ANDY THOMPSON

Q. What book (or books) have you gifted the most, and why? Or what are one to three books that have greatly influenced your life?

One of my all-time favorites is Watership Down by Richard Adams. If you’re not familiar with the story, it’s about a group of rabbits that leave their home warren to escape anticipated danger (though a significant portion of the book involves the author describing every plant in the hills of England in great detail). The first time a read it was in 5th grade, and at that time, I mostly just saw it as a story about rabbits. But having read it a handful of times as an adult, I’ve come to appreciate the deeper aspects of the book such as the examples of leadership and relatable depictions of power, change, and courage. It’s also a really beautiful story of what it looks like for a group of individuals with diverse strengths, attributes, and abilities to work together. Perhaps the biggest takeaway is that leadership isn’t about being the biggest or most powerful; it’s about service, taking risks for others, and a willingness to be accountable.

Q. If you could have one gigantic billboard with anything on it, what would it say and why?

I’m not generally someone who walks around with quotes in his pocket, but one that has recently stuck with me is from the famed French philosopher and author, Albert Camus:

“But above all, in order to be, never try to seem.”

Perhaps the greatest appeal to this one-liner is that it can only be made worse by lengthening it with explanations. And as a bonus for practicality, brevity means larger print on the billboard.

Q. In the last five years, what new belief, behavior, or habit has most improved your life?

A recent habit I’ve picked up is walking. It all started with a conversation with a friend about what I’d imagine myself doing with all my free time if I retired today (purely hypothetical, I’ve got a long way to go). I said “I think if I ran out of things to do, I’d probably just walk.”

But why wait? I started walking at the beginning of 2026 with the target of 1779 miles by the end of the year (that’s a shade under 5 miles per day on average). There’s a super nerdy explanation for how I arrived at that particular number, ask me about it if we ever meet. Of course, it’s been a good habit for me in terms of physical health. But the biggest takeaway is that it’s helped me understand my relationship with motivation and what kinds of endeavors are capable of holding my interest.

Sometimes, I even get impatient and turn it into a run.