2025 ended up being a year of significant self-discovery and change for me, the vast majority of which was unexpected.
My daughter graduated from high school last spring, which was (of course) anticipated, but even that event came with some big personal surprises. I knew it would make me emotional. What I did not expect was a full-blown existential crisis of trying to get my head around no longer being the mother of two kids in school. She’s not leaving home anytime soon (thankfully!), so not much in our daily routine really changed, but it still felt monumental. I craved French fries. I don’t even like French fries that much, but I could not get enough. Fortunately for my digestion and heart, that compulsion only lasted a couple of weeks, but still. Very unexpected!
And the moment during her graduation when she caught my eye in the crowd and used her two years of learning American Sign Language to sign “I love you” to me? Also unexpected, and sincerely one of the favorite moments of my life. We got there together, she and I.
As this year comes to a close, I’ve been surprised to realize how much of my daily routine has actually changed this year. I’ve been introduced to or stumbled across quite a few things that have impacted how I think and many of the actions I take each day, for the better!
And so, to document for myself and for posterity, here are My Favorite Discoveries of 2025!
My Favorite Discoveries of 2025!
Tiny Experiments by Anne-Laure Le Cunff
Hands down, Tiny Experiments was my favorite book of 2025. I first read last spring, soon after it came out. Then I read it again. I’ve been going back and rereading parts since. This book significantly impacted how I approached the rest of this year. I tend to be very goal-oriented, but I also have a tendency to try too many things at once, which all to often results in feeling liked I’ve failed. Le Cunff explains the problems with traditional goal setting (accurately describing the issues I knew well and also wrote about here) and suggests using short experiments instead to learn from what works and make adjustments as needed.
I LOVE this approach. It feels so much more encouraging and meaningful. When I try something that doesn’t work, I can look for what I can learn from the experience and decide what to do differently moving forward.
I’m writing this post encouraged by Le Cunff’s emphasis on learning in public. Her end-of-year reflection workshop this morning through Ness Labs was thought-provoking and so rewarding.
Huberman Lab Podcast
Last spring I worked on a small project for an executive coach. She had a bunch of resources she wanted to share with her clients, and I was hired to organize them into shareable handouts. I was excited about the project; I knew I could create something useful, but I was especially excited to get my hands on her list of resources! It was on that list that I learned about the Huberman Lab podcast.
Dr. Huberman is a professor of Ophthalmology and Neurobiology at Stanford University. On his podcast, he explains how the mind and body work based on the latest science-based research and interviews with experts. I started with his series on improving sleep and then binge-listened to past episodes and each new release. I love how he makes connections between mental and physical health (which can’t be separated though our culture tends to treat them as completely different things). I have learned so much and greatly appreciate the emphasis on practical tools and protocols.
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron & Morning Pages
I’m quite late to the game on discovering this (as I am on several things on this list.)
Technically I started this in 2024, but right at the end of the year. (I tend to set yearly goals at Winter Solstice instead of New Year’s because that gives me a couple of weeks over the holidays to play around with and experiment with the details.) The Artist’s Way is a 12-week program. I am currently 51 weeks in and officially on Week 10. I repeated several weeks on intentionally but also fell out of the routine in the craziness that was our spring.
A key part of the process is Morning Pages, three hand-written pages written every day about anything that comes to mind. The goal of three pages each day has been surprisingly effective at getting past feeling like I have nothing to say and figuring out what’s actually going on in my head.
Pimsleur Language App
Last year, my son had an off-campus class every other afternoon. He was able to take the bus or get a ride with a friend midday and then had a friend bring him back to school where I would pick him up – no extra driving for me. In August, he got his schedule for this year and discovered his off-campus class was in the morning, which meant that, until he finished driver’s ed, it was up to me to get him there. 30 minute drive there and 30 minutes back home, every other weekday.
So, suddenly facing a lot of time in the car by myself, I responded to an ad for the Pimsleur language app and did one free lesson on repeat until I knew:
- I was actually going to follow through, so it was worth paying for additional access, and
- The new words I was learning would actually stick!
I was pleasantly surprised how well it worked. (I had a 400 day streak on another language app previously and remember nothing.) I would have said I didn’t learn well auditorily, but this app has proven me wrong. I love the repetition, how each lesson builds on the next. Each time I remember a word or phrase correctly, I have a little celebration. It’s a pretty good way to start the day!
Blackout Curtains
I am very, very late to the party on this one. My kids have had blackout curtains in their rooms since they were born. When I moved into my current house, the living room curtains from the previous house worked well in my bedroom, so I didn’t think it made sense to buy anything different.
This summer, I gave in, and I’m so glad I finally did. Prompted by what I learned on Huberman Lab podcast about how light exposure impacts sleep and energy, I bought a small set of blackout curtains that, when open, I can hide behind the regular curtains. On summer nights when I want to go to bed early or days I want to nap – best thing ever.
Beehive Meals
I like cooking, occasionally. But coming up with something every night for dinner has been a challenge for years. I have a menu planning system that generally worked, but there have been so many nights when I’m just too tired or too busy to actually make the planned meal.
Earlier this year, a friend recommended Beehive Meals, and it quickly became my new favorite thing. Each month, they send a box with ten frozen meals that can be cooked in a crockpot. The food is packed with dry ice in a soft-sided cooler and insulated box to keep the meals frozen. (I was so impressed with the packaging!) And each meal is made with REAL FOOD! Things like whole chicken breasts and chopped vegetables, visible in each vacuum-sealed package. I feel so much better about feeding these to my kids than getting highly-processed frozen meals from the grocery store, and it’s even more convenient!
I don’t know what meals they are going to send each month, so the day the box arrives is like Christmas at our house, especially for my son, the foodie. We open the box together and ooh and ahh over the variety of meals, picking out what we want to have first. Ten meals each month means at least two meals each week are taken care of, often for less than it would cost for me to buy all of the ingredients separately. It’s been so, so good!