Reflections on 2025: what I learnt running a business, launching a program, and building a brand

This is my favourite time of year, when the pace finally eases and the space to reflect opens a crack. We often forget to look back at the path we took to get to this point and yet the clarity that comes from that pause is always worth it - especially after a year like this one.

Sometimes I scroll through the headlines just to remember where it all began. Labor’s landslide election win was only in May, yet it already feels like something from another era. The pace of political, social and economic change has been relentless. Months have felt like years and days have felt like weeks.

As I sit with the year, one theme threads itself through everything.

Clarity.

It shaped my work, my choices, my writing, my relationships and my business far more than I realised at the time. It became the difference between progress and distraction, and I realised finding clarity is really, really hard.

What this year revealed about the world we work in

I have been reading Rage Becomes Her and it has made me think differently about how we sit with anger, particularly as women. Not the chaotic kind, but the purposeful kind that signals something isn’t right.

And there was plenty this year that wasn’t right. Jobs and Skills Australia reported that men continue to earn more than women in 98 percent of occupations.

A conversation with a journalist reinforced how fraught the gender pay gap can be to discuss publicly. We need to be careful, it can come across as preachy or whingey to our audience. It was a stark reminder of how conditioned we have become to soften truths that should not be softened.

We still treat gender equity like something that will magically emerge over time rather than something that requires structure, intention and support. Will that change in 2026? I hope so, and I will continue to “whinge” until it does.

AI changed everything, and nothing at the same time

If 2024 was experimentation, 2025 was integration. AI quietly embedded itself into every workflow, every platform, every process. But businesses realised it is not the panacea to maximal efficiency and productivity…yet.

From my observations, the more I use it, the more obvious the gap became, AI can structure, analyse and summarise at lightning pace, but it cannot replace the human story or the need for human direction. AI is only as good as the brief it receives, just like a human if it gets a half-cocked brief, it delivers a half-cocked result.

Once again reinforcing that clarity wins – a clear brief delivers a better result to work from. Business that can manage both humans and machines to maximise efficiency will truly win.

A loss does not mean you have lost

This was a lesson that found me in more ways than one. Some big interviews did not convert, big projects took longer than expected and moving interstate to a new town brought its own quiet challenges. New location, new routines, new everything at higher altitude.

The real test is how you pivot (COVID cringe), how you can remain steady and in rebuild momentum when life feels messy and nonlinear. Resilience is not loud, it is slow and often unglamorous, but it is essential.

Loss is a part of life, but it does not mean you have ‘lost’.

Learning to ‘sell’ my own business

This year made me laugh a little at myself. I have spent a decade selling ideas and stories to the media, yet when it came to selling my own business, I felt like an absolute beginner.

Putting language around your own value is confronting. It requires clarity and confidence and a level of visibility that can feel uncomfortable at first. But it also sharpens your thinking, it forces you to stand in what you believe about your work, and it reminded me just how impressive it is when leaders do this well.

This remains a work in progress for me as I move into 2026, but it is a challenge I am embracing.

Rebranding while launching a new program – not so smart

This one took me by surprise. Rebranding ABC PR and launching my coaching program at the same time sounded like a brilliant idea on paper. In reality, it felt like juggling with one hand tied behind my back.

I rushed decisions, I questioned myself, I forgot things I usually advise clients to prioritise. But working through the chaos made the result feel even more meaningful. It gave me a deeper appreciation for process, for pacing and for professional guidance when decision fatigue hits.

Learn from my mistakes. Give important things the time they deserve but equally, sometimes you do just need to step into the arena and swing.

Systems set you free

One of the simplest shifts turned out to be one of the most powerful. Earlier in the year I committed to showing up consistently on LinkedIn. Not perfectly, just consistently.

I invested in the Portfolio Career OS, I chose set posting days, I focused on one platform instead of spreading myself thin and I let go of the need to over polish everything. Nearly 12 months later, my message is sharper, my audience is clearer and the routine feels grounding instead of draining.

A good system dissolves the excuses, it removes the noise and it gives you structure that supports creativity rather than constrains it. It’s also super helpful when things go pear shaped to know you have a system to fall back on.

Clear messaging wins

This was the year I really felt the difference between sales messaging, marketing messaging and PR messaging. They each play their own role and muddling them only creates confusion.

The strongest work I did with clients this year came from taking the time to articulate what belonged where. Who needed to understand what and why. I applied this same principle to my own business and determined clarity is not a luxury, it is the whole point.

Not all events are created equal

I attended more events this year and realised quickly that scale does not equal impact. Some of the most valuable conversations happened in tiny rooms. One to one meeting with journalists to discuss editorial priorities and challenges, small groups catchups with peers, also simply asking your network questions before just assuming it is the right course of action.

Some standouts from me were the Broadening Horizons event with Bartier Perry and the Lovely PR professional development day that delivered far more value than any glitzy networking night.

Connection beats crowd, every time.

Looking toward 2026

I am still working out what I want to take into next year, but the lessons of 2025 feel clear.

Think long term.
Keep your eyes on what matters.
Be intentional about who you are speaking to and why.
And remember that clarity is not just a communication tool. It is the strategy.

In a world where content can be generated in seconds, clarity will determine who is trusted and who fades into the noise.

Clear eyes, full heart, can’t lose (IYKYK).