If 2025 taught us anything, it is that some habits do not look dangerous until they begin stealing your time, your peace, your money or your voice. By the time you notice, you have already paid for them.
As the year draws to a close, four women share what they are leaving behind in 2025, the moment they realised it had gone too far, and what they are choosing instead as they step into 2026.
Jane Kyalo, private tutor
Jane Kyalo, a private high school tutor, is leaving behind procrastination in 2025.
Photo credit: Pool
In 2025, Jane Kyalo, 30, is determined to leave procrastination behind. A private tutor, she says pushing tasks to the last minute has cost her opportunities and clients.
“I set exams and mark them at the very last minute, and I have lost clients who think I am too busy and do not have time for their children, yet it is all a result of procrastination,” she says.
A Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics high school teacher who charges between Sh1,500 and Sh2,500 for one to two hours, Jane says she lost six clients this year. In 2026, she wants to tighten her time management.
“I do not want to send work at the last minute anymore. I want to set exams and assessments early, mark them promptly, and plan revisions in good time using a strict timetable,” she says.
Dr Julie Kimemiah, former political contestant
Julie Kimemiah, a former political contestant, is stepping away from Kiambu county's politics but will mentor young women aspiring to join politics.
Photo credit: Pool
In 2025, Dr Julie Kimemiah, 57, says she is stepping away from Kiambu politics, even as the campaign season and electioneering period draw near.
She ran for Senate in 2017 and for Governor in 2022 on a Kenya African National Union (KANU) ticket. Though she did not win, she has remained involved in the county’s political and governance spaces, but now wants to support from a distance.
“What is discouraging is the culture of tokenism and the very expensive electoral process. A governor requires Sh200 million, while a member of the county assembly (MCA) requires Sh10 million,” she says.
“There are also delays by the national government in releasing money from the Exchequer, weak oversight policy frameworks, impunity, and poor relationships between MPs and MCAs. All of that makes service delivery very difficult.”
In 2026, Dr Kimemiah says she will focus on supporting young women to get involved in politics while also running and strengthening KANU in Kiambu, where she serves as the party’s organising secretary.
Synthia Asienwa, a teacher who is grateful that she got to sharpen her public speaking skills at different events.
Photo credit: Synthia Asienwa
As she ushers in the new year, Synthia Asienwa says she is leaving behind measuring her worth by timelines. In 2025, she carried expectations she did not meet, and the disappointment weighed heavily.
“I compared myself to others, looking at how far they had gone and what they had achieved, how many children people who got married around the same time as us already have, and how their career progression stacks up against mine,” she says.
“So when I lost my pregnancy this year, my life literally stopped. I was very low because I had wanted to be a mother of two by 2026.”
At 29, she is entering 2026 refusing to live by other people’s clocks, choosing instead to believe that her life is not late, just layered.
She is also done suffering in silence. Synthia says she stayed quiet even while hurting, particularly in a toxic work environment where she was expected to “be strong” despite frustration and a painful lack of empathy after her pregnancy loss.
In the new year, she says she will stop pleasing people at her own expense and speak out, a shift she attributes to lessons from therapy.
Cynthia Mwangi, communications strategist
Cynthia Mwangi, a communications strategist, is leaving behind the habit of not treating her personal brand with the same care she gives her clients
Photo credit: Pool
As she steps into the new year, Cynthia is leaving behind the hesitation to own her narrative and the habit of not treating her personal brand with the same rigour she applies to her corporate clients.
She says that culturally, many are conditioned to be modest because “a good product sells itself”, and that speaking highly of one’s work, especially as a woman, is often seen as arrogance.
“But in the world we live in, you have to beat your own drum and toot that horn to kingdom come. Visibility is the new currency,” she says.
Cynthia is also shifting her focus from worrying to strategising. In the past, she says, she was anxious about external factors beyond her control.
“I cannot control traffic on Mombasa Road that delays a keynote speaker, but I can find ways to engage my audience until the speaker arrives. I cannot control a fluctuating economy; I can only control my preparation, my contingency plans and my composure. If the variables are structural, I will no longer internalise the stress,” she says.
Having hosted an event in Cape Town, South Africa, earlier in the year, Cynthia says the experience shifted her perspective on local events.
“From then on, I became intentional about the events I want to attend and be involved in. I am leaving behind the tendency to stick to the familiar corporate circuit because it is easy. If a challenge does not demand a higher level of excellence from me, I am probably overqualified for it. It is time to scale,” she says.
