What 2025 Asked of Us (And Why That Matters for 2026)

Dear friend,

Happy Christmas eve!

Firstly, my apologies for going quiet these past couple of months. October hit me all at once - launching my business coaching community, running my business full-time, and hosting my dad's two-month visit from Colombia. It was beautiful, and very full on, so I had to pause some things (like this newsletter) to avoid dropping too many balls.

I didn't want the year to end without saying hi and letting you know I'm still here. More than that, I wanted to create some space for us to really reflect on this year together.

What 2025 has asked of us

As you read this, I invite you to quietly ask yourself:
'What did this year ask of me, even if no one else could see it?'

This has been an enormous year. So many people I speak to have experienced full-on transformations, identity shifts, huge challenges, and deep discomfort. There's something about 2025 that has demanded more from us - more courage, more vulnerability and more willingness to sit with uncertainty.

Maybe that's been true for you too?

For some, 2025 has felt frustrating – like it didn't quite go to plan. They had goals, maybe big ones, but life challenges and internal shifts meant less capacity for the external milestones they'd set. For many, it was a year of emotional work, painful losses, and personal challenges, all of which take enormous bandwidth and are often invisible to others.

If this is you, I want you to pause for a moment and really take this in: the 'inner' work is just as important, if not more so, than the outer work that people see and measure.

If 2025 didn’t look 'impressive' on the outside, but demanded everything from you on the inside, that still counts, and deserves credit and acknowledgement.

As solopreneurs, this inner work isn't optional – it's inevitable. Our businesses can only grow and expand as we also grow and expand. Being a business owner requires continuous self-development, and sometimes that means a year where the most important growth happens beneath the surface.

If 2025 demanded deep inner work from you, please give yourself real credit for showing up to that. It takes courage to face ourselves, to sit with difficult emotions, and to let go of what no longer serves us. That work is the foundation. Everything else we want to build will stand on it.

My own 2025

I'll be honest with you – this year has pushed me into my stretch zone more than ever before. I experienced some of the biggest shifts in my business this year. I fully pivoted my niche to business coaching in January 2025, I launched my first group coaching cohort, I relinquished my medical licence (closing a chapter of my life and identity that had defined me for over two decades), I launched my business coaching community (which terrified and exhilarated me in equal measure), and overall, I was required to lean into huge discomfort as I grew and expanded as an entrepreneur this year.

All of this required developing a growth mindset that can cope with continuous discomfort. And if I'm completely honest with you, although I feel enormously grateful and proud, I'm also pretty exhausted!

Beyond the visible achievements, I've navigated really challenging emotions this year. Strong feelings, complex relationships, painful losses – all of which left me emotionally drained for much of 2025. There were days when I questioned everything - days when I felt like I was barely holding it together.

But those difficult moments also taught me so much about my inner world and about what I'm capable of holding. I learnt about myself and what truly matters to me. I've actively engaged in therapy, in coaching, and in other self-development practices that have supported these transformations, because I needed that support. We all do.

2025 has been an emotional roller-coaster of learning to accept what is, and learning to let go of what isn't mine to carry. It's been about sitting with discomfort instead of running from it. It's been about trusting myself even when the path forward wasn't clear.

It's also been a year of huge growth – mostly inner, with some seeds germinating and some fruits of labour starting to show. When I look back, I can see how much has shifted in me, even if it wasn't always what I'd planned. Most of all, it's been a year where I've once again proven to myself that when I tune into my intuition and follow it wholeheartedly, life unfolds beautifully.

Taking time to really see your year

I've intentionally scheduled four days over the next two weeks to be alone and reflect deeply on this year - to acknowledge the wins, including the quiet, internal ones that no one else sees, to absorb the lessons, to honour what this year has asked of me and what I've learned in response.

And to enter 2026 with clarity and intentionality, rather than just rushing forward.

I really hope you also allow yourself time to rest, reflect, and decompress over the next couple of weeks. Not just a quick break, but real time to process what this year has been for you. To be kind to yourself about what you didn't achieve and to truly celebrate what you did, even if it looks different than you'd imagined.

We all deserve that, especially after a year like this one.

I'd love to hear from you – how has 2025 been for you? What has it asked of you? What have you learned? Reply and share your story. I read every response, and I'd genuinely love to hear your reflections.

Something exciting for 2026!

Speaking of moving forward with intention, I'm running a FREE 90-minute business goal-setting workshop:

Design Your 2026: A Calm, Focused Business Reset for Solopreneurs

📅 Sunday, 11th January 2026 ⏰ 10:00–11:30am GMT 📍 Via Zoom

This is for you if you want to intentionally design your 2026 business roadmap and walk away with a clear, energising, realistic plan that works with your brain and your life - a plan that honours both your ambitions and your capacity.

More details coming soon – for now, save the date in your calendar!

Last January, over 40 people attended my goal-setting workshop and the feedback was brilliant. People left feeling energised and focused rather than overwhelmed. I can't wait to create that space again.

This workshop isn’t about pushing harder, hustling or doing even more - it’s about designing a year that is deeply aligned with your values and priorities, and designing your business around your desired lifestyle, with fun, freedom and flexibility.

Appreciation

As 2025 comes to a close, I want to say THANK YOU. I've loved running my business this year and connecting with so many people from all over the world. Thank you for letting me be part of your journey, whether through these newsletters or by working together as coach and client.

This work brings me tremendous joy and fulfilment, and I wouldn't be able to do what I do if it weren't for you - so, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Wishing you a wonderful, magical Christmas. May you find moments of real rest, deep reflection, and gentle kindness toward yourself.

Here's to 2026 - let's make this a year that honours who we are, our values, and our vision - let's get excited about the future, whilst enjoying the present :-)

With lots of love and gratitude,

Marcela

Dr Marcela Aguirre

Helping Brilliant Solopreneurs & Founders Gain the Know-How & Confidence to Build a Fun, Sustainable One-Person Business | ICF Certified Coach | Doctor | Ex-Military Officer | 1:1 | Business Coaching Community | Speaker

🚀 If you'd love to have more support on your entrepreneural journey, here are a few ways we can work together:

🏄🏻‍♀️ Adventurous Solopreneurs Community
My brand-new Business Coaching Community is up and running with 11 wonderful members - and we have so many exciting things coming up!
If you’d love to join our tribe and get ongoing business coaching, accountability and support, learn more here.

👩🏻‍💻 1:1 Coaching & Mentoring
If you’re ready to build strong foundations for growth and scale your business with clarity and confidence, I offer private coaching packages designed to take you & your business from unclear and overwhelmed to sustainable, profitable and enjoyable.
Find out more here.

☕ Free 30-Minute Consultation
If you’re not sure what you need but would love to chat, I offer a free consultation where we’ll explore your goals and next steps - it's a no pressure consultation where I always aim to leave you with clarity and some intial actionable steps.
Book your call here.