What the Year of the Snake Taught Me About Shedding, Stillness, and Starting Over after relocating to Thailand at the end of 2024.

In the Chinese zodiac, 2025 was the Year of the Snake.

The snake doesn’t chase. It doesn’t rush. It doesn’t beg for understanding. It simply waits, sheds, and moves forward, lighter, sharper, and more aligned with its next evolution. That energy is what defined this past year for me.

This certainly wasn’t a year of big, loud wins. It was a year of quiet necessary shedding whilst solidifying my energetic sovereignty.

It was the year I let people, and places completely fall away. What didn’t align was allowed to exit without resistance. That’s the power of the snake, maintaining self possession without pursuit. Making the year 2025, a year of my truth.

Relocating to Thailand fostered strategic stillness, as I entered a completely different frequency. One that forced me to slow down, remove impulses and simply observe. Seeing clearly the parts of my life and business that were still being powered by outdated expectations. I allowed things to unfold as I sat in the discomfort of reigning in the old impulse to save rather than serve.

Thailand gave me stillness, but also redefined my standards. I came to realize that not moving is sometimes the most powerful move . Simply choosing to remain coiled in the stillness of my inner truth, as I sharpened my wisdom, heightened my intuition, and enhanced my adaptation, in preparation for what’s coming next.

This meant I had to let go of being to one who explains and entertains everything. Foregoing the need to be understood by people who are not spiritually, emotionally, or energetically equipped to be apart of the next level of my becoming.

I embraced detachment from how people interpreted me, and stop performing relatability. My clarity became my consensus. Finally understanding that the snake doesn’t seek permission to transform, it just does.

Now I am no longer dragging dead weight. I am emerging with greater precision, and silent certainty.

I’ve eased into the release of business relationships that no longer serve. Understanding that sometimes it’s not only betrayal that ends a business partnership, but mismatch does as well, as I began to feel the weight I was holding from those who benefitted from my brilliance but couldn’t match my pace, my systems, or my integrity.

My soul no longer had the capacity for dynamics that relied on my over functioning, and that clarity is what cut the cords of my long standing hope, that one day there would be change in those who only engaged with urgency and chaos, and only expected my “yes” and disrespected my “no”.

Clarity allowed me to see what I had confused for loyalty. It was the attachments to people who only called when something is on fire, and expect my instant rescue, attaching to my energy but not respecting my expertise. Seeing me as a FX solution, but not a industry strategist, and demanding results while rejecting the very systems that create those results.

That weight stopped me from giving my nervous system away to people who are addicted to chaos. Leading me to choosing boundaries over burnout, requiring preparedness and excellence from those who I align with and that is what changed everything.

Underneath all the structure I have built, across multiple companies, countries, and portfolios, there was a version of me that was tired. The version that made the urgency of others my personal emergency. But when my health interrupted and I wasn’t physically strong enough to keep going, I realize that urgency is not the same as importance. I was then forced to outgrow the entire system I was holding up. And that’s the part most people never see: the moment when you realize that what you built, no longer feels like yours when it is filled with intrusive noise.

So I let it collapse, so it can transform. Not because I didn’t care, but because I was forced to care for and carry myself alone.

I let the gaps show.

I let people misunderstand me.

I let things fall away without trying to fix them.

And in that space, cleared of the noise, and I began again.

Now I operate differently. No longer confusing proximity with partnership, urgency with importance, or emotional debt with loyalty.

I now embody heightened discernment. Realizing some people were only committed to the version of me that was accessible, over-functioning, and always available.

I’ve now redefined client pathways. Restructured systems, and shifted the energy operationally, and with that finally creating the structure to support the vision that has been living in my head for years: a vertically integrated group of companies operating globally.

Now when I wake up in Thailand and fly to meet developers in the Philippines, walk through factories in China, speak in classrooms in Cambodia, review Airbnb’s in Vietnam, and attend global networking events in Malaysia. I am anchoring a new paradigm. One where Caribbean entrepreneurs aren’t dependent on outdated systems, and mindsets. Where excellence is the standard, and we don’t have to explain our expectations.

This is transformation in motion.

Its was the year I accepted softness with shedding as a strategy. I stopped performing strength, and managing relationships that only functioned if I was available and always accessible.

I stopped over-explaining.

I started slowing walking away, because shedding doesn’t have to be dramatic.

It can be sacred.

It can be strategic.

It can be done in silence, without the need to broadcast the before and after.

There are no prizes for being palatable.

No medals for over-delivering while under-supported.

No reward for staying where you’ve already outgrown your role.

This was the year I decided: I no longer need to be accessible to be impactful.

The version of me walking into 2026 is not louder. It’s clearer. I’m operating with vision, and entering rooms that can hold my frequency, so I can help build tables and create for others like myself to have a seat.

As we enter into 2026, the Year of the Horse.

Here’s to not carrying what no longer belongs on the journey. Moving with purpose, with strength, and unshakable freedom.

To riding in on truth with systems and sovereignty.

So as the Year of the Horse approaches, the snake has now shedded what couldn’t move forward and further with me, leaving only what could accelerate.

Precision. Discernment. Systems. Sovereignty.

The Horse doesn’t undo the stillness. It moves because the stillness made direction unavoidable.

For years I have experienced the law of proximity, as I lived between South Florida and Trinidad and Tobago. I often traveled to South America, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and now South East Asia — each region shaping me in a different way. What most may view as “not settling down”, for me is the intentional curation of proximity that supports the evolution of my consciousness. I have experienced how every environment carries own energy, rhythm, and mindset — and how those invisible borders either expanded or restricted what was possible.

There is power in understanding the law of proximity.

Most people think proximity is about relationships or networking — about who you know or who knows you. But over time, I learned that proximity is far deeper than that. It’s not only about who you’re near, but what systems you’re near. It’s about access, exposure, collaboration, and even the level of awareness that surrounds you.

In Trinidad, I recognized how individualistic and self-preserving the systems had become. So many brilliant people, so much raw potential — but collaboration wasn’t the norm, and support structures were fragmented. Too often, relationships revolved around extraction rather than expansion. You give, you contribute, you serve — but the environment isn’t designed to multiply your effort.

For years, I believed that if I just worked harder, stayed loyal, and gave more, I could shift the environment from within. But what I learned — often through painful experiences — is that effort without alignment becomes exhaustion. Growth doesn’t happen in isolation; it happens through ecosystem synergy.

When I began spending more time in collectivist societies, something clicked almost instantly. Collaboration isn’t an exception — it’s an expectation. There’s an unspoken understanding that collective progress is the foundation of sustainability. Whether it’s in hospitality, manufacturing, or innovation, the mindset is interdependent: when one person grows, the ecosystem benefits.

That realization completely reframed how I view success.

Growth isn’t only about effort — it’s about environment.

Where you choose to position yourself determines what becomes available to you.

We often romanticize “making it” at home — especially those of us from the Caribbean or across the diaspora. There’s a quiet guilt that comes with leaving, with seeking opportunities beyond our borders, as if leaving means abandoning our roots. But what if expansion isn’t abandonment at all? What if the most powerful thing we can do for our home is to grow beyond it?

Because expansion creates access — and access creates impact.

The Law of Proximity reminds us that success isn’t just about talent or determination; it’s about proximity to systems that support your evolution. You can have the skill, the drive, the creativity — but if you’re in an environment that drains you, resists collaboration, or operates from scarcity, your growth will always hit a ceiling.

So, pause and ask yourself:

• Am I in an environment that expands my perspective or confines it?

• Are the people around me driven by creation or competition?

• Does this ecosystem encourage scale or sustain stagnation?

The truth is, your next level might not demand more discipline — it might demand a different environment.

That’s the awareness that has reshaped everything I do — how I build my companies, lead teams, and guide others through my Hospitality Across Borders community. We’re not just building real estate portfolios; we’re creating a global ecosystem rooted in collaboration, excellence, and shared prosperity. We’re proving that opportunities can transcend borders — when you place yourself in proximity to collaboration.

Because proximity determines possibility.

And as I prepare for my first visit to China, to continue the expansion of our operational infrastructure across regions — I’m reminded once again that the right environment doesn’t just change your business; it changes you.

If you’ve been feeling stuck, stagnant, or surrounded by systems that no longer reflect who you’re becoming — maybe it’s not that you need to do more. Maybe you just need to move differently.

Sometimes, your next level isn’t waiting for you to hustle harder.

It’s waiting for you to change your environment.

Airbnb has just announced a major change: starting October 27th, all hosts will move to a host-only fee structure of 15.5% (16% in Brazil). On the surface, this looks like a simplification adjustment. However it has shaken the global short-term rental industry as it buzzes with panic, some even calling it “the kill shot.”

Let’s clear the noise.

For professional hosts, nothing has changed. For hobby hosts, this is the wake-up call.

What Has Actually Changed

Before:

• Hosts paid 3% in service fees, while guests paid an additional 14-16% in visible Airbnb fees.

Now:

• Hosts will pay 15.5% (16% Brazil), while guests see zero fees.

Airbnb has aligned itself with hotel pricing models making this change clear on their help center under Simplifying Airbnb Service Fees: one clean price for the guest, with the platform taking its cut behind the scenes. To many hosts this move signals strategic warfare.

Why This Matters

For years, many hosts relied on the sales pitch: “Book direct and save on Airbnb’s fees.” That argument is now gone, and their “competitive advantage” vanished overnight. Guests will no longer see the platform as adding cost, instead they see one clean price, much like the hotel industry.

Airbnb has just flipped the psychology:

• Before: Guests blamed Airbnb for high prices.

• Now: Guests will assume it’s you, the host, who is charging more.

This is not simply a fee shift. It’s a rebalancing of power away from hosts, further into Airbnb’s control.

How We Got Here

Airbnb’s move is not random. It fits a pattern that has been building for years:

• Cutting back guest-host direct communication

• Masking host contact information

• Penalizing off-platform bookings

• Removing incentives for direct booking

Each step reduced host leverage and tightened Airbnb’s control. By adopting a hotel-style pricing model, Airbnb not only makes fees invisible to guests but also removes one of the strongest direct booking pitches.

And it’s worth remembering: regulators have been targeting “junk fees.” Airbnb’s solution is simple, remove them from sight. You cannot regulate what the consumer cannot see.

Impact on Caribbean

Here’s where the Caribbean context is critical.

• Professional hosts, those already operating under Airbnb’s “host-only” model have long been paying around 15%. For us, this is not new. At Brief Homes International, for example, we’ve always factored 15% into our pricing models.

• Caribbean hosts, however, are a different story. Many entered the STR industry casually, paying only 3%, without systems, CRMs, or direct booking strategies. For them, this change is a shock.

This is why so many hobby hosts are panicking. Not because the model is broken, but because they were never structured as professional hosts in the first place.

The truth is, the Caribbean STR market doesn’t have a demand problem. It has an education gap. And this policy shift has just exposed it.

What This Really Means for Host

If you’ve built your business on strategy, systems, and repeat guests, this change is not a death blow. In fact, it can work in your favor. Here’s why:

• Direct bookings remain powerful. Guests still value trust, service, and relationships, not just price. If you’ve built credibility, your direct bookings can still thrive.

• Clean pricing works for everyone. We’ve already been creating “one price” systems at Brief Homes International, and it works. Guests want transparency. Hosts who can articulate their value will win.

• Caribbean hosts must stop treating STR like a hustle. This is a professional industry, globally valued in the billions. Without systems and insight, you will always feel blindsided when platforms like Airbnb make changes.

Practical Steps Hosts Should Take Now

1. Adjust your pricing immediately. Factor the new 15.5% host fee into your rate calculations so margins are protected.

2. Educate your guests. Move beyond “no fees” messaging and focus on “best value, best service, best experience.”

3. Invest in a CRM. At Brief Homes International, we’ve leveraged CRMs to nurture guest relationships, manage repeat stays, and even prioritize guests based on overall spend and loyalty.

4. Diversify your booking pipelines. Airbnb is not the only option. Direct booking websites, niche OTAs, and repeat guest strategies are essential for long-term stability.

5. Prioritize systems over survival. Hustle culture may get you quick wins, but without systems and education, you will always be vulnerable to the next platform policy shift.

What’s Next

Let’s be clear: Airbnb’s move to 15.5% is not the end. It’s the beginning. Hotels regularly pay 18–22% in OTA commissions. Airbnb has room to raise fees further while still claiming they are “industry standard.”

The next logical phase could include brand-neutral listings, where your property name disappears into “Apartment in Port of Spain.” Your brand identity erased.

If you don’t build your brand now, Airbnb will happily erase it for you.

Final Thoughts

This change is not a “kill shot” against direct bookings. It is a kill shot against uneducated, unprepared hosts who have depended solely on Airbnb.

The hosts who will survive and thrive are those who understand this industry as professional, who invest in systems, and who build credibility with guests beyond a single platform.

The Caribbean STR market must take this as a wake-up call. If you continue to operate from hustle and survival, you will always be at risk. If you step into education, systems, and global strategy, you can position for growth, resilience, and long-term profitability.