The Space Between Stories: Finding Peace in the Year-End Pause

Dear fellow humans on this wild start-up journey,

I'm writing this from my favourite corner of my couch (you know, that one spot that's perfectly worn in just right 😌), wrapped in the fuzzy blanket my team got me last Christmas. The house is quiet, save for the gentle hum of my ancient laptop, and I'm in that strange liminal space between Christmas and New Year's where nobody quite knows what day it is.

And you know what? It feels perfectly imperfect to write to you from this in-between place. Because isn't that exactly where we all are right now?

Confessions of a Recovering Perfectionist

Let me share something vulnerable with you: I've rewritten this newsletter seven times. SEVEN. 🙈 Each version was packed with strategic planning frameworks and goal-setting matrices because, well, that's what we're "supposed" to do right now, isn't it?

But here's the truth I really want to share: I'm tired of "supposed to."

I'm tired of pretending that I have it all figured out just because I help others figure things out. I'm tired of acting like the transition from one year to another needs to be this massive transformation moment.

And I have a feeling I'm not alone in this.

The Beautiful Mess of 2024

This year, I've watched countless founders and leaders:

- Cry in Zoom rooms (and held space for those tears)

- Navigate funding rounds while battling imposter syndrome

- Build amazing teams while questioning every decision

- Create beautiful cultures through their most anxious moments

And you know what the most magical part was? The real growth never came from the perfect plans. It came from the messy, human moments in between.

A Different Kind of New Year's Letter

So instead of giving you a strategic framework for 2025 (though I have those if you need them 😉), I want to give you something else:

Permission to rest in this in-between space.

Permission to not have it all figured out.

Permission to enter 2025 exactly as you are.

What If...

What if instead of planning our transformation, we took a moment to appreciate our evolution?

Here's mine:

- I learned to send emails with typos (and survived!)

- I admitted "I don't know" in client meetings (they loved it)

- I took actual lunch breaks (sometimes)

- I let my team see me struggle (and they stepped up in ways I never expected)

An Invitation to the In-Between

As we sit in these strange days between years, I invite you to join me in:

- Celebrating the questions we're brave enough to ask

- Honouring the mistakes that taught us the most

- Appreciating the messy victories that shaped us

- Finding peace in the unfinished symphonies of our work

Your Turn (No Pressure, Though)

I'd love to hear about your beautiful mess of 2024. What unexpected lesson changed you? What "failure" turned out to be a gift? What are you finally ready to let go of?

Drop me a message - I'm here, in my cosy corner, ready to celebrate your perfectly imperfect journey.

Looking Ahead (Gently)

Will I be back in January with strategic frameworks and scaling plans? Of course! That's part of who I am, and I love that work deeply.

But for now, in this quiet space between years, let's just be human together. Let's honour the journey that brought us here and be gentle with the path ahead.

With a heart full of gratitude and a slight sugar cookie buzz,

Delia Bogues

P.S. If you're feeling the weight of year-end expectations, remember: You've done enough. You are enough. And 2025 will be ready for you whenever you're ready for it. ✨

P.P.S. Yes, I still have typos in this newsletter. No, I'm not fixing them. Growth, right? 😅