“WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT YOURSELF OVER THE LAST YEAR?”

Evolution is a beautiful thing. You may know who you are today, but that doesn’t mean that’s who you’ll be next year. It’s about riding the wave of self-discovery and seeing where you land. In that spirit, we’re celebrating what we’ve recently learned about ourselves while thinking about how we can bring that energy into this year. Read on for answers from some of our favorite entrepreneurs, artists, and friends…

JOSIE MARAN

Founder of Josie Maran Skincare

“This year has been the year of appreciation. I’ve learned that what I appreciate, appreciates and that gratitude is the attitude. I’ve learned that when I’m in a state of appreciation everything flows easier. There’s a kindness in the air and an effortlessness that helps soften resistance. I make daily appreciation lists in my morning pages and I’m instantly transported into a peaceful joyful gracious place. I’ve found that it’s the easiest way into my heart and in my heart is where I like to live most. Appreciation allows me to not just live more fully but give and receive more fully. Shout out to all the people who have given me all love and lessons this year. I truly appreciate you.”

MEGAN ROUP

Founder of The Sculpt Society

“I just went through my second pregnancy. I think [the last year has reminded me of] the importance of slowing down a little bit. The pandemic is over and, right now, we’re back in that rat race mindset. If there’s anything that the pandemic taught us — it was the power of actually slowing and honing in on: ‘What is it that lights you up? Gives you energy? Fills your cup up?’ And making sure to check in with yourself energetically with those things and making sure you’re doing more of that throughout your day. Sometimes, I feel like I can be spread so thin, but it’s making sure that I’m slowing down a little bit and not needing to do it all and doing more things that really do fill my cup up.”

NYAKIO GRIECO

Co-founder of Thirteen Lune and Relevant Skincare

“What I've truly learned this year is to embrace the perfection of divine timing. Moving into 2024, I look forward to trusting fate.”

BRITTANY SNOW

Actress / Director / Co-founder of “September Letters”

“This year has been the most I’ve learned about myself, probably, in my whole life. I am shocked at how much resilience the human emotional body can take. I’m proud of myself. I’ve been on a healing journey. If someone would have told me back when I was in my teens or my early twenties what was going to happen [in my life this past year], I would have said, ‘There’s no way that I’ll survive that,’ and I not only survived it, but it hasn’t shaken me as much as I thought. People are stronger than they know they are when put to the test. …. [Over the last year,] I’ve really cultivated my own [life]… being with myself, solitude, cooking by myself, being with [my dog] Charlie, spending time with my friends, writing, and reading. It’s been nice …. to rediscover who I am.”

LINDZI SCHARF

Founder of The Retaility

“Over the last year, I got back in touch with my entrepreneurial spirit. I've always been a storyteller at heart, which is why I pursued that path after college, but the truth is — as a teenager I was more of a renegade in my approach. From 1997-2005, I had a website called 'Lindzi's Page of Insanity,' which featured celebrity interviews with the likes of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Mandy Moore, who were all teens at the time, too. In lieu of summer jobs or waiting tables, I made a living from that website. And when pursuing potential subjects, I never took 'no' for an answer. One time, I remember 'N Sync's publicist declined an interview, so I reached out to the CEO of their record label and said, 'From one entrepreneur to another, can you help make this happen?' And he did. At the time, I was too young to realize I was circumventing the system. I didn't know I was breaking rules because I didn't realize there were rules. With time, I better understood the industry and felt I had more to lose. I fell in line. A rule follower at heart, after college, I left my website behind and paid my dues working for traditional legacy media companies like Entertainment Weekly, InStyle, Variety, and the L.A. Times — just as legacy media brands were losing their stronghold on a fast changing landscape. But during the pandemic, I had time to recalibrate and realized I wanted something of my own. Again. A place where I could tell the types of stories I want to tell. In mid 2021, I created The Retaility to be the antithesis of what media is today. The Retaility's focus is meaty, long-form features. Void of clickbait headlines. With stories and images that capture the heart and soul of our subjects. Over the last couple of years, I've written stories I'm truly proud of. But it's only been in the last year that I've taken more risks in terms of turning The Retaility from a passion project into a business — and I want to bring that spirit and tenacity with me into this next year, too. I'm proud to say I've learned that teenage renegade still lives within me.”

JESSICA NEUMAN-HERSCHKO

Co-founder of Observed By Us

“This year I’ve learned that I’m able to do more things at the same time than I realized and do them all (fairly/pretty) well. I’m 42 and a new-ish mom; so for the majority of my life I’ve been a free bird - traveling, going out, pursuing all types of artistic endeavors without worrying too much and just exploring life. The last couple of years have completely shifted my mindset and lifestyle. My 2-year-old daughter, Rose, my 16-year-old stepson Jonah and my husband Tom are all people who I think about constantly and prioritize.  Finding time to pursue my creative passions has come back into my life from a purely honest place and somehow has become a business. One of my best friends, Kirsten Dunst, and I have launched our brand called Observed By Us and we’ve released our first collaboration with COACH this year! This has been so fulfilling and my hope for this coming year will be to become even better at balancing all of my relationships with my creative endeavors as well as finding time to contribute in a meaningful way to the world and be successful at all of it!”

JEN AZOULAY

Influencer / Founder of Jen Wonders Studio

“After reading ‘The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment’ by Eckhart Tolle, for the second time, it made me realize how staying present is the only place to find pure consciousness and happiness. I love the quote, ‘depression comes when you think about the past, anxiety comes when you think about the future, the only place where you will find your peace is in the now.’ We are all living in really hard times and there is much fear in the world right now. I have learned the importance of staying true to who we are and what we believe in. In my work, I learned to manage expectations and avoid finding myself disappointed. If my expectations are too high, then I will have to rethink and not be afraid to lower those expectations to be able to achieve them. Once achieved, I can raise the bar. Upon the recent launch and expansion of Jen Wonders Studio, it's very important when you start a new business to really think about what is manageable, what is realistic and work everyday on enhancing elements that bring me joy.  JWS launched three years ago and I expanded into a physical space with my studio last year. It's been an amazing experience to watch the business unfold and continue to grow. I'm slowly finding my community as opposed to trying to please everybody and create for everyone. My intimate community is the most valuable aspect of my evolution and it will only continue to expand if I stay true to myself. I hope we can all do the same.”

KAYE BASSEY

Content creator / Blogger

“This year has been like no other year.  I have learned valuable lessons, grown in different directions and stretched myself in ways that I haven’t in the past. One thing that resonates with me the most this year is being able to find more balance with my career, mindset, and self-care. I have always felt like a go-getter my whole life and in many ways, this trait has served me so well and has helped me grow and expand my business. However, overtime, I have learned that balance is key and is something that I have been learning to prioritize. Moving into this next year, I am striving to achieve even better balance in my life. As a content creator on several social platforms, including my self-titled blog (kayebassey.com) - things can get very hectic and busy if I do not have any healthy boundaries surrounding my time. Although I love my work so much and feel so grateful that I get to do what I love. I think it is also so important to be able to carve out time for hobbies, friends, family, rest, and designated time for passions outside of the industry I work in. Going into 2024 – the same drive that has gotten me to where I am today will continue to be applied but to achieve a better balance. It’s something I am really looking forward to implementing more of in the new year.”

HEIDI MERRICK

Fashion designer / Founder of Heidi Merrick

“In the past year, I’ve realize that I have a greater capacity for listening to myself than I previously realized. I’ve always taken time to look back on my choices, and really discern whether I would make the same choice again. I believe after almost  20 years, of being a fashion designer, and running a company, that practice has birthed a wisdom and an inner trust. I can begin to take my own feelings, more seriously. I don’t know at what point in my life I was taught that my feelings are a problem, or something I should shut out, but I realized, this year, that had become a practice in the way I live. This last year has taught me, to listen to my feelings and realize some thing is wrong and change it. And it turns out that the power to change things and the strength to follow through has infinite results.”

GRACE NA

Founder of Pistola Denim

“I am just too busy. Over the last year, I've had to admit to myself that there is a limit to what I can do and I’m learning to ask for help at work and to give up a little bit of control. I've been running Pistola from a design, creative, and marketing standpoint for the last decade and the brand is now at a point where it deserves more than I can give it day-to-day. I hope giving up some pieces of the daily hustle will, in turn, give me more time with my family. The first step in putting these things into practice is asking those around me to hold me accountable. I'll have to gut-check myself and what I commit to, but having good people around me will help. Hiring good people I trust, helps. I anticipate leaning on them for more of the daily tasks into the new year so I can be more present with my friends and family.”

STACEY LINDSAY

Journalist / Author of the forthcoming “The 40s Playbook”

“In 2023, I finally—finally!—learned to advocate for my dreams. It sounds cliché, even trite, but it is true: You must nourish and amplify what is paramount for you daily. As Erin Brockovich said, “Superman’s not coming.” The most supportive friends are incredible, but at the end of the day, only you know the dream that is burning inside you—so grab it with both hands and give it light. I finally did just that by selling my first book, and I’m continuing to do that by leaning into the work that makes a difference and staying true to myself. It took me decades to get here, but whoo, I am glad I finally arrived!”

MAYA BRENNER

Jewelry designer / Founder of Maya Brenner

“After 25 years of running my business and 20 years of raising kids…I realized I was tired. Getting my business and family through Covid only intensified that. I didn’t want to be ‘so busy’ all the time and being constantly on the go was no longer serving me. I really wanted to slow down…but I didn’t know how. After much urging from a friend, I finally agreed to attend a spiritual retreat in Los Angeles. It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. The worlds of spirituality and psychology intersected in a way that really awakened something in me that I didn’t even know I needed. We chanted, meditated and shared our stories in a way that helped my entire body and mind relax and let go of everything that had been weighing me down. I left feeling energized and was able to focus on my business and my family in a completely different light. It changed things for me so that in the quiet I was able to think clearly and prioritize what matters to me. I take much more time to myself now and try not to feel guilty about it. It’s really helped me be able to have the space and time to create some new and different pieces for my line such as the Found Objects collection. As well as new collaborations like the Retreat necklace with Abigail Spencer (inspired by my experience) and the pieces designed with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.  In general, I just have more bandwidth, patience and creativity in all areas of my life. I often refer to the quote ‘self care is not me first, it’s me too’ and that’s the energy I’m bringing!”

ESME SALEH

Founder of Mystic by Esme

“It’s tough to condense what this small business means to me. It’s really so many things. A healing chapter. It always come back to a place of understanding—the process is the true purpose. It’s an in internal nudge to continue creating from a place of love and light and nurturing the biggest relationship you have on the journey… with yourself. The promise of a New Year is the shiniest gift and the biggest invitation. That we have the ability to keep learning, playing, creating—for another round, if we’re lucky. The energy of leaning into all possibilities. I’m grateful for the people and the places that have planted the seeds of creating from a soulful place. I hope to keep nurturing that garden and keep growing in wonder.”

ADRIANNA COSTA

Entertainment journalist / Television personality

“There are so many lessons I learn with each year of living. A clear benefit of getting older. But here’s a practice I swear by: ‘A day away keeps me (and everyone else) sane.’ I’ve actually known this for quite some time but I’ve implemented it more this year.  I crave silence, alone time, moments of peace and reflection and gratitude and when I say gratitude, that’s not hyperbole. I really mean it. It takes space (physical and mental) for me to look at all the wonderful gifts I have, family, friends, pets, health, a big, busy and full life and truly appreciate it all. The space/distance allows me the time to sit back, gain perspective and feel deep, deep gratitude. I laugh when people say, ‘Appreciate these days. They go by so fast,’ because of course it’s true but when you’re in the thick of it with young kiddos and the chaos of day to day life, it can be challenging. You’re in survival mode much of the time. Those moments away — even if just 24 hours- truly allow me to zoom out and zero in on all the good there is in life. Any frustration and/or irritability that can cloud my best judgement — that short fuse that all moms struggle with — fades away and patience sets in. I know, wild. So there’s that— but also, and perhaps burying the lede here, it’s all about sleep for me. With puppies and kiddos, I never truly get a full night rest without noises and middle-of-the-night wake-ups, so getting away for the night affords me a long (like 11-12 hours) night of sleep which charges my battery for the month. So what does a night away look like? 1. Cozy hotel room; 2. Traveling alone; 3. A wonderful dinner; 4. Wine; 5. Peace + Quiet. I know it’s really hard to make this happen monthly with finding childcare and having your partner to sign on and even sitting with yourself - at dinner alone - but for me it’s been the greatest gift and a necessary one at that - to keep me going. The fam notices the happiness in when I return and all is good in our world.”

MELISSA MAGSAYSAY

Co-founder of Duster

“This year, I've learned that I do have the ability to be patient and it is imperative that I bring this energy into this next year. Impatience is part of my wiring. My lack of patience is evident whether trying to navigate LA traffic or waiting for someone to get back to me with an answer to a work-related question. As a writer, impatience has served me fairly well because I am quick to get my reporting done, quick to meet a deadline and quick to move onto the next story or idea. But as an entrepreneur, impatience has been a less-than-positive attribute. In June, I co-founded a brand called Duster and while I've been a part of building brands in the past, this is the first time I've ever launched one of my own. Patience is something I now understand more than ever to be essential in every part of building a company and laying the groundwork for something you want to grow in a strong and steady manner. Of course, really learning and implementing patience into my thinking and day to day will be better for me as a mother, partner and well, driver. I look forward to practicing patience daily and understanding how it can help me in this new venture and overall as a potentially more calm and measured person.”

GABI MOSKOWITZ

Food writer / TV producer / Author of multiple cookbooks

“This year, I learned that every challenge, setback, or even full-on disaster is an opportunity for growth, and can be as transformative as when things go well, if not more. I know it's fairly common advice, but I didn't really absorb it until I observed that every time my kids struggle, they eventually come out of it having learned something important, which, in turn, makes their lives better. Once I had that realization, I shifted the way I parented when they had a hard time. Whenever they'd start to melt down about the problem of the day--a broken toy, a ruined drawing, the fact that we ran out of pasta, etc.--I started to reframe it for myself: Okay, this is fine, I'd tell myself. We have entered into a learning moment. This is no different from learning to swim/ride a bike/use a no. 2 pencil. My job is to support and coach my child while she moves through this so she can grow, and not only did it work every time, it helped me stay regulated and calm in the process. Once I dialed the concept in as it pertained to kids, I started trying it out with my own letdowns. Book proposal rejected? Not only is it okay, it's good, because now I can gather intel about ways to make it better. Post-quarantine social anxiety plaguing me every time I try to be around people? Every time I put myself out there, it gets more and more comfortable, even if I feel a little awkward. I tend to want to solve problems swiftly and completely, and this practice has really helped me accept that, not only is that not always possible, it's also not always the best approach. While I wouldn't exactly say I've given up my false perception of control and learned to go with the flow (Where exactly is ‘the flow?’ What time does it start? Do I need any special equipment to be able to ‘go’ with it?), I will say things work better when I'm able to see problems as opportunities to improve.”

CHELSEY BARTRUM

Founder of Starling Fine Jewelry

“I think I've finally really learned to always trust my instincts in my business. I do a gut check on all my decisions big or small and if something really lights me up, I go in that direction. I still take my time with important decisions and I love getting feedback and the opinions of those around me, but if I'm ever stuck or overthinking I go back to my original instinct of what felt better. It's taken me too many years in business to be able to trust myself like this. I think because for me so much of owning my own business has been learning as I go. I started Starling with many years of jewelry experience, but zero business experience. This past year I've been able to reflect back on our growth year over year and have the perspective to see all the times I did follow my gut and it worked out. Currently, this muscle of using my instincts is really getting a workout as Starling is going through a massive rebrand project and it's constantly coming down to my gut feeling of what is better.  This has helped me be so much more productive by making decisions quicker and more confidently, something I am definitely taking into next year. It's also helped me delegate more. If I don't have an immediate reaction or feeling about something it's a sign to me that someone else might be suited to handle the issue. I was a one woman show for a long time, so now having a small team that will be growing more next year, learning to handover decision making is a really important skill for me that I can always get better at. One of my big goals for next year is that by being more productive and having more help at work, I'll have more time for myself and my family outside of work which is a constant struggle, especially when you work for yourself and could work all day and night. So fingers crossed for a better work life balance.”

BROOKE COSTELLO

Artist / Founder of Little Things Custom Co. / Author of “Little Bear Big Feelings”

“What I’ve learned about myself this year is that I am human! I am, unfortunately, not a magical machine that just stays on. I put a lot of pressure on myself to be the best version of mom and wife that I sometimes forget that I’m even an artist. In all aspects of my life, I have learned to step back for just a moment and have a thought. I’ve learned to push myself, but know when it’s time to sit down. I still push too hard. I still do click ‘send’ without thinking sometimes. The pressure is still there, but if I’m lucky, there is always a tomorrow to do better. This new year, I plan on thinking for just a moment more BEFORE I jump. I will also try to give myself a little grace. After all, I am human.”