There seem to be so many data professionals and new titles pop up every week. It’s more important than ever to become crystal clear on who you are and the value you bring and to do so unapologetically.

Do you feel like an imposter? Think you don’t deserve your promotion? Do you worry people think you know a lot less than they expected?

Picture this: you’ve been introduced to someone who is an expert in their field and have drafted the perfect email to follow-up on your conversation. In it, you ask for advice. You can’t wait to receive their answer.

And then? No response. What a bummer!

Getting on stage might be the last thing on your mind and you’re getting sweaty palms just thinking about it, but let me try to convince you that it’s the best way I know to build confidence that translates into every area of your life.

If your plan for 2024 is to read at least 52 non-fiction books, complete technical bootcamps, run 10 marathons and do a daily ice bath – then hold on a minute…

I’ve taken the plunge and I’m going all in on being an entrepreneur…

Taking a deliberate approach to growing your network means finding people you want to learn from, exchange ideas with, buy from, propose ideas/products/services to, etc.

Most of us use our phone as the easy way to relieve some of that pressure by escaping into digital landscapes, scrolling, watching, reading, liking and sharing. Meanwhile, those we care about – our loved ones – and the work we take pride in suffer from our inattention.

You probably think you ‘should’ spend more time and energy on building a network, but it feels so cringeworthy and you don’t want to bother people and – heaven forbid – you definitely don’t want to come across as needy or salesy.

Your relationships with your stakeholders will improve significantly when you start asking more and better question.

Right when the clocks went back, Andy and I both noticed that we suddenly started to feel really tired and struggled to get out of bed. We’re morning people, so what was going on?

I bet that many of you struggle with the same challenge as me: really paying attention when our brain is being targeted by so many distractions in the form of notifications, sounds, badges, screens, tabs, calls, messages and more.