Why What Felt Like an Ending Was Actually Preparation

If the last year (or for some of us, the last 5 years!) felt heavy, disorienting, or strangely demanding, you’re not imagining it!

Many of us were expecting momentum, growth, and clarity.

Instead, we were met with disruption.

Personally. Professionally. Collectively.

For many women entrepreneurs, the past few years have felt less like building and more like unbuilding. Letting go of identities that no longer fit.

Releasing versions of success that were rooted in survival rather than alignment.

Questioning relationships, routines, business models, and even our own capacity.

And 2025?

2025 was not a year of arrival. It was a year of shedding!

Shedding what was familiar but no longer sustainable.

Shedding ways of working that were fueled by pressure instead of purpose.

Shedding roles we outgrew quietly before we were brave enough to admit it.

This wasn’t failure.It was preparation.

The Quiet Work No One Talks About

We tend to celebrate bold launches, big pivots, and visible wins. But there is another phase of growth that rarely gets applause-the in-between.

The pause.

The unraveling.

The moment where you realize you can’t move forward carrying what you’ve been holding onto.

This season asked many of us to slow down enough to listen.

To our bodies.

To our values.

To the quiet knowing that said, something has to change.

That kind of awareness doesn’t come from rushing.It comes from stillness. And stillness is uncomfortable for high-capacity women.

But it’s also where clarity begins.

A Fresh Start Doesn’t Always Look Like Action

As we step into a new year, it’s tempting to equate “fresh starts” with immediate action. New goals. New plans. New pressure.

But true new beginnings don’t start with doing. They start with being honest.

Honest about what drained you.

Honest about what you tolerated.

Honest about what you’re no longer willing to carry forward.

A fresh start is welcoming who you have been becoming - it's you but with fewer layers, clearer boundaries, and deeper intention.

What If This Is the Year You Build Differently?

If 2025 cleared the ground, then this year is about planting with intention.

Not hustling harder.

Not proving your worth.

Not doing it all alone.

But choosing support.

Choosing alignment.

Choosing community.

Choosing growth that feels sustainable, not exhausting.

New beginnings don’t require you to have it all figured out.They require you to be willing to begin - from where you are, as you are.

An Invitation

As we move through January together, I invite you to reflect - not on what you want to achieve, but on what you’re ready to release.

What are you done carrying?

What are you ready to do differently?

And who do you want beside you as you grow?

Fresh starts don’t happen in isolation.They happen in spaces where we feel seen, supported, and safe enough to evolve.

Here’s to beginnings that are grounded.

Here’s to growth that feels aligned.

Here’s to the quiet courage it takes to start again.

If you’re standing at the edge of a fresh start, I want you to have support.

The Entrepreneur’s Guided Reset Journal is my gift to you. Created in a year where I had to let go, slow down, and consciously begin again.

Use it to release what’s heavy, reconnect to yourself, and reset before you rush forward. Download the Digital Version Journal here. If you prefer a print copy, you can order here.

Warmly, Sherry Sobey