erase how far you've come. And it allows you to actually keep going. 

So one thing I'm deeply proud of this year is how I leaned into relationships. First and foremost, my family, but also my friends, my inner circle, my Play Bigger and Elevate communities. I truly believe that I don't think I could have gotten through this year without them. And I learned something very important, that if the vision is inside of you, your job isn't to chase people, it's to invite them and see who actually wants to build with you. 

I am so grateful for some of the people that didn't call back when I was searching for my next opportunity this year. There were some opportunities that didn't work out and I think it happened like that for a reason. And there were times when people actually said no, because it showed me that alignment matters more than momentum. This year opened up my eyes for tolerance. When it came to noise, mess and misalignment. I mean tolerance for how much I was willing to tolerate. A few years ago, I'll be honest, I would have pushed through. I would have forced it. I would have told myself to just keep going. This year, I realized that I couldn't see certain investments. I couldn't see certain partnerships long term. And instead of me pushing, I just listened. 

Now I'm excited to Play Bigger with people who share the same drive. People who show up ready to go, and people who don't treat partnership as an afterthought. I learned how important it is to have team members and collaborators around you who are genuinely reliable and want to show up every day. Those are the ones you keep around. And I wanna leave you with a framework that you could actually use as you close out this year and step into the next one, not to overwhelm you, but to just make you think and ground you.

Number one is reset. Get super clear. What did this year reveal about you? Your stress, your energy, your health, your patterns. What were you trying to control that you actually couldn't? You see, resetting starts with awareness and not judgment. 

And number two is release. Let go. What are you done tolerating? What habits, expectations, relationships, or obligations no longer fit the version of you and what you're becoming. You see, release doesn't mean regret. It just means you're choosing different. 

And number three is refine. Keep what works. What actually supported you this year? What relationships mattered most? What systems helped you in your business and even in your personal life? What helped you keep growing? know, refinement isn't about doing less. It's just about doing better. 

And last but not least is number four, align. Choose who you get to build with. Who do you want to Play Bigger with next year? Who shows up consistently? Who shares your same values? Who matches your vision and your pace? Alignment is the foundation of sustainable success. 

And if you're feeling called to Play Bigger next year, I want you to hear this. You're not behind. You're not late. And you don't need to burn everything down. Sometimes Playing Bigger isn't about doing more. It's about choosing better. Better alignment, better support, better standards. Reset as many times as you need to and refocus on what truly matters and restart as much as you like to because success doesn't come from people who never struggle. It comes from people who never give up. 

And as you close this year, remember this, my friend, you are your own greatest project.

I want to thank you for being here. I want to thank you for listening to another quick episode and thank you for choosing to Play Bigger, not just in business, but in life because you inspire me to keep going. And I am truly grateful to have you part of this community until next year. Stay focused, stay intentional and always, always, always Play Bigger.