I hope we are all like the Grinch (12-10-25)

This will be the last blog of 2025. If you’ve been on this distribution list for a while, you might recognize that I usually end the year with this entry. I feel it is just as relevant now as it was in years past. Besides, we watch the same holiday specials every year, so we can revisit the same holiday themed blogs, right? 😉 For our final blog of the year we will look at How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

During this holiday season I hope we are all like the Grinch. Pretty strange thing to say, right? Let me explain why I feel this way. You may know the story of the Grinch. He is a grumpy creature who decides he will try to steal Christmas from the Whos. He concocts an elaborate scheme and then steals all of the presents, decorations, etc. in an effort to ruin their holiday. This negative attitude is what we often associate with the Grinch, but this isn’t the end of his story. The Grinch grows as a character, and life is all about growing, changing, and becoming better.

The Grinch has stolen the gifts, and then he hears the Whos singing. Suddenly, it hits him right as his sleigh full of gifts starts to go over the cliff. “And what happened, then? Well, in Whoville they say – that the Grinch’s small heart grew three sizes that day. And then – the true meaning of Christmas came through, and the Grinch found the strength of *ten* Grinches, plus two!” He saves the gifts from falling over the cliff, rides into Whoville, and serves the roast beast at the feast.

The reason I hope we are all like the Grinch this year is because he grows and becomes a better person. He begins filled with apathy, malice, and grumpiness, and then he allows love in and it fundamentally changes him. How have you changed and grown this year? Wherever you are right now, we have the chance to be better. Imagine how different the world be if all of our hearts grew like the Grinch’s. Here is to all of us knowing what it feels like when our hearts grow three sizes in a day.

As always, thanks so much for reading. Your reading and encouragement throughout the year is the best gift I could ever ask for. Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, and happy holidays for anything you might be celebrating! I hope you disconnect and recharge. I hope you find peace, love, and fulfillment.

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

An Open Letter to 2025 (12-3-25)

The year is coming to an end, and I’ve been spending a bit of time by my Christmas tree reflecting. Here is my open letter to 2025.

Dear 2025,

Your friend 2024 was rough, and if I’m being honest, kind of beat the crap out of me. You on the other hand, were a bit of a rainbow unicorn dancing in the midst of a thunderstorm. Yes, things were sometimes as chaotic as heck, but you were beautiful with a touch of magic and everything I needed.

My theme for the year was “Rebuild”. As I shared in my first blog of the year, after getting beat down, I needed to make extensive repairs AND changes. I did just that. I had better work/life integration than I’ve had in years. I’m ending the year with a solid foundation that should serve me well in 2026.
I continue to be thankful for my health. While I have room to grow, I rebuilt some of my health habits, and I’m at least exercising more regularly than I have for the past few years. I’m looking forward to accelerating this next year.
It’s easy to forget that love is a verb. Words are nice, but without actions, they aren’t love. Words without actions are just empty gestures. Love is active. Love is listening, helping, taking accountability, being vulnerable, growing to be a better partner/person, and more.
Speaking of love, my wife is incredible. Every year I spend with her I am in deeper awe of her strength and how much she cares about me and our kids. I wish everyone had a partner in their life like her that made them better and made them want to be better.
My kids are 11 and 13 and continue to come into their own. I’m proud of them for their accomplishments, but I’m most proud of them for how they are growing into good people. People who care. People who are brave enough to own their mistakes and repair situations. If they grow up and all they are is good people that will be the best outcome that could ever occur.
I’ve spent the last year of work as a Mad Scientist/Willy Wonka hybrid character, and that’s been so enjoyable to see dreams come to fruition.
The chance to deliver magic at work increases when you have the right people in the right roles with the right leadership surrounded by the right team. It’s hard for those things to line up, and I’m thankful to have lived that this year.
Are the people at work just people you work with or are they teammates and partners? There’s a difference. Something incredible happens when you can get talented people to see a common vision and build toward that together.
Is it real pressure or is it self-pressure? Often, we do more damage to ourselves with our own made-up expectations than we do based on the real expectations.
Hard times suck AND they are often great teachers. They teach you who cares. They teach you what matters.
Plant things now. Maybe you’ve missed your moment like I have in the past. That’s okay. That moment is gone, so plant now for a better future.
2025, you’ve been good to me. Thank you!

The challenge: If you haven’t taken the time, take a few moments to reflect on 2025 and the lessons and emotions it gave you this year. How will these shape you moving forward?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Rabbit Holes and Perspective (8-7-25)

This is a bonus blog, because the universe said someone needs this today. If you’re the one, just know the universe heard you. This blog is about falling down rabbit holes, taking a step back, gaining perspective, and realizing you’re doing pretty well.

Let me start this by saying I’m not trying to fish for compliments or anything. I just want to be real about the head space I was in. I started my week with these thoughts going through my head, “I have a lot of stuff I need to get done. I’m feeling behind. Here is a whole list of things that aren’t quite going right that need to be fixed. This is not good.” I was in a bit of a rabbit hole. Have any of you been in that headspace? Not a fun place to be.

Then, something interesting happened. I was in a situation where someone was showering me with praise and recognition. They were publicly telling this story like, “Andrew is so awesome. He’s doing great work and it’s providing a lot of value.” All of that punched the negative mindset I had right in the face and shifted my perspective. I went from, “This is not good” to “In the grand scheme of things, stuff is going pretty well. I should feel really great about where I am and what I’m doing.” I also challenged myself to realize that in the grand scheme of things, all of those little things I was worried about don’t matter or detract from what I’m doing.

How does this connect to our day to day? It’s easy for one slip up, one imperfect thing to lead us down a rabbit hole to wallowing in a bad mindset. Once we are sliding down this rabbit hole, it’s easy to lose perspective on how things are truly going. Sometimes, we need to take a step back to look at the situation. Sometimes, we need an external force to help us see the truth of things too.

The challenge: Will you challenge a bad mindset when it starts to set in? Will you help others challenge their bad mindsets when they are stuck in a rabbit hole?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

My Mid-Year Reflection (6-25-25)

This entry is focused on a few key lessons I’ve learned from reflecting at the mid-year point. As I reflect, I truly believe this is one of the best quarters I’ve had in life in a hot minute. If you want you can read the attachments, where I noodle on the different aspects of my life. Between the attachment and the lessons below, I hope something inspires you.

Give yourself permission to focus on 1 or 2 key things– This can be really scary, because if you truly focus on 1 or 2 key things, then this ultimately means there are dozens of things you won’t pay as much attention to. Inevitably, those dozens of things will not be done perfectly. This is the scary part. The realistic part is that those dozens of things likely don’t need to be perfect anyway. At work, my main focus was the rollout and adoption of our synthetic respondent tool. I truly believe that giving it the attention it deserved has already led to a lot of great things. Outside of work, my main focus was on my physical health and more specifically lifting/working out on a more regular basis. I was willing to forgo everything else, and my focus on that one area helped me physically get stronger and mentally feel better.
Stop tinkering and just be consistent– This connects to number 1. Even when you’re focused on something, it’s so easy to feel you have to constantly optimize. The issue is that all the effort spent constantly trying to optimize is effort you don’t spend executing. I had to learn to stop tinkering, so I could go execute.
People and vibes matter, so surround yourself with good ones– It’s amazing what the right people and energy can do. I’m so blessed to be surrounded by some incredible leaders and colleagues right now There is no fear here, just excitement to explore and shape a new future. This is my fuel. I’m soaking it in and using it to propel myself forward.

The challenge: Will you set aside the time to reflect? What lessons will ring true for you?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

My Q2 Quarterly Review

Rebuild (Q1B+, Q2A)- This is my word/theme for the year. I wanted to make repairs AND extensive changes. I’m giving myself an A for Q2. I built up some positive momentum in Q1 and have continued to capitalize on that. Hopefully, a lot of these things will become engrained as habits.
Mental Health (Q1A, Q2A)- The goal is to feel like I’m in a good, strong, solid mental state. I’m feeling great. I’ve focused in on a few key things that are helping me improve all aspects of my life. There’s a lot to love and celebrate in life right now, and I’m making sure I take the time to celebrate.
Physical Health (Q1B-, Q2B+)- The goal is to build strength, aiming for increasing strength by around 15%. I might have to adjust my strength goals, because I had a bit of a leg injury that will sideline me from heavy lifts for awhile. However, I’ve been more consistent than I have been in YEARS and I’m feeling the positive results. I’ve completed 2 obstacles course races and have a strong lineup of future races!
Family (Q1B+, Q2A-)– My son is 11 and my daughter is now 13. There are A LOT of big emotions every day. I’m proud of how well my wife and I are handling those things. It’s hard to give space to a dragon as it breathes fire, but there is strength in knowing you can stand in the fire and not get burned. The real strength is in walking through the fire to give the dragon a hug. I’m getting better at that each day.
Career (Q1B+, Q2 A+)- The goal is to feel like I’m delivering magic. If this isn’t the best quarter I’ve had at work in a while, it’s definitely been one of the most enjoyable. I told my boss the other day that I’m actively trying to dial my energy down a few notches because I got so much swagger right now it could hurt someone. Lol. In this quarter I watched things that had been over a year in the making come to life and become successful in such a short time frame. That was awesome to experience. The crucial thing is that it’s not just that I’m delivering magic as an individual. It’s that I’m so blessed to be working with different crews who believe in and are all delivering the impossible right now. That kind of stuff fills my bucket. I need to keep surrounding myself with these people and prioritizing what matters most.
Financial (Q1B, Q2B)- The goal is to ensure we are saving/investing money in the right way. I think I’m doing a bit better than Q1, but not better enough to warrant a higher grade. I think that’s okay. We are enjoying life right now.

A Favorite Professor and Leaving a Legacy (5-14-25)

This week is a one-off entry about one of my favorite college professors and leaving a legacy.

You never know when inspiration will hit. I had to get my wallet to buy something online and when I opened it, I saw the small card that I have kept with me since I was a senior in college almost 20 years ago. When I saw it, I smiled, and thought of Professor Skinner, one of my all-time-favorites professors who also happens to be retiring. This card is from a personal mission statement she had us write in her class, and I’ve had it ever since.

When I think about my time in her class, there are so many things that come to mind. She cares. She cares deeply about her students and her goal has always been to help them become better humans. She was always willing to push and challenge to help you realize your potential. There is so much I learned from her about being curious, being strong enough to ask for help, and how to think about and develop my personal brand. Whether it was during college or afterward, she always showed love, support, and challenged to me keep growing. I am so lucky to have had her as a professor and mentor.

Now let’s make some connections to our topic this week. Professor Skinner will go down as one of my favorite and most impactful professors I ever had. I know many of her students that feel the same way. What an incredible legacy to leave. It has me thinking about the legacy that I’m building. How will others feel when they look back at memories of us working together? What will people say when I retire? What lasting impact will I have on them? If I could be a Professor Skinner for other people that would be a tremendous accomplishment in life.

The challenge: What will your legacy be?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Self-Doubt and Being an Unreliable Narrator (4-16-25)

This week I’m going to kick off a series inspired by different storytelling mechanics. This entry is about self-doubt and being an unreliable narrator.

An unreliable narrator is a storyteller whose account of events can’t be fully trusted. They might be lying on purpose or they might unintentionally have things wrong. The Sixth Sense is a great example of having an unreliable narrator. The story is told from the perspective of Malcom, a child psychologist, played by Bruce Willis. Throughout the movie we see the world unfold through his eyes, and assume the events are true. Then the twist is revealed. Malcom had been dead the entire time and had not known it. As all the pieces start connecting you begin to realize that the events we saw from Malcom’s eyes weren’t the real ones.

You’re probably wondering how this connects to anything. What if we can be an unreliable narrator sometimes like Malcom? What if we allow our self-doubt, skepticism, or other things to infiltrate our minds and distort our perception of the reality around us? Has this ever happened to you? Sometimes, we need some perspective from the outside or another person to nudge us to ensure we have an accurate view on reality.

Let me share a recent personal story with you. My new boss started a couple of months ago. We were having a pretty good heart to heart during a 1 on 1. At the time, self-doubt was shaping my narrative, and I shared something along the lines of, “I feel like I’m just moving soooo slow right now. It’s like I’m not being effective.” My boss looks at me and says something like, “I don’t feel that way or see that being true.” This jolt was similar to the twist in the Sixth Sense, where all of the pieces started to fit together in a different and more true way. This comment made me realize that I might have been an unreliable narrator. Maybe, my perception of what was going on was not actually reality. Maybe, my perception had been distorted by self-doubt. Fast forward from two months ago to yesterday when I had my first performance check-in for the year. Now, I had a better grasp on reality due to a more balanced self-reflection and by listening to the feedback and encouragement from others. Instead of being burdened by self-doubt, I went into that conversation confident. I was able to sit down and tell a story like, “I’m so proud and so excited about everything I’ve delivered so far, AND I also know I’d like to grow in A, B, C areas.” It was a total shift from just a couple of months prior.

The challenge- How will you ensure that self-doubt doesn’t turn you into an unreliable narrator?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Q1 2025 Self-Reflection (3-26-25)

It’s a bonus blog! I hope you’re excited 😉 For the past few years I’ve used the last Wednesday of the first quarter to share a blog on doing quarterly check-ins for work and yourself. This will be a long email, because I’m sharing my own self-assessment.

We have our first performance management coming up in the next month. During this check-in we will talk through some of these questions. What are 2-3 highlights? What are 2-3 opportunities to do better? What are some learnings from Q1 I can apply moving forward?

What does this have to do anything? While this is great for work, we could apply this same thinking to our personal lives as well. What are some of your goals for 2025? How did you do with them in Q1? Have you stopped to CELEBRATE your progress? Stop RIGHT NOW and celebrate something you’ve achieved. After you celebrate, then you can reflect and see if there are any gaps. If you have gaps, why do you have gaps? What happened? What got in the way? How can you adjust to reach your goals for this quarter?

The challenge: Will you take the time to do a quarterly check-in? What changes will you make to set yourself up for the rest of the year?

Bonus: Here is my review based on the dimensions in my life I set goals for. Hopefully, it sparks a thought or two for you. In case no one has told you lately, “YOU GOT THIS!”

Rebuild (B+)- This is my word/theme for the year. I wanted to make repairs AND extensive changes. I’m giving myself an B+, because all of the momentum I’ve built back and am taking advantage of. I’d say the trend for all categories is that the first 6 weeks of the quarter were bumpy, and from there I’ve been on a great upward trajectory.
Mental Health (A)- The goal is to feel like I’m in a good, strong, solid mental state. I feel I’m in the best headspace that I’ve been in a hot minute. I have a lot to love and celebrate in life right now. I think I’m also doing a better job of practicing radical acceptance and recognizing “it is what it is.”
Physical Health (B-)- The goal is to build strength, aiming for increasing strength by around 15%. I couldn’t find an exercise routine or rhythm in January or February. I’ve been crushing it in March and making sure I’m prioritizing my time to hit the gym. I’m reestablishing my strength baselines, so I can track that more throughout the year. I would like to walk/run more, mainly so I can make sure I’m prepared for my obstacle course races. First one is in May!
Family (B+)-The goal is to feel like I’m being an amazing husband and dad. I’m feeling pretty good about things right now. I can feel my family start to evolve into the next phase with my son turning 11 and my daughter almost 13. It’s cool watching them grow and leading beside my wife. I will honestly say I’ve been working more hours than I’d like, but I think that will balance out in the future.
Career (B+)- The goal is to feel like I’m delivering magic. From the end of the year through Q1, I feel like I’ve been delivering some Hufflepuff magic, and that folks are valuing it. The whole feeling valued piece is huge. I’m also on the verge of rolling out a few things I’ve been working on for the better part of a year, and that’s adding even more positivity. With that said, the past few months have also been a humbling experience and a reminder that it’s impossible to juggle everything all of the time. I’ve definitely had a few balls drop in Q1. Some of them have been rubber. A couple of them have been glass. As part of the radical acceptance piece, I’m doing better at embracing it for what it is and I’m proud that despite all of the crazy I was still able to do some pretty darn amazing things. Luckily, the crazy is starting to become more manageable. In the midst of all the change and organizational evolution, I feel like I’m getting some stability, which might be a weird thing to say 😉. As we continue to fill open roles, we can better distribute the workload. Additionally, as we take confident steps toward embracing a new future, this stability will become stronger and enable the team and I to reach our potential.
Financial (B)- The goal is to ensure we are saving/investing money in the right way. I’ve already shifted money for investments. I am wasting a bit too much money on eating out right now. I want to tighten that up in Q2.

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

An Open Letter to 2024 (12-4-24)

As the year comes to a close, I’ve once again taken time to sit near my Christmas tree and reflect. Here is my open letter to 2024, and the lessons it gave me.

Dear 2024,

How’s it going? If I had to sum up my experience with you in one word it would be, “Whoa!” Whoa as in, “Whoa! What the heck just happened?” or “Whoa! That’s enough already. You don’t need to keep pouring it on.” And “Whoa! How in the world did we make it through all that?” You were tough from the get-go, and you never let up.

My theme for this year was to “Intentionally Invest” There were some places in life where I failed miserable in investing in the right things, and instead spent energy and time like crazy just trying to make it. There were other areas where I did invest well, and I’m already benefiting from the compound interest from those efforts.
I’m so thankful for my health and continue to understand why I shouldn’t ever take that for granted.
I hope that everyone finds a partner one day that loves them, supports them, cares for people, and holds things down the way my wife does. If you’ve already found someone like that, make sure you count your blessings.
If my kids were flowers, they would be in full bloom now, and that’s beautiful. If they were flowers, they would also be bright and colorful with creative weird patterns, who grow where they are planted while learning how to try out new soil.
My goal in my job is always to work magic, to find ways to do the seemingly impossible. I’m so proud of myself, because I know I worked magic this year. I worked blood magic, sweat magic, tears magic. I transformed dreams and wild ideas into reality and slayed the status quo like an evil dragon. And when the dementors tried to come and suck out my soul, I yelled, “Expecto patronum” and shined a bright light until they retreated. #Hufflepuff (Side note, I wonder what my patronus would be. Bonus points to anyone who gives me a good answer)
2024, you taught me how important it is to have a few good people you can lean on. I worked magic, because I could lean on them when I needed to. I hope you all have a squad of folks you can lean on when stuff gets hard.
Being seen and being valued are two of the most important gifts you can give someone. Never underestimate how much a kind word or gesture can mean. Special thanks to all the people who gave me those gifts this year.
When the going got tough, I didn’t put the team on my back, I brought them into my heart. There’s a difference. The back merely holds heavy weight. The heart holds weight, embraces the people, and still beats with hopeful energy. The heart is stronger than other muscles could ever hope to be.
This year reminded me how much strength there is in vulnerability, and how similar our experiences are as humans. I had a blog series where I talked about going to therapy, not knowing if people had any similar feelings or issues. I was blown away by the number of people who said, “Whoa! This is the same things I’m going through.” It was a good reminder that we are never truly alone, and that being brave enough to share our stories hopes us all.
I think almost everyone I’ve spoken to is on the verge of burnout or a breakdown. I pray we all recharge and we find ways to avoid this next year.
Speaking of recharge, I’m finally making some progress on taking care of myself physically. Been working out regularly and seeing increases in strength. I have a long way to go, but proud of my progress.
Whoa! That’s a lot for one year. I hope that 2025 is a little bit smoother around all the spiky edges 😉

The challenge: If you haven’t taken the time, take a few moments to reflect on 2024 and the lessons and emotions it gave you this year. How will these shape you moving forward?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Impostor Syndrome and Being Confident in Who You Are (11-13-24)

This will be our last entry about impostor syndrome. This week is about how being confident in who we are helps fight impostor syndrome.

A few months ago, someone reached out to me to speak about AI at an upcoming market research conference. As I’ve mentioned before, Impostor Syndrome takes chances like this to whisper to me that I’m not a technical expert. Normally, that would make me feel bad. However, this time I redirected the whispers from Impostor Syndrome.

I responded back to the individual and I said, “Thanks for the invite. I want to be clear on my role. If you are looking for a tech expert who knows all the ins and outs, that’s not me. I’ll be happy to connect you to someone who can do that for you. If you’re looking for a dreamer who is trying to drive solutions and change in his org, I’d be happy to chat.” The person responded and let me know they were looking for the latter, and that made me feel confident I could deliver. My impostor feelings instantly evaporated, and now I’m on a panel to speak at TMRE (The Market Research Event) in a few weeks. #pumped

Let’s connect some more dots. Do you ever feel like you need to be all things to all people? I do. This is one of the easiest ways to get lured into a situation where you are an impostor. The way to defend against this is to know who you are, what your strengths are, and what your weaknesses are. In our story, I leveraged the whispers of Impostor Syndrome to make sure I’d never be an impostor. It told me that I wasn’t X, and I said, “Based on the evidence you’re right. If they want X, I’m not the guy. If they want Y, then I’m a good fit.” Once I confirmed they wanted Y, all doubts and worries of being an impostor went away, because I know who I am.

The challenge: Will you confidently embrace who you are and who you aren’t?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

When and Why Impostor Syndrome Shows Up (11-6-24)

Spiritual Growth Last week was about impostor syndrome and listening to the positive whispers. This week is about understanding when and why impostor syndrome rears its ugly head.

I’ve had a lot more impostor syndrome over the past couple of months than I normally do. This has caused me to pause and wonder why, which led me to an epiphany. Impostor syndrome doesn’t show up as I brush my teeth. It doesn’t show up when I make myself breakfast in the morning or when I drive into work. Impostor syndrome doesn’t show up whenever I’m doing anything at home or work that is routine or easy.

Do you know when impostor syndrome shows up? It shows up when I’m pushing boundaries. It shows up when I’m doing something new. It shows up when I’m doing something challenging. All of those things bring nervousness and fear, and that’s when impostor syndrome shows up. Everything I’m doing at work right now involves challenging the status quo, carving paths through new frontiers, and pushing myself as a leader further than I thought possible. No wonder impostor syndrome has been so loud lately. 😉

What does this have to do with anything? When impostor syndrome first shows up, I often think it’s a me problem. I view it as a sign of my own weakness. I view it as a warning that I’m about to fail. Do you ever feel this way? Now, I’m beginning to view impostor syndrome a little differently. If impostor syndrome only shows up when I’m pushing myself, then impostor syndrome isn’t a sign of my weakness. Impostor syndrome is actually a sign that I’m on the verge of growing. If I view it this way, I can lean in and push forward instead of being paralyzed by it.

The challenge: How will you reinterpret what impostor syndrome means?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry