michellebakels

You’re not supposed to have this much fun at a conference! My last React Miami was nothing short of perfection. I co-organized this year with my sister. We had our first talk in Spanish! (thx @midu.dev !) We hosted a roast for our opening party. @ryan.vgl + @paw.lean owned the stage as MCs! The @terminaldotshop crew returned with an insane finale! 6 evening community events were run ~in parallel~ Figma was our diamond sponsor?!?! My lifelong best friend was a killer show runner!! We had the best attendees, volunteers, sponsors, speakers, and TEAM in the entire world (literally, I can prove this!) As always, there are far too many moments to share in an Instagram post. I will cherish this edition forever. Thank you to all 500+ of you who made it so special and unforgettable. We have such an awesome and fun community! Big thank you to @indiehousefilms for all the photos!

An emotional and beautiful ending to my last @reactmiamiconf . Thank you so much to all the wonderful people who sent a sweet note. I’ve also received the full clips + a few more videos not here. I’ll be watching that at home so no one has to see me sobbing again. I have infinite love for this community and what we’ve built together. It’s the honor of a lifetime to have done this work ❤️

For years I looked up to Swyx. In 2022 I was so honored when he reached out to me to co-organize the first Dev Writers Retreat which we hosted in pool side cabanas on South Beach. Fast forward he’s built an incredible company around AI Engineers, community, and knowledge sharing. I was once again so honored for G2i to be asked to host his famous conference in Miami. What an incredible 3 days it was. Thank you for trusting us with your brand! 🙏❤️ 📸 @thepictureboxphoto

Q1 | 2026

Thank you for the memories 2025! The biggest lesson this year was the intentionality of friendship. I really learned what healthy friendship looks like, the kinds of friends I want to keep, and how to be a better friend to the people I love. I also learned a lot about what it means to be my own friend. To talk to myself the way I would talk to people I care about and forgive myself for mistakes and errors. Ultimately, I’m so grateful for every beautiful moment of joy, excitement, and laughter I shared with kind people from around the world in 2025. Cheers to closing this chapter and starting anew 🥂

Q4 | 25

This year I launched my dream meetup, Let Me Show You Something. 5 devs present for 5 mins each on anything they’re excited about. Reflecting on 2025 here are some stats I’m proud of: ⭐️ 5 star avg rating: not just the average rating, the only rating ⚡️ 6 meetups: launched in June and only skipped October for the @reactmiamiconf Hype Party ✨ 42% return attendance: exceptionally high for community events 🏆 Our top attendee (@islandrunaway ) came to every meetup! Thank you everyone for a great first year, thank you @weare1909 for providing a home for us, and thank you @storybloklife for the sponsorship that makes this meetup possible! See you Jan 22 for the first one of 2026!

I have an album in my phone with 5,635 photos in it called “InterMiami CF”. A 20 image post can’t do this justice. From the moment I stepped into our stadium I knew this was something special. I didn’t know anything about soccer — the players, the teams, the leagues, the positions, the strategy — nothing. But even back then the energy was electric. Whatever this was I wanted to be a part of this. Three matches later I told my sister “I want to sit there”, pointing to the North Stands, “with the crazy people.” This was the best decision we could’ve ever made. In the years since that night I’ve become a part of the most incredible community, La Familia, (s/o @siegemiami @nacionrosaynegro @vicecity1896 @ims.mmxx @southernlegion305 ) and made some of the closest friends of my life. We have screamed, cried, laughed, cheered, chanted, cursed, and drank way too much guaro together. We’ve celebrated and mourned life together. We’ve shared countless sunsets, beers, and tailgates together. And despite the relentless rain or the scorching sun we always showed up to every home game — for our team and for each other. It’s the most beautiful ending imaginable to close out the final MLS game in our stadium with Lionel Messi, the Greatest Of All Time, hoisting the Championship Cup, leading us to our first star. I am so proud of our team and I’m so excited to break in Miami Freedom Park. At the same time, I will always miss our little home, the closeness, and the memories here, and look back on these years fondly. Onward to the next chapter, there is more history yet to be made. 🩷🖤

Q3 | 25

Thanks everyone for letting me play Rod Serling for my birthday party 🖤 Upon arrival, everyone drew a mystery envelope. Inside: a classic Twilight Zone episode with two questions — one playful “bar question” and one big existential curveball. For example: ————————— It’s a Good Life (S3E8) A boy with godlike powers terrifies a town, forcing obedience to his every whim. Bar Question If someone here could control reality with their mind, who would you least want it to be? Big Question Does power corrupt absolutely? ————————— Some kept their envelopes close to the chest, others shared them aloud. Soon, the room was full of conversations about fate, monsters, aliens, power, and the nature of reality itself. The party never left Lost Weekend, but for a few hours, we were all somewhere else entirely... PS Thank you @rebonkabee for making this reel and thank you everyone who came out to celebrate 🙏

Traveling [around] Italy and Spain 💕

React Miami 2025 was truly unforgettable… these photos are some of the first I grabbed out of my camera roll but are far from sufficient for covering the conf. I cherish every moment spent with friends who have been some of my biggest supporters for years — I appreciate you more than words could ever say. I’m also still astonished by so many devs from the original React team coming out — including the creator of React, Jordan Walke 🤯 Thank you to everyone who came out to spend 3 incredible days together learning, networking, and having fun! Onward to year 5🩷