What A Coincidence!
It’s the Sunday ahead of the last full week, for many, in work ahead of the festive period. So I hope you are taking time out for yourself and reading a short blog is a great way to do that. Today’s '#AdventBlog is from Christie Engler who I was connected with recently and she is a people-centric Business Leader, Small Business Enthusiast, Fractional CHRO/CPO, Speaker, Adjunct Professor, Author. She describes herself as the 'HR Wizard Behind the Curtain' for small businesses.
Christie is connectable via LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/christie-engler/ and has her own blog at - https://christieengler.home.blog/
Now over to Christie to reflect on the theme of “It’s time to change”.
Wow…what a coincidence. This was my initial reaction when I saw this year’s Advent blog prompt.
2025 has been a year of change for me. Big time.
Things started cooking in 2024. I knew I would be hitting 20 years in HR in January of 2025. And I started to think about what was next for me and my career. What did I want the next chapter to look like? When I took the time to reflect and got honest with myself, I found that I missed my days in HR outsourcing and I wanted to find some way to get back to it. But on my terms, in my own way.
I am a woman of strong faith, and I felt the nudges from God throughout the year. There were many signs telling me it’s time to do my own thing. So I listened…New Day HR LLC was registered on January 1, 2025.
I figured I would start slow and work on a business plan in my spare time (I was still in a Head of HR role at this time). And then a big change happened…I was laid off in early March. I’ve joked that this was the Lord telling me, ‘we’re doing this now.’ And so it was.
I am fortunate to have developed a wide network in my field. Once I shared my news and told people about my new venture, I had referrals coming in from every direction. I signed five clients almost immediately. What a blessing! It was great momentum to get started.
At the same time, my eldest daughter, Avery, graduated from high school. It was an exciting and emotional time. She had all the big senior year events and her last dance competitions and final recital. We had a wonderful graduation party with family and friends. The season topped off with the official ceremony and a family vacation to the beach. Avery spent the summer working at Starbucks and preparing for her move to Phoenix. Changes, changes.
The summer and fall were a balancing act for me – client work, speaking gigs, teaching. All the while trying to do some type of business development and hustle for clients. It’s been an interesting time as I find myself busier and working harder than I have in a while but for far less pay. Sigh…that change in income has been quite an adjustment. My family has had to make significant changes to our lifestyle as a result.
We moved Avery to Phoenix and into Arizona State University in August. Another momentous occasion we had been prepping for over the last 18 years. It was a whirlwind over 4 days, fun and exhausting. Anxiety was through the roof for all of us. But we did it and I am happy to report that she had a wonderful first semester of college. It has definitely been harder not having her around than I thought it was going to be. A lot of change.
I truly believe that God challenges us in order to prepare us. He has never let me down, so I will pray, wait, and trust. I know good things are on the way. When I reflect on 2025, I see a year full of hills and valleys. There’s been good and bad, and I have rolled with all of it. There’s not much of an alternative. Thanks to my faith, my family, and my friends I am ending the year on a positive note and looking forward to 2026.
I take great comfort in music. If you’ve had a chaotic year like I have, I offer these anthems to find peace and solace in times of change:
‘Fear is a Liar’ by Zach Williams ‘Time for Me to Fly’ by REO Speedwagon and ‘Keep Me in the Moment’ by Jeremy Camp
A road cutting through a wooded area of Ohio.