What I’m Leaving Behind in 2025 — and Why It Matters

As the year comes to a close, most conversations focus on goals, resolutions, and what’s next.
But before we rush ahead, there’s a more powerful question worth sitting with:
What are you still carrying that no longer belongs in your next chapter?
Because growth doesn’t only come from adding more.
Often, it comes from letting go.

Many women in aviation, aerospace, and other male-dominated fields end each year exhausted — not just from the work itself, but from the invisible weight they’ve been carrying:

• The pressure to prove themselves again and again

• The habit of saying yes to stay relevant or safe

• The belief that discomfort is simply “part of the deal”

• The quiet shrinking that keeps things smooth but limits impact

As you close out this year, consider this:

• What drained you more than it gave back?

• Where did you silence yourself to avoid friction?

• What patterns kept repeating, despite your best efforts?

• What version of you were you performing — instead of being?

Letting go isn’t about failure.
It’s about discernment.
It’s about deciding what doesn’t get to follow you forward.

Before I share what I’m leaving behind in 2025, here’s an invitation for you:
Pause.
Reflect.

Ask yourself not just what you want more of — but what you’re finally ready to release.
Because the way you close this year will shape how you enter the next.

What I’m Leaving Behind in 2025 — and Why

• Shrinking to keep the peace

I’m done softening my voice, my ideas, and my presence to make others comfortable.
When I show up fully, that’s leadership — not something to apologize for.

• Proving mode

I’m no longer working to earn a seat at tables I’ve already outperformed at.
The constant need to prove erodes confidence and keeps women stuck.
I’m choosing ownership over exhaustion.

• Saying yes when I mean no

Every yes has a cost.
If it costs me peace, clarity, or alignment — it’s too expensive.
Boundaries aren’t barriers. They’re strategy.

• Believing I have to do it alone

Strength does not mean isolation.
In the year ahead, I’m choosing connection, support, and honest conversations over silent resilience.

• Measuring success by someone else’s metrics

Titles, optics, and external validation don’t define fulfillment.
I’m defining success based on values, impact, and sustainability — not burnout disguised as ambition.

Beyond the Cockpit

Sometimes the most powerful move isn’t setting a new goal.
It’s releasing an old pattern.

As you close out this year, ask yourself:
What are you ready to leave behind — and who might you become without it?

Ready to Break the Cycle?
Start by naming what no longer serves you.

Download the free guide: “Breaking the Cycle: 7 Hidden Signs It’s Time to Level Up — and Lead”
This guide helps you identify the patterns that quietly keep women stuck — and how to step forward with clarity.

Or book a strategy session to explore what your next chapter could look like.

Until next week,
Dana