Thank You + Highlights of 2024 🥳

Welcome to a special edition of the Good Thoughts newsletter and our last issue of the year! Cheers to another year of growth! ✨

First, thank you. Whether you joined on day one or just last month, your presence in this little corner of the internet means everything. I started this newsletter to share meaningful ideas, connect with like-minded people, and spark even one good thought on a tough day.

Thanks to you, our little community has grown to 50+ subscribers in just 4 months! Here’s what we’ve accomplished so far:

♡ Our most popular issue was Good Thoughts for Gifting.

♡ The most popular link clicked was The Relationship Meeting Template.

Thank you for being part of this journey. Here’s to even more good thoughts in 2025! 🥂

A Quick Look Ahead ⏩

My goal is to make this space even more valuable in 2025. Here’s a sneak peek of what’s to come:

• Expanding into digital products and new formats.

• Exploring fresh themes and celebrating milestones.

• Growing and celebrating this community with YOU.

Navigating the End-of-Year Scaries 🤎

♡ 2024 was a year of change — some challenges, but so many good moments, too. Personally, I faced professional setbacks, including losing my full-time job. Most of the time it’s very easy to be distracted by the not-so-bright moments, but I’m always filled with so much gratitude when I truly take time to reflect and focus on the good.

Did you know that as humans, we are biologically wired to focus more on the negative than the positive? We tend to remember traumatic experiences more vividly than joyful ones, recall insults more readily than praise, and dwell on negative thoughts far more often than positive ones. This is because, for centuries, our brains were designed to prioritize threats for survival.

So fast forward to modern day, and positivity is a skill, not a default. Thinking positively takes deliberate practice. You have to actively seek out the good in life; to push back against the natural pull of negativity. It’s a daily effort — but one that can transform how you experience the world.

This is why I appreciate the opportunity to intentionally pull out the good from each year. In 2024, I lost my job, but I also

• started this newsletter 🥰

• vacationed in Mexico 🇲🇽

• ran my 5th half-marathon 🏃🏽‍♀️

• healed my hormones and lost 20+ lbs 💪🏽

• got engaged 💍

• started publishing my writing again 💭

• launched Good Thoughts Brand and sold out of our first collection 👏🏽

♡ If you’re feeling those “end-of-year scaries” — the anxiety, unease, or pressure to have it all figured out — you’re not alone. This time of year often brings a mix of joy and self-doubt as we reflect on what we did (or didn’t) accomplish.

It’s important to remember that, while a beneficial tool, reflection isn’t mandatory just because it’s a new year. Try not to get caught up in the societal pressure if it’s only causing you unease.

If you are in the mood to reflect, remember that it’s not about judgment. Take time to honor your full story — the wins, the lessons, and even the detours. Everything contributed to who and where you are today.

Here are a few more tips on keeping the end-of-year scaries at bay:

1. Take a break from social media if it feels overwhelming.

2. Reflect on your wins, big or small (scrolling through your photos helps!).

3. Remember: Rest is productive, too.

❤️‍🔥 T’s Best of 2024 ❤️‍🔥

A few of my personal favorites from the year — from movies and podcasts to my biggest lesson learned, and what I’m most looking forward to in 2025…👀 

 ♡ Books I Loved:

I would describe most of my picks for this year as “feel good” reads. I share more details about my thoughts on each in a longer article here, and you can check out all of these books, and more of my favorites linked here.

• A Dowry of Blood, by S.T. Gibson

• The Life Impossible, by Matt Haig

• Here One Moment, by Liane Moriarty

• I’m Glad My Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy

♡ Podcasts I Loved:

I listen to all my podcasts on Spotify, and you can check out more episodes I pinned from this year here.

• Social Media, Moral Outrage and Polarization, Unlocking Us: I haven’t listened to a ton of Brené Brown’s podcast, but I’ve appreciated her books and I like her brand, generally. I came across this conversation later in the year when I was specifically seeking out perspective on the topics. They frame the conversation around the cost of living and our sense of belonging, (65 min).

• Befriending Your Inner Voice, Hidden Brain: Hidden Brain is all about understanding your own mind, and Shankar, a science journalist, is an awesome host. In this episode, he talks to a psychologist about how to keep negative emotions from morphing into negative thoughts, (51 min).

• How do you sit quietly in the middle of a storm?, Search Engine: Late-night internet spirals, anyone? In Search Engine, PJ Vogt helps answer our random questions and considerations. In this conversation with Rev. Angel Kyodo, an ordained Zen priest and teacher, they explore how to quiet the fears in your mind that might be pulling you away from living fully in the present, (71 min).

♡ TV Shows I Loved:

• Nobody Wants This, Netflix: a sincere comeback for the 2000s romcom genre we all missed so dearly, starring Kristen Bell and Adam Brody, and modernized to perfection.

• Shogun, Hulu: a fascinating historical fiction drama set in Japan in 1600. I loved Shogun because the story kept me hooked without constantly depicting sex and violence.

• Only Murders In The Building, Hulu: I’ve been watching since the beginning but the star-studded 4th season is definitely the best yet on this clever and rare comedy-drama show.

♡ Movies I Loved:

Hopefully you’re taking note of the movies getting a lot of attention like Emilia Perez, Dune: Part Two, and of course Wicked, so here are a couple others I loved this year:

• Rustin: Bayard Rustin is an openly gay black man in the 1960s who also happens to be an advisor to MLK Jr. The movie follows him as he works to orchestrate the March on Washington where MLK delivers his most famous speech.

• Poor Things: although released in 2023, this movie got a lot of attention at the beginning of this year as it picked up awards, including Best Actress for Emma Stone. Incredibly unique, it’s a creative and powerful exploration of independence, feminism, and bravery.

♡ Things I Loved:

I made a list of my favorite purchases from the year! When you’re in the mood to shop, you can check out those items here and here.

♡ Biggest Lesson Learned:

Life is a Balancing Act. A cliché phrase, perhaps, but this year reminded me that life is an ongoing balancing act between self-discovery and action, and that these two concepts not only can happen in tandem, they should. When we consider each independently, it can feel like one should take place at a time. In reality, the trick is to constantly be in the process of uncovering the next layer of who you are, and implementing whatever is needed in your life to propel into your next chapter.

The thing about growth is that we rarely actually get to see it. The shifts in who we are tend to happen on a micro-level, building up into big change overtime. The “major change moment” you’re looking for is likely in the small daily habits you’re avoiding.

♡ Most Excited for in 2025:

• Running my 1st 2️⃣6️⃣.2️⃣! I briefly shared on my Instagram last week that I was randomly selected to participate in the 2025 Chicago Marathon! The race is October 12, 2025. Any other marathoners out there?

• Getting Married! 👰🏽‍♀️💒🤵🏼‍♂️ Technically Cody and I have set our official celebration date for September 19, 2026 — which will take place in Sitges, Spain! 🇪🇸 So we are planning to have a small ceremony to get legally married in the United States next year on the same date. 🥰 Send me all your wedding planning tips!

End-of-Year Reflection 💭

As you engage in any reflection and goal-setting rituals, maybe start by asking yourself if you’re genuinely interested in reflecting, and not just giving into the end of year pressure.

When you’re ready, here are a few additional questions to guide you:

• What’s one thing I did this year that I’m proud of?

• What habits or practices didn’t serve me, and how can I adjust?

• What’s one area of my life I want to give more attention to in 2025?

• What’s one small goal I can set before 2024 ends?

For more guidance, check out this goal-setting freebie from last month!

Here’s to closing this chapter and heading into the next with intention and gratitude. I’m so grateful for you! Have a happy New Year and stay safe. See you in 2025! 🥂

♡ Like this newsletter? Share it with a friend! ♡

P.S. I’d love your feedback! Please share your (hopefully good 😉) thoughts on this newsletter with a quick anonymous survey here. Thank you in advance! 🫶🏽

Cheers to another year of growth! ✨

Let’s Connect!

Check out my website and follow along on social media for more daily positivity and inspiration!