A couple of weeks ago, our fractional CFO team flew in for our year-end review and 2026 planning session.
Past versions of me would have dreaded it–
Spreadsheets. Pressure. A mounting list of shoulds. But this year felt different.
But this time, it felt different.
It felt spacious.
Grounded.
Empowered.
And honestly? It felt fun.
Then they told us something that stunned me:
Our profitability increased by 48% in 2025.
And here’s the meaningful part…
We didn’t work more.
In fact, this was our most spacious working year ever.
And here’s the part that matters most...
We didn’t work more.
We worked less – and lived more.
We worked less – and lived more.
This was our most spacious year ever. And still, our most profitable.
In 2025, I:
- Made a pilgrimage to Egypt
- Began writing a new book
- Watched Mike lead a full renovation of our first short-term rental
- Spent rich, unhurried time with our girls
- Created more white space than ever before
It happened because, years ago, we rewired how we work.
And now we’re living the compounded harvest of that shift.
We built our business around:
- Our bodies and seasons (not corporate timelines)
- Simplicity, clarity, and systems
- The 80/20 rule – focusing only on what truly moves the needle
- Team and systems that hold us, not drain us