Year In Review

Looking back at 2025

A reflective look back at my year of blogging, speaking, community events, and growth in 2025, plus what’s coming next in 2026.

Sarah Lean

30 Dec 2025 • 4 min read

Looking back at 2025

As another year comes to a close, I’ve found myself pausing to reflect on what 2025 has meant for me, creatively, professionally, and within the communities I’m part of. I started the year with a simple but ambitious goal: to show up consistently and create something every week. No big reinventions, no dramatic pivots, just steady, thoughtful output that would help me grow as a writer and continue sharing knowledge with others.

It hasn’t always been easy. Life, work, and everything in between shift constantly, but this year has reminded me that showing up, quietly, regularly, and with genuine intent, can be just as meaningful as hitting huge milestones. Looking back now, I can see how these small weekly actions have added up to something I’m genuinely proud of.

With that in mind, I wanted to take a moment to look back over the year: the blogs, the videos, the speaking engagements, the meetups, and all the lessons tucked in between.

Let’s start with the place where so much of my energy went this year: blogging.

Blogging

This year I set myself the goal of writing a blog per week, and I can now say when this blog goes live, I will have achieved that goal. So 52 blog posts written this year.

What have I learnt by doing this? Blog required time, time to pick your topic, time to research and learn your topic, time to write it and time to capture images. I've been lucky, and I've never been writing a blog at the last minute. I've always been writing weeks in advance. But that has required effort to maintain.

Have my viewing figures increased? Have I earned any money from my blogging? No is the answer to both those questions. Writing 52 blog posts this year has helped keep eyeballs on my content, whether it be here or on one of the syndicate platforms, Medium, Dev.To or The Ops Community.

I have received a few "Buy me a coffee" donations from readers, so a massive thanks to those folks.

Most viewed blogs in 2025

It's always looking back at what has been popular over the year, and it's great to see some of my older blog posts still being popular and helping people. But it's also nice to see some new ones hitting that top ten list.

Most viewed videos in 2025

I'd had another year where prioritising video content hasn't been something I've done. I do have some ideas for video content, it's just the time that is my biggest struggle at the moment. But taking a look at what content has been popular is nice to see.

Speaking

This year I haven't spoken at any typical user groups or conferences. I've instead focussed on events that have measurable impact, I've spoke at events for young people looking to get into IT, or I've spoke at customer events that help them.

That still amounts to 5 talks and over 500 people.

I still enjoy speaking at events, but as it's something I have to self fund and do in my spare time it's not something I can always prioritise unfortunately.

Glasgow Azure User Group

This year, the Glasgow Azure User Group has had 6 meetups, enjoyed over 50 pizzas, consumed a ton of drinks and learned a bunch of different topics.

The group has been running since 2017, and this year we've seen some changes in the community. It's been an interesting change that has challenged us, but it's challenged us in a good way. We've been forced to think about some of the decisions we've made for the group and look at things differently. And in 2026 we are changing things up.

We'll have 4 meetups next year instead of the usual 6 that we've been having. And we're hoping to try and mix up the format a little, with panel discussions and trying other interactive elements as well. At least that is the plan. We're hoping the community continues to support us in our endeavours.

Final Thoughts

As I look back over the year, a few themes really stand out: consistency, community, and quiet resilience. I may not have broken viewing records, launched a new channel, or travelled the world speaking at conferences, but what I did do was show up with purpose. I created something every week. I helped people learn. I supported the communities I care about. I tried new things, adjusted to changes, and kept moving forward.

This year has been a reminder that impact isn’t always loud or flashy. Sometimes it’s found in the steady rhythm of publishing a blog, the familiar faces at a user group meetup, or the handful of people who say a session genuinely helped them. Those moments matter, and they’re the ones I’m taking with me into 2026.

Next year will bring its own changes, especially for the Glasgow Azure User Group as we experiment with new formats and find ways to keep things fresh. I’m excited to see where that leads. Creatively, I hope to carve out more space for video content and continue sharing the kind of honest, useful material that people return to year after year.

To everyone who has read, watched, listened, attended, or supported in any way—thank you. Your encouragement, messages, and even those occasional “Buy Me a Coffee” donations genuinely keep me going.

Here’s to a new year of learning, experimenting, showing up, and seeing where the journey takes us.

Bring on 2026.