Why I Like You

When I went to Mexico City on vacation, Lauren, completely unprompted, sent me a page-long email of all her favorite places, recommendations, and advice for my trip. That’s the kind of thoughtful and considerate person Lauren is. She shares in others’ joy. And she approaches life with a lightness that brings joy to everyone around her. She’s also incredible at her work - it’s also impossible to imagine anyone else handling Support with the professionalism that she does. Lauren is amazing.

Luke is dope. Luke will ride a roller-coaster with you. Luke will play defense on your hockey team. Luke will make you laugh. Luke will have a heart-to-heart convo. Luke will have an awesome attitude about whatever needs to be done. Luke will go on a beer run with you. Luke will host the party. Luke will look the part. Luke will be the part. Luke is dope.

Samwoo is someone you immediately feel comfortable working with. He’s patient, inclusive, light-hearted. He makes the office fun and reminds us all that we’re doing something that we love. He knows how to draw great ideas out of people. Samwoo is a joy.

Chris is such a fundamental propagator of our team’s culture. He is, first and foremost, hilarious. His legendary Slack presence makes our digital lives that much more enjoyable. He’s also amazingly committed, level-headed, and considerate. He’s thoughtful and inclusive. He’s patient. He’s always willing to help. Chris made Anchor feel like Anchor - and he makes the Podcaster Mission feel like the Podcaster Mission.

I fondly remember my first, long conversation with Kersten. When he came to embed with our team, we went and had a coffee by the windows in 62 and talked for about an hour - first, about work, and then, onto more abstract topics. Big life stuff. Kersten is endlessly positive. He’s genuine. He sees the best in people. He’s incredibly smart and talented, without an ounce of ego. I’m so glad Kersten leaped across the pond to join us. :)

I could talk for an hour and a half about John. John is supremely talented. He approaches everything he does with vigor and enthusiasm. John has amazing intuition. I love how aware of and motivated by social issues John is. His sense of humor is incredible. Watching John move into Product Management and really thrive has been an inspiration. John is a sensitive soul and he brings a lot of heart into our workplace.

Joe! Joe is a radiant beacon of positive energy. His smile, his enthusiasm, his dance moves - he’s simply a joy to be around. I love how much Joe enjoys the lighthearted parts of our jobs. His Slack emoji murals are true works of art. Joe is so passionate about his work and our team and how we work together. Everything is a new opportunity for Joe. His attitude really makes our team what it is.

You will never see someone approach a puzzle with more ferocity than Sam Rich. Sam’s competitive energy is infectious. I really appreciate how direct Sam is - given her role, she deals with many tricky situations with professionalism, and she’s adept at getting her message across. Sam’s hack day project was incredible and demonstrated the joy she gets from working with our team.

What stands out to me about Casey is the beach offsite. Up to that point, it seemed as though Casey was still fairly new and in the process of finding her groove. At the offsite, we witnessed a Casey that exploded onto the scene in full color. Casey is super funny, very sharp, and exceptionally friendly and approachable. Since The Wall has separated us, I haven’t gotten as much time lately with Casey as I should. I hope that changes soon.

Emmi is appropriate for a first episode, because we initially bonded on my very first day at Anchor, on the way back from an upstate offsite. We all know Emmi can, of course, be wacky and hilarious: her riffing is legendary. But Emmi is also so impressive with how she approaches her work. She SPEAKS HER DAMN MIND, even when others might be afraid to. Emmi is a key ingredient to making us feel connected and close and open and somewhat scrappy and like we own this thing together.