Bold Decisions, Bright Future: Emily Walker's Career Reflections
Emily Walker’s advice to her younger self, “Trust your instincts. And grant yourself grace to grow.” Emily Walker is Chief Analytics Officer and Co-Founder at Syntax Health, a career step she took after a season of debating how to stay sharp and engaged.
“Choosing to come and build Syntax Health was easy once I realized I am responsible for my career choices. It’s not fair to my boss to find a position more challenging so I don’t get stale. That’s on me. It’s easier to stumble into promotions than step out into the unknown, but ask yourself, ‘Do you want it? Are you going to lean into it?’ I told myself, ‘You have to take the reins.’ I’d been growing in confidence, competence, and experience all along. When it was time to leap and do this new, start-up thing, the decision was far less scary than it would have been ten years earlier!”
“Growth never ends. I was a math major and math is this continuous-discovery scientific space. The more you know, the more questions you ask, the more you know you don’t know. I can get closer and closer to full mastery but never touch it. That is how I look at leadership development, too. I want to improve daily, but even if I mess it up – maybe a tired day or I’m just wrong – I keep working on it.”
Emily’s teaching her three daughters who she describes as three different versions of her younger self the same lesson. “I encourage my daughters. See the growth and be proud of it, but realize it’s okay if something doesn’t work out.”
“As their example, I show my daughters that their future careers are in their hands. In my former roles, when I wasn’t feeling challenged, my kids would see my frustration. Now they come home and see me smiling and ask, ‘Did you have another great day, Mom?’ I smile back, ‘Yes! How about you?’” Emily encourages everyone, “Trust your instincts. There are few guarantees in life, so why waste time wondering what might have been had you acted? Step out!”
“I have had an aversion to being in photos since I was young. A photo was an immediate reminder of being called fat as a child. So, when I was shamefully overdue for new headshots, I knew I needed to seek the help of a professional – no selfies would do.
I never trusted a person behind the camera to get a good picture of me until I met Alissa at All About Headshots. I honestly don’t know how she did it! When I walked in, I think she saw the internal struggle and encouraged me to trust her expertise. She completely disarmed my anxieties, coaching me on how to get the best angles and showing me the raw shots as we went. Alissa allows someone like me to enjoy the moment. And she makes it look easy. She is a magician, an artist creating from nothing these amazing photos!”
Thank you, Emily!