The Mid-Year Edit

Reflect on what’s working, release what’s not, and design your next step.

Author

Janelle Howell
July 17, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

In the July Issue

✉️ A Note from Nelle It's Time to Redefine Freedom

🧠 Clarity Corner Your 2-Minute Mid-Year Reflection

🎁 Free Resource of the Month The Freedom Focus Sheet

🤔 Design Dilemmas Question of the Month: “I keep thinking about making a major change, but what if it’s the wrong move?”

💭 A Special Invitation It’s Your Turn to Design!

It’s Time to Redefine Freedom

Hey!

We’ve officially crossed the halfway point of the year! Can you believe that? It seemed like just yesterday we were jotting down our resolutions, charting our path for the New Year, and chasing SMART goals like nobody’s business. I know I was! Now it’s mid-July, and it’s time to shift from ambition to permission. Permission to choose freedom over pressure.

And it’s the perfect month to pause and reflect on what freedom really means for you. It might mean pursuing more meaningful work, adopting a new routine, or simply being able to build something of value. It all starts with being in tune with yourself and saying: “You know what, this doesn’t feel right anymore. I want something different.”

In this issue, we’re diving into what it looks like to start living freely, with tools, questions, and micro moves to help you realign with your vision.

And here’s the good news: you don’t need to have it all figured out right now, you just have to commit to making one small, intentional move at a time. Because your life? It’s designable.

And you’re the one holding the pen.

Let’s design what’s next,
Nelle

The best way to predict the future is to design it.

- Buckminster Fuller

Your 2-Minute Mid-Year Reflection

Let me ask you a couple quick questions.

Are you satisfied with where your 2025 is headed, or is it time to switch things up? If you’re uncertain of what that next move should look like or you know you’re ready to make some changes, embracing the art of reflection is a great first step.

Find a quiet place where you feel at ease and give yourself a couple minutes to reflect on how this year is unfolding and where you may want to adjust.

Ask yourself:

  1. What’s still working for me this year?

  2. What habits, patterns, or commitments in my work, creative life, or routines might need a second look?

If you’re not too happy or feel you’re at a crossroads, remember, it’s not too late to pivot, redesign, or breathe new life into your year. Check out the Freedom Focus sheet in the next section, if you’re ready for a slightly deeper dive.

July Pick: Freedom Focus Sheet

If you’re craving more clarity than a simple pulse check, the Freedom Focus Sheet guides you into the kind of insight that leads to small but powerful shifts.

It’s a one-page, 5-question worksheet designed to help you identify where you may be feeling stuck, bored, or misaligned. It’s not a full action plan - it’s simply a thinking tool. It encourages you to look at what’s been pulling at your attention and invites you to experiment with a small shift in the next 7 days.

Why it Works: Change often starts with awareness. By carving out 10 intentional minutes to reflect and write, you’re acknowledging and focusing on your needs. This isn’t about planning out your whole future, it’s about designing your next move.

Download Now: 👉 [Get the Freedom Focus Sheet]

“I keep thinking about making a major change, but what if it’s the wrong move?”

This question came up in a conversation I had with my next-door neighbor, "Brad”. He was going on and on about how much he HATED his job. He’d been working at a local manufacturing plant for more than 15 years and the grueling hours and manual labor was really starting to take a toll on him (aside from the fact there was no promotion in sight).

He kept telling me he was flirting with the idea of starting a business, but was too afraid to go all in. With a family of 4 to feed, it just didn’t seem feasible to him, but he didn’t know what to do.

Let me tell you, what I told Brad: The reality is there’s always risk in change, but there’s also risk in staying stuck.

We often label change as risky because it feels uncertain. But staying in a role or situation that no longer fits? You’re chipping away at your energy, potential, and setting yourself up for missed opportunities. When you make a major move, it doesn’t have to be a huge, drastic leap.

You can start with designing a small shift. One new habit. One “what if” conversation. One hour a week devoted to what lights you up. These “micro-moves” build clarity, courage, and momentum all without blowing up your life.

In Life Design, we don’t gamble. We prototype. We test possibilities before we commit. (Remember that!) We experiment with what that next chapter feels like, so we can move forward with intention and not fear.

And maybe you’re just like Brad.

Maybe you’re stuck in a cubicle doing a job you absolutely hate, passing the time with dreams of starting your own business. Or maybe you’re in retirement and you’re bored out of your mind with no clue on how to make the most of your post-work life. Or, you may not know what you want, but you have an “anything is better than this” mentality, but you’re too afraid to make a step.

Believe me, you’ve got more options than you think. Life Design can help you explore them and take action, one decision at a time.

It’s Your Turn to Design

Thanks for taking the time to read the July issue! 

If this issue sparked something in you, or you're wondering what Life Design might look like in your world, I invite you to a free Discovery Call. It's a no-pressure, no-commitment space to explore whether coaching is the right next step.

I’d love to connect.

Also, if you have any questions or feedback on this month’s issue, I’d love to hear from you as well!

Until next time,

~ Nelle