When you don’t have the map — but you keep walking

When I look back on 2025, what stands out most isn’t what I set out to do — it’s what unfolded when I stayed open, even without knowing where things would lead.

At the beginning of the year, I had intentions. Hopes. A general sense of direction.
What I did not have was a clear map for how so much meaning, connection, and impact would arrive.

And yet, step by step, door by door, the year kept inviting me forward.

Some moments were expected — but far richer than I could have imagined.

Through Fearless Hearts 2, our fundraising concert for Lonny's Smile, we welcomed 17 performers (a record for us), and because of that generosity, four more children with congenital heart disease were able to attend summer camp. Since launching Lonny's Smile, that number has now grown to 137 children. Each one a reminder that collective care really does change lives.

With Rooted in Purpose, the podcast I co-host with Jess, we completed and released Season Three — five conversations that somehow found their way into 20 countries and territories, across six continents, and 183 cities. I still sit with awe when I think about that. Conversations that began at my dining room table, echoing far beyond anything we could have planned.

Other moments arrived entirely through surprise.

A serendipitous meeting with Rosemary from the Women's Institute became the catalyst for launching two new businesses — Uprooting Trafficking and Rooted to Expand. Alongside an incredible team — Ishani and Alex — we went on to create a three-part virtual anti-human trafficking series, sponsored by the Federated Women’s Institutes of Canada and supported by M.P.P. Laurie Scott. Fourteen panelists from thirteen organizations came together, with voices from across sectors, including the City of Toronto.

That same openness sparked a partnership I never could have orchestrated — between survivor and advocate Timea Nagy, her survivor-made spa brand Timea’s Market, and Lonny's Smile. A reminder of how separate paths can converge around shared purpose, creating impact that’s both practical and deeply human.

Within my work at The Salvation Army, I was invited into deeper spaces of responsibility and learning — joining the Territorial Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Response Committee, representing the organization at Queen’s Park Lobby Day, and meeting with the Solicitor General’s office. I was also grateful for the opportunity to spend a 12-hour shadow shift at the Gateway Shelter in downtown Toronto, followed by volunteering at the Santa Shuffle in support of frontline programs.

Separately, I was invited to be a guest speaker at the Summit of Spiritual Revolution — a space grounded in reflection, healing, and collective awakening, and one that reminded me how essential inner work and outer action are to one another.

All of this unfolded alongside my role as Chief of Staff in IT — where I led the definition and implementation of a new IT operating model, and helped bring our IT community together through our Reboot Conference.

As I write this, I notice something important:

None of these moments came from having it all figured out.

They came from listening closely.
From saying yes before certainty.
From trusting that some doors don’t reveal where they lead — only that they’re worth walking through.

So if your year didn’t look the way you expected…
If progress felt nonlinear, quiet, or unfinished…
If you’re holding questions instead of conclusions…

You’re not behind.

You may simply be in the middle of something that hasn’t fully shown itself yet.

As we step into a new year, my intention is simple: to keep paying attention, to keep choosing alignment over urgency, and to keep trusting that what’s meant to grow will — often in ways we never could have planned.

With gratitude and steadiness,
Tamara