The Year We Didn’t Plan

At times this year, I didn’t recognise the path at all. It felt uncomfortable, and at moments, deeply disorienting. Big things were shifting around us and we didn’t yet know what those changes meant or where they would lead.

What we did know was this: staying where we were, and continuing to do what we were doing, no longer felt right. When we considered the alternatives, some options looked sensible on paper but felt heavy and misaligned in the body. They didn’t bring relief. They brought resistance.

So instead of forcing certainty, we came back to our values.

If you follow us on Instagram, you’ll know this is something Marty and I do every year. At the beginning of the year, we intentionally step away together to rewrite our values and vision. Not because anything is wrong, but because we want to stay deeply intentional about how we are choosing to live and work.

We write our values out again. We talk through what they actually mean for us now, not years ago. And we committed, once again, to four that felt completely non-negotiable for this season: intention, connection, security, and alignment.

Alongside that conversation, we wrote a vision for the next three years. Not a detailed plan. And definitely not a rigid one. Just a clear sense of direction for the life we wanted to build and protect. We didn’t try to map the journey, because we knew life would have its own ideas.

And boy, it did.

The year brought curveballs we couldn’t have predicted. Decisions we didn’t see coming. Moments that forced us to slow down, recalibrate, and choose again. Some things took longer than we expected. Others arrived faster than we imagined. But while the path shifted, the outcomes we cared about never did.

Intention became our anchor. It showed up in the way we made decisions rather than reacting to external noise or urgency. Returning to Sydney wasn’t a reactive move. It was an intentional one, grounded in the kind of life we wanted to live, the people we wanted to be close to, and the rhythm we wanted to protect.

The same was true of renovating our home. It wasn’t about aesthetics alone. It was about designing an intentional environment that supports calm, clarity, performance, and rest. Because we know, both personally and professionally, that environment shapes behaviour more than motivation ever will.

Connection guided the way we worked and who we chose to work with. Whether it was collaborating with brands like Salt Lab, supporting organisations like Apple (yes, we got to work with Apple!), or working inside elite sport with the Sydney Kings, NSW Waratahs, and NSW Swifts, the common thread was always the same: shared values, trust, a high-performance mindset, and mutual respect.

Security mattered more than it ever had. Not just financially, but emotionally and structurally. Growing Not Stationary beyond an e-commerce brand and into something truly impactful meant building systems that reduced pressure rather than added to it. Leasing a warehouse wasn’t a leap of faith. It was a response to a vision that required stability, structure, and room to grow.

This is where our planning system really did the heavy lifting. Weekly planning, clear priorities, habit tracking, and regular reflection became the scaffolding that allowed us to keep moving forward without burning out. It’s the same structure built into the Not Stationary planner- not to control life, but to support it.

Alignment became the filter for everything. When unexpected decisions arrived, we didn’t ask whether they fit a plan. We asked whether they aligned with our values and the life and work we were building toward. That single question simplified everything. It allowed us to adapt without losing direction, and to say no without guilt.

If you’re heading into a new season trying to plan every step, this is what I’ve learned: start with your values. Name them clearly. Let them guide your decisions when the path changes. Write a vision that gives you direction, not certainty. Build systems that support you on ordinary days, not just good ones. And reflect often enough to adjust without judgement.

This certainly wasn’t the year we planned.

But it was the year we prepared for.

And that’s the difference.

When you lead with intention, stay connected to what matters, build security into your systems, and choose alignment over urgency, life can throw curveballs without knocking you off course.

You may not recognise the path as it unfolds.

But you’ll notice the signs, tiny moments where things feel lighter, clearer, more aligned — quietly confirming that you’re headed in the right direction.

Trust them, and yourself

Love Michelle x