Annual Review of 2025

My attitude of gratitude continues to evolve. There's too much good stuff to recognize in this awesome life.

In 2025 alone:

• My wife Kathe and I celebrated 29 years of marriage
• One son graduated from college and started his career
• Another son relocated and started graduate school
• And another son started his junior year of college 

It doesn't end there:

• I transitioned into a new role at work
• My company, Kahua, experienced substantial growth
• Kathe and I attended Achievers Club in Paris and Monte-Carlo
• I played drums with two different bands

You know what else?

• Kathe and I swam in the Adriatic and Caribbean seas
• We invested in a Peloton, and I rode over 1,600 miles on it
• I started coaching with the Dream Team Network
• I presented in front of new audiences, online and in person

Every year I watch the Masters golf tournament. While I wasn't in Augusta, Georgia, this year's win by Rory McIlroy made it feel like you were there.

The vibe was electric when Rory won his first Masters and also completed the Grand Slam, a rare achievement where golfers win every major championship in their careers.

We hosted a few friends in our home on Sunday, April 13, and served pimento cheese appetizers and Azalea cocktails. We rooted loudly for Rory so we could witness history, and he delivered.

The victory inspired me to research his mindset. It led me to learn about Rory’s mental performance coach, Bob Rotella, and order Bob's book, How Champions Think. It's filled with simple lessons that are hard to implement:

• Carry a confident self-image
• Create your own reality
• Respect your talent
• Evaluate yourself

In the book, Bob says, "The ideas people choose to have about themselves largely determine the quality of the lives they lead."

It sounds fun and easy and clear, but it's tough to do. I struggled throughout 2025 with the ideas I chose to have about myself.

While I kicked off the year with a theme of "Consistency," I often wallowed in deflating self-talk, created a reality of dread, ignored self-assessment, and criticized my "talent."

What snapped me out of the funk each time was choosing the non-emotional response to most situations and steering my attention toward gratitude. I also chose to stay in the sunlight and stay in motion.

As I look back on 2025, the path to growth wasn't linear. Some days I nailed consistency. Other days I battled doubt. But gratitude was the thread that kept me grounded through it all. I learned that consistency isn't perfection. It's the practice of returning to what matters, again and again.

Ralph Barsi
December 30, 2025
Danville, California

This year's review covers:

• 🌺 Work
• 🙂 Podcasts and Presentations
• 🗞️ Articles and LinkedIn Posts
• 🎙️ Transcripts
• ✈️ Travels
• ⛳️ Golf
• 📚 Books
• 👀 Live Events
• 🏆 Dream Team Network

🌺 Work

It goes fast. In 2026, I'll celebrate my third year at Kahua. The name is Hawaiian and means foundation or platform, which is precisely what we offer the construction management industry.

In 2025, we grew significantly in customer acquisition, revenue and bookings, net revenue retention, pipeline, product enhancements, AI adoption, and headcount. In fact, over a third of my colleagues started at Kahua less than a year ago.

As I said, I also transitioned to a new role. For my first two years, I led the Sales organization. Now I lead the Revenue Growth organization, composed of Revenue Operations, Solutions Consulting, Market Awareness, and Sales Development. Our team plays a critical role in partnering with every function of the Revenue organization to drive growth. It's an honor to work with such high-caliber professionals.

There's no doubt Kahua will continue to capture the market in 2026. Look out! We're also hiring. If you're among the next A-players to join our team, keep an eye on our Careers page and let me know when you've applied.

🙂 Podcasts and Presentations

I had the opportunity to address new audiences online and in person. Topics ranged from the power of proximity, mental preparation through positive affirmations, and treating pipeline as a list of real people with real problems, to the effectiveness of Prospecting Days and the interlock between Sales and Marketing when using events as a pipeline lever.

Presentations I made in 2025:

• Drata SDR All-Hands Call. A talk crafted exclusively for the Sales Development organization at Drata. It encourages SDRs and leaders to keep the macro in perspective. (transcript)

• GTM Snacks Podcast. A conversation with Andrew McGuire about why relationships will outperform AI in sales...the future of B2B success. (transcript)

• Outbound Kitchen Podcast. A chat with Elric Legloire about how to create an effective outbound prospecting culture by hosting Prospecting Days. (transcript)

• Kahua Summer Interns. We had over 50 interns join us this summer. I talked with them about the Five Barriers, the Five Philosophies, and leveraging "the network." (LinkedIn post)

• Bizzabo in the City. HubSpot's INBOUND conference was in San Francisco this year. It's normal to see dozens of ancillary events occur around the conference, where attendees can go deep on specific issues. My friends at Bizzabo hosted a panel discussion titled "Bizzy Building Connections," where I had an opportunity to share my insights with a live audience. (LinkedIn post)

• Scale AI Summit. The team at Scale Venture Partners invited me to speak at their annual AI summit in San Francisco. I joined one of my favorite bosses, Scott Mersy, in hosting a workshop on using AI to power your sales playbook and GTM motion. (LinkedIn post)

🗞️ Articles and LinkedIn Posts

Ten new articles were added to the blog. Many of them were also posted on LinkedIn, which grew the follower count beyond 11,500.

2025's titles:

• Ohtani's Winning Blueprint
• Show Up, See What Happens
• The Inverted Pyramid Framework
• Communication Gaps
• Open-Ended Questions
• A Session for Interns
• Find the Groove
• Want to Miss Quota?
• 7 Tips for New Hires
• Difficult Conversations

I also wrote two atomic essays: "9 Lessons from 20 Years on LinkedIn" and "7 Tips for New Hires," mentioned above.

Oh, and of course there's the Annual Review of 2024. 🤗

🎙️ Transcripts

It’s important to show your work, learn as if you must teach, and leave behind a trail of breadcrumbs for others to pick up.

Visit the Video page on this blog and notice there are now transcripts included with each title. This took months to complete, but it captures the insights, practices, and observations I've publicly spoken about for over a decade.

Each transcript link presents readers with a summary of the podcast, panel discussion, webinar, or presentation, along with "BIG" takeaways and the transcript itself.

Naturally, old video presentations are taken offline and never resurface. To mitigate the loss of my content, I leveraged AI to preserve it. Plus, most of it will end up recycled and resuscitated for fresh audiences.

I've enjoyed creating the transcript pages and reliving many learning experiences, having had the opportunity to present alongside legendary GTM leaders.

Next up is creating transcripts for the Audio page.

✈️ Travels

One of my favorite quotes is "Opportunity favors the one in motion." Another one is "Move and the way will open." They prove themselves in all areas of life. This year, I was privileged to visit a variety of places. Seeing more of the planet opened my eyes and my mind to an abundance of opportunities.

Cities I saw in 2025 include:

• Atlanta, Georgia. Kahua is based in Alpharetta, which made Atlanta a regular stop. I was there every month except June. Loved an offsite our team had on Lake Oconee.

• Boise, Idaho. Kathe and I visited friends who live in nearby Eagle. During the visit, we ate at fantastic restaurants and floated on the Boise River.

• Boulder, Colorado. I made several trips to Boulder this year. One of my sons graduated from CU Boulder with a BA in Communication and a minor in Environmental Design/Urban Planning. My other son started his junior year there, so we visited for Family Weekend. I also returned for Dad's Weekend with his fraternity.

• Cancún, Mexico. We joined friends for a week in the sun at Unico 20°87° Hotel Riviera Maya. Immersing ourselves in conversation, cuisine, and the Caribbean was the priority.

• Dallas, Texas. We made a final trip to see one of my sons before he moved to Los Angeles. We toured The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, visited the Bourbon and Banter speakeasy, and stopped at the Katy Trail Ice House.

• Denver, Colorado. A dear group of college friends and our spouses gathered for a weekend of cold beverages, fine food and conversation, and live music. We saw Goose perform in Greenwood Village.

• La Quinta, California. The desert always calms my soul and slows my roll. Kathe and I are blessed to spend time there with dear friends. This year included daytime and nighttime golf at La Quinta Country Club.

• Los Angeles, California. Our family helped one of my sons move to Westchester to attend graduate school at USC. While working full-time, he's earning a master's degree in Geographic Information Science.

• Monte-Carlo, Monaco. The second of two breathtaking destinations for this year's Achievers Club. Kathe and I stayed at the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, dined at Michelin-starred restaurants, and navigated around the host of Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and McLarens.

• Nashville, Tennessee. Several parents from our boys' playgroup of 20+ years ago still get together. This year, we took a trip to Nashville and stayed in a hotel that was once a popular train station. We may have also visited every honky-tonk on Broadway.

• Newport Beach, California. One of my nieces graduated from UC Irvine this year, and we celebrated with her in nearby Newport Beach. Any time our family gathers is a special time.

• Nice, France. Part of the Achievers Club experience was a tour of Nice. It happened during the IRONMAN World Championship, too, which was super inspiring. An outdoor lunch at Le Galet was fantastique.

• Palm Desert, California. Another glorious weekend in the desert. This time, Kathe and I spent time with old friends playing golf at Indian Ridge, watching Saturday Night Live's 50 Years of Music special, and eating at the famous Castelli's.

• Paris, France. The first of two gorgeous destinations for this year's Achievers Club. Kathe and I toured the city in a Citroën 2CV, dined at Le Procope, faced the Eiffel Tower while eating at Café de l'Homme, took a cooking class, and saw all the sights.

• San Diego, California. Every year I exist will find me spending time in San Diego. It is a second home to our family. I also got to play drums for my friends in Sundays at Midnight. We performed live at the Imperial Valley Fairgrounds.

• Sandestin, Florida. Our team's mid-year sales kickoff was in beautiful Sandestin at Hotel Effie. A few months later, I attended an offsite in stunning 30A.

• South Lake Tahoe, California. This year included the American Century Celebrity Golf Tournament at Edgewood, Sebastian Maniscalco at the Tahoe Blue Events Center, several dinners at the Sage Room, and several beverages at Base Camp Pizza and Wolf by Vanderpump.

• Split and Dubrovnik, Croatia. Kathe and I scheduled a week in Croatia prior to the Achievers Club trip. It started in Split, where we walked through Old Town and the Riva, saw the Diocletian Palace, attended Mass at the Church of St. Francis, and stopped by Bacvice Beach.

From there, we hired a driver to take us to Makarska, Ston, and finally Dubrovnik. There we hiked the city wall, dined at the famous Taj Mahal Old Town, and enjoyed many water taxi rides to and from our hotel in Srebreno. Živjeli!

• Truckee, California. For the past decade, friends I grew up with in Pacifica have competed in golf against friends I went to high school with from Marin County. The stakes are always high and we don't mess around. Okay, maybe we do a little bit. This year, Pacifica won!

⛳️ Golf

It didn't seem like I played much golf this year. Once I took inventory, though, it was a pleasant surprise to have played as much as I did.

Courses played (all in California except one):

• Aviara - Carlsbad
• Boundary Oak - Walnut Creek
• The Bridges - San Ramon
• Crow Canyon - Danville
• Diablo - Diablo
• Diablo Hills - Walnut Creek
• Dunwoody - Atlanta
• Indian Ridge (Grove) - Palm Desert
• Lahontan - Truckee
• La Quinta - La Quinta
• Round Hill - Alamo

📚 Books

I've read some books cover to cover, scribbling notes in the margins and underlining or drawing asterisks with a blue ballpoint pen. Others I've skimmed, going straight to the essential chapters to get the gold.

Each of these is a recommended read and you'll discover more on the Reads page of this blog.

Hell Yeah or No by Derek Sivers. From Derek himself: "Useful wisdom. Simple profound mental models to guide your decisions.

Overwhelmed? If you feel anything less than “hell yeah!” about something, say no. We say yes too often. By saying no to almost everything, you leave space and time in your life to throw yourself completely into the few things that matter most."

Deep Simplicity by John Gribbin. Chaos theory meets everyday life. Gribbin reveals how simple rules create complex systems, from weather patterns to stock markets.

The universe isn't random; it's elegantly organized. Understanding these hidden patterns changes how you see everything around you. For example, think about driving in the Bay Area. Gribbin reveals how just one vehicle braking can cause a massive traffic jam, illustrating how small initial changes create complex outcomes in dynamic systems.

How Champions Think by Bob Rotella. Mentioned above, this book isn't about talent; it's about mindset. If you don't see yourself as a champion or a winner, the book won't resonate. The ideas are simple. The execution is hard. The results are transformative.

The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday. Every obstacle is an opportunity in disguise. What stands in the way becomes the way. Every human being has the freedom to change at any instant. When you're dealt a bad hand, what's your response? This little test of character says everything about us.

The 38 Letters from J.D. Rockefeller to His Son by John D. Rockefeller. This was recommended to me by my friend Murph. It offers timeless advice from America's first billionaire to his son. Rockefeller's letters reveal principles on character, work ethic, relationships, and building wealth. Written over a century ago, the wisdom feels fresh today. A father's guidance on living a meaningful, successful life.

👀 Live Events

Recently, I looked through the hundreds of concert ticket stubs I've saved since high school. I used to see live music 30-40 times a year, and in the late '90s, my own band performed over 50 times a year.

Times have changed, my friends.

• Super Diamond
Friday, February 7
Bimbo’s 365 Club
San Francisco, CA

• Phish
Tuesday & Wednesday, April 22 & 23
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
San Francisco, CA
Setlist (4/22)
Setlist (4/23)

• Goose
Saturday, June 7
Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
Greenwood Village, CO
Setlist

• Santa Ana Rodeo
Sunday, June 22
Winter’s Tavern
Pacifica, CA

• Sebastian Maniscalco
“It Ain’t Right Tour 2025”
Saturday, July 12
Tahoe Blue Event Center
South Lake Tahoe, CA

• Queens of the Stone Age
Monday, November 10
Davies Symphony Hall
San Francisco, CA
Setlist

• Mother Hips
Friday, December 19
Great American Music Hall
San Francisco, CA
Setlist

• Al Madrigal
Sunday, December 28
Cobb’s Comedy Club
San Francisco, CA

If there's a key takeaway from this year's live events, it's that I must add more comedy shows to the calendar. Sebastian Maniscalco and Al Madrigal are two of my favorites and they did not disappoint. I encourage you to see them perform. Ya gotta laugh through this crazy life!

🏆 Dream Team Network

A major milestone this year and in my life so far was joining the Dream Team Network (DTN). A group of coaches has convened to guide athletes from Division I, professional, and Olympic teams in transitioning to tech sales.

Teaching and coaching future stars is pure joy. I was introduced to DTN founders Tony Jackson, Matt Airy, and Graham Betchart early in the year and have had the opportunity to coach several cohorts of students since. Many of them have earned incredible jobs, and some have already succeeded in reaching quota and the top of the leaderboard at their companies.

We are just getting started, and you'll hear much more about DTN in the coming months. If you or someone you know could benefit from the Dream Team Network, you know where to find me.

So that's 2025. A year of motion and gratitude, growth and groundedness, consistency and course corrections. I'm carrying forward the lessons Bob Rotella taught me about the ideas we choose to have about ourselves. I'm staying in the sunlight, staying in motion, and staying grateful for this wild, beautiful ride. Here's to 2026 and whatever comes next. Thanks for being part of the journey.