Childhoodtake2!

The only way to describe us in the very beginning is easy.

It was so easy to fall in love with you. Joy, laughter, lightness; it all came so easily for us.

Our days together were filled with easy living, with our only responsibility being city walks with a little dog we treated like our first baby.

Finding family with you was easy, too. You were my joy, you were filled with it, and you stole my heart with the ease you brought to my life.

You were my balance, my reason, my family.

As the fog rolled into our marriage and things got harder, it was harder to find us, but you quickly pivoted. You became our rock, you kept our feet on the ground, you were the one who held me, held us, and reminded me that we fit, our love fits, and phases come and go. You cleared the fog, not with your joy, but with love and strength.

As the pendulum now sits squarely in the middle, somewhere between finding the ease again, finding the joy and lighthearted couple we were, and times of such extreme hard it visibly ages us, you continue to be my balance.

You, Cory, are my reason. We joke about how you think I gave us this life. But look around us. Everything we have, everything we are, it is all because you believed in us, and believed we could. Your joy in the early days took away my fear of family and commitment, your love took away my fear of mothering and parenthood, and your stable foundation gave me all I never knew I always wanted.

You turned our house into a home. You said yes to puppy love, snuggles, and kisses. You made sure I became the mother I always wanted to be, and because of you, two of the best people I know came from our love and stand here with us as two of the most beautiful and kind-hearted people. Two people you see so much potential in, and because of you, will live up to it in every way.

Because of you, I am surrounded in love, joy, comfort, and family.

I owe you everything, my entire life. So the very least I can promise you is my everlasting love; I will love you until my very last breath.

You were, are, and will always be…

My balance, my life, my family.

Olive juice coach.

As I look back at a year that felt heavy and difficult.
A year that brought worry, anxiety, and concern.
A year that brought a little more loss, a little more chaos, a little more hard.
But also a year that brought a little more clarity, a little more strength, a little more light.
I need to remember that I worked hard this year.
Hard on myself, hard on my health, hard on my emotions, I tried hard this year.

And, for the very first time, ever, I am reflecting back on my lessons learned and what I want to leave behind, and what I want to carry with me.

1. People are everything. And sometimes hard lessons come from people. And most times, I hold on to the wrong people for way...too...long.
   • Is it fear of conflict? Is it loyalty? Is it hope...hope that it will go away, all turn around? Is it a lack of confidence, a lack of self-respect? No matter the reasons, the many, many reasons, I have to remember that the cost of holding on to those that do not build us up is way too expensive.
   • And the key takeaway, I have to remember that it is always kinder in the long run to address things early than to prolong uncertainty for everyone...myself included.
     
2. Leadership in my business is not a one-size-fits-all. I cannot lead with only my heart. I have to learn to balance with strength and clarity. I am empathetic, I am a relational person. But sometimes, pure strength is needed, and sometimes, a balance of both is needed.
   • So, in 2026, I will blend empathy with clear expectations. I will offer support with accountability. I will have the difficult conversations with integrity and grace.
   • And the key takeaway, leadership is not soft vs. strong, it's compassionate clarity.
3. Money matters, and it's okay to talk about it.
   • This year, personally and professionally, we tightened priorities, we had honest conversations about sustainability and growth, and we learned about resilience and transparency.
   • And the key takeaway, financial clarity breeds confidence.
4. Find a framework that helps you find yourself.
   • For me personally, it was a mantra that I repeated: I see and protect the light in me, and the light in me sees and protects the light in you.
   • For the business professionally, it was EOS. It defined who we are as a company. It aligned our priorities, roles, and created rhythms, formulas, and an amazing dance. It opened up honest communication structures and helped shape and form us.
   • And the key takeaway, having a framework gave me a language and a way for me to grow.
5. Identity matters, and I am someone who cares.
   • That phrase became more than a slogan. It is my company's slogan because it is who I am, who we are.
   • This phrase grounded me when decisions were hard. It helped me to help others understand who I am, who my company is.
   • And the key takeaway, clarity about my identity strengthens my decision-making. It's my guiding star.
6. Trust is built, not assumed.
   • In the beginning of starting my company, I built something that had positions with unclear roles. We always wanted to protect each other, but we didn't have a way of making things more, well clear. We didn't want unhurt feelings. And we kept making the same old mistakes.
   • And in my life, I did the same thing. I was unclear about my line, my limit. I spent this year making clearer decisions. Pausing...more. Listening...more. Not having to interject. Not having to have 1-2 people, 3-4 people, be my everything.
   • And the key takeaway is, trust is a muscle.

2025, you were not my favorite. You were not the light of my life. But, you taught me so much. You gave me so many lessons to bring into 2026 and for that, I thank you.