And just like that, we are in 2024. It still amazes me how quickly time flew in 2023, but I suppose, the clock always moves faster when we do work we love.
For me, 2023 was a year of change, courage and self-discovery. It was a year of discovering who I was if not a corporate powerhouse. It was a year of dreaming big for me and my family. Of giving myself permission to take an off-the-grid 6-week vacation even as a high-achieving woman of color.
This short essay is my attempt to debrief and summarize the highlights, lowlights and learnings from one of my most unexpected, yet most rewarding years to date. It’s a short exercise I ask all of my clients to do and is an excellent way to celebrate the hard work of the year past, capture lessons learnt and set yourself up for success in a big way in the new year.
2023 was my first full year as a full-time entrepreneur as I transitioned from working for Amazon to growing Pinkcareers. Below I’m capturing both my biggest professional as well as my personal wins.
👉Finally, got our EB1A green card as a Masters's only applicant. Filing a writ of mandamus on USCIS despite being afraid of negative consequences, is what finally compelled them to give us an interview date after almost 4 years of waiting.
👉Bought our dream home and moved back to Houston. (my Houston folks, please hit me up for a real coffee!)
👉Worked an average of 35 hours/week while also taking a two-week vacation in summer and taking six weeks off at the end of the year.
👉Prioritized investment in my mental and physical health by working with a business coach and a personal trainer.
👉Cultivated meaningful relationships with friends and family and found peace in letting go of broken relationships that weren’t serving me anymore.
👉Finally, got our EB1A green card as a Masters's only applicant. Filing a writ of mandamus on USCIS despite being afraid of negative consequences, is what finally compelled them to give us an interview date after almost 4 years of waiting.
👉Bought our dream home and moved back to Houston. (my Houston folks, please hit me up for a real coffee!)
👉Worked an average of 35 hours/week while also taking a two-week vacation in summer and taking six weeks off at the end of the year.
👉Prioritized investment in my mental and physical health by working with a business coach and a personal trainer.
👉Cultivated meaningful relationships with friends and family and found peace in letting go of broken relationships that weren’t serving me anymore.
👉2023 was a year of big change, on both personal and professional fronts. And though I fully embraced the change, I did it with a lot of whining and “blaming the circumstances” in the first half of the year. It’s only when I had a mind-blowing conversation with my business coach did I realize that I have total control and ownership over my results, whether as a corporate leader or as an entrepreneur.
👉At the start of the year, I suffered from deep imposter syndrome and self-doubt, despite repeated evidence that I am an excellent coach and that people want to work with me. I share this to normalize that many women, including your coach, can be battling their own challenges while also simultaneously making a deep impact around them. This gap in confidence to own and lead my sales calls led to many missed opportunities to help more clients.
👉I gave into my perfectionism and still didn’t start the podcast that I had been dreaming of for the last two years.
👉My word for 2024 is FEARLESS. This will be the year to lean into all the uncomfortable activities I have been avoiding using perfectionism as my excuse; which means, expect to see me more on video, hear me on podcasts and tune into guest interviews with C-suite executives and leading industry experts.
👉An unexpected internet friend has encouraged me to think about the long-term change I want to make in the world through my work, instead of focusing on short-term income goals. This will lead to retooling of some of my programs so I can make a more meaningful impact in the lives of other high-achieving women surrounding me.
👉I want to spend more quality, media-free time with my kids and husband by doing more day hikes, stand-up paddling, zoo trips and simply playing more board games.
So what does your year in review look like? And if you haven’t done the exercise already, borrow my framework to ask yourself these 3 simple questions:
1. What went well for me in 2023?
2. What could I have done better in 2023?
3. What do I want to do differently in 2024?
And, if you want to have me in your corner as your coach to hit your biggest, boldest career goals, let's chat.
