Dear Friend of Impact Hub: Thank you for an incredible 2025!The TL;DR: Happy Holidays! We’re celebrating RestFest December 22 through January 4 and won’t be in the office until January 5. As a token of appreciation for being part of our community, we wanted to give you a special year-end gift: the 2025–2026 Impact Planner—a space to reflect on the year, capture insights, and map out your next impact milestones: https://impacthub.net/2025-impact-planner/. We hope you find it helpful! …And now…RestFest reflections from Grace and the team…and then more on this gift from our Global Network! As we wrap up 2025 (and our presents!), all I can say is: What a year! 2025 tested our resourcefulness and resilience in ways we never anticipated. Just as we were hitting our stride with the Greater Houston Support Stack, federal funding cuts eliminated the MBDA Capital Readiness Program grant that supported it. As we were settling into our new location at the Esperson, the building fell under new ownership forcing us to move again – thankfully, our friends at the Rice Alliance helped us find a new home at The Ion. And as the year went on, we watched thousands of Houstonians face exponential increases in cost of living, amid an uncertain economy shadowed by AI disruption, massive layoffs, dramatic policy shifts, and heightened industry volatility. Yet in the face of these challenges, our community showed up powerfully: Kami Huyse expanded Social Media Breakfast Houston, Tracie Jae launched Community Cafe, Peter Durand launched “Think Visual”, and Houston Open Source Society is bringing their meetup to our #tech4good community. We celebrated the graduation of our latest adidas Community Lab impact accelerator program. We brought back the Houston Hackathon, and successfully launched our inaugural Ideas to Impact Accelerator cohort. Our Global Network celebrated its 20th anniversary and launched our Ecosystem Building framework for the world. And our work was recognized as a Finalist for the InnovationMap Incubator/Accelerator of the Year Award. Through all of this, we witnessed something even more meaningful—our network and partners doubled down on their commitment to collaborating to create positive impact and support entrepreneurs from all walks of life. These moments reminded me that collective resilience isn’t just weathering the storm; it’s choosing to come together and build something better because of it. That sparked a fundamental question for our team: What kind of work gives each person life? Where do they find energy, inspiration, and purpose—not just productivity? We’ve always championed trust, courage, and collaboration among our values, but our traditional nonprofit structure wasn’t fully embodying them. So, we’ve committed to restructuring for 2026 with courage and intentionality. We’re building operational solutions with AI and automation not to replace people, but to free our team from repeated tasks so each of us can spend more time on deeper, more personalized support for our entrepreneurs and ecosystem partners.We’re positioning ourselves to be thought leaders in how impact organizations leverage technology for equity. This isn’t about doing more with less; it’s about doing what matters most, and doing it at the level of excellence that our community deserves. Looking toward 2026, I feel energized by the possibilities. We’ve been living in unprecedented times, and I believe we will now face unprecedented opportunities, as well. The World Cup will bring global attention and market opportunities to Houston, and we plan to help impact entrepreneurs and ventures seize them. New AI and SaaS tools are giving more people the ability to create innovative solutions faster, and we aim to help more Houstonians leverage them to create the change they want to see in their communities. We also plan to be more intentional about what we choose *not* to do, to make more time for deepening partnerships that center impact over activity. After a year of navigating crisis after crisis, we’re choosing hope, innovation, and community—and we’re excited to build this next chapter with you. Thank you for joining us on this journey, and for giving us the opportunity to be in community with you. We hope to engage with you more meaningfully and impactfully in 2026. Cheers to rising together, to whatever the new year brings! 🥂🍾🥳 Until then, the warmest of regards, (P.S. If you appreciate our work, please support it with a small gift to continue growing our programs and community: https://www.betterunite.com/impacthubhouston. Thank you!) Reflections from the Team:Tracie Jae, Community Growth: I officially joined the Impact Hub Houston team in February – right in the middle of a season of transition. My first move? Simply reaching out to listen. To check in. To let folks know they mattered, especially after so much change. That same month, we started gathering for monthly Community Cafes – no agenda, no pitching, no presenting. Just space to connect as humans first. By May, my role evolved into Community Champion, which honestly just put language to what I’d already been doing: helping community members feel safe, seen, and welcome. We also brought Mighty Networks and our LinkedIn Member Group back to life, creating more ways for us to stay connected beyond our classroom in the Elevation Studio. As we look toward 2026, I’m energized about deepening the ways we connect – both online and IRL – and co-creating spaces where this community increasingly hosts itself. Because that’s when the real magic happens. Speaking of connection: I’d love for you to join us on January 8th (6-9pm at the Ion) for HUMAN. Stories. It’s part birthday celebration (mine!), part storytelling event launch for The Quiet Rebel! Maria Fernanda Burgos, Strategic Initiatives: 2025 was a year that reminded me that planning is important, but flexibility to adapt is crucial. It’s uncertain spaces where we grow the most, and where we see more clearly that the only thing we can control is how we react to any circumstance. Everything else is just an illusion. With this in mind, I wish our community calmness and reflection for the new year. Being able to slow down and reflect in a world built to convince you it’s not possible: that’s the ultimate flex. Michelle Avalos, Co-Founder/Director of Entrepreneur Success: As this year comes to a close, I’ve been thinking a lot about bravery. The quiet kind that shows up day after day. The kind rooted in belief, community, and the decision to keep going even when the path isn’t clear. There were moments that re-energized and refueled me along the way (like the launch of our Ideas to Impact Accelerator), but in transparency, I’m ending 2025 far more tired and drained than I started. And still, I chose to press on. Because for many of us who build and lead, this work is deeply intertwined with who we are and the future we’re trying to shape. There will never be a perfect plan. There will always be obstacles. The question becomes: do we believe? Do we believe in what we’re building? Do we believe in the impact we’re working toward in the world? When the answer is yes, that belief becomes an act of bravery and helps fuel our next steps. It means that sometimes we press on even when we’re weary. Even when the fog grows denser. My reflection for you is this: when you reach those moments and feel like you’re in this alone, stretch out your hands. In the fog, you’ll find others doing the same — searching for hope, for steadiness, for support. You’ll lock arms and walk forward together. That, too, is bravery. You are not alone in your journey. It’s not always easy, but you are not alone. Let’s carry that reminder into 2026 and keep building. Juntos. Together. #CambiaElMundo
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