This time last year, I was taking down the ornaments from our Christmas tree on Christmas.
Not because I wanted to be ahead, but because we had to be out of our house by December 31st.
On Christmas night, while most people were settling into the quiet glow of the holiday, I was carefully wrapping ornaments and trying not to cry. We were selling our home, packing up our life, and stepping into the unknown for our family’s next chapter.
That moment quietly set the tone for a year that would stretch every part of us.
This was the year of adaptability.
The real kind. The kind you don’t post about in real time because it’s moving so fast.
Life Kept Asking Us to Pivot
We sold our home and moved into a small three-bedroom bungalow rental that we unexpectedly fell in love with. We made memories there. We made it home. And then, just as quickly, we had to leave.
Delays hit. Timelines shifted. Plans unraveled.
Our new house wasn’t ready. So my twins and I packed up again. This time heading to Florida to live with Grandma for a full month while my husband stays behind in a different state.
It was the longest we’d been apart since we got married.
That month tested everything: my emotional capacity, my nervous system, my ability to stay present while parenting solo and still showing up professionally.
And when we came back?
The house still wasn’t ready.
So we moved again. Thankfully back to our original rental.
The new school year was starting and that meant new school logistics. Forty-five-minute drives each way so our kids could start fresh. After about 2 long weeks, we were granted a temporary certificate of occupancy and moved into a house that still wasn’t finished—but it was ours.
Now, we’re spending our first Christmas here.
Not complete.
Not perfect.
But deeply meaningful.
What My Kids Taught Me About Courage and Adaptability
Here’s what I didn’t expect.
Watching my kids navigate this year changed me.
They watched us pack up again and again. They asked questions we didn’t always have answers to. They felt uncertainty and didn’t hide it.
There were tears. There were nerves. There were moments of fear and frustration.
And then… There was courage.
They walked into new schools. Introduced themselves to strangers. Asked for help when they needed it. Sat at new lunch tables. Made new friends. Lost old routines and created new ones.
They did the work.
Not because it was easy. But because it was required.
They showed me something powerful: Life doesn’t feel less uncertain just because you’re older.
We’re all just different people learning how to live, adjust, and grow.
As adults, we dress uncertainty up as strategy or overwhelm or “being busy.” But at its core, it’s the same experience.
Uncertainty. Fear. Hope. Resilience.
Watching them navigate change with honesty and bravery reminded me that growth always looks like this no matter your age.
Building a Life While Living It
All of this was happening while my husband was in one of the most important years of his new career after leaving the coaching world he knew for decades.
And I was still coaching clients. Still running Identity Magazine. Still writing my books. Still hosting The Audacity to Speak™ Summits—12 speakers each—raising money for nonprofits. Still collaborating. Still creating. Still choosing joy without sacrificing my life to hustle.
Balance wasn’t perfect.
When one area thrived, another needed grace. I dealt with health issues again; back pain, injuries, and reminders from my body to slow down.
And still, I am grateful.
Not because it was easy. But because we had agency.
Gratitude Without the Gloss
Gratitude isn’t pretending things are okay. It’s recognizing privilege without denying struggle.
We had flexibility. We had choice. We had the ability to adapt.
We had the audacity to coach each other through hard conversations. To challenge each other. To support each other. To keep choosing forward.
This year reminded me that gratitude and exhaustion can coexist. So can ambition and tenderness. So can progress and pause.
For the Mom Reading This
If you’re building income streams while life is loud… If your year didn’t look linear… If your kids are watching you navigate uncertainty in real time…
Know this:
You’re teaching them more than you think.
Every time you ask for help. Every time you adapt instead of quit. Every time you choose honesty over perfection.
You’re modeling how to live.
We’re all just learning as we go. The truth is that kids and adults are alike.
Different roles. Same lessons.
As We Step Forward
I’m not entering the new year chasing more.
I’m choosing alignment. Intention. Presence.
Because this year taught me that success isn’t about control, it’s about courage. And adaptability. And staying rooted when life is unfinished.
If you’re still standing, still trying, and still growing…You’re doing the work.
And that counts.
Happy New Year!
Your Coach, Susan
