As 2025 comes to a close, I find myself reflecting with a full heart. This year was busy. It was ambitious. It was filled with milestones that once felt like distant dreams—and yet, here we are. But more than anything, 2025 was a year of growth—the kind that can’t always be measured by numbers, awards, or plaques on the wall.

October is National Women’s Small Business Month, a time to honor the women who have turned vision into reality. Not through luck or perfect timing, but through courage, perseverance, and heart. Across the country, women-owned businesses are driving innovation, creating jobs, and shaping industries in powerful ways. And behind every one of those businesses is a story, often one of resilience, faith, and bold determination.