12/29/25: 2025 Reflections from Balance & Business with Melissa

I have spent the better part of December reflecting on this past year and planning for 2026.  This has long been a tradition for me, but 2026 will be my first full year as a true business owner so I am excited to set goals and plan.  I appreciate reflection, too.  I’ve done a quarterly review before, but in this last blog of 2025, I am going to reflect on the year as a whole.

I think about my family first.  I am beyond grateful that we are all here, happy, and healthy.  Each of the girls and my husband faced varying small challenges this past year, but overall we are grateful and thankful for what we have.

I had personal goals related to my family and in reflection, I feel like I did an okay job of meeting those goals.  My husband and I have been able to have more regular date nights as the girls get older and can be more independent, I definitely got 1-on-1 time with my youngest (she wouldn’t let me not do it), and I got more 1-on-1 time with my oldest than I expected.  I do wish we had more “family dates”, but I knew it would be a challenge with the schedules we keep.  

I wanted to be more committed to the relationships outside my family in 2025 and I feel great about how I did with that.  I had regular lunch dates with my best friend, regular supper dates with a new friend, rediscovered a friendship from years ago, and made it a point to connect with the friends I don’t get to see in person very often.  Another thing that started in 2025 which I look forward to continuing is weekly pinnacle nights with my parents.  We have enjoyed having them up each week for supper and cards.

I harp on self-care with my clients and value it deeply personally.  I committed to different forms of self-care on a regular basis, whether it was massage, nail appointments, getting my hair done, or reading.  Speaking of reading, I fell way short on that!  I wanted to read 35 books this year, but in September/October my desire to read kind of fizzled.  In November I found a good series to get me drawn back in and will add 5-6 more books before the end of the year.  With this renewed desire to read, I’ll likely keep the same goal next year.

Honestly, because my priorities are not changing this year, my personal goals are likely to change very little.

Now Balance & Business with Melissa!  Obviously my biggest reflection is, I took the leap and launched my own business.  You may or may not have heard me say it before, but business coaching was on my head and heart for a few years before I made the decision to leave PaperPie and pursue this dream.  Words cannot describe how thankful I am that I decided to take the leap and had a husband who supported me on my new adventure.  My girls were a little less excited because they loved me being the book lady. 

I didn’t really create business goals for 2025 because it was new and I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I did make efforts to grow and keep momentum.  So what did I do in 2025?

I launched 1-on-1 coaching!  Part of jumping into decisions is you get to learn a lot as you go and man did I learn a lot, like as much as I wanted to work individually with clients, I get better reach when I work with groups.  So much earlier than I planned, I started doing workshops and public speaking engagements, and then made the decision to launch my first group coaching mastermind in 2026.  I also launched an online cohort which I would love to grow in 2026.  I was also very blessed to launch an in person cohort with two other local female entrepreneurs and the NDWBC called Strong Women Strong Connections. Oh, and I added Coffee & Coaching, which I love because I connect with clients in person!

I have loved partnering with Jamestown Regional Entrepreneur Center and soaking up all the information that Katherine with the JREC has offered me.  I became a member of the Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce which I love!  Giving back to my community is a primary objective of my business and the relationship with the JACC is a great way to do that.  And recently, I joined the local Rotary Club!

I launched a website, a weekly blog, a weekly newsletter, shared to social media daily, and added new social channels like LinkedIn and YouTube.  I was able to donate to local events and organizations, began organizing my first fundraising event, and advertised locally.  

Above all else, I have been blessed to meet several amazing women, coach and collaborate with them, and see them make progress toward their version of success and balance.  

There were definitely objectives that were missed; the one that comes immediately to mind is launching a podcast, but overall I feel really great about my first eight months of business.  

I can’t wait for 2026, taking action that aligns with my priorities, mission, vision, and values. 

I just want to leave you with a few links, ways to stay connected as we charge into the new year

Balance & Business with Melissa Group Coaching Mastermind
1-on-1 Coaching
Online Cohort “The Balance Exchange”
In Person Cohort “Strong Women Strong Connections Jamestown”
Facebook:  Balance & Business with Melissa
LinkedIn
YouTube