Lesson 4- Standing Strong in the Emotional Fire (11-19-25)

Last week was about the invisible backpack. This week is lesson 4: the importance of standing strong in the emotional fire.

The other day one of my kids was having a really hard time emotionally. If my kid was a dragon, they were spitting fire everywhere. It would have been easy to tell them to just go to their room on their own to sort it out. It would have been easy to tell them to suck it up and stop making it such a big deal. It would have been easy to step away from the situation, so we wouldn’t get sucked into the energy. Instead, my wife and I sat there. As my kid unleashed fire like a dragon, we sat there. We let the fire go around us and we walked through it. We didn’t try to stop the fire. We sat there with them, and when they stopped breathing fire, we sat there and comforted them until they were whole again.

Let’s make some connections. Standing in the midst of the meltdown wasn’t comfortable. It wasn’t pretty. It was exhausting and difficult. It wasn’t where my wife and I wanted to be. It was where my wife and I needed to be. We needed to show them that their fire didn’t scare us. We needed to be there to show that our love is stronger than any feelings/meltdowns/fire they could throw at us. We needed to be there to show that we will always be a safe and firm foundation for them. It’s not like we did anything magic. We just stayed there, softly speaking words of encouragement, reminding them that they are loved and it’s okay to feel strong feelings. For our family, we will always choose to stand strong in the fire. (By the way, watching my wife sit in that fire was one of the most beautiful and strong things I’ve seen. I hope you’re all blessed to have someone like her.)

The challenge: In a world filled with humans who are often scared to allow their vulnerability to show, will you be strong enough to stand in the fire with them? Will you be strong enough for them to lean on?

Bonus- I also wrote a poem inspired by these events. You can check that out here https://www.linkedin.com/posts/andrew-embry-979831b7_love-emotions-dragons-activity-7396885754817384448-Lkfc?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAABjcjy0BSioATZ2Tfprhg_c9r0itVMM87PQ

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Mario Kart and Choosing Where to Invest Your Effort (9-3-25)

Last week was an entry from, Cameron, and his thoughts on be brave enough to ask questions. This week is an entry from Alice and is about being intentional about where you invest your effort. I hope you enjoy the insights.

My dad is a really good Mario Kart player. He always gets 1st place. Anytime we win, he usually lets us. He’s pretty good at most video games, not just at Mario Kart. I sometimes say he’s one of the best players ever. “Nope, I’m nowhere close,” he usually says.

One day, I asked myself if I’d ever be as good a player as him. I realized I wouldn’t. Which didn’t feel good exactly, realizing that I wasn’t going to be the best. But if I was being honest with myself, I wasn’t really putting the work in to be as good as a player. Why? Because I didn’t want to. That’s not being lazy, that’s accepting my limits.

In the grand scheme of things, being the best wasn’t one of my goals. I mean, yes, if I could magically become the best player I would. But to work as hard as my dad to do so, I wasn’t really interested. I’d rather spend my time becoming a better writer and artist. I enjoy writing and drawing, and I enjoy putting the effort in to getting better at those things.

Let’s connect this to work. Think about your career. What are some areas that you’re already happy with? What are some areas where you’d like to grow and improve?

The challenge: Where will you invest your efforts to get better?

Bonus story from Andrew- When I first joined this company, I wanted to climb the ladder and be one of the leaders of a business unit or something like that. I don’t want to do that anymore. If I’m being honest like Alice, I don’t have the right skillset for those roles. Also, I’m not interested in gaining the skillsets and experiences to be great in those roles. Instead, I’d rather continue to invest in areas that are in line with my strengths and maximize the value I can provide like innovation, creative thinking, communication, etc. I likely won’t ever be the leader of a business unit or something like that, and that’s more than okay. I will continue to grow and lead in other ways though.

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 Your Unique Genius (10-23-24)

Last week was about impostor syndrome and the unrealistic expectations we set for ourselves. This week is about impostor syndrome and embracing your own unique genius.

I’m working with an amazing group of individuals right now. These people are absolutely brilliant in their field. They’ve worked with all kinds of amazing companies and people. If I’m being 100% honest, I often feel self-conscious and dumb around them. It’s nothing they’ve done. Impostor Syndrome whispers, “Did you hear all their accolades? They have done work with heads of huge companies. You’re kind of chump change. You’re not smart like them. You’re not in their league.”

Over time, something interesting started happening. This group of amazing people started telling me how much they value my input. At first, I was confused by this. I’m not in their league, so how am I valuable? I then begin to appreciate that I have context, insight, and skillsets they might not have. I’m not smart in THEIR way. I’m smart in MY OWN WAY. It just so happens that my unique genius has a synergistic effect that enables them to get even more out of their strengths.

Let’s make some connection. Have you ever been in a group of brilliant people and felt dumb or out of place? Has Impostor Syndrome ever told you that you don’t belong, and that you aren’t in their league? Per my story above, you know I’ve been there. My most important learning is I didn’t need to be smart or talented like them. I just needed to be smart and talented like me. We each have our own UNIQUE genius. We each have something special about us that inherently makes us valuable and worthy. Often, it’s the ability to combine the unique geniuses of multiple people that truly creates something magical.

The challenge: Will you embrace your own unique genius to combat impostor syndrome?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Lifting, Proper Form, and Work (4-26-23)

The last entry was about coaching nudges, deadlifting, and good form. Today, we will build on the idea of proper form as it relates to lifting and work.

As long as you have enough raw power, you can lift something even if you don’t have the right form. This goes for weights, couches, boxes, and more. However, lifting without good form does have a cost to it. You could tire yourself out more easily, get injured, or not be able to lift as much as you could with the right form. The fundamentals of good form increases your strength because it enables your body to capitalize on the synergy of your muscles moving together in the right way. Like I mentioned in the deadlift story, I improved my form and was instantly able to lift more weight without getting tired or irritating my back. In short, good form is the secret to taking your strength to the next level.

Let’s connect this to work. Have you ever seen someone who winged an entire presentation? Have you ever seen someone lead a meeting when they haven’t prepared for it? Have you ever been one of those people? I have. Sometimes this has worked out okay. Sometimes it has been a disaster. Rarely, has it ever been as smooth and efficient as if I would have been more intentional about preparing and doing things the right way. With all that in mind, these examples are great parallels to our metaphor this week. In each instance, the person relied on their brute strength/skill as opposed to leveraging “good form”. Whether it’s presenting, running meetings, scoping out projects, or anything else, there are usually a few key fundamental things/frameworks you can leverage to make it easier. These frameworks are what good form is all about. Sure, you might be able to do things on raw skill alone. However, I guarantee you that combining that skill with the right form will make everything more efficient and easier.

The challenge: Are you seeking to understand what good form looks like before tackling a challenge? How are you leveraging the correct “form” at work?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Chili, Versatility, and our Talents (11-16-22)

Last week was about chili and simplicity. Our final chili related entry is about chili, versatility, and our talents.

Pretend for a minute that you’ve made a big pot of chili. What do you do with the leftovers? Do you just keep eating bowls of chili or do you use the chili in different ways to make something delicious? At first, I might eat another bowl or two of normal chili, and then I’ll start mixing it up. I might use that leftover chili to make chili cheese fries. I might pour some chili on top of nachos for an extra bit of flavor. I might even make chili dogs with the leftovers. I might mix some chili, scrambled eggs, and shredded cheese together for a nice breakfast. I might even get crazy, make some crispy tater tots in the air fryer and pour chili and queso over them (dang, I’m hungry now!) The point is that chili is great on its own AND it is versatile enough to be used in other ways to create other incredible foods.

What does this have to do with anything? The above story could be a metaphor for how we view our talents and the talents of others. We all have our own unique strengths (chili). It’s easy to only think about using those strengths in the same way in the same projects in the same roles over and over and over again (eating leftover bowls of chili). We might see a new challenge and think, “I’m not sure my strengths work with that.” Have you ever felt that way? I have. We might also look at people and say, “They are really talented at X, but I don’t think that carries over to Y.” In essence, we’ve told people that they are a bowl of chili, and they can’t be anything more than that. Before you know it, we have pigeonholed ourselves or other people into what we THINK they are versus all the different ways they could use their talents. We know that chili is great as a bowl of chili AND it has the potential to be great in so many other dishes. This is our chance to realize that all of us have talents that can be used in a variety of ways to bring more flavor to the world.

The challenge: Are you seeing the potential in your strengths and talents to be used in different ways? Are you seeing that same potential in the strengths and talents of others?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

15 Years- Encouraging Strengths in Others (7-13-22)

This will be the final entry in the series about memorable moments throughout my 15-year career. This week is about a moment that led to other moments for me. More specifically, it’s about encouraging strengths we see in others.

Back in my training days, I worked with a gentleman named Bill Fanelli. He was a different cat, always looking for new ways to help people connect and lead from their humanity. I had mentioned to Bill in a 1 on 1 that I was a writer and that I performed poetry. One day he asked me if I’d ever be willing to do some poetry for an experience he created. He was convinced that this approach would engage the audience and open them up to new ways of thinking. I told him yes, because I never thought he’d actually follow through. Then, one day he comes up to me and says, “So I have this day long training for leaders of varying levels across the company. How would you feel about doing some poetry about leadership and building culture?” I nervously agreed, but only because I had promised I would. I wrote a poem that became, “Let’s Build” and I performed it for the room of leaders. Not going to lie, performing poetry in my corporate job was weird, because I never thought that side of me belonged at work. I was wrong. Imagine my surprise when I saw how it moved them. Since then, I’ve been blessed with other opportunities to speak and perform for folks, which still blows my mind and fills my bucket. Beyond the poetry, Bill was one of the initial supporters of my blog and was one of the ones who encouraged me to keep writing. You probably wouldn’t be reading this without him.

What does this have to do with anything? It would be easy to think this story is about me performing poetry, but it’s not. It’s a story about Bill Fanelli. It’s a story about a guy who didn’t just see poetry and blogging, but saw that I had a knack for communicating in a way that could reach people. It’s a story about a guy who saw something in me that I didn’t particularly think to value at the time. It’s a story about a person who saw this strength and coaxed it out of me, and then watched as it flourished and opened other doors for me. Those doors have included speaking at other events, growing the blog, and leveraging my storytelling in marketing and market research roles. As leaders, it is our responsibility to see the strengths inside of others. It is our responsibility to help them see how powerful and impactful they can be.

The challenge: Are you appreciating, bringing out, and leveraging the strengths in others?

Bonus 1: Throughout this series I explored some of memorable moments. You might have noticed the moments weren’t ever really about me. They were about a colleague or supervisor somehow showing that they cared for me or valued me. Never underestimate the power you have to make a positive impact on someone.

Bonus 2: I’ve been blessed to speak/perform at a few events. Here are two of my favorites:

Eli Lilly and Company: Andrew Embry Shares #WeAreLilly Poem – YouTube– The “We Are Lilly” poem. Not going to lie, being asked by the CEO to write/perform poetry was sweet.
Waymakers (poem starts at 3:55 left in the video)- A poem I performed at a WILL event. I had the opportunity to support WILL, show some love and respect for my mom, and I threw down so hard in the poem that halfway through I received mini-standing ovation and had to slow down for a second before I finished. Best response ever! I can still feel that energy.

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Super Mario Odyssey and Leveraging Strengths (3-9-22)

Last week was about Luigi and being brave. This week is about Super Mario Odyssey and leveraging strengths.

Super Mario Odyssey is one of the more recent Mario games. In this game you are able to throw your hat to “capture” enemies. Once you capture them, you become them and gain all of their abilities. For example, you might need to swim deep underwater. Mario can’t do that, because he has to breathe. However, if you become the fish enemy (see pic of fish in the middle) you can swim underwater indefinitely. On the other hand, maybe you need to fly. You could capture a flying goomba (see bottom middle of pic), and all of a sudden you have wings to get you where you need to go. The fish’s powers are awesome, but they won’t help you fly. Likewise, leveraging the talents of the flying goomba is cool, until you need to swim.

What does this have to do with anything? In order to be successful in this game, you have to leverage the strengths of different characters. We may not be able to throw our hats and capture the strengths of others, but we can make sure we are building teams that have people with different strengths. We can also make sure that we are putting people in situations that maximize their strengths.

Have you ever been in a role or situation at work that made the most of your strengths? What did that feel like? I love being in that situation. I find myself in flow states, where the work is hard, but it also feels effortless. My energy is limitless and my engagement is through the roof. I’m at the top of my game in those roles. Not only am I performing at a high level, but I’m doing it in a way that brings a little extra magic to the situation that has positive ripple effects across everything I touch. As a result, the organization benefits because it gets the most out of what I can uniquely provide. On the flip side, have you ever been in a role or situation at work that didn’t make the most of your strengths? What did that feel like? I’ve been there. It’s nowhere near as engaging. In fact, I’ve found those situations to be draining and frustrating. Sure, in those situations I’ve been able to do the work and perform, but there is a difference between being able to do the job and performing in a way that brings extra magic. In these situations the organization loses, because the value I provided in that role was nowhere near the value I could have provided in a role that leveraged my talents.

The challenges: Are you recognizing the strengths of yourself and others? Are you building teams filled with different people with different talents? Are you putting yourself and others in a situation where we can leverage our strengths?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Remembering Your Strength to Move Forward (2-16-22)

Last week was about embracing the not so polished human side of things. This week is about remembering your strength.

While I had a lot of fun doing the Abominable Snow Race, it was also cold, challenging, and exhausting. At the end of the first lap I had spent 2.5 hours outside running/hiking and doing obstacles. I rested for a moment to drink water, eat food, change out of wet socks, and change my frozen gloves. This is when the tiredness set in. For a moment, I wondered if I had enough to go and complete the second lap. That’s when I told myself, “Dude, get up and go. You got this. You once ran a 5 hour marathon in 36 degree whether where it rained on you almost the entire time. You’ve spent the last few months waking up and running outside even if the temp/windchill is below zero. You’ve intentionally worked out on tired legs, so you’d be ready for this moment. You just finished lap 1. You know exactly what you are in store for, and you know you have the strength to do this. Go!”

What does this have to do with anything? Sometimes a challenge can seem daunting. Sometimes we get tired. This is when the doubt creeps in and we wonder if we have the strength to keep going. This is the moment when I want all of us to remember our strength. Throughout all of our lives we have a history of falling AND rising, of finding the strength to keep going. That’s what being human is. Remembering how our strength got us through one tough thing in life can give us the confidence to get through another.

Here are a few examples of this in action. When I get nervous about presentations (and yes this happens) I tell myself, “Dude, you get up on stage and perform poetry bars where people judge you as you share personal things with them. People have given you low scores and they don’t even know you. If you can survive that, you can survive any conversation with a senior leader about numbers and marketing.” When things get hard I look back to other roles and remember I did things in them that everyone had once told me were impossible. If I could do impossible then, I have the strength to do it now. When I’m stuck in a soul crushing situation going through zillions of annotations on a tactic, I remind myself that one time I ran/hiked in the snow while doing obstacles for about 5 hours, so I’ll probably survive this right now 😉

The challenge: When life gets hard, will you remember your strength?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Eagles, Bears, and Uniqueness (4-17-19)

Last week was about the power of gratitude. This week’s secret is about the power of our individual uniqueness.

An eagle flies over a forest, majestic and fast. It’s flown all of its life, and doesn’t really know any different. It looks down and sees a bear, huge and full of strength. The eagle says to himself, “I wish I had strength like the bear.” The bear is huge and strong, lumbering throughout the forest. He’s always been like that, and doesn’t really know any different. He looks up to see an eagle flying, majestic and fast. The bear says to himself, “I wish I had wings like the eagle, so I could soar through the skies.”

By now you’re wondering where this Aesop fable sounding tale is going. I was preparing for a job interview and I had a conversation with a friend/mentor of mine. She’s the type of person who gives you truth in a loving way (everyone needs someone like this in their life). I tell her why I wanted the role and what my story would be for the interview. I’m going over the top to establish that I’m smart and have the marketing chops to succeed (#makingupforinsecurity). After we talk through all of this she gives me that look. The look that says, “Andrew, you’re really missing the obvious and I’m about to drop knowledge.” Then she says something like, “Everything you said makes sense. I get that it’s important to you that you show people you are smart and a good marketer, and I believe you are those things and it’s important to talk about those things. However, don’t forget that there is a lot about who you are that’s important to bring to life for these people too.” From there she listed what she saw in me that differentiated me, which consisted of strengths that I wasn’t thinking about emphasizing because they seemed too “soft” and I wasn’t sure they mattered. Essentially she told me, “It’s cool that you want to show that you’re strong like a bear, and bears are great. However, don’t forget you are an eagle blessed with flight.”

If leveraging my uniqueness is so obvious to her, why wasn’t it so obvious to me? Why wasn’t I thinking of leading with this in the interview as opposed to trying too hard to feature something else? I think there are a few reasons. I think our uniqueness is part of who we are, and at times it is easy to forget that not everyone shares what makes you you. It’s easy to fall into the trap of saying, “But doesn’t everyone do this or bring this to the table?” The answer to that is no. Also, I don’t know about you, but sometimes I look at others, get a little jealous, and say, “I want to be like that. I want to be known for that.” Maybe I feel that the organization wants me to be just like that or that people really respect/admire/value one type of person over another. Maybe I’m insecure and just don’t always have the confidence in myself that I should. Do you ever feel this way?

The secret hidden in all of this is my uniqueness is worth more than I could ever know, and yours is too. The challenge: Can you see, accept, and embrace, your uniqueness?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Bonus thought: I’d like to say that since that conversation I’ve always remembered that I’m an eagle and that I should embrace my flight. However, I’d be lying if I said that. From time to time, I still get into this, “I want them to know I’m strong/smart/whatever” as opposed to embracing who I am and what I bring.