What 2025 Taught Me and what I’m Carrying Into 2026

It wasn’t a year of clean arcs or easy momentum. It was a year of recalibration, humility, courage, and rebuilding. A year that asked harder questions than usual and didn’t rush the answers.

As we start the new year, I’ve been thinking less about what I accomplished on paper and more about what the work itself taught me.

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What I Learned in 2025

1. Systems change still works.

I supported municipal shelter systems in El Paso and Spokane, and I spent time working at Big Dog Ranch Rescue during a period of growth and national visibility. These were very different organization types with similar barriers, bottlenecks, issues, or whatever the current buzzwords are to represent decreasing an organization’s efficacy. 

Those experiences affirmed something I’ve believed for a long time: the base formula for saving the most animals is the same no matter the org type. 

2. Frontline staff are the heartbeat of every organization.

I spent a good amount of time in 2025 working along frontline staff. I got to see first hand how much they carry emotionally, physically, and operationally. Kennel teams, veterinary assistants, animal care technicians don't just support the system, they are the system.

When frontline staff are supported, trained, listened to, and protected from unnecessary chaos, everything improves: animal outcomes, morale, retention, and public trust. When they’re ignored or stretched past capacity, even the best lifesaving strategies will fail. 

3. Good intentions don’t fix broken operations.

Across El Paso, Spokane, and national work with Big Dog Ranch Rescue, one thing was consistent: the leadership cared deeply about the animals. But care alone doesn’t move animals through a system safely or sustainably.

Compassion has to be paired with operational discipline. Organizations need SOPs that are actually enforced, decision trees that reduce burnout, and leadership alignment that removes guesswork from frontline staff’s day-to-day. Humane outcomes require humane systems, clear expectations, and follow through. 

4. Running your own consulting business requires visibility, whether it’s comfortable or not.

Self-promotion does not come naturally to me. I’ve always preferred to let my work speak for itself and stay out of the limelight. But 2025 made something very clear: when you run your own consulting company, visibility isn’t optional.

I am still learning that sharing my experience, my perspective, and my results isn’t about ego. It’s about accountability, transparency, and helping organizations find the support they need. Learning to step into that visibility, even when it’s uncomfortable, has been one of the most important growth edges of this year.

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What I’m Intentionally Changing in 2026

I’m entering 2026 steadier and far more intentional. Here are a few specific shifts I’m committed to making:

1. Fewer projects, deeper engagement.In 2026, I’m prioritizing depth over volume. Fewer contracts at a time, clearer scopes of work, and stronger outcomes for each engagement. Every project should leave an organization structurally and operationally stronger than before.

2. More standardized frameworks, less reinvention.I’m formalizing the tools I use most: shelter assessments, grant applications, SOP templates, intake and outcome data formulas, and readiness frameworks. Systems should be repeatable. 

3. Stronger guardrails around time and energy.I have two kids, what feels like way too many pets and an endless to-do list. I’m being more disciplined about how my time is structured, how meetings are designed, and how availability is defined. I want to be at every gymnastics practice and go on every Cub Scout camping trip without feeling guilty about missing work. 

4. Clearer alignment in what I say yes to.In 2026, I’m filtering opportunities through one core question: does this create lasting, systems-level change? If the answer is no, I’m getting better at walking away, even from good opportunities.

5. Earlier truth-telling in leadership conversations.Avoiding hard conversations doesn’t protect people. Candor does. I’m committing to naming reality sooner, even when it’s uncomfortable, because that’s how teams grow.

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Looking Ahead

Here’s to building systems that work, leadership that lasts, and sheltering models that are humane to people and pets.