The Road to 27

I'm changing my life in the next 4 months.

I’m tired of not doing the things that I know would greatly improve my sense of fulfillment and happiness just because I’ve spent years assuming that I would “get to them eventually”. You know what I’m talking about — you probably do this as well: put personal goals and development on the back burner, because day to day responsibilities take up a lot of time, and surely there will be plenty of time to do all these things later.

Except here’s the thing. I’m turning 27 at the end of July, and I’m freaking out about it a bit. It’s not that I think 27 is old, although oddly enough, I think 27 sounds older than 30 (30 is so fresh, so young, start of a new decade, a whole world of opportunities ahead, and 27 feels like a whole era winding down). It’s more that 27 feels like a serious enough age that it’s made me realize no one is coming to accomplish my goals for me.

Where do I want to be when I’m 30?

40?

50?

Forever?

I know where — I actually have so many clear-cut goals and aspirations, so many visions for this nebulous future self that I have yet to become, but so far I’ve done very little to actually propel myself towards that future. I’ve done little to build the foundation necessary to become Her. I’ve assumed that I can just get to all of that eventually.

It’s also worth mentioning that, for much of my life, I didn’t think I’d make it to this age. I spent the entirety of my teenaged years battling undiagnosed Bipolar II disorder, leading to suicidal ideation for about a decade and two suicide attempts in 2017 and 2018. In the back of my head, I always privately thought the depression would get me eventually, so I didn’t really focus on self-improvement — why bother? I wasn’t going to live long enough to reap the benefits.

Except I grew older, hit a rock bottom, got diagnosed, started medication and therapy, and worked on myself enough to get to the point where I think I actually will be here forever. How crazy is that?

I now find myself in this position of needing to plan for the future and take aligned action so that I can set myself up for success. This is how the Road to 27 was born.

I have 4 months until I turn 27 (actually slightly less now), and because I think birthdays carry powerful energy, and the start of spring has given me a boost of energy and productivity, there seems to be no better time to set actionable goals for myself that I’ve been putting off.

No one is coming to do it for me!!! I am actually all I have!!!

So here is what’s happened: I did some soul-searching, spent several hours brain-dumping into my journal, and wrote a list of things I think I could accomplish in the next 4 months. Some of these goals are related to career, some to fitness, some to aesthetics, some to personal development, but they are all things I’ve been thinking about for a long time and just need to get on with now. I’m sharing this for two reasons. 1) maybe this will inspire someone else to assess their life and figure out a path forward, and 2) accountability.

I’ll be sharing every step of the way, but check back in in 4 months to see how I’ve done. Here are a few of my goals.

Before I turn 27, I will:

• Put on 2 pounds of muscle

  • The internet says it’s feasible for women to gain .5 - 1lb of muscle per month with the proper strength training and nutrition. I’ve been kind to myself and given myself the low end of that estimation.

  • This is also great because it will force me to focus on my diet in a healthy way. I have a history of disordered eating, so making my fitness goal revolve around muscle gained instead of weight lost will keep me from under-eating. You can’t build muscle without eating, and eating well, and eating enough.

• Stop eating out/ordering takeaways/drinking alcohol Sunday-Thursday. Friday and Saturday are free game

  • This is just a guideline I’ve set to help my fitness journey, but also, I've been spending a heinous amount of money on takeaways lately and this must stop. I’m prioritizing home cooking (by that I mean my husband’s home cooking…I hate cooking).

• Be able to do 1 push-up, NOT on my knees

  • I’ve never done this in my life

• Be strong enough to pick up my 80lb golden retriever

  • I recently realized that there must have been a moment where I held my pup for the last time, because he’s very large, and I can no longer pick him up. That wrecked me. I want to hold my dog.

• Start writing again in a substantial way

  • I used to be a writer and editor, if you didn’t know. Before my social media career, I was a professional writer/editor for the DoD on a military contract. I had a secret clearance and everything, which I know is about as far from my current career as you can get. I freelanced for a while after quitting that job, and then let it go, but I’ve recently felt a yearning for writing again. My previous job was not creatively fulfilling in any sense, and yet, ever since childhood, I’ve wanted to write and edit. I majored in English and minored in Linguistics in college, and I’ve even written poetry, but for some reason, that aspiration got set to the side when I started focusing on social media. But no more!! Posting this substack is my first step towards incorporating writing back into my life. I’d like to regularly post here and start freelancing again, maybe even get something published. I’m open to however this goal wants to unfold.

• Build a new layer on top of my career

  • This one goes hand and hand with the writing. I basically just want to plan for my future and expand my social media career into the next chapter. Maybe that means public speaking, hosting, in-person events, travel blogging, etc — I’m figuring it out. I just want to lay groundwork for what I feel to be Phase II.

• Get an actual skincare routine/take care of my skin!!!

  • I have rosacea and have been considering IPL laser treatments for it for literal years. What on earth am I waiting for? The rosacea is only getting more prominent with age?? I also want to try Sculptra, an injection that stimulates collagen production in your own face. It’s a more “natural” alternative to filler that can make your face look more youthful, fresh, and plump. I also want to get my moles checked at a dermatologist and inquire whether medical grade skincare is right for me.

• Sort out whatever is going on with my health

  • I started experiencing health issues after moving to the UK — some new, some exacerbations of issues I’ve had for years. I have been dealing with intense fatigue, unexplained weight gain, and depression that feels a bit different than my usual Bipolar symptoms. I got my thyroid and iron checked last year, and I’ve now started with a naturopathic doctor to undergo more testing. So far I have done a food sensitivity test, full blood panel, and a stool test, so just waiting to get those results. My dr suspects I may have a gluten sensitivity…please god let it not be so.

• Continue to devote time to my hobbies and personal interests in order to become a more fulfilled, well-rounded person

  • If you’re familiar with my podcast, Prologues, this is no surprise — 2025 is the year of hobbies and self-development! I started playing piano again and have gotten back into horseback riding, and I’m proud to say that I’ve been consistent and finding a lot of enjoyment in both hobbies.

• Work on my emotional regulation skills

  • This is a more intangible goal, but I thought I would include it. I struggle with emotional regulation due to my mental health, particularly managing my anxiety and stress. I am prone to overthinking, ruminating, spiraling, and generally spending too much time in my head. It’s difficult to quantify a result for this goal, but I want to make anxiety management a focus of mine.

I have more, but some of them are a bit more private and harder to film and update you on. This list feels like a great starting point, and I’m feeling quite motivated and ready. Let me know if you have any goals, or if 27 also felt like a turning point for you, and check back in to see how it is going!

xx Mary