Ember Experience Values in Practice

Our Values 

When we first set out to define our values, we didn’t want them to be just a list of words on a wall. Words like Integrity or Respect are fine, and they can also apply to any company across North America. Using a value, you can easily pick from a list didn’t feel like us — they didn’t capture how we want to operate in every interaction we have. We wanted our values to reflect movement and be something to live rather than label. 

That’s why each of our values is written as an action, not a single word. They’re meant to describe how we show up every day, in real situations, with real people. They remind us that culture is built through continual practice, not just intentions. 

The order of our values is intentional, too. They build on one another, creating a natural flow. We start with Take Care of Yourself and Take Care of Others, because everything else depends on our ability to show up grounded and whole. From there, we move into Be Generous, which challenges us to be curious, think openly and be giving. Then comes It’s a Work in Progress, a reminder that perfection isn’t the goal, it’s growth. And finally, Creating Waves of Change, the outcome of living all the others: real, lasting impact. 

1. Take Care of Yourself, Take Care of Others: Take care of your whole person, and we support each other to prioritize it. 

At its core, this value is about expecting individuals to take responsibility for our own well-being and creating the conditions for people to show up as their whole selves. 

Originally, we talked about this value through the lens of physical health (i.e., sleep, exercise, nutrition), but over time it’s evolved into something deeper: being in a good enough place to contribute meaningfully to something beyond yourself. Real self-care is functional and relational. It’s doing what keeps you grounded so you can show up well for others. 

Healthy teams are built on mutual care. When one person runs on empty, it affects everyone. When we live this value, you can feel it: people are honest, open, and trusting. When we drift from it, judgement and reactivity creep in. 

2. Be Generous: We believe in people. In all our interactions, we are kind, seek to understand, and strive to find ways to give. 

Be Generous is about two key concepts: 1) we believe in people, and 2) we look for ways to be giving with our ideas, time, and energy.   

We believe people don’t wake up wanting to cause harm. Most of the time, we are trying to do the best we can, and sometimes we get stuck trying to protect ourselves; our time, energy, or sense of worth. Underneath that, most of us genuinely want to do good. So we start there. We assume positive intent. That shift from judgment to curiosity is what we view as generosity in action. 

When we’re generous, we don’t gatekeep, resist an urge to be giving, or do things for external validation. We do it because we truly want to amplify those around us. We trust that what we give comes back through stronger relationships and a healthier culture. 

3. It’s a Work in Progress: We know it will get hard, mistakes will happen, and some things will fail. We don’t stop trying. We take responsibility, learn, and move forward. 

This value is our reminder that we don’t strive for perfection, we strive for growth. High expectations are good, but when held too tightly, they create pressure and fear or shame of falling short. It’s a Work in Progress reminds us that failing will happen, and that doesn’t mean we are failures. These are two different concepts, one focuses on identity and elicits shame, while the other focus on an the intention we hold, and a recognition that we don’t have to have it all figured out; what matters is that we keep learning, recalibrating and owning what we need to do to improve.. 

Growth requires vulnerability. You can’t learn if you’re busy protecting your ego. When people are afraid to fail, they hide mistakes instead of fixing them, and that fear erodes trust and creativity. But when we name mistakes and commit to repair, we create the space for honest learning and innovation. 

4. Creating Waves of Change: We create high quality, engaging and influential experiences that positively affect the people, companies and communities we engage with. 

Creating Waves of Change is about our commitment to quality, impact, and continuous improvement for ourselves and the people and organizations we work with. 

It’s the natural result of living the first three values. When we take care of ourselves and each other, lead with generosity, and treat everything as a work in progress, meaningful change follows. The work we do should ripple outward and strengthen teams, leaders, and communities. 

This value is both a promise and an outcome: to create work that matters. Doing great work is about doing it well rather than more. We measure impact in moments where someone says, “That shifted how I think,” or “I see my team differently now.” Those are the ripples that last. 

When Values Matter Most 

Values are easy to believe in and act in alignment with when things are smooth. The real test is when things don’t go to plan. That’s when our values matter most. They’re what we measure ourselves against, and what brings us back to centre. 

At Ember Experience, we don’t see our values as fixed or final. We hold them close, but we’re also open to being challenged by them. As our team, our clients, and our world evolve, so will the ways we live these ideas. The goal is to keep coming back to them, practicing, and growing together.