The last one

For now...

Through the many lows and many highs, I learned a lot of things about myself this year, and that in itself is something that I’m proud of. It was a year of a lot of accomplishments, failures, clarity and confusion. So pretty much, a typical year of living life in your 20s.

One huge accomplishment that I’m very honored to share is how much The AHA! Moment Podcast has grown over the last year. My audience growth went up 143% and listening time increased 153%. The show outpaced 85% of all other podcasts, and received more shares than 98% of other shows. When I saw those stats, I have to admit I was shocked. With the concept once being just a passion project that stemmed from a tiny snippet on my vision board, turning into something legitimate that is actually growing a real community was something I didn’t think I’d really bring to life. It’s been years in the making, and it’s made it even more rewarding.

Of the many things I’ve learned about myself this year, it’s that I’m a multi-passionate creative and businesswoman. I always knew that I was passionate about quite a few different things even from a young age — sales, marketing, writing, creating, speaking, dancing. It’s no secret that I love tapping into many different facets of life, and I believe that’s a strength of mine that I’ve embraced over the years. But with that, I also have accepted that it can be a blessing as much as it is a curse (depending on the way you look at it).

As much as I have tried, I do know one thing’s for certain: you simply cannot do it all. You just can’t. No matter how many hours you stay awake, no matter how much you sacrifice, you can’t do it all and you can’t have it all. You must choose. You must listen to what your soul is calling you to do in this season of life, and accept that this will fluctuate over time. Nothing changes if nothing changes. And for a little while now, I’ve been hearing a faint whisper that’s gotten louder and louder as the days have gone on, for me to switch gears creatively.

Another thing that I’ve realized is that as a creative, it is necessary and essential to take as much space and time as you need from whatever it is that you’ve been hammering away at for so long, in order to allow it to flourish and grow into what it needs to. Space is needed for inspiration; you cannot suffocate the same stale buildup that is in need of transformation and fresh energy. It needs air, movement, and time. It doesn’t mean that it lasts forever, it means it’s a creative intermission. Just like when you’re waiting in the audience at a Broadway show for the second half to continue, where the plot thickens and you’re already invested and on the edge of your seat. You’re not going to walk out now. You’re going to sit back, let what needs to be done behind the curtain happen, and be prepared for the show to go on.

So yes, you read that correctly: this is the last edition (and episode) of The AHA! Moment…kind of. For now. I’m taking an intermission because I need to take some space, time, and precious energy to make this newsletter and podcast better.

I have a lot of things bouncing around in my brain already (and are carefully being handwritten into my amazing new notebook for 2026, don’t worry) that I’m excited to implement and shift here. I’m not going to be pausing for very long in the grand scheme of things, but I also am not going to be giving a hard comeback date at this moment in time either.

Partially, this is also because I’m going to be pouring more energy into a new passion project that I can confirm will be launching in a few short weeks that I’m really excited about! Stay tuned for more announcements on that via Instagram — I can’t wait to share it with you.

Again, going back to what I mentioned earlier, I can’t do it all. And I don’t want to. I want to be able to fully put all of my energy and gifts into things that I love at times where they feel most aligned in what I’m looking to do at the moment. And if it changes, it changes again. That’s cool. When something is meant to come back around, it will with effortlessness and ease, and sometimes even with plenty of pleasant surprises too. That’s the beauty of taking space and leaving room for the unknown magic to make itself appear out of what seems like nowhere. It was always right there. It was just waiting for you to sit your ass back down and get out of the way.

This year, I learned from many incredible people in my life that you can come back around and even stronger, at any time, and it is not too late. It takes strength to take a step back. This was not an easy decision; it was one that I had to consider for quite some time (let me tell you, at first I was stressed). But I’ll be honest here, as I always am. It came down to asking myself one question: am I going to regret not trying out this other thing over there, and risk continuing to feel uninspired with what I’m currently doing over here? And the follow-up question to that turned into: what could scratch this pestering creative itch I currently have, while also keeping something beautiful I’ve already cultivated alive? How can I make this work?

And so here we are. Today, December 18, 5 years into The AHA! Moment. It’s time for an intermission. I actually listened to this Mel Robbins Podcast episode this morning as I was frantically driving around trying to finish up my Christmas shopping (I know, I’m terrible and last minute), and she made a good point that stood out to me. Successful people quit things all the time. They ditch things that aren’t working all the time. They end the relationship, they leave the job, they walk from the opportunity that doesn’t feel right, they say no to the food that won’t make them feel good, they make choices that require great mental strength to walk away from what isn’t working. They’re honest with themselves about it and they rip off the band aid. And I want to use this opportunity today to leave you with this idea going into 2026 — where will you find the strength to finally leave that thing behind, take the pause, or make the 180 degree shift altogether? Hint: it’s already within you. You just need to dig deep to find it.

Have this conversation with yourself by putting pen to paper. Crystalize the whisper that’s been buzzing in your head and make it real by writing it down. That’s the first step. Trust whatever follows will naturally fall into place on its own. It will figure itself out and nothing is permanent. What’s the worst that could really happen, anyway?

I did a lot of things that proved myself wrong this year. I spearheaded the expansion of my brokerage’s expansion into the Boston market, and we officially opened up our office. I closed $6.2 million in sales with attaining another $8.5 million in active sales inventory into my pipeline. I became a solidcore coach. For the first time ever, I traveled across the country by myself not knowing a soul for a women in business conference. I spoke on stages. I read 25 books. I lost some friends. I made new friends. I cooked and baked up a storm. I also visited and featured 11 Essential Eats spots around Boston. I saw Mel Robbins live, met Bobbi Brown in person, and went to a speaking tour in New York City hosted by To Be Magnetic, the manifestation program that brought me back to life and back on my feet at one of the lowest points in my life a year and a half ago. I cut back on my alcohol intake and it’s been so refreshing. And taking this step in making this decision for The AHA! Moment, was one of the most pivotal things that proved me wrong this year. If you told January 2025 Angelina that she’d be doing this, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. That’s how I know I’ve made progress, I’m changing, and I’m growing.

So I want to encourage you to take inventory of how you’ve proved yourself wrong this year. How did you surprise yourself in the slightest and mightiest ways? What’s changed? What needs to be ditched? What needs to be added? Write it down. You can’t expect to move forward with a clean slate in 2026 if you haven’t figured out your starting point here today, in 2025. Determine your beginning now. You can.

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for being part of this community and for being such a loyal AHA! subscriber. Know that this is the beginning of something that’s going to be so great, with a comeback greater than you can imagine. I’ll be back before you know it.

Talk soon, and reach out anytime.

Cheers,

Angelina