As the year comes to an end, I’m reflecting on every blessing that came from it. That’s how I choose to see everything that happens to me: as a blessing that was meant to occur.
It’s a choice, and sometimes a difficult one, but if you challenge yourself to see the blessing in everything that happens, especially experiences you perceive to be negative, your brain starts to look for the blessings more and more. From there, you call more positivity and enlightenment into your life, and I hope the beauty of my 2024 can serve as a testament to that mental power.
Work wins and new opportunities
I finished my second novel.
Last year saw the publication of 211 Blue: The Story of The Chameleon Cop, my father’s memoir that I co-wrote and published on his behalf after his passing. Writing his story with him was an incredible experience; it forced me to push past the imposter syndrome and self-doubt I’ve always struggled with when writing from the heart, and allowed me to see what can happen when you just keep putting pen against paper (or fingers against keyboard).
After helping him with his passion piece, I’ve now finished my own. Writing fiction novels has always been my ultimate dream, but that aforementioned self-doubt has always held me back from taking the necessary steps toward fulfilling it. Those days are done, and I’m proud to announce my first solo fiction novel, Muscle Memory, is in the process of being published. Loosely inspired by the grief I experienced from losing my father, the novel is a deep character study on loss and love, and the many ways we deal with each as we navigate our way through the world.
If you’re interested in a sneak peek, please reach out. I’d be happy to share an excerpt with you and discuss my novel further.
Speaking of writing novels…I’m working on my third.
I’m also about halfway through Best Served Cold, a murderous thriller fiction novel that will be finished by summer 2025. The plot was dreamed up by my husband while we were walking through Dana Point earlier this year, and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever written, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how much I’m enjoying creating this creepy little world. I’m flexing new creative muscles, and I’m so excited to bring it fully to fruition.
This piece is still in the works, but if you’d like to read and excerpt and learn more about my writing process, please reach out!
I started my own dance program and am expanding it both in-person and online in January 2025.
I’ve been dancing my whole life, and this year, I decided to start teaching it to others. Dance in the Park was born at the end of the summer—a weekly hour-long class where I teach choreography in varying styles, including Afro beats, Latin, hip hop, pop, jazz, and belly dance.
I’ve also been teaching one online class per month via Zoom, and recently expanded that to a weekly Monday morning class, where we sweat it out together for 45 minutes before kicking off our weeks. This latest pursuit is so important to me because of how intimidating and clique-ish dance studios can be for beginners; with my classes, I’ve sought to create a warm and welcoming space where we can all come together and move our bodies to feel good.
This initiative will spread in January 2025, when I’ll be officially teaching through the city of Rancho Santa Margarita. If you’re a local, keep an eye out for banners, flyers, and city social media posts, which will let you know when and where we get to boogie together. I can’t wait!
I taught my first New York dance seminar in October.
In October, I was part of this year’s Repurpose Your Life retreat, where I had the honor of teaching belly dance to a room full of people. It was my largest class yet, and an absolute pleasure to share one of my favorite styles with so many people in the pursuit of wellness and self-love.
I expanded my public relations clientele.
I’ve been freelancing in public relations for almost 10 years, and this year, I took on some new clients in the music and acting space. I earned each client some national coverage for their incredible talents, and enjoyed working with them and learning more about their passion in the process.
I started my own blog (hi!)
This blog kicked off on February 16 of this year, and I’m so happy to have a place to share my thoughts and write about what matters most to me. Similarly to my novel writing, I’ve put off creating my own content for a variety of reasons all rooted in my own self-doubt. If you’re reading this, I challenge you to face a fear right now. I promise it’ll be worth it.
I started covering cannabis on my own.
Along with creating a space to talk about what I want to talk about came more cannabis coverage. I’ve been writing for the industry since 2018, and while the publications I write for don’t always have a fit for the stories I pitch, I’ve decided not to let that hold me back. It’s been a pleasure to provide a platform for brands that I want to write about but haven’t been able to find a home for in the past.
I joined the Scary Plants Foundation Board of Directors.
In other cannabis news, I was asked to join the Scary Plants Foundation Board of DIrectors as Secretary, where I’ll help support their mission by interpreting the organization's values to the community, advocating for their constituencies, and contributing to resource development and strategic decision-making. I'm excited to bring my skills to the table and align with their incredible work!
I started running the social media channel for Humboldt Seed Company
I’ve been writing for Humboldt Seed Company for a couple of years now, and I’m excited to announce that I’ve recently started curating their social media content. Watch this space: it’s one of my newest ventures, but I’m dedicated to helping the company grow through engagement, and I can’t wait to get creative with it.
I’m launching a public relations course.
After years of supporting companies, brands, and entrepreneurs in their public relations outreach, I’m taking my expertise and building a guide of my own. My course will act as an intro to DIY PR, empowering people to know how to earn their own publicity and uphold their reputations without having to shell money out to agencies in the process. The course will be live in early 2025, so keep an eye out for updates.
Personal wins
I celebrated one year of marriage with my soulmate. I never knew life could be this beautiful.
I got to travel a lot in 2024, making my way through Arizona, Portland, New York City, Hearst Castle, and Italy. Traveling the world is even better when you’re doing it with an amazing partner.
I met amazing new friends and continued to cherish my lifers. I’m so thankful to both the new people who’ve come into my life this past year, and those who have been here to stay for a long time.
Now, I challenge you to write out some personal and/or work-related wins of your own for 2024. Leave me a comment below with some of your favorite highlights, and what you’re looking forward to for 2025. And to subscribe and receive my blog posts in your inbox once a month, click here.
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