That's the 2025 Wrap!

This year stretched me in ways I didn’t see coming. When God gave me the word “mastery” for 2025, I assumed it meant mastering my business — systems, sales, consistency, all the things I’d been trying to fix for so long. But now, at the end of it, I realize He was teaching me to master myself.

Mastering my discipline.
Mastering my focus.
Mastering my leadership.
Mastering who I am, not just what I do.

2025 forced me to confront habits, fears, perfectionism, burnout, and every part of me that was still trying to run this vision alone. This year wasn’t clean or cute — it was stretching, humbling, and necessary. A year of sharpening. A year of becoming.

And now I understand, mastery wasn’t about perfection.
It was about preparation.

When I launched the internship program this year, it was supposed to be a simple 12-week experience — a structured introduction to Jaded, a taste of the industry, and a chance to support the brand through a busy season.

But at the end of those 12 weeks, the girls asked to stay.
They weren’t ready to leave… and honestly, neither was I.

So the program extended, not by design, but by purpose! And that extension allowed me to completely reshape the curriculum. Instead of sticking to a plan, I took them on a true journey of entrepreneurship — one filled with lessons that you cannot teach in a classroom.

They didn’t just learn the technical side of the brand. They learned how to show up in rooms with confidence, how to network, how to navigate fashion shows, fundraising galas, industry events, and opportunities that most people don’t see this early in their careers. They learned the pace of real business, the pressure of deadlines, the beauty of collaboration, and the power of believing in themselves.

And what I witnessed in each of them was nothing short of transformation.

De’ja grew into her leadership. She took initiative, learned fast, pushed through challenges, and found her confidence piece by piece. Today, she is equipped — confident in her abilities, grounded in her growth, and ready to build her own brand, portfolio, and dreams. Watching her evolution has been one of the greatest highlights of this entire journey.

Josephine stretched herself in ways that even she didn’t expect. She constantly stepped outside of her comfort zone, embraced her voice, and allowed herself to step into opportunities that once felt intimidating. She is learning her power — her storytelling, her presence, her creativity — and she has opened herself to beautiful possibilities because of it.

Together, they grew.
Together, they rose.
And together, they experienced things that were never written in the original plan but were exactly what they needed to become who they’re meant to be.

What they didn’t realize while I was teaching them entrepreneurship…
they were teaching me how to become the leader I’m stepping into next.
They sharpened me.
They supported me.
They stretched me.
They helped prepare me for the next chapter — more than they will ever understand.

So when I look back on 2025 and ask, “What was my greatest accomplishment?”
It wasn’t the events, the designs, or the growth metrics.
It was building a team, watching these young women grow and watching myself grow with them. That has become the greatest achievement of my year.

As we step into the new year, Jaded will be pivoting and embracing a new word that has been sitting in my spirit: revelation.
Not in the dramatic sense, but in the unveiling sense.
The “it’s time to show who you really are” sense.

Since starting Jaded, I’ve aways wanted to share more of my journey, the good bad and the honest ugly, but I was so deep in building that I didn’t always have the clarity r capacity to share it. Revelation for Jaded means showing others what God helped me build, what exactly mastery looked like, what truly aligns with the brand pivot, and the community we get to build.

For 2026, it will be a year of showing, sharing, and stewarding.
A year of sharing my story instead of hiding it.
A year of teaching the things I’ve learned the hard way.
A year of creating content that has meaning, intention, and purpose.

I want to build a community where women don’t just wear Jaded but rather, grow with Jaded.
A space where we can talk openly about the moments where life makes us feel jaded, not as a bad thing…but as a sign that it’s time to make a change.

This next chapter won’t be about noise or pressure — it’ll be about purpose.
About storytelling.
About transparency.
About showing who I am and what God has done in my life.

2025 was the year of learning.
2026 will be the year of revealing.
And I’m finally ready to step into it.