The Year in Review: What Did You Learn About Yourself?

December always invites reflection.

Not the surface-level recap we share in holiday newsletters, but the deeper kind—the kind that asks,
Who am I becoming?
What have I learned?
And what truth am I finally ready to embrace?

When I look back on this year, I see a year of transition, clarity, and awakening. A year that knocked me off balance and then demanded that I find a steadier footing. A year that revealed parts of myself I hadn’t noticed… or had been too busy to acknowledge.

Here’s what stood out.

I learned that I actually like going into an office.

Not for the meetings or the noise or the fluorescent lighting—but for the sense of connection.
Left to my own devices, I can hermit with Olympic-level skill.
I can disappear into the quiet, into my work, into my thoughts.
But going into an office reminded me that I’m a better version of myself when I’m around people.
I think sharper. I feel more grounded.
I remember I’m part of something bigger than the room I’m sitting in.

This year taught me: connection matters more than convenience.

I learned that sexism isn’t the only barrier now—ageism is real too.

In the early years of my career, I fought to be taken seriously because I was young and female.
Now I’m fighting to be taken seriously because I am experienced and female.
The irony isn’t lost on me.
This year made one thing painfully and powerfully clear:
Women don’t age out of value. We age into wisdom, depth, clarity, and strength.
And that is a truth I will carry forward into every room I enter.

I learned that returning to corporate only amplified my conviction: people need to hear my voice.

There’s something about stepping back into a corporate environment after building your own path that sharpens your vision.
You see the gaps more clearly.
You see the patterns more clearly.
You see where women are still silenced, erased, minimized.

And you realize:
Your message isn’t optional—it’s necessary.
This year reminded me that my voice doesn’t just matter.
It’s needed.
Urgently.

I learned I need to listen to the same advice I give.

Coaches tend to be the worst at following their own guidance.
We know the tools, the strategies, the mindset shifts—yet we forget to apply them to ourselves.

This year reminded me of something humbling and important:
My wisdom only works when I live it, too.

Boundaries I teach others?
I need them.

Compassion I encourage in women?
I deserve it.

Courage I help others cultivate?
Time to use it.

I learned that women in aviation and aerospace need their own community.

Not a mixed group.
Not a general leadership circle.

A women-only, aviation-specific, judgment-free, retaliation-free space where they can:

    •    tell the truth,
    •    ask questions without being minimized,
    •    share stories without being doubted,
    •    and take off the armor they carry every day.

Despite what the current political climate suggests, women still need places where they can exist without constraint.
This year confirmed it clearer than ever.

I learned that office settings are far less productive than we pretend.

The truth?
Most people spend their in-office days juggling conversations, interruptions, unnecessary meetings, and performative busyness.

Meanwhile, remote workers deliver more, faster, and with greater focus.

This year reminded me:
Productivity isn’t about presence—it’s about purpose.

And companies that don’t understand that will keep losing good people.

And finally, I learned this: family and friends are everything.

This was the year where the importance of people crystallized.
The year where time became precious.
Where presence mattered more than performance.
Where conversations mattered more than achievements.
Where moments—not milestones—became the measure of meaning.

This year taught me what truly deserves to be at the center of my life.
And it’s not work.
It’s love.
It’s connection.
It’s the people who remind me who I am.

The Year in Review Is Really a Mirror
Looking back isn’t about judging what you did or didn’t do.
It’s about acknowledging what life revealed to you when you weren’t paying attention.

This year revealed:
I am evolving.
I am awakening.
I am aligning.
I am remembering who I was before the world told me who to be.
And maybe that’s the point of reflection—not to perfect ourselves, but to come home to ourselves.

Reflection Prompt for You

As you look at your own year, ask yourself:

    •    What surprised me about myself this year?
    •    What truth did I finally stop ignoring?
    •    Where did I rediscover strength I’d forgotten I had?
    •    What do I now know matters most—and how will I honor that in the next year?

Your year taught you something.
Honor it.
Carry it.
Let it guide the next step.

If this year left you with more questions than answers—or if you’re ready to enter next year with clarity and intention—let’s talk. Schedule a call with me today to start crafting your 2025 flight plan.

And if you’d like a tool to help you reflect even deeper: Download your free guide: Breaking the Cycle: 7 Hidden Signs It’s Time to Level Up—and Lead

Beyond the cockpit. Beyond the calendar. Beyond the flight deck.
Reflection isn’t about the past—it’s about liberating your future.
This year taught you something important.
Make sure you hear it.

Until next week,
Dana