A Reflective Recap: Two Years of Growth, Shifts, and New Horizons

As I sit down to pen this entry on a crisp December morning in 2025, I can't help but feel a swell of gratitude and introspection. It's been nearly two years since I first cracked open this public journal on giovannivons.com—a bold step into transparency that started as a private habit and evolved into a living chronicle of my professional pivots, personal breakthroughs, and the quiet thrills of everyday progress. Looking back from late 2022 through the whirlwind of 2023, this recap isn't about reliving every detail but weaving the threads of that time into a tapestry of where I've been. It's a pause to honor the journey, celebrate the leaps, and nod to the lessons that still propel me forward.

It all kicked off in December 2022 with a spark of reinvention. I was knee-deep in the exhilarating chaos of splitting my online worlds: vonziedesign.com for the sharp-edged portfolio that speaks to clients, and this site as a softer, more introspective hub for design musings, business experiments, and raw reflections. That "Embracing Duality" moment felt like shedding an old skin—acknowledging two audiences, two voices, and the freedom that comes with tailoring each. By January 2023, the momentum built: progress updates trickled in as I fine-tuned the blog, wrestled with membership plugins, and dreamed up automated case studies to blend efficiency with that irreplaceable personal touch. Sleep schedules stabilized, energy surged, and suddenly, web design didn't just feel like work—it reignited my passion.

February brought a surge of synergy. With the sites carving out their identities, I turned outward, accelerating into social media's electric arena. It wasn't just about posts and pixels; it was a laboratory for honing my voice, testing marketing alchemy, and channeling design thinking into bite-sized narratives that demand attention in a crowded feed. Parallel to that, Vonzie Docs emerged as my quiet rebellion against Webflow's steeper curves—crafting guides, videos, and resources to demystify it all for clients. By mid-March, I was beta-testing these tools, committing to a rhythm of three to five pieces a week, all while balancing the pull of content creation that sharpened my writing like never before.

Spring unfurled into deeper dives. March marked my plunge into JavaScript and GSAP via a W3Schools bootcamp—a deliberate push beyond Webflow's comforts into custom code's wild possibilities. jQuery gaps closed, animations unlocked, and I started folding these skills into the Vonzie Dashboard, a client-tracking web app that felt like the perfect proving ground. It was strategic chaos: one day a week for learning, the rest fueling ongoing projects, all documented here to track the growth.

By July 2023, the ground shifted dramatically. After years mastering web design's principles—what clicks, what converts, what captivates—I felt that familiar nudge toward uncharted territory. Social media marketing had been my early north star, lucrative and intuitive, but now product creation called louder. Teaming up with the right partners, we dove into production for Insphirea, my scented e-commerce venture. My lane? The digital heartbeat—crafting web experiences, funnels, and stories that bridge product allure with audience connection. It was a pivot from services to stories, from influence to tangible impact, and the anticipation hummed like a live wire.

November capped the year with dual milestones: health recalibrations and product arrivals. Quitting smoking hit the one-month mark—a identity-level win that reshaped my days—though binge eating nudged me toward structure, inspired by Bryan Johnson's automated meals and nutrient-packed routines. (Vitamins? Maybe later; fresh produce and 1.8g protein per kilo? Absolutely.) Then, the boxes landed: Insphirea prototypes ready for unboxing, imaging, and launch. Nervous excitement bubbled as my first self-built marketing plan took shape, turning vision into velocity.

In recapping this arc—from domain splits and social experiments to code conquests, product births, and habit resets—I'm struck by the theme that threads it all: evolution through embrace. Each entry here was a snapshot of leaning in, whether to a bootcamp's curve or a cigarette's farewell. Challenges like time-juggling and attention wars sharpened me; wins like live sites and quitting cold turkey fueled the fire. Today, as 2025 unfolds with its own adventures, this journal endures as my anchor—a reminder that growth isn't linear, but it's always worth the share.

With much love and forward gaze, back to the next chapter.