Spotify Wrapped (But Make It Corporate… Kind Of, But Also Kind of Not)

Welp, it’s that time of year again… Spotify Wrapped has arrived, dragging us all into emotional reflection whether we asked for it or not. And if you know me, you know this is basically my Super Bowl. I love music. Most specifically: live music.. the kind that vibrates through your ribcage and makes you feel alive enough to forget that you have 47 unread emails.

There are people who don’t like concerts… and then there are the rest of us who will willingly spend half a paycheck to scream-sing with strangers for two hours.

Hi. It’s me. I’m “the rest of us.”

Over the past 17-ish years, I’ve seen 80+ musicians live. Some more than once (looking at you, repeat offenders). That averages out to about four concerts a year... though emotionally, it feels like 14. And genre loyalty? Couldn’t be me. This year alone I listened to 337 genres. Half of them I couldn’t define if you paid me.

My top five genres this year? Indie Pop, House, Alternative Rock, Country, and Folk. Tell me that isn’t the most chaotic playlist you’ve ever seen...

Spotify also placed me in Club Serotonin, which basically means I thrive on good vibes, sunshine, natural lighting, and zero negativity in my orbit. Accurate.

The Deep-Listening Days (aka: My Productivity Era)

Here’s where things got interesting. Spotify gave insights this year that low-key felt like therapy notes.

January 16th was my “Most Nostalgic Day,” which probably means winter depression was trying to win and I said “absolutely not” and blasted every song that ever gave summer energy.

March 19th was my “Biggest Listening Day,” where I apparently lived through 1,027 minutes of music (house, lofi, electronic, funk, pop) like a human DJ set.

And when I checked what I was doing on those days? Nothing glamorous. No dramatic life event. No cinematic montage.

I was at work...

Headphones on. Background noise off. Music loud. Deep in my computer like I was hacking the government when in reality I was probably fixing a broken link or updating a brochure.

It hit me: Spotify Wrapped isn’t just a music recap. It’s a work recap.

It’s my brain saying: “Hey, you handled a lot this year... and you did it with a soundtrack.”

2025: The Work Behind the Soundtrack

This year was… a roller coaster. The kind with the big drop you scream on but then immediately want to ride again. I had wins, lessons, curveballs, and more things added to my “I can figure this out” list than I thought possible.

This year, I:

• Survived and delivered quarterly research reports until we hired a researcher

• Revamped capability brochures across REMS, Marketing, and Affordable Housing

• Became a Smartsheet power user (despite their USM update, which we do not speak of)

• Threw together events like open houses and happy hours with unrealistic timelines and somehow still pulled them off

• Jumped deeper into digital marketing, building websites for agents + properties

• Appeared in the media nearly 70 times

• Supercharged our social presence: more content, more consistency, and a 649% increase in profile impressions (yes, six hundred percent)

I kept almost all of my team, brought in an incredible new addition, and, oh yeah, got promoted to help lead marketing strategy for the Cleveland region.

No wonder Club Serotonin needs me. I’ve earned it.

The Real Stars of the Year: My Team

Now let’s talk about the marketing team in Cincinnati, Dayton, and Louisville because they straight-up crushed it.

• 200+ properties managed

• 117 new listings onboarded

• 546+ projects completed

• 1,500+ emails sent to 525,000 contacts

People love to underestimate creative teams. They think we wave a magic wand and (poof!) a perfectly designed brochure appears. Or a website. Or an event. Or a report.

I promise you: There is no wand.

It is coffee, strategy, talent, urgency, music, tears, laughter, late nights, early mornings, and yes… actual blood from a very specific project we will not publicly discuss.

This team works hard. They care. They show up. And they deliver every. single. time.

So even though I didn’t plan for this blog to turn into a slow, dramatic transition from Spotify Wrapped → existential reflection → marketing achievements → team appreciation…

Here we are. And honestly? In word of my employee: "I love that for us."

Huge applause for my team. You deserve the spotlight and I hope your own 2025 Wrapped is full of proud moments, growth, and playlists that got you through it too.