Hey Everyone,

I'm not big on year-end wrap-ups.

Or those corny "Year in Review" posts where everyone pretends their year was perfect.

But I've been thinking...

2025 was a weird one.

Some parts were amazing.

Some parts were absolute garbage.

But the thing that made the difference?

The people.

Not some productivity hack.

Not some AI tool (though those helped).

Not some guru's 47-step framework.

Just... the people who showed up.

My husband had heart surgery this year.

Twice, actually.

First time, we didn't know if he'd make it.

Second time (just a few weeks ago), I was sitting in a hospital chair trying to work while he was in the OR.

And you know what he did while recovering?

Built a LOCAL LLM.

Lying on his back.

In our bedroom.

Because that's who he is.

The guy who brings me coffee even though I'm cutting back.

The guy who played guitar with me at Winter Wonderland after a YEAR off.

The guy who quietly builds genius sh*t while I'm out here running my mouth.

I didn't marry an a$$hole.

I married a partner.

And I'm grateful as hell he's still here.

20+ years I've known this guy.

We've made money together.

We've survived drama together.

And this year, he handed me a new startup project.

Not as some favor.

But as a 50/50 partnership.

Because he knows I'll actually BUILD it.

That's rare.

Most partnerships are bullsh*t.

One person does all the work while the "idea guy" takes credit.

But Perry? He structures deals so the OPERATOR makes more than him.

That's not charity.

That's respect.

And it's why I keep saying yes when he calls.

When I started Agency Insider in early 2025...

I had ZERO subscribers.

Now?

Over 50,000 of you.

And here's the crazy part:

You REPLY.

You tell me your stories.

Your wins. Your disasters. Your "holy sh*t, I can't believe that worked" moments.

Some of you called me out when I was wrong (shoutout to the reader who schooled me on Cracker Barrel's REAL problem).

Some of you shared this newsletter with your friends.

Some of you just... showed up every week and read.

That matters.

Because I'm not writing into the void.

I'm writing to PEOPLE.

Real people running real agencies dealing with real bullsh*t.

And knowing you're out there?

That makes this worth doing.

Some of you know I coach agency owners.

And honestly?

Working with my clients is one of the best parts of my week.

Because you're not just consuming content.

You're actually DOING the work.

Implementing. Testing. Iterating.

Sharing your wins (and your face-plants) in our calls.

Watching you go from "I don't know if I can do this" to "Holy sh*t, I just closed a $15K client" never gets old.

You remind me that this stuff actually WORKS.

When you stop overthinking and just execute.

So thank you for trusting me.

And for doing the damn work.

My little Tampa marketing group has been meeting for almost 2 years.

We were renting out the meeting room at a local Holday Inn but we found a new co-working space to start using in January.

$50/month membership. 4 free hours on their big room.

So now we’ll meet there.

My partner Mark. The regulars. The new faces.

Just a bunch of business owners helping each other figure sh*t out.

No egos. No bullsh*t. Just good people.

That's the kind of community that actually WORKS.

Not some Facebook group with 10,000 lurkers.

Just a room full of people who show up.

I also said goodbye to Patti this year.

One of my Bengal cats.

15 years old.

Spent most of that time terrorizing me with hot coffee attacks and strategic bleeding incidents.

The house is quieter now.

Which is both a relief and heartbreaking.

If you've got furry a$$holes in your life...

Give them an extra scratch behind the ears tonight.

Even the ones who knock over your work.

I spent 40 YEARS putting work first.

Every single time.

Because I didn't trust myself not to f*ck up if I slowed down.

But this year?

I learned to REST.

For the first time ever.

Steve's recovery forced it.

The PS protocol (phosphatidylserine) helped—a supplement for those who overproduce cortosol.

And honestly? Just... aging.

At 64, I finally forgive myself.

I finally trust myself not to screw everything up if I take a breath.

Work AND life.

Not just work.

That's new for me.

And it's good.

I'm not "hustling harder."

I'm not chasing every shiny object.

I'm not trying to save people from themselves.

I'm just gonna keep:

→ Building this new startup with Perry
→ Growing Agency Insider (maybe hit 100K subscribers?)
→ Working with the people I actually LIKE
→ Saying NO to everything else

Because here's the truth:

The agencies making real money aren't the ones doing EVERYTHING.

They're the ones doing the RIGHT things.

With the RIGHT people.

And saying NO to the rest.

If someone helped you this year...

Tell them.

Not in some performative LinkedIn post.

Just... send them a text.

"Hey, thanks for not being an a$$hole this year."

(Or whatever your version of that is.)

Because the people who show up?

They deserve to know it mattered.

I don't know what 2026 is gonna bring.

Could be amazing.

Could be a dumpster fire.

(Probably both.)

But whatever happens...

I'm not doing it alone.

And neither are you.

So thanks for being here.

Thanks for reading.

Thanks for giving a sh*t about this weird little newsletter.

Let's see what happens next.

Happy Holidays,
Laura

P.S. If you're spending the holidays with family... may the odds be ever in your favor. And if you need an excuse to step outside for "fresh air," just blame it on me. "Sorry, gotta check this email from Laura."

P.P.S. What's one thing you're NOT doing in 2026? Hit reply and tell me. I'll save the best ones for January.