Ohhhhhhhhhh, you guys.

What a year, huh?

I literally can’t.

I don’t know how to summarize these past twelve months without undercutting the hardships to our sector and society on one hand, or ruining someone’s headed-for-the-holidays buzz on the other. 

But suffice it to say — I’m happy to be turning the page.

Some years, we get to coast. We get to focus on maintaining what we already have and doing what we already know so that, life stuff notwithstanding, we can just be.

I don’t know anyone in purpose or positive impact who is having a coast year.

For me and many folks I know, 2025 was more of a hold-on-and-carry-on kind of year. Watching social causes get undermined and vilified, agencies and organizations lose everything, our countrywide conduct range from shocking to heartbreaking, and the job market make a mockery of us all, it felt like the only choice was to put one foot in front of the other along this rocky professional path — following the opportunities to use our gifts in much-needed positive ways. 

The alignment of that choice? Felt right. But the vibe of that choice?? Like holding an umbrella in a windstorm while carrying a birthday cake and trying to text. Like lovingly painting the walls in a house while the entire house is teetering on the edge of a cliff.

Basically, this year caught us doing what we’ve learned to do best — pretending it’s just another work day in increasingly unbelievable conditions.

Which makes me ever so grateful for all of you.

You guys, we might be the weirdos. Every day I wonder about it — why am I so insistent on clinging to purpose-driven work in a time when it’s hard to feel its positive impacts and when we are so clearly, unmistakably not being incentivized to do it? Is something wrong with my survival instinct? 

Either that or it’s working exactly right.

All I know is that, from big events to intimate conversations, my time and exchanges with all of you out in the Space have kept me feeling connected. Both to the rest of us who haven’t given up on well intentioned work just yet, and to my own compass and growth edges as I decide how hard to fight for a purpose-driven professional life. 

So can I share a few specific things you taught me this year?

I am a person who appreciates a good debrief. Just that precious, protected little space to honestly take stock of what is and isn’t working in our efforts to make positive change. 

In this spirit, I’ve been doing a lotttttt of looking back in recent years, reflecting on where I don’t think we issue advocates were fully prepared for the narrative chaos of this era. Our workforce runs heavily on campaigns and cause marketing, but each day brings an Internet-wide chorus of armchair experts, hostile counter-narratives in staggering volumes and shocking overreach, and even the interference and manipulation of outside bad actors.

At this point, if narratives are the lifeblood of our work, they’re at risk of bleeding out. Not only from where we’ve missed the mark, but because so few of our efforts actually stay within our full control.

I got a lighthearted reminder of this at Off The Clock, our official Issue Space Summer hang and podcast chat. For the main conversational event, I’d invited three impressive social impact multi-hyphenates to talk about how they balance their impact endeavors at and outside of work. I had a vision – I’d pose this question, our guests would spill their work-life balance tea, and we’d all walk away with tips and tricks about “”doing it all”” for positive change.

Not so much.

Did we touch on the tensions and tradeoffs of living a purposeful, if over-committed, life? Yes. But mostly, these advocates wanted to share stories I couldn’t have predicted — childhood memories of seeing family members advocate for change, immigration stories that give grounding and grit to their work, random twists of fate that wound up pushing them toward purpose. Basically, their stories. Organic and surfaced by free association.

In this case, it was beautiful to let the conversation go off course. But I can take a bigger lesson from it, too — 

We might start an advocacy story, but there’s no guarantee we’ll be the only ones to shape and finish it. And we should prepare our efforts accordingly.

I keep telling people who ask me about my independent consulting and nurturing of Issue Space this year — for me, entrepreneurship has been somewhere between a calling and a curveball.

I have always, undeniably been a vision-holder and creator — an entrepreneur just waiting for a lust for profit to catch up to my passion for purpose. 😜 But as I’ve shared before, becoming a solo founder at this particular moment in this particular way wasn’t fully what I’d planned to do. And you know what I realized at Solopreneur Supper, our joint dinner-workshop for founders in social impact? I’d been feeling shame about it.

I noticed this after I felt myself relax as we went around the table to share our founder origin stories. Because we’d set the stage for real talk, our guests shared the unedited, not-safe-for-LinkedIn versions of why their organizations existed. And beneath some of the bright ideas and positive visions were very different reasons to go solo.

Things like – fleeing a workplace that was toxic and hostile. A hoped-for contract that didn’t come through. Inequity in their field that became too hard to ignore. A corporate restructure that left few options. An offering that grew wings before they could consciously commit to it.

And it’s just reassuring to know — I’m not the only one. 

I’m not the only one blending my genuine, would-have-done-it-anyway passion for building with the hustle and making lemonade, so to speak, we do when our work worlds throw us for a loop. I’m not the only one whose vision and purpose coexist with an origin story of far less agency.

Yet we’re out here making moves anyway, embracing our momentum and building new possibilities from unexpected obstacles and opportunities. And honestly – isn’t that what positive impact work is all about? 

So, again — I’m not mad at a good debrief. But I also understand why they don’t happen more often.

We are constantlyyyyyy battling scarcity and competition in the positive-impact field, thanks to the nonprofit model and influence. Why would we endanger what credibility and resources we do have by showcasing our failures?

So I appreciate it even more when permission is granted to look back. That’s the spirit I found embraced by nonprofit leader Kym Watson, a speaker at our Springtime event and podcast episode Impact In Flux, when she reflected on the energy that’s underpinning her newest strategy for changemaking.

“Radical listening leads to radical change” is the idea that stuck with Kym after leaving a work session where her team just had to face it — there were parts of their work they did because they’d become standard practice over time, not because they resonated best with their served communities given what they knew now. By actually giving the team, from Kym’s leadership on down, the explicit okay to work closely with feedback that didn’t flatter them, they were able to reorient their offerings and move their work forward in even deeper authenticity.

Basically — they embraced what could have been their fatal flaw, and now it’s a true superpower.

I’ve helped clients do the same — take a campaign slip-up or a missed branding opportunity, lean into the growth areas, and take their organizations to new heights based on the very thing that could have ended them.

It’s the ultimate win-win. Listening to what’s not working because it’s the right thing to do for your served communities and your own success. Downplaying your own strokes of genius or fancy frameworks in favor of simply caring if you’re actually helping or not. I can’t think of a more humble — or heroic — way to approach change than that.

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I could reflect forever about the lessons, anecdotes, reminders, and challenges I’ve taken from Issue Space content and conversations this year. My offering — and my hope — is to have you feel the same.

Whewwwww, we made it, guys!!! 2025 is (as good as) done. Sending you warm wishes for the holiday season and a joyous new year. See you on the other side. 💜

With love,

✨ If you like this letter and the content and community it brings, consider becoming an Issue Space Supporter with a one-time or ongoing gift to power our creations, collaborations, and community events. ✨

Hey, friend! Here are some little things for while you’re zoning out this holiday:

👀 Did you know we have a Pinterest? It’s like, two Pins. But they’re good ones! And an alternative for when you’re trying to AMAAC (Avoid Meta at All Costs). Explore here.

👀 If we must have a ‘Wrapped’: Your favorite letters this year touched on positivity as a response to the moment and why true belonging is an impact community must. They’re not as heavy as they sound — catch up and see what sticks with you for 2026!

👀 Wrapping up cont’d: Your favorite Issue Space podcast episodes to stream by audio this year were “Off the Clock”, about living your values at and outside work, and “Who’s Working in Impact?” about…whatever this job market is. Stream them where you like or find them on YouTube here.

👀 Air out your opinions: If you need a void to vent your final frustrations of 2025 into, we’re collecting Unpopular Impact Opinions to begin sharing next year. Some of you are Definitely ready to discuss. 👀 Add yours (anonymous optional) here.

👀 Or, if you’re feeling Sweet: All the Something Sweet stories you shared this year, about your favorite memories in social impact work, are collected here.

👀 My holiday gift? 🎁: Is there just one person in your circle you think would find value in Issue Space? Give BOTH of us a holiday gift and share this letter with them so they can join the Space! Signup = monthly essays, event invitations, insights and interviews, and more. They can join us here.

Does anyone else keep an eye and ear out for the fellow purpose-career-builders whose voices we hear on the Issue Space podcast? No? Just me?

A few featured community voices shared exciting news in 2025; here are some of their milestones and moments that caught my eye, plus their podcast episodes, if you’re curious what they’re all about!

✨ Social worker and issue campaigner Omar Hakim (“Impact In Flux”) launched his own therapy practice this year, supporting anyone navigating identity, intimacy, anxiety, burnout, and life’s transitions.

✨ Education innovator Jocelyn Logan-Friend (“Distance and Difference”) took educators to South Africa for EDventure, the getaway-meets-professional-retreat-meets-kids’-camp for equity-driven educators (now enrolling for 2026!).

✨ Jess Weiner (“The Lighter Side of Change”), a cultural strategist and lead architect of the modern female-empowerment consumer movement, won a ‘Shero of the Year’ award for her work creating more inclusive content and goods for girls.

✨ Former immigration lawyer turned corporate impact leader Michele Lampach (“Off the Clock”) launched Sound Off with Bobbie to advocate for paid leave — alongside Chief Confidence Officer Cardi B! 😱

✨ Independent journalist Marisa Kabas (“Identity & the Impact Pro”) shared a big year for her newsletter, The Handbasket, as it unpacks American politics with honesty and integrity.

✨ Cause-communications specialist Jason Rzepka (“On & Off The Ground”) announced his new position at the advocacy agency RALLY — plus transparent tips about how he chose an aligned role for his next professional chapter.

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…We’re so cool, right??

Find these folks’ stories, reflections, and lessons from this work in the Issue Space podcast, and reach out to them to celebrate and support! 👏🏾

💌 Are you on the mailing list to receive this letter? If not, sign up here.

🎧 Hear the Issue Space podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and these streaming platforms. We feature diverse social impact pros on the lived experience of social change work.

🤝 Wanna team up? Brands, organizations, or other entrepreneurs who might connect with our community can send partnership inquiries to [email protected].

🗣️  Have an insight about life in the business of impact or an idea for the Space? We’d love to hear from you! Send a message on Signal at @issuespace.24, or email us at [email protected].