2025 Year In Review | 173

2025 Year in Review: Listening Sooner

In this solo Year in Review episode of Manders Mindset, I reflect on a year that didn’t ask me to do more, it asked me to listen sooner.

2025 was expansive, tender, and slower than I expected. While parts of the year looked grounded and productive on the outside, much of the real work was happening beneath the surface. I learned that stillness doesn’t always mean rest, and movement doesn’t always mean progress.

This episode isn’t a recap of everything I did. It’s a reflection on what the year taught me about my body, my nervous system, grief, and letting go of urgency. It’s about choosing steadiness over speed and learning to honor what I can actually hold.

If your year felt unfinished, confusing, or tender, this episode is for you.

Take a breath.
Choose steadiness.
Remember... Everything is figureoutable.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Opening And Year Intent
• 0:42 Slowing Down And Grief Markers
• 4:52 Spring Momentum And Avoiding Stillness
• 6:05 May’s Whispered Warning
• 7:11 October Seizure And ICU Reset
• 8:19 Integration, Boundaries, And Nervous System
• 10:03 Closing Reflections And Encouragement

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:00

Welcome to the Manders and Mindset Podcast. Here you'll find both monologues and interviews of entrepreneurs, coaches, healers, and a variety of other people. Where your host, Amanda herself, will discuss her own mindset and perspective, and her dad's mindset and perspective on the world around us. Amanders and her dads will help explain to you how shifting your mindset will shift your life.

SPEAKER_02: 0:31

Welcome to Mandarin. I'm your host, Mandela. And today is the 2025 Year Interview. I wasn't sure how I wanted to record this episode at first. Because 2025 doesn't feel like a year that fits in one of those fun Instagram reels. Pots of 2025 were expansive, posts were tender, and a lot of it asked me to slow down in ways I didn't expect, and in ways I didn't necessarily want to. So this isn't a recap of everything I did this year. It's a reflection on what this year taught me. Because when I look back, 2025 wasn't about doing more. It was about learning how to listen sooner. When 2025 first began, I was actually more grounded physically than people might assume. I didn't do any traveling in January or February. On the outside, it probably looked like I was staying put. But even in those quieter months, I was doing a lot. So while I wasn't always moving geographically, I was constantly outputting. Stillness didn't always mean rest. And this year, even my tattoos felt like mopos. Not trends, not something for the hell of it, not something for me. One of the tattoos I got this year was for my cousin Kay. And if you're watching the video, you can see what I what I am holding up. I didn't get it to explain anything. I didn't get it for any particular reason. I didn't get it to make sense of the loss. Some grief doesn't need a story. I didn't tell anyone in my family that I was getting it before I got it. I just got it. Some grief just needs a place to live. Shout out to Wailing City Tattoo in New Bedford. One tattoo was chosen with intention. The other came up unexpectedly. But both ended up marking this year in different ways. Looking back, even my body was finding ways to remember what mattered. The tattoo shop that I won the giveaway from, at the same tattoo shop, I got my cousin Kay's tattoo at. As spring rolled around, travel returned, momentum came back. April was really when things shifted. There was a lot of yes, a lot of motion, both physical and emotional. And at the time, it felt good. It felt like forward movement. But what I didn't realize then is that all of that motion was also a way of staying ahead of stillness. What's interesting, looking back, is that October wasn't actually the first time my body tried to get my attention this year.

SPEAKER_00: 5:52

There was something earlier back in May. Nothing dramatic. Nothing I could even fully name.

SPEAKER_02: 6:08

Nothing that completely stopped me. What stands out about May is that nothing looked wrong on the outside. I was functioning.

SPEAKER_00: 6:23

I was productive. I was still me.

SPEAKER_02: 6:30

I remember feeling off, but not off enough to stop. I told myself it would pass. I told myself I could handle it. It wasn't a big deal. I didn't think I needed to slow down because nothing had been broken yet. So I moved past it.

SPEAKER_00: 7:03

October didn't whisper. October interrupted. I had a seizure.

SPEAKER_02: 7:13

I ended up in the ICU for multiple days. And everything stopped. It changed how I relate to time.

SPEAKER_00: 7:30

It changed how I relate to my body.

SPEAKER_02: 7:37

It changed how I understand control. It forced a stillness. I didn't yet know how to choose on my own. And it didn't feel like punishment or pain. It felt like information and knowledge. What this year taught me is that the body whispers before it shouts. And when we don't listen to the whisper, the lesson doesn't disappear. It just gets louder. May was a signal. October was a stop. It doesn't mean I did anything wrong. It means I'm learning how to listen differently now. The rest of the year wasn't about fixing anything. It was about integrating. After October, I couldn't move the same way, even if I wanted to.

SPEAKER_00: 8:58

My body was different. Things had changed.

SPEAKER_02: 9:06

I stopped forcing timelines. I started setting boundaries and sticking to them. I became more honest about what my body could actually hold and handle. I stopped asking what should I be doing next? Or even what should I be doing? And I started asking, what can my nervous system handle right now? I finally began choosing steadiness over urgency, presence over performance, and choosing my nervous system over my calendar. 2026 doesn't need to be louder. It doesn't need to be busier. It doesn't need to prove anything. If your year felt unfinished, tender or confusing, it's okay.

SPEAKER_00: 10:19

You're not behind.

SPEAKER_02: 10:22

And you're not alone. Sometimes the integration comes after the movement. I'm not chasing Cleote this year. I'm choosing stillness. And I'm embracing rest. Thank you so much for tuning in to the 2025 Year in Review episode of Mandu's Mindset. Thank you for being here. Thank you for listening to me. And don't forget, keep breathing, keep shifting. And remember, everything is figure outable. Thanks guys. Until next time. In case no one told you today, I'm proud of you. I'm voting for you. And you got this. As always, if you enjoyed the show, I would really appreciate it if you would leave me a five star rating. Leave a review. And share with anyone you think would benefit from that. And don't forget, you are only one mindset just away. Thanks guys, until next time.