A little bit of 2025
I’ve found that the easiest way to recount everything that happens in a year is to scroll through the photos on my phone. In the busiest seasons of my life - juggling a day job, a side business, the music world I’m trying to create, and year-round travel - constant recording helps me remember both the fun and the chaos. And so I did. As I scrolled, I found myself grinning, laughing, and sometimes pausing in disbelief that certain moments actually happened. I’m generally quite an introspective person, believe it or not.
People often ask me on different occasions - where I find the time to do everything I’m doing, especially while holding down a serious day job. The truth is simple: if something matters enough to you, you will make time. I find myself jotting down content points for a difficult presentation while preparing dinner, iterating the programme for the next event during long flights, issuing invoices during grocery runs, or working on music into the wee hours of the morning. That’s not to say everyone should do many things - there is real joy in focus but because I genuinely enjoy all of them, it doesn’t come with burnout. Burnout is overrated. That’s my hot take.
I was never really brought up to build something. You go to school, follow a syllabus, maybe play some sports (LOL), get a degree, get a job - because that’s what society tells you to do, and it feels right because everyone else is doing it. I didn’t challenge that path growing up; I didn’t have the luxury of time to “try” or “experiment.” So when I decided to start Curious Creators, it became a canvas to explore my creative side - on my own terms. It made me realise how much I enjoy building something from scratch. It also reinforced my belief in trying, falling, iterating, and moving forward - the very “agile transformation” principles I talk about in my day job. When someone asked me, “What if you fail?” I replied, “What if I don’t?” I thought that was a pretty respectable response.
As Curious Creators naturally evolved into something quite music-centric, I found myself surrounded by artists, music lovers, and people who simply enjoy good sound. Along the way, it created space for me to deepen my passion as a singer and explore my personal style - while being supported by people who genuinely want you to succeed. I now get excited every Monday night for my weekly vocal classes; missing one feels like skipping the gym. I’ve been booked for gigs that give me real creative freedom over what I sing. I had previously written a few original songs with my friend Ricardo (a truly talented musician), and I’ve now started producing them properly. No spoilers - but there are two songs coming. The creative process has been incredibly fulfilling: understanding what you want to hear, shaping arrangements, recording and re-recording vocals as ideas evolve - usually after a few glasses of wine. This will be one of my main focus areas in 2026.
If travelling the world were a personality trait, I intend to keep it. 2025 brought some unforgettable destinations - Laos, Brazil, Argentina, Portugal, Spain, Taiwan, and India - alongside familiar haunts like Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and China, for both work and pleasure. There’s something magical about travel that broadens your perspective on life: breathtaking beauty, deeply different ways of living, and remarkable people along the way. That’s the sentimental side - don’t get me wrong, I also loved the rave parties and the relentless food and drinks crawl. And yes, one of my highlights this year was watching Mariah Carey live - not once, but twice - and becoming absolutely obsessed with her latest album.
Then there’s work - the day job that funds all my passions. I genuinely enjoy what I do. This year, I focused on building strong relationships across teams and made a meaningful impact on how we operate. I built three new teams across three markets and helped make it easier to do business with us. All of this was in a subject area I had zero prior experience in - but once again, the “what if I don’t fail?” mindset carried me through. There were many conversations about relocating for different roles, but that’s a story for another time. My biggest takeaway from work this year was learning to truly own my space and lead fearlessly.
As I finished scrolling through those photos, I realised I’ve had a pretty eventful 2025, mostly chaotic, sometimes wholesome, but always meaningful. This is for my friends and family who showed up, leaned in, and made the year as kick-ass as it was.
I was originally going to use this as a year-end Instagram caption, but I’ll keep it here instead. There is no “new year, new me.” I was fabulous in 2025, and I fully intend to remain fabulous in 2026. Here’s to writing more, both here, and in music.
