2024 reflections
learnings from last year, intentions for what's next
In past years I usually made a bigger deal about writing out resolutions in time for Jan 1. This new year feels a bit different, where I’m starting to take control over my own timeline, giving myself more grace to reset after the back and forth travel and recover from holiday sickness.
Now that I have the headspace, here’s my take on what brought me the most fulfillment in 2024:
(1) Jan - June. I truly felt free these six months, taking a break from corporate, but allowing myself to explore different mediums of design with wedding planning, be the most consistent I’ve ever been with working out, and travel more freely. It really felt like the grad trip and reset after college I never took.
(2) I got married! From our new york city hall “elopement” to our formal marriage ceremony, we brought together family and close friends between cities that hold such meaning in our personal journeys and growth together as a couple.
It was a dream to reunite family, see new friendships form, share in traditions, dances and everything in between. I’m especially grateful for Renato, my husband, helping me recognize the significance of this moment, and for supporting me in my personal goal of planning and designing our entire wedding. 10 19 24 – will always hold a special place for us.(3) Embracing being in New York. After moving around the past four years together, between LA, SF and now returning back to the east coast. It’s been a full year and a bit more for us settling in.
Of all the cities we’ve lived in together, there’s something about NY that gives us the right amount of comfort to be a close distance to family, while still living out our dreams to start fresh in a big city.
Some areas that were eye opening and I’d like to work on a bit more for 2025:
(1) Balancing travel. Moving to New York has made it more convenient to travel back to Canada to see family, but this year I found myself feeling drained from the frequent back-and-forth trips. Even with the shorter flights, the constant transitions and context switching started to feel more stressful. I also began to realize the complexity it creates when thinking about where we want to set down roots in the future.
Looking ahead to 2025, I want to approach travel with greater intentionality. Before committing to trips, asking myself: What’s the purpose? Does this trip excite me, or does it feel more like a stressor? Will I regret not going? How will it impact my responsibilities, and am I giving myself enough time to recover afterward?
the travel fiend himself While I’m grateful that Renato and I both chose career paths that are known to have more flexibility in being able to working remotely, I think we’ve sometimes overlooked how much potential there is in embracing the comfort of staying in one place for a longer period of time. Striking a better balance between being on the move and finding comfort in stillness feels like an important goal for the year ahead.
(2) Friendships and community. This past year has made me really reflect on what a good friend means to me. I’m grateful for the friendships I’ve built across different places I’ve lived and throughout various seasons of life.
Though, as time flies by, schedules get busier, distance and time zones become more difficult to manage, and shared interests begin to shift. It’s natural for some friendships to evolve, or even fade, when maintaining the connection starts to feel more like a one-sided effort or more like an obligation than genuine bond.
april 2024: showing up to my first run club alone!
For 2025, I want to focus my energy on nurturing relationships rooted in mutual effort while staying open to discovering communities that align with my interests. I’m especially grateful for the communities I’m already a part of, like my local run club, which has brought both consistency to my routine, and sometimes unexpectedly connecting me with new things beyond running.
On the design side, communities like ADPList have been invaluable—a free mentorship platform that has not only helped me grow as a designer but also given me the opportunity to support early-career students and give back to the design community. I’m also trying to do a better job of thanking past mentors, making a better habit of reaching out to leaders and past colleagues that have really helped me get to where I am today.(3) Defining my career. While wedding planning took center stage last year, I was fortunate to explore web and graphic design freelance projects and art direction—areas I don’t usually focus on. Still, I found myself naturally gravitating back to product design.
This season of re-evaluating what a career means to me has taught me how important environment truly is. While the independence and ownership of freelance work were empowering, I often missed the day-to-day energy of being surrounded by a design community. I also came to appreciate how daily commutes and having a dedicated physical workspace personally help me establish clear boundaries between home and work.
V1 WIP portfolio incoming
With my EAD officially in place as I start the new year, this opens up a wider range of opportunities that might’ve been closed off to put in the past due to sponsorship limitations. I know stepping back into this journey won’t be without its challenges, but I feel more focused on what I’m seeking: an environment that supports growth, creativity, and balance, while also leaving me with enough time for my personal goals. I’ve also reached a point where I’m no longer willing to move for a job anymore; relationships have become a priority, and I’m finding a good pace in New York.(4) Health. When I reflect on my commitment to health over the past year, I realize how much wedding preparation motivated me to work out more consistently and be more intentional about my eating habits. I’m proud of the progress I’ve made, checking off 120 workout classes this year (thanks mostly to Wellhub app, such a game-changer!)
fav rotation: badminton, pilates, barre, lagree reformer
Looking forward, there are areas I’d like to improve, such as being mindful of cholesterol levels, portion sizes, reducing alcohol intake and not skipping out on regular health appointments (I really neglected this whenever work would get busy). January is already off to a good start with dry jan alongside my husband, as well as personally transitioning towards more pescatarian meals and cutting out red meat for the month.
Lastly, I’m committing to writing on Substack for quarterly reflections—maybe more often, depending on timing and what I’m willing to share. I’m learning to embrace imperfection and not overthink these posts with too much structure.
Reflecting on last year, I stopped writing weekly halfway through because life got busy, writing started to feel like a chore and there were other commitments I wanted to prioritize. It was fun revisiting the year through my writing though, and I’m hoping to keep this up.
I’m also grateful that you’ve stuck around and read this far. If any of this resonated, I’d love to hear from you and read about your goals, or your substack. Thanks for being here friend, HNY ✨