Knowledge 2025 Recap: A Bit Late, But Worth the Wait!
Okay, yes this recap is coming 2 months after Knowledge 2025. But that’s life. Right after riding the high of an incredible week in Vegas, I was hit with something I didn’t see coming: I was laid off from my job.
I had plans. Big ones. I wanted to go all-in this year, chase MVP, knock out a few more certs, and team up with Gabby again to run another lab at Knowledge 2026. I was focused on growing not just as a Senior UI Developer, but as a well-rounded ServiceNow Developer. But suddenly I found myself switching gears entirely, from dreaming big to job hunting. And truthfully, I couldn’t bring myself to write. I was heartbroken, distracted, and unsure what the future held.
My biggest fear? That my work in custom UI component development wouldn’t translate to a more traditional ServiceNow role. That I might have hit the end of my road in this ecosystem. My SN skills, I felt, hadn’t yet caught up to the depth of my frontend experience. It seemed reasonable to think I might have to walk away from the platform.
I was wrong.
I’m thrilled (and relieved) to share that I’ve found an incredible new opportunity. I’ve joined K2 Services as a ServiceNow Developer in the Enterprise Application Development Department, and I’m beyond excited to keep growing in this space.
Now that the dust has settled, I finally have the mental space to reflect on Knowledge 2025 and wow, what a week it was.
Vegas, Ink, and the Kickoff
This year was unlike any other for me. I wasn’t just attending sessions or sitting in on keynotes, I had two speaking engagements. One was a leadership panel focused on empowering women and creating women-led CreatorCon hackathon teams. The other? A hands-on technical lab where Gabby and I taught attendees how to build a killer experience in UI Builder.
Before the chaos of sessions and speaking engagements began, the first night in Vegas started off strong. My co-workers and I were invited to attend the 2025 Partners Innovation Awards Ceremony and party, so we got to celebrate some of the exciting accomplishments happening in the ecosystem.
After the event, the night took a fun left turn. I ended up meeting Gabby at a local tattoo shop, and yes, we both got tattoos!
Because what better way to commemorate Knowledge 2025 than with a little permanent art? It was one of those somewhat spontaneous, unforgettable moments that just felt right.
I also had the honor of co-hosting the WomenNow breakfast meetup, which kicked off the conference for so many of us. That morning was something special. I was surrounded by powerhouse women, Gabby, Sharon, Isela, Kristen and countless others who inspire me daily. The room was filled with connection, support, and genuine community. You could feel it in the air. I left that breakfast feeling unstoppable. Ready to take on the day.
Well… so I thought.
When the High Turned Sideways
As my co-worker and I stepped onto the expo floor, the day officially began. That first walk through the doors each year is always a bit jaw-dropping and this year’s setup didn’t disappoint. The theme was all things AI, and you could feel it in every corner of the space. We made our way to the AI Innovation Center to stop by our company booth and say hello before heading off to our first session of the day.
We started with an “Ask the Experts: Theming & Accessibility” session, where we got a peek at what’s coming in the Yokohama release, very cool stuff for anyone who’s spent time wrangling themes or trying to make SN more accessible. After that, I couldn’t resist making my AI Action Figure card, which quickly became one of the coolest and most talked-about activities at Knowledge this year.
Instead of jumping into another session, I met up with Gabby and Sarah to go over slides for our upcoming panel: Leadership in the HERizon: Meetup & Hackathon Team Build. It was a quick sync, but it helped me feel more prepared and honestly, more excited for the afternoon.
Here’s where I messed up: I hadn’t eaten all day. I hadn’t had any water. I should have stopped to fix that, but instead I swung by the company booth again. (Spoiler: bad move.)
Then came a call back to the Community Pavilion to help with the LeadHERship Through Mentorship & Community session. I finally grabbed some water on the way… but it was too little, too late. The energy in the room was amazing, you could feel the excitement, empowerment, leadership & mentorship all around from the most wonderful women in this ecosystem. Then everything went sideways. I nearly passed out, missed co-speaking in my session, which was next, missed all the other afternoon sessions I was excited for, skipped the Knowledge Reception and our company dinner. I had to head back to my hotel to rest.
Here’s the part that stuck with me: the women around me didn’t hesitate. They helped me get into an Uber, rode with me, and made sure I got up to my room safely. That’s what this community is. That’s what WomenNow is.
Later I figured out it was a terrible combo of no food, dehydration, new meds, too much caffeine, and nerves… basically a recipe for disaster.
Redemption Day: The Lab
I knew I had to be smarter the next day. This was the one I had been building toward for weeks: our technical lab, Building a Killer UI Builder Experience. I had spent a full month creating it with Gabby and Jessi, and I didn’t want to let them down.
So I made a plan. Hydrate, eat, skip the meds, skip the caffeine. I met Gabby in the speaker lounge to work through a few last-minute fixes. Some things didn’t transfer correctly in the ICE package, so I patched those quickly and started jotting down reminders of what I’d need to say during the lab.
I also sat in on Gabby’s earlier lab, Unlocking the New UI Builder Features: Components, Presets, and Controllers. I wanted to refresh my memory on how labs run, since it had been a year, and I was especially curious about how custom controllers worked. I’m already thinking of ways to use them in future builds.
Then it was our turn. From the moment we kicked off, things mostly went to plan, and the response was incredibly positive. We got great reviews and high star ratings. People stayed engaged throughout. But behind the scenes, I was nervous out of my mind.
For one, Brad Tilton was in the room. Yes, the Brad Tilton who originally created this lab years ago. Second, I had only prepped the sections I helped build. I didn’t realize I’d need to guide everyone through every single section. So I found myself screen sharing, walking attendees through the entire lab, while also secretly doing it step-by-step for the first time myself.
There were rough spots. I seriously considered giving up at one point. But Gabby pulled me back into focus and helped me keep going. Of course, by the time I got to my section, Brad had left. But that’s when I really found my footing.
I had created the GraphQL section from scratch and wrote all the instructions for it. I knew it inside and out, and I think it showed. I walked everyone through it confidently, showed off some adorable dog photo data, and even though we didn’t finish the full lab, attendees stayed with us. A group even came up at the end to ask more questions.
With over 200 people signed up, I’m calling it a win. I truly don’t think I could have done it without Gabby co-hosting. If we get the chance to do this again next year, I’ll be prepping for every single section, whether I’m speaking or not.
The Final Day
Thursday arrived, and I made it. This time I kept my schedule light on purpose. I took time to walk the expo floor and relax. I caught another Ask the Experts: UI Builder session to see what’s in the roadmap and what’s not, especially around Yokohama. Then I reconnected with friends and colleagues to network and wrap up the week.
The Knowledge Unscripted Keynote with Conan O’Brien and Jessica Williams was the thing I needed to hear. It was hilarious, of course, but also inspiring. It reminded me not to give up on the big dreams, even when things go off the rails.
Finally, it was time for the End of Knowledge After Party. I had a choice to make: go to The Sphere to see Gwen Stefani or opt out. Honestly, I wasn’t thrilled with how they handled ticket distribution. I didn’t have time during the week to coordinate with anyone, and by the time I got my ticket, it placed me in a completely different section from people I knew. I didn’t want to sit alone with no chance of moving, so I passed.
Instead, I went out to dinner with my co-worker and a friend of his. We had a blast, and it was the perfect low-key ending to a wild and memorable week.
Looking Back, Looking Ahead
Knowledge 2025 didn’t go how I thought it would. It had highs, lows, and one very scary mid-conference health crash. But it also gave me clarity. I was reminded of how strong the ServiceNow community really is, especially among the women and allies who show up for each other in every way.
Losing my job after Knowledge was tough, but finding my new role helped me see that I’m not done here. Not even close. Here’s to rebuilding. Here’s to next year. And here’s to always packing snacks and filling up my water bottle.
