So…. Hi, everybody. It’s been a HOT minute.

How is everyone? Do I have any subscribers left? Or is this now a ghost town…

If anyone is still subscribed, I’m sure this was quite a jump scare.

I can see you sitting there, squinting your eyes, thinking, “When did I subscribe to this blog?”

And the answer is, well, I don’t know. Probably three-ish years ago?

Then you may be wondering, why now is she back of all times? Isn’t it too early for the 2026 New Year’s goals to start kicking off?

And the answer is yes, it would be too soon.

I’ll tell you the truth: I miss this.

Before I expand, let me back up.

Over the last two years, I traded in my trailblazing ways for a good ol’ W-2.

Why? So that I could instead trailblaze for another company as the first official quality assurance resource, then building out our user acceptance testing product, and now installing and overseeing processes as a technical lead several internal structure changes later.

Yeah, some things never truly change.

It’s been quite the 9-5 journey with too much growth to possibly recount in one blog post (hint hint).

But the other day, I was revisiting my website (boy, is it due for an overhaul… I’ll get to it, someday) and rereading some of my weekly wrap-ups.

2022-2023 year-old version of me was entertaining, I have to say. More meaningfully, it was grounding to see where I was three years ago. When you’re in the thick of it, heads down and focused on the “now”, it is so easy to lose perspective.

The feeling of rapid growth is overpowered by all of the endless things you have yet to do and learn.

But having a tangible retrospective gives you a point of reference to measure yourself against.

I want 2029-2030 me to have the same reference.

But more honestly… I missed this.

I missed the little bit of time I would take each week to invest in my own, personal brand.

It made me realize how much I had been outright neglecting it. And I think, for a time, that was necessary. In the face of exponential growth, this took a backseat.

But I reminded of a fundamental truth: no matter what company, person, entity that you work for, you always have a personal brand.

You carry it with you wherever you go. Every day, you show up for your “role” at a company, you are still you. You are bringing your unique brand and value offering to said role.

It’s why you were picked in the first place. Anyone can have a title, but no one else can be you.

And so, to honor my personal brand, I want to pick up this passion that I left behind. Writing in my brand voice was my outlet then, and it’s time to reset the frame of references.

Except instead of writing it at the end of the day Friday, I sit here tonight, on a Saturday, putting my thoughts down while cooking dinner like a true working adult.

I make no promises of consistency (a client of mine recently joked that I would make a good politician because of my lack of making any promises… I offered back that I would rather not tell him I could do something on the spot just to then have to turn around and tell him I couldn’t — a mistake that I used to make very early in my consulting career and, without fail, bit me every time — which he appreciated) in the name of “under promising and overdelivering”.

So to those of you who are still here and to those who are new, welcome. I look forward to giving voice to the Emily Dietz brand once again.