The best year of my life! 2025 in review

When I asked a couple weeks ago for some inspiration on what you guys would like me to write about, the spread of topics I received was comically broad, and I think truly reflective of just how all over this newsletter is (which makes sense considering how all over the place I am😂). Some people wanted to know about what I ate, others tips to get through transition, others were interested in more info on the mental game, some people straight up gossip (y’all are messssyyyy), but a common (and flattering) request I got was to recap my year not just as a player, but also as a person. Considering it’s the holidays and I’m in a reflective mood, I figured why not!

2025 was a really fun and intense year for me, and as I sit here, I’d probably go so far as to even say it’s been the best year of my life (whoa!). This tweet basically sums it up:

It’s been a year of growth, challenges, self-alignment, and absolutely no shortage of beautiful and interesting and thought-provoking revelations, both on and off the court. Without further ado, let’s get into it!

One of the biggest blessings this year for me was getting into yoga. People would always ask me what my hobbies were, and I’d never really have much of anything to say. I’ve dabbled in yoga before, and by no means am I incredible at it, but it’s truly changed my life and started an extremely fortuitous series of events that have resulted in so much growth both as a player and person.

Initially, yoga was more of a workout to me. And to an extent, it still is. But as I got better, I became addicted not only to the tangible improvements that pickleball no longer really gives me, but also to the extreme mental benefits I reap from it. I’d leave a class feeling calm, connected, and so much more “at home” in my body. I went from never really understanding setting an “intention” for your practice to regularly focusing on peace, presence, breath, or something else. Classes became a sanctuary, something I would seek out even on the road (though no studio I’ve gone to has compared to where it all started for me, Gro Yoga in Boca Raton- not sponsored, I am a paying member, it’s just that incredible if you’re in the area).

The yoga classes have helped me on court, too! Playing with Anna Leigh brings its own very real challenges- more pressure, more noise, and a lot more eyeballs. These things are mainly self-imposed, but that doesn’t make them any less real. The tools and breathing techniques I learned in my classes have been MAJOR in managing my emotions so I could show up as my best self on court.

The yoga has made me more present, calm, and open to trying new things (I’ll get into this later). I even attended a breathwork class at Gro which was a deeply moving and profound experience. We were provided notebooks at the beginning of the class and here is a snippet of what I wrote in a frantic, emotional brain dump as the session ended.

I think my breathwork experience really inspired me to trust myself more and to actively seek out alignment and growth in my life in a way I never really consciously have.

Like a lot of high achievers, I’m a bit of a perfectionist. I tend to dislike things I’m not naturally good at, to crumble under the crippling self-imposed pressure to do things perfectly or not at all, and to avoid tasks and conversations and projects in which a “perfect” outcome is not really attainable.

But this year, I made an active effort to work on this tendency. This newsletter is a prime example of it. I’ve wanted to write for a long time, but struggled with actually starting for so long. I would ask myself a bunch of questions with no easy answers. Who would read? Would I be consistent enough? Would I only write about pro pickleball? Would my peers hate me? Would people be okay with me writing about whatever is on my mind? Would I look stupid or cringe or needy for putting myself out there?

But eventually, I said F*** IT. It may not be great, it may not be consistent, and it WILL be both all over the place and far from perfect, but I am doing it anyway. And I’m soooooo proud of myself for doing that. This newsletter and engaging with all of you through it, both virtually and in the flesh has been one of the biggest blessings of my year. There is no better compliment to me than someone saying they read and enjoy the newsletter😊.

I stumbled across this quote through an Instagram reel recently, and I found it beautiful. “I deserve to give myself the gift of engaging with my potential through curiosity rather than clamping down on it through fear of failure”. Sometimes good things can come from social media!

I’ve engaged with my potential a lot this year: through this newsletter, trying much harder on my social media, and undertaking the MASSIVE project of launching and running the inaugural Brighter Pickleball Bootcamp. Even when I only had 17 people in the program, I felt an immense sense of joy and pride that I had put myself out there and actually created something valuable that had been on my mind for some time. The program quickly filled, and it is my baby both in the sense that it is extremely time-consuming and that it is something I love deeply and am beyond proud of. I can’t wait to expand my offerings in that area in the future so I can help more of you guys. Coaching, connecting, and building such an incredible community has been another unforgettable blessing of 2025.

Perhaps the most surprising development for me in the last 2.5 months has been the result of me saying yes to something an earlier version of me would have rolled her eyes at. Everything is connected - without the yoga, the breathwork, the desire to become as good as I can be, would I have said yes to a woman I hardly knew proposing that she be my mental coach? Probably not😂. And perhaps it was a bit crazy for me to say yes to her. It’s a big deal to let someone that deep into your head!!!

Coach B, or Dotti Berry has changed my life! I will write more in the future about the program she has put me through and how it has specifically helped me both on and off court. All I can say is that I am forever grateful to her for nagging me into learning from her😂. I’ve become more aware, more curious, and just an overall better human being because of her. I don’t think I could have managed the stress of the bootcamp while also competing without some of the tools and mindshifts her program has taught me.

This edition is getting long enough, so I feel pressure to wrap it. This year was full of its challenges and tough decisions and hard conversations and anxiety and stress and pressure, but I’m forever thankful for my countless blessings (and you, dear reader, are one of them!). Dotti has encouraged me to decide on a singular word or phrase to use to embody and guide me in 2026. I have one in mind for myself, but I’m curious, what would you choose for yourself? Let me know😊.

I’ll write more soon about my 2026 goals/resolutions- but I truly hope that you and yours are having the absolute happiest of holidays❤️🌲✨. Thank you again for allowing me to pour my heart out and for being a part of my journey. I hope that I am a small part of yours❤️

Your internet bestie (& hopefully IRL bestie too!), xoxo Anna❤️❤️❤️