A new year isn’t magic. It doesn’t erase the scars, the grief, the lessons, or the battles still ahead. But it does give us something rare… A moment to pause. To breathe. To ask ourselves: “Who do I want to become from everything I’ve been through?” This year isn’t about perfection. It’s about progress. It’s about choosing yourself when it would be easier to quit. It’s about healing slowly, stubbornly even on the days you don’t feel strong. Some of us are rebuilding. Some are rediscovering joy. Some are just trying to stand back up. And that’s enough. You are enough. So here’s to the quiet restarts. The small victories. The boundaries we finally honour. The peace we stop apologizing for. This year, we aren’t chasing a “new” us. We’re honouring the unbreakable one that survived every version of the past. If you’re walking into this year with courage even just a teaspoon of it tell me one word you want to live by in 2026 👇 Mine is: Unbreakable. What’s yours?

Some days I look around this community and think… we’re all here for a reason. Not because life was easy. Not because everything went the way we planned. But because at some point, every one of us hit a wall and said, “I’m not done yet.” That’s what Unbreakable is. It’s not a brand. It’s not a page. It’s a group of people who are fighting their way back from something heavy, PTSD, burnout, divorce, injury, depression, anxiety, loss… hell, some days it’s just getting out of bed. I started this community because I was drowning. Retirement hit me weird. My son’s cancer battle changed me forever. PTSD tried to convince me I was alone. And there were nights photography was the only thing that kept my head above water. But here’s the truth: none of us heal in silence. So if you’re reading this, don’t just sit in the background. Step in. Tell your story. Ask the hard questions. Share what you survived… or what you’re still trying to survive. Someone here needs to hear it. And someone else is going to relate more than you think. This community works when you show up as you really are: messy, tired, scared, rebuilding, grinding, hopeful, all of it. So here’s today’s challenge: Drop one thing in the comments that you’re fighting through right now. Big or small. Doesn’t matter. You never know who you’re going to help by saying it out loud. Let’s remind each other why this place is called Unbreakable.

“Most people will never understand the war that happens behind a calm smile.” We show up every day pretending we’re fine at work, at home, in the mirror. But behind that smile, some of us are fighting like hell just to make it through the day. Maybe it’s trauma. Maybe it’s loss. Maybe it’s that quiet voice telling you you’re not enough. But here’s the truth you’re still here, and that means you’re still in the fight. Unbreakable isn’t about being perfect. It’s about standing up one more time than you fall. It’s about being real, raw, honest and human. So here’s your challenge today: Drop one line in the comments “I’m still standing because…” and finish that sentence. Let’s remind each other that we’re not broken we’re rebuilding. Together.

Lately, I’ve been feeling a bit of that old familiar anxiety creeping in — this time about something that should be exciting: a trip with my son to Mexico. You’d think booking a long-overdue vacation would be all joy, but my mind doesn’t always work that way. It starts running through every “what if,” every worst-case scenario, like it’s trying to protect me from something that hasn’t even happened. I can feel it in my chest — that uneasy mix of excitement and fear fighting for space. But here’s the truth I keep coming back to: this trip isn’t about perfection, it’s about presence. It’s about making memories, not managing outcomes. My son deserves to see his dad relaxed, laughing, living in the moment — not stuck inside a loop of worry. So I’m reminding myself that courage doesn’t always look like charging into danger; sometimes it’s just buying the ticket, packing the bag, and choosing to breathe through the unknown. That’s what Unbreakable really means to me — doing the things that scare you, not because you have no fear, but because love and life are worth more than the anxiety trying to stop you.

“I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me.” Intriguing quote from a Firefighter I know..... That line hits deep for me. Life has thrown more flames my way than I ever asked for — Cancer, loss, pressure, and moments where I didn’t think I’d make it through. But that fire inside… that’s the part no one can see. It’s the part that refuses to die, even when everything around you feels like it’s burning down. Being Unbreakable isn’t about never getting burned — it’s about letting those flames shape you instead of destroy you. Every scar, every setback, every moment you thought you couldn’t take one more step — that’s your proof you still can. Keep the fire inside you burning. Feed it with purpose, with GRATITUDE, with the memory of everything you’ve already survived.