As we say goodbye to the Year of the Snake, I find myself reflecting on a year that asked more of me than I ever expected to give. The snake is known for shedding its skin, and in many ways this year demanded that I shed parts of my life that no longer served me.
This was a year marked by heartbreaking losses: the deaths of parents and friends whose absence has reshaped my world and my sense of what matters. Grief has a way of sharpening priorities, and this year did exactly that.
It forced me to look closely at how I was living, carrying stress, and stretching myself beyond my limits—and+21 to admit that something had to change.
One of the most defining decisions of the year was stepping away from a prestigious, high-stress role in education. On paper, the job looked like success. In reality, it was costing me pieces of myself—my health, my energy, my time with my children, and the margin I needed to show up in the world as the person I want to be. Walking away from that position was not an act of defeat but a declaration: my family and my well-being matter.
My body, my mind, and my heart needed space to heal. My children needed a mother who was fully present. And I needed to choose myself in a way I had never allowed before.
As I step into the Year of the Horse, I feel the shift. Where the snake is introspection, the horse is momentum. The horse runs toward possibility, toward purpose, and toward wide-open fields of opportunity.
That energy feels aligned with where I’m headed: into the work of educational advocacy, not from within a system that demands more and more, but alongside families and educators who deserve support, transparency, and a voice. This feels like meaningful work—work that honors what I know, what I’ve lived, and what I believe schools and children are worthy of.
But before I launch forward, I’m allowing myself a season of restoration. This year will begin with rest: time to restore my health, support my grieving father, and be the steady presence my children need. I hope that this year will be less about proving something and more about becoming something: healthier, steadier, and clearer about the life I’m building.
