🪩 What I Loved and Learned in 2025

Dana Buccheri

Dana Buccheri

— 3 min read

Recapping instead of getting sucked into resolutions like they want you to 😄

🎉 Happy Friday, Friends!

Are you feeling the pressure to make 2026 the biggest, bestest, most everything year yet? It can be overwhelming! But here at StrongWithDana, we don't get sucked into the New Year's resolution fray. Instead, we know that...

  • 🎊 Resolutions are year-round! You can set, work towards, and achieve goals at any time, no matter what tiny gym membership discounts are available in January, and...
  • 🎊 Resolutions are just another way that diet culture pressures you to "fix" your body, and coming towards positive changes should be an act of self-love, not pressure, obligation, or shame.

So now that we're in the new year, I'd like to reflect on 2025 instead. It's still the dead of winter, a natural time to pause and express gratitude for wins, reflect on what you learned, and enjoy the satisfaction of a year well spent.

💜 Things I LOVED in 2025

  • 🏝️ Monhegan Island! I visited family on this tiny island off the coast of Maine this year, and it was magical. I felt so much peace and reconnection with loved ones, my body, and nature. It doesn't get much better than that.
  • 🏡 The Edith Farnsworth house. This little museum in the woods is an architectural marvel, yes, but more importantly... it's such a fun autumn activity. I had a great time checking out the grounds and hiking through the forest.
  • 😅 Peloton app for spin classes! Hear me out. Some of these are really fun. They feature great music, often indie rappers, and the instructors each have their own twist that kept me coming back for more.
  • 💆🏼‍♀️ Thai Massage. Adding this to my self-care routine was so worth it. It helps to have a healer in the room to guide you through stretches and releasing the tension in your body. I can't recommend it enough!
  • 📖 Book Club with Crema Shop and Wagnolia. This was such a great way to finish out the year. My friends at Crema and Wagnolia hosted a gathering where we read Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen, by Jose Antonio Vargas. This was a real perspective from someone who's undocumented, and the self-education felt timely, especially during 🧊 season. It helped me process the situation in Chicago, and I'm very grateful that this book and this group exists. Our next read is One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This, by Omar El Akkad.

One Big Takeaway from 2025...

Grief comes in all forms and with no warning. Sometimes from empathizing with someone else's loss, sometimes from a certain scent memory, or from relaying a childhood anecdote. Grief is a winding process, and no matter where you are in it, feel your way through.

Things I Loved Watching in 2025

In case you need something to do while we're still in the coldest time of the year!

  • The new Frankenstein movie, directed by Guillermo del Toro
  • I Love LA, with Rachel Sennott. Can you please just watch this?
  • Twinless, a dramedy about two grieving brothers who lost their respective twins
  • Heated Rivalry, a hockey romance. Need I say more?
  • Knives Out, an oldie but goodie!
  • The Pitt, an HBO Max series about what healthcare workers go through in a hospital in Pittsburgh.
  • Task, another HBO Max series about an FBI agent investigating violent robberies in the working-class suburbs of Pittsburgh. A lot of Pittsburgh this year!
  • Sorry, Baby, a movie about SA and the aftermath. When a friend hits a big milestone, our MC, Agnes, realizes how stuck she's been after a sexual assault and begins to rebuild
  • On Becoming A Guinea Fowl, a 2024 dramedy also about recovering from SA, this time in a family setting

Things I Loved Reading (Or Re-Reading!)

Here's to another year of loves and learning!

Happy New Year,
Dana

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