A year in review + look-ahead to 2026
January 7, 2026 (This letter was originally published on our newsletter.)
Dear community,
As we welcome the return of the light and move into a new year, it’s natural to take stock of where we are. For me, 2025 brought many gifts and also many challenges across different domains of my life. I’d like to take this moment to reflect on some of those experiences.
On a personal note, I lost a member of my family last month—my mother-in-law—which has brought a difficult season of grief. Many of you reached out with care and kind wishes. I hold that closely in my heart. I won’t write much more here, as I’ve shared a longer reflection in this recent blog post.
Professionally, I had the opportunity to work on many meaningful projects in 2025. I am deeply grateful to have been invited to deliver a TEDxCalgary talk, and to facilitate workshops, keynotes or presentations at organizations such as Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) , Ladies in the Family Foundation, Trico Changemakers Studio, Richmond School District No. 38, Calgary Girls Charter School, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary, The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group, Women in Communications and Technology, FortisAlberta, S2 Architects, Calgary Opera, Sagesse, GeoConvention Partnership, WPC Energy, ActionDignity, and TIWA – Toronto Insurance Women’s Association. I value these invitations more than I can fully express.
At the same time, the deepest impact of my work often came through my consulting practice, where I was engaged in deep listening, sensemaking, and supporting leaders to interpret patterns and make grounded decisions under pressure. (Many of you may not know this, but consulting is in fact the core of my practice.)
One of these projects will come to fruition this year: research and curriculum development for Lotus STEMM, a WAGE-funded initiative through which we’ve gathered stories from 300+ South Asian women across Canada and are now translating that research into leadership development training. Stay tuned for our Spring release.
I’m also grateful for the privilege of beginning my PhD journey (with scholarship and support from my supervisor Dr. Katherine Lawless) at University of Calgary‘s Transdisciplinary Program, as a way to more intentionally integrate research and professional practice. I shared some of that experience in this episode, and will be sharing more in the year ahead – yes, knowledge mobilization. 🙂
In 2025, we launched a new anthology project, funded by Calgary Arts Development, pushing my creative practice into autofiction and reimagining STEM through a feminist lens. I can’t wait to lead a series of workshops this month with a special group of writers!
Giving back to community is always a rewarding part of my work. 2025 included service at Vipassana Meditation Center, and podcasting for Hearth 2 Heart at UCalgary’s CJSW station. I truly appreciate my editor Eduardo Cardoso Abrão and all the guests who joined me in those conversations: Stephania Romaniuk, Evelyne Nyairo, Erin Davis, Tarah Lynch, PhD, Elaine Alec, Kinia Romanowska, Roopali Chaudhary, PhD, Andrea Silverstone, Carrie McManus, Kalyani Pardeshi, Dr. Golnaz Golnaraghi, Najah Al-Atassi, Stanley Opara, MBA, PMP and Vidya Narasimhan , Ph.D, PMP®.
One of the best parts of a job is the teammates you get to work with – Akanksha Stephen, Shannon Hutchison, and Priya Sharma who joined us earlier in the year as an intern from the Haskayne School of Business – my heartfelt gratitude for all the ways you show up for our work together!
Looking ahead, I’m currently booking into Q2 for keynote and workshop facilitation, as well as a limited number of consulting engagements. If you’re planning and would like to explore working together, just drop a note here and we can set up a conversation.I’m also making a strategic (but not easy) choice to scale back in a few areas so I can stay focused on the work I’ve committed to. One change you’ll notice (for now) is that this newsletter will move from a monthly to quarterly format.
Thank you for being part of this community and for trusting me to walk alongside you in this journey. I wish you all the very best for the upcoming year.
Sincerely,
Gayathri