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+---
+title: "2025 Review"
+slug: "2025-review"
+description: "A quick look back at 2025 to see what I got up to, and looking forward to 2026!"
+date: 2026-01-06T14:00:00Z
+categories:
+  - personal
+tags:
+  - personal
+image: valenciaSunrise.jpg
+draft: false
+---
+
+Well 2025 has come to a close, I felt like it wasn't the most productive year for me as far as community contributions. However, when I started to pull this post together I realised I had done a lot more than I remembered. Probably a good reason to spend some time reviewing and reflecting on the previous year!
+
+## LinkedIn Learning
+
+The year started off with my latest LinkedIn Learning course being published in January. '[Data Management Essential Training](https://www.linkedin.com/learning/data-management-essential-training/dive-into-data-management)' is a course that is a bit different from what I usually focus on, more of a broad conceptual discussion, rather than technical deep dives and demos. I put a lot of work into creating the content, and was grateful to be able to travel to the LinkedIn studios in Carpinteria to record the course. What an experience that was, and it was so great to see this course get published and pretty quickly become my most watched course so far!
+
+I now have [5 published courses](/video) in the LinkedIn library, and love seeing people post when they watch them!
+
+## Speaking Engagements
+
+{{<
+    figure src="speaking.jpg"
+    alt="Me speaking at dataminds in Belgium"
+    class="float-right"
+    width="200px"
+>}}
+
+Speaking wise I gave sessions in 5 different countries, and online. Including 2 full day sessions with Rob. Not a bad year at all!
+
+I spoke on a variety of SQL Server, PowerShell and automation topics here:
+
+- Leeds, UK - User group
+- Hanau, Germany - SQL Konferenz
+- London, UK - SQLBits
+- Malmö, Sweden - PSConfEU
+- Utrecht, Netherlands - PASS on Tour NL & Data Saturday Holland
+- Mechelen, Belgium - dataminds
+- Online - DBA Fundamentals virtual user group
+
+As well as these sessions I also sat on a couple of interesting panels at Redgate events, one at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, and one at Mercedes Benz world - both were super fun and insightful days!
+
+## Blog and socials
+
+I managed to publish 7 posts on my blog this year, including a couple on the Data API builder that got a lot of interest. I still have a lot of draft blog posts and ideas I want to finish and publish, so hopefully they'll be more coming soon in this area.
+
+Either way, my blog still gets a decent amount of traffic, and if I'm honest, there are a couple of posts on there that I visit at least a couple of times each year looking for scripts that I know I've written about.
+
+It's true what they say, often blogging and writing is just as useful for the author as it is other readers!
+
+LinkedIn posts, phew - something I could definitely do better with here. Watch this space, I've got some ideas for how to improve here, and create a bit of a united front with my online presence, there will definitely be things to talk about this time next year!
+
+## 2026 plans
+
+Well it's shaping up to be a great year, I'll turn 40 in June, and me and Kelc have a pretty spectacular trip planned to celebrate in the first half of this year.
+
+Speaking wise, I'm grateful to have been selected to talk about Data API builder at [datagrillen](https://datagrillen.com/theschedule/) in the summer, and I have already submitted to a few other conferences so I'm looking forward to (hopefully) plenty of speaking opportunities as the year progresses.
+
+On the learning front, I've been doing a lot more DevOps work recently and have found myself getting pretty familiar with Kubernetes. I plan on doing some more formal learning here in the next twelve months, hopefully culminating in the CKA certificate.
+
+I've also agreed to probably one of the hardest (stupidest?) things I'll ever do on my bike, an event called [Chase the Sun](https://www.chasethesun.org/uk-south/). Where on the longest day (or close to it) in June, I'll attempt to ride 205 miles, starting on the east coast at sunrise, and getting to the west coast before sunset.
+
+Why? Great question!
+
+Well remember the bit about turning 40, this ride is 3 days after my birthday, so what a great way to prove I've still got it... Also, I plan to raise money for [Momentum Fitness Charity](https://www.momentumfitnesscharity.org.uk/), I'll share more details of that in the coming months.
+
+Let's make it a great 2026!
+
+{{<
+    figure src="bike.jpg"
+    alt="Me and my bike on top of a hill"
+>}}