2025: The Year of Books and Bikes
Business
In January, I wrote about my personal journey and a few key milestones in 2025. This included my story about getting laid off from my last pharmaceutical company, and how that put me on a completely new path.
The lay off forced me to consider what I really wanted and what I could offer based on my expertise. These past 10 years, I've enjoyed serving as a professional speaker, consultant, professor, and author. Thus, I highly recommend getting laid off to anyone!
This year, I purposefully scaled back my speaking and consulting to focus on writing a new book and riding my bike (see next sections). Next year, I will be back at it full time, and working on my third book about the superpowers of men and women.
Books
My first book, The Power of Perception, focused primarily on women and leadership. It outlines the barriers that women encounter and explains why we don't see more women leading (and what we can do about it).
Last Fall, I was fortunate to sign a two-book contract with a new publisher.
I just finished my second book with co-author Michael O'Brien which focuses on helping and supporting men be better allies to both women and people of color. It's titled, The 5 Levels of Male Allyship: A Guide to Building Better Teams Through Real Inclusion.
Here's a brief overview:
Male allyship is critical in attaining gender parity in today’s organizations. And data shows that many men want to be better allies, but just don’t know what to do, don’t know where to look, or don’t have the support they need.
In The 5 Levels of Male Allyship, inclusion experts Dr. Shawn Andrews and Michael O’Brien deliver a groundbreaking framework that charts the path from passive awareness to courageous advocacy. From the resistant Traditionalist to the fully engaged Champion, this book addresses the fears, pressures, and cultural forces that hold men back from meaningful support and offers tools to overcome them.
Drawing on hundreds of interviews with men and women across industries, this practical and eye-opening guide helps men understand where they are on the allyship spectrum—and how to move forward with intention and impact.
In an era when diversity efforts face backlash and burnout, The 5 Levels of Male Allyship is more than timely—it’s essential. It makes the case that gender inclusion isn’t a zero-sum game: it’s a win for men, women, and entire organizations. Packed with real-world examples, self-assessments, and more than 60 strategies for personal and professional growth, this book empowers men to become stronger teammates while also guiding women and HR leaders in identifying and developing more male allies.
I'm proud to say that we have some high-profile endorsements and experts who were kind enough to write the foreword to the book. The book is due to launch in January 2026...stay tuned!
Bikes
I signed up for a 6-week cross-country bike tour with Trek Travel (if you're curious why I would do such a thing, I share the reasons in my last newsletter). I leave August 20th and return October 7th. Needless to say, I've had to log tons of miles (and hills) this year in preparation for this trip. The picture above is from a few months back.
I plan to share my journey via video. At the end of each day, I will record a short video to Instagram and Facebook to highlight the day, what I saw, who I met, how I feel, and anything else running through my head. If you are interested in following my journey from Portland, OR to Portland, ME, connecting with me on either of these platforms will be the best way to do it.
Here's an Introduction to the ride video (the first of many to come): https://www.facebook.com/reel/704770325607930
Personal Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/shawn.andrews.821573/
Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/drshawnandrews/
This will no doubt be the most challenging thing I've ever done. But I also know it will be an incredible experience, a great way to see the U.S., and meet great people. I'd love for you to be part of this epic journey, share your thoughts, or just to offer words of encouragement!
Until next time,
Shawn
