We’re three weeks into the new year, and I’ve been reflecting on what I want 2025 to look like. I didn’t feel that usual push toward hyper-productivity. In fact, the first week, I did very little, giving myself the space I needed to just be. Last week, I shifted into home organization mode which is a familiar pattern when stress peaks. And let’s just say I’m feeling a little anxious with the state of the world and another Trump presidency. But more than anything, I’ve been focused on how I spend my time and what I want to feel and experience this year. Here are my goals for 2025.

My Goals for 2025

When looking back at last year, I lived more than I have since becoming a mom, and since the pandemic and my daughter’s cancer diagnosis. She finished treatment in July 2022, but I got pregnant the following month, and then had a newborn. I was thinking about what I’d do differently last year, and thought of a few things. I wish I had a better handle on how much time I spend on my phone, but I am very actively working on that right now, and it’s going well. After making moves toward starting my podcast, I let the name of my podcast and my own anxiety get in the way of that, as one does.

I’ll always wish I had purchased tickets for night two of The Eras Tour when we were in Paris. There were some very reasonable (like $300 day-of tickets which is a steal – IYKYK). I spent half of night 1 watching my daughter’s face (no regrets), and it was just such an amazing experience that I wish we had done it again. Because at the end of the day, or year, or our lives, it’s the big moments, and the connection, that matters most. 

What I Want Most This Year

The things that matter most for me are spending time with my people, connection, and experiencing the things that I love. I took my girls to Disneyland in January and don’t want to wait another year to see that joy on their faces. So going to Disneyland is one of my goals for this year, and every year while my kids are young. We have such a small window where it’s this level of magic for them, and I don’t want to miss it. So I’m planning to take them to LA to visit aunt Jess, and we’ll surprise the girls with a day at Disneyland. 

I also took my oldest to Paris to see Taylor Swift and made her little 5 year-old dream come true. The tickets were a lot less than they were in the US, but it was still an expensive trip and experience, and worth every penny. I have regret the handbag or frivolous purchase, but have never regretted spending money on an experience like that. We traveled as a family last year and I took my first girls’ trip since becoming a mom. In the end, it is all about experiences for me. That is what I want more of this year. 

More Experiences

I’m talking to my sister about taking the girls to Disneyland, and adding on a drive down to San Diego to take Kate to see the pandas. She loves pandas more than anything – it would be her eras tour. Those are the moments I live for. We have a family trip booked (with my in-laws) this May. And the big one – I’d love for Conor and I to go to Italy for his 40th later this year. It would be really fun to get a girls trip in, too, but I’m not sure how realistic that will be financially. 

Less Phone and Social Media Time

Less screen time feels impossible since I’m always at the computer, but less phone time feels very possible. I’m someone who usually checks email, IG messages, or at the very least scrolls IG while I’m out and about. So I’ve set up some ground rules and have drastically lowered my screen time. I went from spending an hour plus on instagram to 16, 36, and 14 minutes the last few days. I just want to be less connected to all of it, so I muted most of the accounts I follow and am going on to post, and not much else. It’s so easy to get sucked in but I’m working really hard to treat IG messages like another inbox and answer those at my computer, and to just not scroll.

I’ve caught myself opening the app a few times while I’m out but closed it immediately, and already feel so much better. I’ve also been more productive and got a lot done around the house, and enjoyed coloring and doing other things with my kids.

Start Something New

About 3 years ago, I had this idea for a toy brand. I reached out to someone I’ve worked with who has a collaboration at Target, to chat with her about my idea and see if she had any advice. About a month later, she came back to me and said that she loved the idea so much, she wanted to work with me on getting it off the ground. She would have handled the website, product design, warehouse, packaging, and distribution in exchange for equity. Basically all the things I cannot do.  Then her best friend got cancer and she had to back out. 

I’m not sure the toy brand is the answer, but I have a few ideas and could be equally excited about each one. I see what I sell for other companies (shared more on that here) and between myself and the creators I know that would help me share whatever it is that I do, I have this feeling it would do well. Add in the fact that a product and packaging designer reached out randomly last year and asked if there was anything I was working on that she could help with.

I don’t know that this is my year to actually start it, but can’t shake feeling that I should start something.  I also feel like at a certain point I’m capped with what I do. I’ve found a way to diversify revenue and while last year was a great year and I saw a ton of growth (shared those numbers here) I’m not sure how long I want to do what I do. 

Grow my Substack / Newsletter

This is one of the most number-based goals, but I’d really like to prioritize and grow Substack. I switched from Flodesk to Substack, and it’s the thing I probably enjoy most right now. I love following a few other creators and actually read their posts on my computer, the way blogging used to be, and I love it. Substack is basically my journal. It’s where I share all of my personal updates, and recap what’s going on each week.

I do not push each post out to email, and opt for just one email in your inbox each week. Before Substack, I would regularly receive messages asking for links to old newsletters, and love that my newsletter now has a home. I have 9,590 (free) subscribers and would love to get that number to 10,000 in the first quarter. And my low bar goal would be to get 1000 new subscribers by the end of the year. I would love it if you’d subscribe if you’re not already. I sent out one free and one paid post weekly, and do one big giveaway for paid subscribers each month, and a big behind the scenes monthly newsletter where I dive into what’s going on with work, where/how I make money etc. 

Launch my Podcast

This one has been a long time coming and feels like one of my more important goals. I’ve been so back and forth on this one but ultimately decided to go for it because I really love connection. So even if it’s not my next big thing which I’m pretty sure it won’t be, and even though if I’m lucky I’ll break even year one, I really love the idea of this podcast. So if it’s just something I enjoy, that’s great. But I do think others will want to hear from the women I have lined up, and the real conversations we’re going to have, too. 

Improve my SEO

My SEO was incredible over the holidays. I hit 130k organic monthly views (meaning people who found me via google search) but I’m now at 95k. It’s still a huge improvement, but feels sad, so I’m working on optimizing existing (old) content, and will continue working on new content, too. 

It is also one of my goals to prioritize taking care of my body. I’m also not trying to lose weight for the first time in my adult life (thanks to these meds). But would like to get stronger, and do more weight lifting because I know that’s what’s best for my body in my early 40s. I feel like I have a lot less time, and I do now that we only have 4 days of childcare, so I need to prioritize this. I want to be healthy for myself and my family. 

But when I look back on 2025 at the end of the year, these are all the things I hope I will have done. 

Photos by Katie Kett and Pictours Paris