Hey friend,

2025 didn’t whisper, it made noise.
Return-to-office mandates. AI everywhere. Endless debates about how work should happen.

But while the world argued, something else happened quietly.
Flexible workers stopped asking for permission and started building lives and careers that actually work.

The real story of this year wasn’t written in headlines.
It was written at kitchen tables, in spare bedrooms, on back patios and in coffee shops by people choosing autonomy, adaptability, and impact over outdated rules.

This issue connects the dots between the noise and the reality.
Here’s what actually mattered.

— Ric & Shellie

2025 REFLECTIONS

Trust Before Technology: The Case for Humanity in Remote Work

By Dr. Peggy Kendall

AI will never miss a meeting, never forget an email, and never needs a break. But it also doesn’t care. When connections get outsourced to machines, trust quietly disappears.

That’s when remote work starts to feel mechanical.

The good news? 2026 is the year we can decide to choose humanity AND rebuild trust at a distance.

Learn why trust matters →

QUICK TAKES

The 2025 Rollercoaster

✅ 2025 Business Trends: AI Workforce Impact and the Flexibility Crisis

✅ Remote Work Trends 2025: The Future of Freelancing and Digital Nomadism

✅ Why we can’t stop talking about remote work nearly six years later

LAST WEEK’S POLL RESULTS

What defined your 2025 flexible work experience?

LEARNING FROM 2025

2025 Reflections on Flexible Work: The Year I Stopped Recreating the Office at Home

By Jim Coughlin

Ever opened your calendar and realized you've just recreated 2015, but with Zoom links? 

Jim Coughlin spent 2025 watching headlines scream about RTO mandates and AI revolutions while his own schedule quietly strangled him. 

Then he ran three dead-simple experiments that changed everything. Turns out the biggest shift in flexible work didn't come from CEOs or policies, it came from treating flexibility as a skill you actually practice, not a perk you passively receive.

Steal Jim's 3 experiments before 2026 arrives →

MEME OF THE WEEK

THE VIBE

News to Use

🔆 Remote Working and Loneliness. How can remote work-related loneliness be counteracted?

🔆 Remote Work Statistics: What Workers Really Think About Flexibility, RTO, and Management Is the Biggest Barrier to Remote Work Success

🔆 4 Things You Can Do to Feel More Appreciated at Work. Stop waiting for that trophy. Feeling valued begins with your own actions.

RESOURCED LIVING

🌿 December: Lifestyle Medicine for Remote Workers

By Becca Marshall

Resourced Living is a monthly column for remote workers, weaving practices and tools as lifestyle medicine—so you can stay balanced, clear, and supported in everyday life.

Notice how imposter syndrome screams loudest right when you're leveling up? 

Becca explains why remote work amplifies that voice, and why the solution isn't silencing your doubt, but learning to walk alongside it without letting it steer. The shift starts with one simple practice that creates space between you and the spiral. 

Here's what changes when you stop trying to eliminate imposter thoughts and start moving through them instead.

Learn to walk with doubt (not behind it) →

POLL – NEXT WEEKS TOPIC

Next week: Thrive in 2026- Our New Year issue empowers remote, flexible, and independent workers to thrive in 2026

Your End-of-Year Social Calendar

Wrap up 2025 right: judge some creative chaos at Asheville's Vibe-Off finale (Dec 28), dance into 2026 at Wilmington's Underfront (New Year's Eve), then sweat out your regrets on a Greenville hike (Jan 1). DC folks—Wednesday cowork kicks back up Jan 31. 

Your kitchen table will still be there tomorrow.

Check out the Community Calendar 🗓️ for the details!

RESOURCES

Cool newsletters you’ll love 🥰

🏠 Tiny Home Trendz : The Tiny Home Movement

🍿 Tuesday Night Movie Night : Get one good movie recommendation, every Tuesday

🏠 The Handy Homeowner : Your Free Weekly Guide for the 100+ Million Homeowners in the U.S. and Canada