2025 didn’t look the way I thought it would.

At the start of the year, I was still employed.

Still unsure how serious I was about career coaching.

Still playing between worlds.

January and February were quiet on the outside.

But I worked with new clients.

I hosted my first Design Leaders roundtable in Singapore.

I reached out to over 100 people, unsure who would say yes.

Thirteen did.

Around the same time, my family finally moved into our home.

After a year of living with my parents, that stability mattered more than I expected.

March was a pause.

We took a family cruise to Penang and Phuket.

Distance gave me clarity. Like stepping back from a messy whiteboard.

In April, something shifted.

I hosted the first Same Kind dinner.

Senior designers meeting in real life, not on Zoom.

No agenda. Just shared context and trust.

That community quietly grew to hundreds across Singapore, the US, India, Taiwan, and Australia.

In May, life expanded fast.

Weddings. Dinners.

And our first doctor visit for our second child.

June slowed down.

July cracked things open.

I went back for National Service.

I left a job that drained me.

A manager who kept changing the rules.

I felt anxious. Unsteady. Questioning myself.

But I also ran a LinkedIn Live that month.

People showed up.

People learned.

People moved forward.

That mattered.

August was my first full month running my career coaching business.

No safety net.

I met a client in real life and saw the impact up close.

I had honest coffee chats with design leaders.

September was the hardest decision.

I was deep into interviews for a senior leadership role.

A good one.

And I walked away.

I chose to give myself one full year to build what I believed in.

October was about sharpening.

I worked with a new coach.

I refined my frameworks.

Less noise. More leverage.

November was quiet on the surface.

But we completed our third investment property in the UK.

Progress doesn’t always post.

December changed everything.

I ran my first solo LinkedIn Live.

I did my first real sales calls.

And a week before Christmas, we welcomed our second son, Helix.

That moment reset my timeline.

2025 wasn’t about growth charts or big launches.

It was about choosing alignment when no one was watching.

Building before being validated.

And learning what kind of work is worth my time.

If you’re reading this and you’re at a crossroads too,

I get it.

Sometimes the bravest move is not doubling down.

It’s choosing deliberately.

Thanks for being here this year.

Before I close this year, I want to name the five rules 2025 etched into me.

Not business rules.

Life rules.

1. Time with my kids is not negotiable

My first son is three.

My second son is two weeks old.

Sending my son to school.

Picking him up.

Playing with him on the floor while he still wants me there.

These moments don’t come back.

This isn’t a sacrifice.

It’s a pause I chose on purpose.

I’m grateful I slowly built enough financial and work stability to afford this season.

Not to escape work.

But to design life around what matters most.

2. Alignment beats impressive titles

I see this every day with my clients.

And I had to face it myself.

Big names. Big roles. Prestigious titles.

They look good on paper.

But if they don’t match your values, your life stage, or the kind of work you enjoy doing daily,

they drain you quietly.

Career and life are not separate systems.

They have to fit together.

3. The goal is to find your gift and share it

I believe this deeply now.

The goal in life is not status.

It’s discovering your gift and sharing it.

And when you do,

you help others find theirs too.

One of my ex-students once wrote to me:

“Be the candle that continues to spread the light.”

That line stayed with me.

That’s how I see my work now.

As passing the torch.

4. Saying no is a form of leadership

No to the wrong offer.

No to the wrong manager.

No to interviews that don’t feel right.

No to lifestyles you didn’t choose.

You don’t have to move along on someone else’s plan.

You’re not a passenger.

You’re the driver.

Hands on the wheel.

Eyes on your road.

5. Action creates clarity, not thinking

This year came with doubt.

Imposter syndrome.

Comparisons.

Fear of failing.

Fear of not being enough.

What helped wasn’t more thinking.

It was action.

Doing the work.

Shipping imperfectly.

Moving forward anyway.

Overthinking created complexity.

Action created clarity.

As I step into 2026, I’m choosing less, not more.

Simplicity over complication.

Intention over intensity.

That’s how I want to live.

That’s how I want to work.

And that’s how I want to help others move forward.

If this year taught you something too, I’d love to hear it.

Just hit reply and tell me one rule 2025 gave you.

I read every reply.

Cheers,

Joseph