Last year, I wrote about finally getting diagnosed with ADHD and finding medication that worked. I ended 2024 optimistic, ready for a new chapter.
Then came 2025. ADHD meds that stopped working. Sleep apnea I didn’t know I had. Long COVID symptoms that wouldn’t go away. On top of that, the world shifted after the election. Companies abandoned DEI. People I admired went mask-off. It felt like years of progress were being undone in months.
It was a hard year. But I learned something important: I can’t show up for anyone else if I don’t take care of myself first.
Looking Back
I’ll start with the wins first!
Personal
I was diagnosed with ADHD at the end of 2024. The medication worked, until it didn’t 😭. It took about nine months to find the right dose. There was a period where I thought I was losing my mind because the meds would stop working the week before my period. I didn’t know how to adjust to such drastic swings in productivity. I’m so grateful that my current dose helps even during that time.
I was also diagnosed with sleep apnea this year. Apparently, I was stopping breathing about 40 times an hour. My doctor mentioned it wasn’t due to weight and to get a CPAP machine. I suspect pregnancy gave me sleep apnea. I’ve felt like I haven’t slept properly since my first child eight years ago 🥲. I hate using the CPAP machine, but it genuinely helps me feel rested.
I got COVID for the first time in 2024. One symptom has lingered: random heart rate spikes. I saw a cardiologist and a pulmonologist. Good news: nothing wrong with my heart or lungs. Bad news: the spikes haven’t completely gone away. Cardio made things worse, but I stumbled across a paper on Twitter about how yoga can help long COVID patients. I started Vinyasa yoga in September, and after four months, it’s actually made a difference. The heart rate spikes are less frequent.
I haven’t been able to exercise consistently since having my youngest three years ago. Pregnancy gave me plantar fasciitis. I couldn’t walk barefoot at home, and even a 30-minute walk would make my feet ache for days. I read it can be caused by tight calf muscles, so I bought a calf and foot massager. It helped more than I expected. I can walk barefoot now, and walking doesn’t cause nearly as much pain.
Work
I’ll be honest: I let cynicism and hopelessness get to me this year when it came to Diversify Tech.
Companies had already been slowing down their DEI initiatives since 2024. But after the election, it got worse. Companies that once championed diversity went silent or reversed course entirely. People I admired revealed views I didn’t know they had. It was hard not to feel like the work I’d been doing no longer mattered.
Trying to promote Diversify Tech on social media became exhausting. I have thousands of followers on Twitter, but my posts barely get seen. LinkedIn worked for a while, then stopped. I can’t help but wonder if my views on DEI, Palestine, and labor rights have gotten me shadow-banned. Without a big marketing budget, I didn’t know how else to reach people.
On top of the external challenges, I was battling my own body. When my ADHD meds were working, I’d make ambitious plans. Then, when they stopped working the week before my period, I’d crash and struggle to catch up afterward. In that cycle, I wasn’t able to keep some promises.
To those I let down: I’m sorry. I’m working on building systems that account for my energy fluctuations, not just my ambitions.
One bright spot: when my ADHD meds did work, I was able to focus on learning and coding again. I forgot how much I missed it. I’ve been reading tech books, watching tutorials, and studying to transition into a data engineering role. Even though I’ve been working with SQL, Python, and Postgres for years, I haven’t done a technical interview in forever. So I’ve been reviewing everything and preparing. It felt good to be learning again.
Looking Forward
I want 2026 to be the year I find hope again. I’ve been reading Let This Radicalize You by Kelly Hayes and Mariame Kaba and The Book of Hope by Dr. Jane Goodall. I’m learning that hope isn’t passive. It’s something you build through action and connection. And that hope and grief can coexist. Here’s where I’m starting.
Community
After living in the DMV for about 13 years, this is where we’ll stay for the foreseeable future. I grew up moving frequently from country to country, always waiting for the next move. Because of that, I never made our house feel like a home. I didn’t get to know our neighbors.
This year, I started to change that. I made a small group of mom friends in the neighborhood and started reconnecting with old friends. In 2026, I want to keep building these connections and finally make this place feel like home.
Writing
Being on social media has changed my writing style without me realizing it. I’ve adapted to short tweets and LinkedIn posts. I want to learn to write better again.
Instead of doomscrolling, I’ll be writing more, probably about ADHD, parenting, and some tech topics. Writing is how I process my thoughts and connect with others. If there’s something you’d like to hear from me about, let me know.
Music
I’ve wanted to learn an instrument forever. I considered piano, but it didn’t spark joy. A month ago, I randomly bought a guitar.
Learning something new just for the joy of it feels radical these days. My goal: learn to play one song, “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None the Richer, by the end of the year.
Dance
In the fall, I enrolled my 8-year-old in Kathak, an Indian classical dance. I expected the class to be full of young kids, but most students were actually older women. So I joined too.
Dance used to be a huge part of my life before kids. I’ve really missed it. There’s something powerful about reclaiming the things that once brought me joy. I’m looking forward to continuing in 2026.
Diversify Tech & Beyond
I’m making some changes to how I run Diversify Tech. Depending on it for my sole income has been too stressful, and trying to market something that’s being actively vilified has been rough. It was starting to affect the work itself. I’m looking for a full-time role so I can continue Diversify Tech from a more sustainable place without the financial pressure.
I still believe in Diversify Tech. I’m going to approach it as if it’s day one. I’ll be more patient with people who genuinely don’t understand DEI. I’ll focus on education. I’ll keep helping underrepresented people in tech find opportunities. The work still matters.
I also miss being technical. I’m excited to do more coding in 2026, ideally in a backend development or data engineering role. If you know of any backend or data engineering opportunities, please reach out!
Thank You
Thank you to Dusty Chipura and her Consistency Collective club. Ever since having kids, I’ve been in survival mode. Dusty helped me think long-term again while taking small, immediate steps. I’ve been making real progress on the things that matter to me.
Thank you to Hervé Aniglo. He kept me updated on all the opportunities he found through Diversify Tech, like conference scholarships, speaking opportunities, and more. I needed that reminder of why I started it in the first place: that I still built something useful, even when companies don’t prioritize it. On the hard days, stories like his keep me going.
And to our members who speak my name in rooms I’m not in, who share Diversify Tech with their networks and spread the word without being asked: thank you. In a year where marketing felt impossible, you kept us going.
Thank you to my child’s daycare provider who helps me raise my youngest. Thank you to Naya Moss and Katrina Angelada for helping me run Diversify Tech. I couldn’t have made it through this year without their support.
Thank you to my girls who remind me to live in the moment. When the world feels heavy, they pull me back to what matters.
Finally, thank you to my family who has been supporting me in various ways. From traveling over to take care of us and the kids, to giving me the space and time I needed to focus on my health. And especially to my husband, for holding things together at home, taking care of the kids, and giving me the room to prioritize myself this year. I’m grateful for all of it.
Conclusion
I started 2025 thinking I was ready for a new chapter. Instead, I got a year that forced me to slow down and take care of myself. I feel guilty about putting myself first. But I’m learning that it’s not selfish. It’s necessary. 2026 will be the year I build on that foundation, one small action at a time. I’m cautiously optimistic for the year ahead.
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