One Year Later: Coming Back to Center. A reflection on a year-long sabbatical

Exactly one year ago, I took a step back from projects, pressure, and productivity, and gave myself the space to stop.

After so many years moving at full speed, slowing down wasn’t easy. The impulse to “do” was still there, even with no meetings or deadlines. I felt like a Formula 1 car coasting on inertia, engine off, wheels still spinning. I didn’t know how to be still. I didn’t know what to do with so much space.

During the first few weeks, I kept reminding myself I was on a sabbatical, but inside I was still trying to fill every hour with something useful. It took me a while to overcome that productivity anxiety. In fact, it was amusing because I was still attending meetings with people who had contacted me, and Natalia asked me once... but, with whom are you meeting?

Making space for what really matters

With all the noise turned down, I could finally hear myself. I started creating again, not for a launch, not for a pitch deck, not for LinkedIn, just because I wanted to.

Ideas that had been gathering dust for years began to resurface, like the Margaret Hamilton School, a project that finally found space to grow and take shape. Or other new ideas like One Record Club, or a new app I launched past month called Digital Drawer.

But it wasn’t just about creativity or work. I started prioritizing myself in a way I hadn’t before.

I added exercise, long walks, and solo time into my weekly rhythm. Not as “nice-to-haves” but as core elements. Because here’s something I finally understood: if I don’t take care of myself, I can’t show up for the people I love. And I want to show up.

This sabbatical didn’t give me more time; it gave me clarity. It reminded me that I’m allowed to say no. That I don’t need to be in everything. That some things don’t deserve my energy.

Rediscovering the everyday

One of the most significant gifts of this year was finding joy in the most minor things: breakfast with my kids, school drop-offs, long lunches with my parents, and walking with Natalia without checking the time.

I realized that for years, I’d been around, but not really there.

This year brought me back home.

Returning to the essential

If I had to summarize this entire year in one sentence, it would be this:
Building things with people I love. That’s my center. That is my purpose.

Yes, I enjoy making things, launching ideas, and starting new chapters. But what really fills me is doing it with people I trust, admire, and care about.

That’s been my biggest takeaway: that happiness lives much closer to care than to performance. Closer to connection than to recognition.

How Christopher McCandless left in a written note in that small bus in the middle of nowhere:

"Happiness is only real when shared"

What’s next

This year helped me clean the lens. I now know what deserves my “yes,” and what doesn’t.

As I slowly step back into a new chapter, no rush, no pressure, I’m clearer than ever about how I want to build from here: with simplicity, with meaning, and with intention.

Next week, I’ll share a little more about what’s coming. But truthfully, the “what” matters less than the “from where.”

And in that sense, this sabbatical has been my compass.

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