2025 Wrapped and I'm Taking an Instagram Break

Jan 2

2025 was quite the year.

If you’ve listened to the podcast at all this year, you’ve probably heard me reference that more than once — and for good reason. This past year stretched me in ways I didn’t expect, tested my faith, and ultimately led me to a decision I never thought I’d make: taking a break from Instagram for the month of January.

Today, I want to pull back the curtain a bit. I want to reflect on the highs and lows of 2025, share what’s been happening behind the scenes in both life and business, and explain why I’m learning that sometimes obedience doesn’t look logical — but it’s exactly what we need to see the fruit we’ve been praying for.

So let’s dive in.

We kicked off 2025 with my husband undergoing his fourth shoulder surgery — yes, the fourth — on the same shoulder. He’d already had three surgeries between high school and college, but ongoing pain and impingement made it nearly impossible for him to move forward with restarting his career in law enforcement without another procedure.

The timing was stressful. The surgery was close to when he needed to report to the academy, which is physically demanding, and there were no guarantees. But thankfully, everything went incredibly well. His recovery was smooth, his quality of life drastically improved, and he was able to complete the academy and officially return to law enforcement.

That alone would have been enough for one year… but we were just getting started.

In April, we moved to Idaho — a state we had only visited once and where we didn’t know a single person.

Because my husband’s academy started before our home was finished, we lived in an apartment for several months while waiting for our new build to be completed. At the same time, we were trying (and failing) to sell our house in Arizona. After six months on the market, we were faced with a hard deadline: either sell the house or secure a renter in order to close on our new home.

We got a renter… and then they backed out with just a week to spare.

I can’t overstate how stressful that moment was. We had invested so much into our Idaho home — financially and emotionally — and the thought of losing it all was overwhelming. By what I can only describe as answered prayer, another renter stepped in at the very last minute.

We closed on our home.

While we’re grateful for wonderful tenants and a great property management company, being landlords was never part of the plan. We’re hoping to sell the Arizona house once the lease is up this year — and yes, we’re still praying over that.

On top of the move, I was navigating new routines, finding childcare, meeting new people, and running a business — all while struggling with my health.

I’ve dealt with PCOS for years, and stress has always hit my body hard. In 2025, the stress caught up to me. Hormones were out of balance, weight gain happened quickly, and when I finally got labs done, the results pointed clearly to burnout.

My practitioners were honest with me: something had to give.

Even in a year that felt heavy, there was so much to celebrate. So there are a couple of business things that I do want to call out, some wins, some really incredible stats when you look at 2025 and your behind-the-scenes BFF.

134 women enrolled in our signature program, Beginner to Booked VA. 134 women who chose to bet on themselves, start their VA businesses, and take action. That number still gives me chills.

57 people take our challenge, our five-day Monetize Your Skills Challenge

Our Podcast stats, this one shocked me……this is crazy, you guys. I didn't put as much into the podcast this year as I wanted to. Like I really thought this was the year I was gonna be consistent with podcast, and I really struggled with it with all the transitions and all that kind of stuff, which we're gonna get to later on when I talk about my break from Instagram that I will be taking.

13 new episodes
10,979 downloads

That’s nearly 11,000 downloads with less content than last year. It’s proof that this podcast is growing — and that you’re listening, sharing, and coming back. Truly, thank you.

This might be my favorite stat of all….

95 business owners connected with VA’s from our program in 2025-that’s up more than 30 from 2024.

Ninety-five women getting real opportunities. Real clients. Real income. And that doesn’t even include the clients they found on their own through referrals or personal networks. That’s impact — and it’s why I do this.

Okay, so let's dive into what I feel like everyone is waiting to hear about.

Why I'm taking an Instagram break and what that's going to look like and what it's gonna look like for both me personally and my business, all of that good stuff. So I'm gonna take you back….Eight years ago, Instagram changed my life. It helped me leave teaching, build a multiple six-figure business, and connect with people I never would have met otherwise. I started posting on Instagram with like 500 followers or less with my side hustle and network marketing. I was a teacher, I was just starting my very first online business and I really just wanted to do it as a side hustle. I didn't think anything of itreally. And then within seven months, I had exceeded my teaching income and ended up leaving teaching.

I ended up growing it to a multiple six-figure business. Then ultimately in 2021, at the end of 2021, I felt like it was time to lay it down after four years, including the platform that I had built of over 30,000 followers from that first like 500. And I wanted to just start fresh in 2022 with actually the account that you see today, which is the @yourbffkate account. I was really burnt out. I was really tired of constantly being tied to my phone and wanting something different at that point because I had just become a mom. So a big reason why I became a virtual assistant was because I didn't want to be on social media all the time. That was like a huge reason. That's why my company is called Your Behind the Scenes BFF, because I love being behind the scenes. And most people who are VAs can agree with me that we love being behind the scenes. We love doing things from like the comfort of our couch or just having like our laptop on our laps while we're, you know, just hanging out in a comfy chair and we don't have to worry about like posting content constantly.

Social media obviously can be a great tool, and I'll mention that a little bit in later in this blogpost, but I just really didn't want to be on social media all the time, like I had been when I had grown this platform with network marketing and was doing a lot more content creation and affiliates and that kind of thing. So I obviously became a virtual assistant in early 2022, and your Behind The Scenes BFF was born. I booked all of my first clients simply by texting a couple friends and through word of mouth, referrals, all that good stuff. And it felt really good to be able to build an income that wasn't reliant on social media, which again is a huge reason why I do what I do and why I actually show women how to be VAs too, because it's so possible to do it and not be reliant on social media and it really be more of a tool.

But obviously, as the brand grew and we introduced courses and coaching and digital products and all that kind of stuff, I started to pour more into the content creation side because that's what I've always known to work. That's how I've just always done things. Also, to be fair, I love Instagram. I love being able to connect with so many of you that are reading this blog post. We've connected on Instagram. Instagram is the tool that's introduced me to so many people in my life that I would have never met before. I love connecting with other people on Instagram. I do actually enjoy creating content most of the time. And so it's it's just something that I've always known to work. I've naturally kind of been good at sharing there.

But then this year happened and around like June, July-ish, I just kind of felt the Lord nudging me to lay down Instagram.

When it first happened, I actually took a two-week break. I took two weeks off in July and it was really life-giving. I think I actually have a podcast episode about it. And after that I thought I’m going to prioritize the podcast., I'm going to focus on that and not on social media and then I ended up getting sucked back into Instagram and creating content there. Surprise, surprise. But I really didn't know at first if I was going to come back after those two weeks because it felt so good to be disconnected. It felt so good to pour into the podcast. It felt so good to create content this way and not feel like I'm tied to my phone, feel like I'm having to check my DMs or see how content is performing, or even just like getting distracted and doom scrolling and using it not just for work, but personally as well.

I kind of thought like, oh, well, maybe I didn't really need to be off Instagram entirely, maybe I can handle this. But the last month or so, as I've been looking towards 2026 and kind of praying about what I want that to look like for our family and our business and my health and all that kind of stuff. I've just have felt the nudges again and ultimately decided that I'm going to take all of January off of Instagram and just give myself a solid break from creating over there and really focus my energy and my time on other aspects of my business, which I'm going get into.

This actual decision was made because I felt like I was forced into a corner to make it. A couple of weeks ago, I got some news about my health, which I'm fine, it’s all fine. But I got some labs done and I've been struggling with my health all year. I rapidly gained a lot of weight this year because my hormones were shot and the stress was like getting to me. I have PCOS, I have insulin-resistant PCOS and have always struggled with stress affecting my health massively. So when I got these labs done, everything just pointed to burnout. And my practitioners that I'm working with were like, something has to give. You have to slow down, you have to get your body out of this fight or flight. Nothing is going to work, until like we can manage your stress. It was kind of just that moment where I was like, okay, something like they said, something has to give. I don't want to give up my business. I love my business, and it's also, at provides for my family financially. I don't want to stop doing that. But I also am a mom and a wife, and we've just gone through a lot this year. So I knew that I needed to slow down. And when I started praying about what does that look like? I just kept feeling like I was being asked to lay down social media, lay down Instagram specifically. I spend a lot of time there, I spend a lot of energy there creating content and all that kind of stuff. So I decided that in January I'm taking that break. I ultimately kind of got to this point of feeling I'm at the end of my self and that I have to surrender, which I'm going mention in a little bit that that's actually my word for the year of 2026 is surrender. So I got to this point of surrender.

I got to this point of like, what do you need me to do, Lord? Like, I'll do whatever it takes to be well for my family and to also like steward my business well and to help people and help the women that I want to help through my business well. I just I cannot do it all. I can't, I can't control everything, which is hard as an eldest daughter high achiever. But I just I can't do it and I don't have to do it by myself because I have faith in the Lord. Instagram's always been my main lead generator for our courses and our programs. And we actually have a launch in January. So, at face value, and you when you look at business strategy in general for courses and all that kind of stuff, it really doesn't make sense. Why would you get rid of the one thing that has been the main source of your leads all these years? And yet I feel like I'm learning that obedience doesn't always make sense, you know? . And I don't expect anyone to get it necessarily because honestly, I'm not even sure if I do. I feel like I am just at peace with the decision and I'm honestly excited about what it's going to mean for like Your Behind The Scenes BFF as a whole, starting out 2026.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about it. It's like releasing that control. But I know that time and time again throughout my life, and especially in 2025, the Lord has been faithful. In this time where I feel like I need to slow down so I can focus on my health and my family and growing the business, like something has to give, right? And I was talking to a friend about it actually this morning, and I was like, gosh, am I like, and I am I making a mistake? Is this a bad idea? And she ultimately reminded me that scared doesn't always mean wrong. And that is from my friend Amy at Hello Co-Creative. She was like, scared doesn't always mean this is the wrong decision. Sometimes we can be scared or nervous because we feel anticipation toward taking a step in the right direction. Just because it's outside of our comfort zone and it's something new it can make us feel those negative feelings. But when I look at it overall, it is absolutely the right decision. So it's very exciting. It's very exciting, it's very nerve-wracking, it's very different.

But I do want to share about what I'm going be doing in January instead, because I am very much still working and running my business. I had ltwo people ask me that question, “well, are you still going to be like doing your business and stuff?” The answer is absolutely yes.

I’m still working. I’m still running my business. I’m just shifting where my energy goes.

There's so much more that goes into business than just a social media app. I think that's what I'm excited to focus on is other areas of the business that haven't gotten as much focus as I think they need to and deserve to, because I've just been focusing on Instagram.

So I the plan is to take 30 days, which I'm going to be open-handed with that. Because if the Lord calls me to lay it down for longer, I'm going to be obedient because I believe that there is fruit on the other side of obedience. The plan is to take January off. And during the month of January, I'm going to be creating content, pouring into the podcast and my email list. I'll be sending out weekly newsletters again, which I used to do, and it just got away from me and I haven't been able to do that.

I'm also launching a YouTube channel, which I'm really excited about. That's a couple years in the making. We are going to officially be launching it in February. So we're going to be preparing to launch and recording and all that kind of stuff in January. So I'm excited about that. and then I think that I'm going to also be hanging out on threads, which threads, if you don't know, it's like Instagram's version of Twitter. It's just text-based. I don't feel that is a heavy lift for me when it comes to creating content because it's honestly just like a fun place to l post thoughts that I'm having —I'm funnier on threads. So if you want to come hang out on threads, come hang out. But it's a place that I can connect with other people I don't even have to have the app on my phone. I can just post on my computer and that kind of thing. So I think I'm going to be on threads here and there, which is why I say I'm taking a break from Instagram specifically and not all of social media, because I think I'll be on threads a little bit and then potentially LinkedIn, which is a strategy that I'm just considering.

I actually think that this plan is going to be so beneficial for everyone involved, especially you, because I actually feel like I can create better content, educate well, coach well, all of that kind of stuff so much better in other ways. Not to mention that Instagram, the algorithm and all that kind of stuff, doesn't always show us other people's content. And so I know those of you that are really wanting to learn how to become a virtual assistant, how to start your business as a VA, if you're someone who wants to grow your business as a VA, you're looking for those resources and that content. And it's not very easy to do that in short form type of content like Instagram. So I'm excited to pour more into this long form content because I'm, let's be honest, I'm a yapper. I love to chat and love to have conversations. And also through email, I love to write. So that's going be really fun as well. So make sure that you're on the email list if you're not already to get those newsletters and updates.

I'm going to document this whole process because ultimately even though this is an act of obedience, it's also a really cool experiment for business because, like I said, most of my marketing has been through Instagram. And I'm just curious what would happen. What would happen if I shift my content creation, my marketing, all that kind of stuff to other areas of my business? And what will this launch look like if I'm not using Instagram? It's going be really great data. So I'm going to take you along for that. I'm also going to document how I feel like health-wise and my time. I have an idea of what it might look like or the outcome that might happen, but I don't know if that's gonna be the thing, you know? So it's gonna be, it's gonna be fun. It's going be fun, it's gonna be good. I'm really, really excited. So I had mentioned earlier about my word for the year. And it's really interesting because every year I pick a word of the year.

And in 2025, my word of the year was becoming. And what I know is that becoming requires change.

While I've experienced plenty of change this year, I kept trying to steady my grip on certain things because it's what I know works and this is what I've always done. And what I've learned is that you cannot become who you are meant to be when you are holding on to old patterns, beliefs, or identities. So I don't know, I don't have this all figured out. Like I said, I'm still learning kind of what this means for me, but what I do know is that in order for me to become the person that I want to become and to fulfill the purpose that the Lord has for me, I need to loosen my grip enough to let something new take place.

Which leads me to my word of 2026, which is surrender. Taking this break from the thing that I feel like has almost become an idol, especially in my business, which is Instagram, is me surrendering. It's me surrendering outcomes, it's me surrendering strategy. It is really me starting the year off walking the walk of obedience and surrender, which is what I want my theme for 2026 to be because I'm tired. .I could just stop there. No, I'm tired of trying to control everything or trying to white knuckle things that I have no control over.

Surrendering control. Outcomes. Strategies. The need to do everything myself.

Instead of setting goals purely around results, I’m focusing on inputs:

How many podcast episodes am I recording?
How consistently am I showing up for my email list?
How well am I caring for my health and my family?

Those are things I can control. Ultimately, those are the things that are going to get us to where we want to be. The action has to match where we want to go. I can control what I put into something. I can't control what happens on the other side. Obviously, I still have ideas and outcomes in my head that I would like, but I'm really trying to focus more on the goals around my action.

So that's all I have for you. I know it was a lot. It was kind of a word salad. It was kind of just me brain dumping, chatting with a best friend, honestly, like about what I've been kind of mulling over, noodling on, if you will. And it's the last blog post of 2025. I really feel at peace with the decision. I think it's going to make me a better leader, it's gonna make me a better coach, a mom, a wife, everything in between. And like I said, it's going be a fun experiment. And I'm excited for those of you that want to follow along.

Also, I would be just so silly if I didn't mention this. If you are someone who wants to start an online business and you want to do it without having to live your life on social media, then you should absolutely join our wait list for our Beginner to Booked VA Program. Doors open January 12th for the wait list. And like I mentioned, my first few clients were word of mouth and referrals. Even when I relaunched my VA business for clients last month, several came from people referring me. In fact, I actually have a discovery call with a lead that my hairdresser referred to me next week. They don’t even follow me on social media, none of that kind of stuff. So there's just there's so many other ways to get clients as a VA. Social media can obviously be a great tool for marketing. You've heard me talk about it before, I have a mini course all about how to book clients using social media, but it's not the only way, especially as a virtual assistant.

So if you are curious about how you can make money from home as a VA, make sure to jump on the wait list. Like I said, doors open to wait listers on the 12th of January. And you do get $200 off your enrollment and some other perks for being on the wait list. So you're not going to want to miss out. If you loved this blog post, I would love it if you sent us an email. Like I said, I'm not going be on Instagram. So I'm like, how do we chat? We chat on email. Send us an email, I would love to hear what you think and maybe even what your intentions are going into 2026.

Thank you for being here.
Thank you for listening, reading, and growing with me.
I’m genuinely excited about 2026 — and I hope you are too.

As always, I’m rooting for you. 🤍