From funding cuts to a global award: 25 hard lessons from 2025

As 2025 draws to a close, I have been reflecting on the rollercoaster journey it has been for me. I had to navigate a largely unplanned career shift, straight into the uncertainty of launching Iyashi Wellness Centre and finding my voice. To say that the learning curve has been steep is an understatement, yet as I pen these lessons, I am looking back, not with tears (despite that these lessons were not easy) but with gratitude for the journey and, most of all, for the people who walked it with me.

Here are 25 lessons this year taught me:

1. Starting over is possible: You can rebuild, rebrand, and reinvent yourself at any stage or any age. It is never too late.

2. Family is your ultimate safety net. In my toughest months, it was my family who became my foundation. They offered emotional support and provided for basic needs when I couldn't meet them.

3. Your community cares. Beyond family, the people who will rally and support you are going to be a mix bag of the community you created. They will remind you of your strength when you can no longer see it.

4.       The people who will help you may not be the people you thought would. Sometimes the people you expect support from cannot offer it, while others you least expect become your biggest champions.

5.       Providence/ serendipity is real and it is all around us. Sometimes who we need to become is not clear in the beginning; however, by taking small steps that at the outset do not seem important or meaningful; will finally lead to your becoming.

6.       The change you resist most is often the change you need most. I did not want the funding cuts to happen. I did not want to stop being a nutrition consultant. I resisted that change with everything I had. But that forced pivot, as painful as it was, was the catalyst for everything that came next.

7.       I have learned that growth does not happen in our comfort zones; it happens when you fall, when everything is taken away from you. The version of me from Feb or March 2025 would chock on this next statement, but the December version confidently says that failure or challenges are an important growth ingredient.

8.       Sometimes alignment with your purpose will come disguised as pain. Building Iyashi Wellness Centre is a path more aligned with my purpose and who I am.  When I could not secure consultancy contracts, I did not think it would lead me to my purpose.  

9. Find an anchor. Faith in God, your child/ children, belief in your ability to achieve your dreams, hope for tomorrow. Anything.  Find something that can hold you and keep you grounded no matter how small it is.  The days can get dark and it’s possible to tip over the edge if you lose all hope. Please find something you can hold on to. For me it was my daughter. When I felt like giving up, it was her smile and endless stories that kept me going.

10.   How to know you have found your mojo? When you start enjoying what you are doing whether writing articles, submitting proposals or pitching ideas even when there is no money to show for it for months on end. When you are genuinely excited to wake up and build, you are likely on to something.

11.   Everything is a gift and an opportunity. I learned this concept from the positive intelligence programme through my coach Dolores Rio ✨​. This hard year led me to travel to France for the first time in my life, and I have three other international travels upcoming in 2026. If the ground had not shifted beneath me in January 2025, for sure I would never have traveled to France.

12.   Greatness and resilience are within us. When everything is taken away, it is possible to birth something new, something more beautiful.

13.   It's easy to feel isolated during a struggle. And entrepreneurship is one struggle that is very isolating. Acknowledge and allow yourself to feel all the emotions of the journey, from despair to hope, depression and joy.  

14.   Be vulnerable. Find people who really see you and allow yourself to be seen. Whether it is admitting that you are unable to meet because you are too broke to afford fuel/ uber, or you woke up very bubbly and energetic and agreed to a meet but you are now depressed and resigned, and no amount of pep talk can get you out of the house. Be vulnerable. I was shown great generosity and kindness when I allowed my humanity to show. A friend of mine paid for the recording of the video pitch that won first place in the Future Solutions Pitch Challenge 2025 because I asked for help.

15.   People will show up for you. From the mentor travelling across countries to meet you, to the salonist who offers to make your hair for free more than once. The niece who rallies her boyfriend to develop your website on credit, a landlord who is patient, the nanny who keeps coming to work. The friends who patiently wait for you to repay them. The friends who do not stop calling even when their calls go unanswered because you are too depressed to talk. People will show up for you.  Pass it forward when you get to a better place.

16. Falling is part of the journey of life. Your strength lies in getting back up, time and time again.

17.   Sometimes we are in situations that cannot be fixed. I did not want to be told that I was strong, or it shall be well (oh how I hate those words). It was not well. The friends who saw this, who did not try to fix things but held space for me are some of the ones whose support I cherished and still cherish the most. Friendship is not about trying to fix our friends lives or problems. Just being a support system is invaluable.

18. Rejection is redirection: Every 'no' that leads to a closed door will redirect you towards a path better suited for you, even if it's unclear at the time.

19. Consistency pays off. Showing up every day, even when progress is slow or invisible, eventually pays off. Trust the process.

20. Find joy in the small things: During tough times, consciously appreciating simple moments such as a good cup of tea (shout out Claudia Szwillus :)) or a child's laugh. These small joys can be a glimmer of hope in the middle of all the darkness.

21.   Life is full of surprises, and unexpected moments. Be open to all of it, whether these are unexpected moments of joy, or unexpected moments of disappointment. It is what makes life what it is.

22. Value the people who see and support your vision long before it becomes a reality. I have a close circle of people who have listened to all my ideas, harebrained or brilliant, and supported me through it all. You know yourselves and I appreciate you.  

23. Continuous learning and training can lead you down unexpected, fulfilling paths. My training on climate by The Climate Reality Project led me to focus on climate change and mental health which led me to my published article by Independent Development Evaluation (IDEV) - AfDB and something quite wonderful in the pipeline.

24. Practice gratitude. Actively acknowledge and appreciate the support, opportunities, and lessons received along the way. It helps to shift your focus.

25. Be authentic. Showing up as your true self, imperfections and all, builds greater connections than a curated perfect version of you ever could. I have learned that you just have to be brave enough to share your journey.  Which is why I am sharing these lessons for anyone else who is still struggling or might struggle in future.

Hang in there. It gets better eventually.

It's been a year of great transformation. What's one key lesson 2025 taught you? 👇