On Courage, Clarity, and Doing Epic Shit

This is the final hyLINE letter of 2025, and I’ve been sitting with what this year actually taught me.

I didn’t realize that a simple phrase like “do epic shit” would quietly become a filter for my life. Not in a loud, reckless way. In a deeply clarifying one. This was the year of risk and adventure, yes, but more than that, it was a year of choosing myself again and again. Even when it felt uncomfortable. Even when it didn’t make sense on paper.

There was a spontaneous snowmobiling trip to a Wyoming hot spring in the dead of winter that felt like stepping into a postcard. Turns out all those childhood hours riding three-wheelers actually came in handy. There was a very intentional yes to a luxury South African safari. Was it expensive? Yes. Was it worth it? Absolutely. I’m a big believer in FIBI. If you know, you know.

There was moving into my new house with two hours’ notice after a week of inspection delays. Pure adrenaline. There was quitting my job and starting my own business because I’ll be damned if someone else gets to decide how I live my life. That one changed everything. 

There were long days wrangling my friend’s kids at elk camp, followed by an extended stretch in the Wyoming mountains on a once-in-a-lifetime mule deer hunt. I didn’t realize how badly my soul needed that much time outside, away from noise and expectation. There was a week living my own version of a western on a houseboat in Arizona. An early spring bike ride through West Yellowstone before the roads opened to cars. I’m convinced that’s how that place is meant to be experienced.

There was saying yes to an epic New Zealand adventure coming in 2026. FIBI, right? And quietly, meaningfully, jumping back into the cookbook world with my mom. Dusting off family recipes and starting round two almost twenty years after the first one.

None of this happened in order. None of it was part of some master plan. It happened because I kept saying yes to the things that mattered most to me. And no to the things that didn’t.

As I look ahead to 2026, the theme is simple. More authenticity. More freedom. More purpose. 

If this year taught me anything, it’s that clarity comes after courage. And the life you want usually lives on the other side of a brave yes.

Here’s to closing out 2025 grateful, grounded, and ready for what’s next.