5 THINGS I SHED DURING THE YEAR OF THE SNAKE
If I’m honest, at the start of 2025 I didn’t give much thought to what the Year of the Snake actually meant - beyond clowning for Reputation (Taylor’s Version) and refreshing the internet like every other dedicated Swiftie 🐍
But somewhere late in the year - as online chatter about “shedding” snake energy and stepping into horse energy picked up - the idea lodged itself quietly in my brain.
And because I’m an astro-girly + TikTok tarot tragic at heart…of course it stuck.
Because 2025 moved fast. Like blink-and-you’ve-crossed-three-finish-lines-and-started-two-new-races fast. Lots of ground covered. A few defensive hisses along the way. More shape-shifting than I realised at the time.
But snakes don’t just move - they shed to survive and outgrow versions of themselves, leaving the skin behind without apology.
So standing on the edge of a new Lunar cycle, the Year of the Horse feels different.
Stronger. Braver. Better hair.
Less overthinking. More momentum.
Here’s what I’m leaving behind - and what I’m choosing instead:
1. Performing “Main Character Energy”
For a while, Main Character Energy was the framework. Big opinions. Big presence. Big visibility.
And look - it worked. It still works. Until it starts feeling like theatre.
Turns out constantly “showing up” is exhausting when you’re also the one pulling the strings behind the curtain.
I spend a lot of time helping brands be louder online while quietly wondering whether loud is even the point.
Horse energy: Moving with intention, not performance. Showing up because there’s something worth saying, not just because the algorithm expects it.
2. Death by Numbers
Reach is random. Strategy isn’t. The real work lives underneath the numbers: consistency, positioning, voice, timing, clarity of thought.
One post flops. Another unexpectedly flies. Same creator. Different conditions.
And honestly? That’s so fine.
Horse energy: Building brands and ideas that compound, not chasing the dopamine spike.
3. Discounting My Own Expertise
For a long time, I said yes because of opportunity. Exposure. Potential.
Generosity matters - and I’m deeply grateful for the generosity of those who offered me opportunities - but generosity doesn’t pay the bills.
I’ve built something real: a body of work, a reputation, and a point of view people trust. But endless flexibility slowly dilutes authority.
Horse energy: Clear boundaries. Pricing that reflects expertise. Decisive, direct, professionally unbothered.
4. Keeping Up With the Joneses
Social media moves like you’re already late to something you didn’t know was happening.
But stepping back reminded me of something inconveniently true: burnout isn’t a creative strategy.
Some of my best ideas show up when I stop trying to outrun the internet.
Horse energy: Sustainable momentum without the scramble, and occasionally remembering…I am the damn Joneses.
5. Hiding Behind Client Work
Helping other brands show up online is easy. Necessary. Fun, even. But it also makes it easy to let your own voice fade quietly into the background.
This year reminded me that my voice isn’t separate from my business.
It IS the business.
The opinions. The commentary. The cultural lens. The lived experience. That’s the work.
Horse energy: Leading from the front, not just behind the scenes.
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The snake sheds to survive. The horse runs because it’s ready.
This year, I’m interested in moving clearly, quickly, and without the performative angst.
So the focus now looks like:
clarity over chaos
relevance over reach
momentum over performance
less proving
more moving
Here's hoping I'm more thoroughbred than miniature pony 🐎
This piece first appeared in Excessive Consumption - a weekly dispatch on culture, branding, politics and whatever other modern internet brain rot the algorithm has emotionally assigned me that week.
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