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One Year Anniversary! How Do You Measure a Year? An Entrepreneur's Guide to Returning to the Trail6/24/2026 Summary In this reflective voice note, Wisdom for Wannabes host Jackie Morreale celebrates the first anniversary of the podcast and YouTube channel by exploring a question inspired by the musical Rent: How do you measure a year? Through a year marked by 100,000 subscribers, six books, three marathons, unforgettable travels, personal growth, and the loss of her 99-year-old grandmother, Jackie reflects on the milestones that can be counted—and the ones that can't. She shares a guided imagination exercise inspired by her favorite morning running trail, inviting listeners to reconnect with a place that grounds them, inspires them, and reminds them who they are. This episode is a meditation on entrepreneurship, resilience, gratitude, and returning to yourself when life feels busy or overwhelming. Topics:
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Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Reflection on One Year of 'Wisdom for Wannabes' 00:41 Measuring Success in Entrepreneurship 01:06 Celebrating Personal Milestones and Achievements 01:49 The Unquantifiable Aspects of Growth 02:39 The Power of Visualization and Memory 03:57 Inner Strength and Resilience 04:52 Final Reflections and Closing Thoughts  Transcript How do you measure a year? An entrepreneur's guide to returning to the trail. My name is Jackie Morreale, and I'm the host of Wisdom for Wannabes. That still feels a little bit odd to say. One year ago, on June 9th, 2025, I uploaded the first Wisdom for Wannabes video. At that time, I had no idea where this would lead. There was no guarantee that anyone would watch. No annual review. No boss telling me whether or not I was doing a good job. That's one of the strangest parts of entrepreneurship. When you have a traditional job, success is often measured for you. There are salaries, bonuses, performance reviews, promotions. When you're building something on your own, the measurements become much harder to see. And yet, they matter. Recently, as Wisdom for Wannabes celebrated its first anniversary, I found myself thinking about that song from Rent that goes: How do you measure a year? In sunsets? In cups of coffee?
Wisdom for Wannabes year one looked something like this: A hundred thousand YouTube subscribers. How is that even possible? Wherever you are in the world, thank you so much for joining me. I never would have expected this. Six books published. One, two, three, four, five. Most recently, six. Six books published. My life dream of becoming an author and illustrator, fulfilled! Three coloring books published. Two school readings. (My gosh!) Author speaking events.
Thirty-five conversations with remarkable guests on this podcast. One unforgettable trip to Austria, Italy, and Germany, and 'memory lane'. Three marathons completed, so I had to show the hardware. Miami. Publix Fort Lauderdale. Treasure Coast. Hundreds of morning runs. One semester of a PhD program. Two spiritual healing seminars. One fitness certification. Nearly 400 consecutive days of Duolingo... that one started before the year. Singing every Sunday. Getting past the third and sixth grade, again, vicariously.
The older I get, the more I realize the most important things aren't always the easiest to count. How do you quantify creativity? How do you measure resilience? How do you count the mornings when you wanted to quit and went anyway? How do you measure the wisdom of a grandmother who lived 99 years and who was still singing into her final days? Some things don't fit neatly into spreadsheets. Some things live in our memories, some things live in places. For me, one of those places is a morning running trail. Almost every morning I run through the same park, the same lake, the same turns, same sunrise reflections over the water. I've celebrated victories there, I've mourned losses there, I've found story ideas there, I've solved problems there, I've prayed there, I've imagined entire books there. Lately, I've been thinking about something: What happens when we can't be 'there', wherever there is for you? Maybe you're traveling, maybe life gets busy, maybe you're recovering from an injury. Or maybe you're simply in a season of life where your favorite place feels very far away. Can you still return to it? I think you can. Close your eyes for a minute. Two-Minute Imagination Exercise:Imagine your favorite trail, beach, park, mountain path, neighborhood street, or forest road. Picture where you begin. Feel your shoes beneath your feet. Notice the first sounds, the birds, the breeze, distant conversations, the rhythm of your own breathing, and start moving forward. Not quickly, just enough to remember. Notice the landmarks that you've passed a hundred times before. The tree you always look for, the bend in the path, the bench where you've stopped to think. The view that never gets old. Keep moving. Feel your body become lighter with each step. Leave behind the emails, the deadlines, the expectations. Leave behind the opinions of people who don't understand what you're building. Just keep moving. Notice how familiar everything feels. Notice how safe it feels. Notice how much of yourself you've left here over the years. Your victories, your disappointments, your hopes, your ideas, your prayers. Now imagine reaching that final stretch. The place where you know you're almost home. The place where you've crossed the finish line before. The place where you've proven yourself again and again that you can do hard things. Stand there for a moment. Now take it all in. The people you've met, the lessons you've version of yourself who started this journey, the version of yourself standing here today. They're both present. Remember this:
Those places simply helped reveal what's already there, within you. Whenever life gets busy, whenever entrepreneurship feels overwhelming, whenever motivation fades, you can return to the same place in your mind. Because the path is still there. The sunrise is still there. The memories are still there. And the person who started this journey is running beside you. One year, 100,000 subscribers, millions of views, books, miles, conversations, lessons, losses, victories. How do you measure a year? Not just in numbers, but in the places that shaped the person I became while traveling through them. Have a wonderful day, and thanks for being with me this year. Love from Wisdom for Wannabes. Timelapse art videos:
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Little Puppy, Big Heart: The Story Behind Yin-Yang the Brave, Children's Book by Jackie Morreale6/4/2026
Worldwide Book Tour, Yin-Yang the Brave
Video Transcript Jackie Morreale My name is Jackie Morreale, and I am the host of Wisdom for Wannabes, the podcast that seeks wise words in business, beauty and betterment. I am joined by two of my favorite people, my co-illustrator on Princess Tessa & Luc the Duke: The Furry Christmas Miracle, Natalia Morreale, who is also my daughter, my very talented daughter, and our fur-baby, Lily Morreale. Natalia Morreale That's me! (in her doggie voice) Jackie Morreale AKA Yin-Yang the Brave. We are very excited to share my sixth story for children, which is a brand-new series called 'Voices in Wonder.' This is a story inspired by our real life Bichonpoo puppy. Natalia Morreale 'It's me, guys.' Jackie Morreale Lily and an old box of pastels that turned into this wall of illustrations behind us. Natalia, will you help me read through this story so that our listeners can hear what it's all about? Natalia Morreale Yes. Jackie Morreale Okay. It is called, Yin-Yang the Brave: A Puppy's Tale of Finding Home, by Jackie Morreale. This is book one in the Voices in Wonder series. Dedication page. This and every book that I have and will ever write is dedicated to my family, who inspire me every single day, and our fur-baby Lily. Natalia Morreale 'It's me.' Jackie Morreale To Morena Mollina for your many words of encouragement. To Gary Fails for your thoughtfulness, creativity, and keen eye for editing. To Keith Gamache for decades of art education and inspiration. 'To make good art,' he says, 'you have to think, look, and care.' Thank you for that. To dog lovers from all over the world who know that providing a 'fur'-ever home, no matter how much yin there is to their yang, comes back to you tenfold in love. Shall we start? Natalia Morreale Yes. Jackie Morreale Page 1: Her day begins like any other. Small, quiet, waiting. The puppy watches the world from her window. Natalia Morreale Page 2: White paper covers the floor. Other puppies sleep, jump, play, or pout. But this puppy is the smallest one of them. Jackie Morreale Page 3: Every day, she waits. Hoping someone will choose her. Maybe today will be the day. Natalia Morreale Page 4: A little boy walks up to the glass. His smile is bright, his eyes are warm. He looks at the tiny puppy, curious. Jackie Morreale Page 5: Then a little girl arrives. She presses her fingers to the glass. The puppy lifts her tiny paws. Natalia Morreale Page 6: Pick me. Pick me. PICK ME! Her whole body wiggles with hope. Her paw reveal her purpose. Jackie Morreale Page 7: A woman lifts the puppy into a small pen. The girl skips closer. The boy follows. He, like the puppy, is quiet and cautious at first. Natalia Morreale Page 8: Then the puppy explores the pen, especially the shoelaces. They're perfect for tugging! Jackie Morreale Page 9: The boy jumps back. The puppy tugs harder. 'Oh!' the girl laughs, gently lifting her away. Natalia Morreale Page 10: A black box appears. 'Say cheese!' says the mom. The puppy panics, squirms in the girl's arms, and howls. Yip yip! She's taken away. Jackie Morreale Page 11: Then the fun is over. The girl waves goodbye. The puppy is back in her window. Natalia Morreale Page 12: The room grows quiet. The tiny puppy rests her head. She dreams of love. Jackie Morreale Page 13: Time passes. The sun moves slowly across the sky. The puppy curls up and closes her eyes. Natalia Morreale Page 14: A tiny bell jingles. Jackie Morreale Page 15: They're back! The girl, the boy. Fingers meet paws on the glass again. Natalia Morreale Page 16: Pick me, Pick me! Puppy-please! This time, the puppy rolls over. She shows her belly, full of trust. Jackie Morreale Page 17: 'Let's call her Yin-yang,' says the girl. 'Yinny for short,' says the boy. 'Because she's silly and sweet,' laughs the dad. Natalia Morreale Page 18: Yin-yang. Like day and night. Cocoa and cream. A perfect balance. Jackie Morreale Page 19: Yinny goes home. She has a name. A family. Natalia Morreale Page 20: A heart full of love. But learning a new world… takes time. Jackie Morreale Page 21: Yinny slips through the fence. Adventure calls! She dashes into neighbors' yards. Natalia Morreale Page 22: When her family runs after her, she thinks it's a game. Catch me if you can! Jackie Morreale Page 23: She chases frogs by the lake. She barks at big dogs on walks. She rolls at things that smell… very, very bad. Natalia Morreale Can we stop real quick? Yes. I just wanted to say, this is my favorite page. Jackie Morreale This one? Aw. Natalia Morreale Page 24: Yinny is having the best time. But her family feels frustrated. Out of balance. Jackie Morreale Page 25: Inside, she begs for food. She leaves little puddles where she shouldn't. Natalia Morreale Page 26: She nips while Dad tries to brush her teeth. At night, her tiny paws scratch as her special girl dreams. Jackie Morreale Page 27: 'Oh no,' says Dad. The girl's eyes filled with tears. The mom sighs softly. The boy hides. (Continued below)  Natalia Morreale and Jackie Morreale introduce the new Yin-Yang the Brave book for children (clip at 9 minutes 45 seconds). Natalia Morreale Why does he hide? Jackie Morreale Because he's afraid and he's sad. Natalia Morreale Of Yinny? Jackie Morreale Yeah. She's sorry, look at those eyes. This is my favorite. These are the puppy-dog eyes, my favorite. Natalia Morreale Page 28: Yinny sits still. She wants to behave. She just doesn't know how. Not yet. Jackie Morreale Page 29: Yinny is learning. Her girl teaches her to sit. Her dad teaches her to stay. Natalia Morreale Page 30: Her mom teaches her to come. Her boy teaches her to fetch. It's not instant. It is not perfect. Jackie Morreale Page 31: Sometimes she wiggles. Sometimes she forgets. But little by little... Natalia Morreale Page 32: They understand each other. The family is learning to speak Yinny. Yinny is learning her place in the family. Jackie Morreale Page 33: One day, Yinny hears it. Tiny footsteps. Rustling in the yard. Natalia Morreale Page 34: She pauses. Stay. She remembers. Her body stills… but her ears listen. Jackie Morreale Page 35: Then – Bark. Bark. BARK! She runs to the yard, focused and sure. Natalia Morreale Page 36: 'Blank' scatters across the yard… Jackie Morreale What do you think is there? What did she find? Natalia Morreale Well, if you want, you can buy the book. You can find it on Amazon. Jackie Morreale I want to skip to the end of the exciting story of Yin-Yang the Brave. I'd love to share a little bit about the real-life dog who inspired the Yinny character in the story. Natalia Morreale It's me, guys, I'm right here. It's nice meeting you, by the way. (in a doggie voice) Jackie Morreale Yes, this is our real-life doggie Lily. What kind of breed is she? Natalia Morreale She's a Bichonpoo, a mix of a Bichon Frise and a Toy Poodle. Jackie Morreale Yes. Not all Bichonpoos look the same. Some are white, tan, black, black, apricot, gray. She is a perfect blend of white and black, and curly all over. Yinny may weigh less than ten pounds, but her personality feels much bigger! She loves to play. Natalia Morreale I love playing. Jackie Morreale She loves to 'chat' and spend time with people. She's happiest curled up in someone's lap or exploring outside. Natalia Morreale I love outside. Jackie Morreale What's one of her funniest talents? Natalia Morreale I heard that Bichon Frises could be dogs in the circus. She could stand on her back two legs and hop around. Jackie Morreale Yes, while she's hoping for table food. Natalia Morreale She knows how to get up. She can spin sometimes, while she's on her hind leg, she can spin. Jackie Morreale Yes, she's very talented. This book was made with so much love and inspired by our own family's adventures with our dog. However, it is not a dog training guide. This story is shaped by observation, imagination, and and everyday moments with our very expressive little Bichonpoo. Let's talk about the meaning of yin-yang. In many cultures, yin and yang represent how opposites work together - yin being the dark, yang being the light. Dark and light, loud and quiet. Playful, calm. Independent, together. At first, Yinny is curious, barky, and sometimes even chaotic, but she's also very loving, gentle, and deeply connected to her family. The look and find. The bonus is how many Yin-yang symbols are there in the book? From cover to cover. Check paws, collars, and clouds. You'll also have to see if the rendering of Lily's real-life paw, used in a story to look like a yin-yang, does look like a yin-yang. I want to talk to all my young artists out there. I believe that every single one of us is an artist on the inside, one way or another. To prove it, I want to share how Yin-Yang the Brave came to life in the art that you see behind. These are the actual pages in the book. I've had the same box of pastels in my possession, these soft pastels... Since about high school? Yes, so 20 years. They were very well-loved back in that day, but sat unused. Then, a year ago, I decided to make a small change: Drawing for five minutes a day. That old box of pastels, mostly broken, tiny itty bitty little pieces of my favorite colors, found its way back into my hands and became the pages that you see behind me. I found inspiration in animals almost every day, and many days it was Lily. Our Miss Yinny over here was finding her own voice in the story, so was I, as a storyteller, as an author, as a podcast host for this show, Wisdom for Wannabes, in the past year. And it all started with sketching ideas daily with these old beat-up soft pastels. We end the book with a creative challenge. If you had to come up with your favorite animal, and come up with some way, some superpower, a way in which they save the day, what would it be? Natalia Morreale This is hard because my favorite animal is a seahorse. Jackie Morreale Hmm. Seahorses are tiny but mighty, just like someone else that I know. Natalia Morreale Seahorses don't have arms. They have a tail. The tail could wrap around, helping stuff hold on tight. If I had to write a book... Everyone doubted the seahorse, saying it's not strong. Then, there was a big, big wave and everyone was going to wipe out. The seahorse grabs on to everyone and also grabs on to the thing and saves them! Together, they make a chain! Jackie Morreale Oh, my goodness, you just wrote the next book in this series. The Brave Little Seahorse that Chains Together. So excited. Thank you so much for reading this new book for the Voices in Wonder series. What do you think young readers will love most? Natalia Morreale The fact that it's a dog. Jackie Morreale The fact that it's a dog. Do you think they should read it with their favorite stuffed animal or pet? Natalia Morreale Yeah. If you have a fish, don't take your fish out of the tank. Jackie Morreale True! Thank you so much for your time. Can't wait to hear your feedback on my new book, Yin-Yang the Brave, A Puppy's Tale of Finding Home. Have a great day! Give your doggie a hug.  Jackie Morreale with her illustrations for her newest children's book, Yin-Yang the Brave: A Puppy's Tale of Finding Home. |
Jackie MorrealeJackie writes from her own experiences and reflections on her journey in seeking wisdom, creativity, spirituality, and life in general. This is "putting thyself out there" at its finest. 
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