On paper, it looked like this:
2025, by the numbers:
- 61.29M total views
- 956 posts shared
- 212K new followers
- 3+ news article features
- 4 new courses (3 launched, 1 in-progress)
- 9M+ measured interactions across data science, AI, and tech careers
Numbers are easy to measure. But they only tell part of the story.
What stayed with me this year were the messages behind those numbers and the real impact they represented. Messages like:
“I became a data scientist because of your videos.”
“I got the courage to negotiate my salary.”
“You made me realize I don’t have to choose between a career and my family. I can have both.”
One of the most surprising moments of the year did not happen on a stage or in a comment section.
A new family member from my in laws, someone I had never met before, came to visit us in Seattle this summer. When she walked into our home, she went quiet. I showed her and her husband to their room, and after a few minutes, they came back out.
That is when she told me she had been following my work for years. She shared that the reason she chose computer science as her major was because of me. She said she was in shock realizing she was standing in my house.
I will remember that moment forever. What are the chances that someone who once followed my work online, lived in another country thousands of miles away, would one day become family and walk through my front door?
Knowing this work has helped people take real steps forward in their careers means everything to me. This is exactly why I do what I do.
Beyond the social stats, I hit 6 years at Google, navigated reorgs, 3 manager transitions, and continued to grow through it all. I spoke on big stages, both at work and outside of it, and was invited to keynote an AI conference in Dubai with an audience of 10,000 people.
Behind the scenes, I also built and hired an incredible social media team that I am proud of (and I’m hiring more in 2026).
On a Personal Note
On a more personal note, 2025 was also a year where I chose to slow down and live more intentionally.
After a big realization last year, I lived more intentionally in 2025 with more school drop-offs, cross-country practices, time off from my 9 to 5 just to stay home, and family dinners. It reminded me that this time with my family and loved ones will never come back.
That said, there are a couple of things I wish I had done differently.
I wish I had traveled more. And I wish I had put more effort into making new friends and building community outside of work. These are not regrets, just reminders of areas I want to be more intentional about going forward.
Going into 2026
One lesson I’m carrying into next year is this: progress doesn’t always look loud. Most of the growth that mattered this year came from showing up consistently and making intentional choices, even when no one else was watching.
As this year comes to close, I’m curious: What is one lesson from 2025 that you are carrying into next year?
Happy Holidays & Happy New Year ✨
I hope you’re able to rest, reset, and spend time with the people who matter most. Thank you for being here! I’m grateful for this community and excited for what’s ahead.