Welcome to YOMU in 2025, Let’s Go
Happy New Year.
I don’t know about you, but 2024 didn’t unfold as I had planned. It was full of ambition, setbacks, creativity, and some deeply personal challenges. My dad passed away in August, and life felt heavy. But in the midst of it all, I found comfort in words, stories that spoke to where I was and helped me move forward.
Books, podcasts, and audiobooks became my companions, as well as building this platform, slowly, but surely. They sparked ideas, shaped my goals, and reminded me that life is messy, but we can grow through it. I even hit 75,000 words of my novel, a milestone that stretched me more than the non-fiction books I’ve written! Here are some of the stories that stood out:
Let Them
Released just before the year ended, this much-anticipated book is already a game-changer. It’s packed with wisdom about the power of letting go—of expectations, control, and outcomes. Reading it made me reflect on how freeing it is to just let people be and how much energy I’ve wasted trying to change things I couldn’t.
Unreasonable Hospitality
This book’s insights ran through a pitch I wrote last week, shaping my approach to creating exceptional client experiences. Whether it's you reading this post or the day Jimmy Choo (manifesting! 😉) hires me, I want every interaction to feel extraordinary. I’m not serving gourmet meals in New York, but I want everyone at my publicity table to leave feeling full of goodness.
This Too Shall Pass
When my dad passed, this book became my anchor. It doesn’t sugarcoat life’s hardest moments, but it offers calm in the chaos. It’s a reminder that even when grief feels endless, it will shift, soften, and, slowly, you will breathe again.
The Gap and the Gain
This book taught me how to stop living in "what’s missing" mode and start celebrating progress. Every small win—whether it’s sending that pitch, setting up a new system, or drinking a coffee before it needs reheating—is a gain. Recognising how far you’ve come is how you keep moving forward.
Mean Baby
Selma Blair offers a raw, vulnerable memoir that shows how complicated and beautiful life can be behind the glossy images. I laughed, I cried, and I walked away reminded that no one has it all figured out—but we’re all capable of doing hard things and finding joy along the way.
These stories have shaped my journey, influenced my business, and helped me see that growth doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be real and steps have to be taken to move ahead.
As I look ahead to 2025, I’m excited for YOMU to reflect that same spirit, with a team of amazing contributors, we’ll bring you interviews that inspire, features that meet you where you are, and stories that remind you of your own strength and potential.
I’d love to hear from you, what did you read, listen to, or watch last year that shaped your journey? Let’s stack our 2025 reading lists and share what fuels us.
Here’s to stories, growth, and a fresh year filled with wins (and hopefully hot coffee that doesn’t need microwaving!).
Natalie
