Happy new year!

Yes, I’m still saying it even though February is around the corner.

Usually, the start of each year is a period of slow, return-to-office emails after a busy holiday season, but 2025 began with a frenetic energy for me.

Coldplay, ceasefire, conference…

I was intent on kicking the year off with positive energy and a miracle came through in the form of a lady online who didn’t, in fact, scam me for Coldplay tickets… simply one of the best concerts I’ve ever attended. I still have withdrawal symptoms.

Music heals the world, I’m convinced. Is it a coincidence that a ceasefire in Palestine was finally declared mere days after the show? I think not. It’s not a full answer – and far too late after the devastation we’ve seen for over a year – but it’s a much needed start.

I’ve also been quietly working on an exciting new project for you - a video podcast ‘What Will People Think?’ featuring incredible achievers, dreamers and risk takers.

Here’s a sneak peek from an interview with Nezha Alaoui, a former UN humanitarian mission photographer, author and founder of women’s empowerment initiative Women Choice - we talked motherhood, why women leave leadership roles and how wonderful it is to live in Dubai!

bysarahamdan

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So, I hope the peace lasts. I hope the positivity grows well into the year. Wishing you all a wonderful 2025. Thank you for being here with me.

READ: Careering by Daisy Buchanan

I’ve spent my entire life attaching my professional achievements to my self worth. It was so hard for me to leave my job in June 2024 and dive in to unstructured, beautiful ‘author life’ - I now wish I had had the confidence to take the leap of faith sooner. In this book, Imogen finally gets a shot at her dream job: staff writer at an ‘it’ magazine, only to realize the day-to-day is stressful and awful. A nice, light read to start the year!

WRITE: GOALS

The same way I audit the past year, I love to write clean goals and targets for the year ahead. This differs from generic new year’s resolutions for me - did you know that writing down goals makes you 42% more likely to achieve them?

So make your dream list, your moonshots, and also small daily reminders for what you want out of 2025!

Browse: These Links

I’m glued to the ceasefire news - will it last? In between the updates, here’s random stuff from the internet for your perusing pleasure:

• Laugh and cry with Mo Amer in the hit Netflix show’s second season

• Yo girl is in Vogue Arabia about 5 Emirates LitFest sessions to book!

• TikTok restores services after going dark for one day

• Top hotels and resorts of 2025 (from Conde Nast Traveler)

• BTS on Palestinian singer Elyanna’s tour (opening for Coldplay!)

Countdown to My Novel’s Publication Day:

Thanks for reading! See you next year!

With kindness,

Sara