So Long, 2025!

Happy New Year, readers! Are you a resolutions person? Did you set any goals or intentions for 2026? It seems there are two camps — those who do and those who think it’s a little silly to make a list when it’s just another day or another year. For myself, I’m in the pro-resolution camp. I think of January 1 as a reset of sorts and an opportunity to let go of some things that didn’t serve me from the prior year and reach for something new. Kind of like how Mondays feel like a fresh start, a new year gives me that same energy.

Personally, I am not sad to say goodbye to 2025. It was a hard year for me. That said, I pause when I say that because there were definitely some highlights. It was my first full year as CEO of CUSG and I loved every day of it (well, most days, lol). I had some fun adventures with my daughter — we found ourselves in Paris and the Champagne region and tackled her big move from Chicago to NYC! I also enjoyed time with my league president colleagues and friends, including hiking in the wilderness and hosting them in Traverse City for our annual retreat. Advocating and kicking butt with my team and our credit unions to fend off a tax battle was another big highlight. And my year ended on a high note, receiving the Eagle Award from my league president colleagues, as well as joining a great group of people on the America’s Credit Union Board! Overall, professionally speaking, it was a great year.

So why am I happy to say farewell to 2025? Because the year took a sharp and unexpected turn in May with my breast cancer diagnosis. Not surprisingly, that news cast a shadow over everything that followed. I spent months navigating uncertainty and stress — worrying about the severity of my cancer, treatment plans, surgery and even possible genetic impacts for my daughter. For half the year, even though I was able to maintain my professional obligations and, frankly, really enjoyed them, there was an anxious shadow hanging over most days about my surgery and recovery. Despite the diagnosis in May, it wasn’t really until September that I started to actually process what had happened! From May through August, it was all about managing appointments, surgery and staying on top of commitments. It was a whirlwind of activity, anxiety and ultimately relief when I became cancer-free. By fall, the weight of it all hit me — and honestly, it was a lot. It was a lot.

In addition to my health challenges, 2025 was also a year of watching my mom decline as a result of Alzheimer’s. That journey doesn’t end this year, but coming to terms with what this disease is and what it will mean for her was something I wrestled with — and something I’m trying to leave behind in 2025. My focus now is to cherish every moment I can with her and hope she continues to remember me.

I think you get the picture that I am ready to turn over to a new year! 

Whether you make specific resolutions or not, I want to share a tip I picked up a few years ago for celebrating a big win. I can’t recall where I first heard it, but I’ve fully embraced it! So, you have a goal or a big objective that you want to reach. Maybe it is selling a house, getting an advanced degree or promotion or something like that. (Coincidentally, these are three examples that I have applied this method to in the past!) Write your goal on a sticky note and attach it to a nice bottle of champagne. Not the cheap stuff, a nice bottle. Put it in your fridge when you set the goal, and when you achieve it, pop the cork and celebrate! But it has to be a big goal. You don’t want several bottles waiting for you. Every time you open the fridge, you’ll see that bottle waiting for you and it’ll be a reminder of what you’re working toward.

I did that in 2025. My sticky note said, “Cancer Done,” and I placed it on a bottle I bought in France with my daughter in May. Just before our trip, I had undergone a biopsy, so during our week in Paris, I didn’t yet know the results. I hadn’t told anyone about the possibility that I had breast cancer and didn’t want to tell my daughter and put a cloud over our adventure. Little did I know that the bottle I brought home would carry such a lofty goal. But, that’s exactly what happened. In mid-May, soon after I was back home, I got the dreaded call with my biopsy results.

That amazing bottle of champagne from a small, family-owned champagne house, went into my fridge in May with one goal: beat cancer and put it behind me. That bottle stayed there until December. I could have opened it sooner than December, but I wanted to celebrate with Julia. So, just before Christmas, Julia popped the cork and we celebrated. We toasted to achieving my goal and leaving cancer in the rearview. As you can imagine, it was a very special moment. Here I am, empty glass in hand, as Julia gets ready to fill it with a taste of victory!

So, my friends, even if you don’t make resolutions, you can still use this tip to celebrate a win. If you’re not a drinker or don’t enjoy champagne, choose something else that feels like a reward — maybe an expensive cigar or a nice bottle of perfume. The key is to pick something you’ll see regularly, so it reminds you of your goal and keeps you hopeful that you’ll enjoy it soon.

Cheers to some big wins for us all in 2026! May you all have a healthy, prosperous and joy-filled year. And when a dark cloud comes, lean on your friends and family to help you get through — and celebrate when the skies clear. 

Thanks for reading.

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