Two years.
It’s been two years since I last hit ‘publish’.
If you’re seeing this in your inbox, you might be wondering.. Where the heck was Ronen?
Well... the truth, as it often is, is far more chaotic but ordinary than you’d expect.
Life, as they say, happened.
And by "happened" – I mean… a beautiful, overwhelming, joyous collision of parenthood (nothing truly prepares you for that, does it?), startup life (in the AI Era) and moving houses – twice. Throw in roughly 8,675 diaper changes, and enough coffee to float a small boat, and you get the picture.
My Substack newsletter, much like my sanity at times, took a brief sabbatical.
But, here we are. I’m back.
Not with a grand, "I’m committing to weekly posts!" declaration (because, well, life still happens), but with the genuine excitement of sharing thoughts about marketing, leadership, parenthood and my new obsession: the art of coffee roasting.
At its heart, this Substack return is for me—a return to the pure joy of writing I've loved since I was a kid. But it's also for those who subscribed, follow, and always send feedback.
The Unscheduled Busy: What Two Years of “Life” Taught Me
I’ve spent the last two years deep in the trenches of startup life and parenthood. Looking back, it’s the perfect combination. Think of it as a crash course in patience, resilience and the fine art of intentional, targeted focus. More than anything it helped me get to know myself better.
Here are a few things I learned while on this journey:
The Empathy Lens: Everyone's Navigating Chaos
Let's be clear: parenting is one of the most extraordinary, often magical journeys life has to offer—a joy I wouldn’t trade for anything. But nothing, nothing, truly prepares you for just how intense and humbling it can be. Kids don't come with a manual. You're just doing your best, inventing the rules on the fly, then bending them even though you swore you wouldn't—all fueled by an inexplicable love and an endless supply of coffee.
This raw, unfiltered journey into parenthood cracked something open in me. It gave me a profound, firsthand understanding of empathy, starting with other parents. The sleepless days, the bone-deep exhaustion of caring for a sick child when you're sick yourself—you truly don't know how hard something is until you're in it. Witnessing how my wife handled extreme morning sickness, postpartum, nursing, all while managing a demanding full-time job was nothing short of awe-inspiring, deepening my recognition of the unique, often unseen, challenges of balancing new parenthood with a career.
You never truly know what someone else is going through. That "crazy driver" who just cut you off? Maybe their kid just confessed they're being bullied at school. The distracted colleague on Zoom? Perhaps they're listening to their newborn cry in the next room while adjusting to a new nanny.
This daily grind, both in my own life and others', has solidified my belief: leading with empathy, and sometimes just genuinely listening, goes a very long way. Everyone is carrying something, wrestling with their own version of chaos. Approaching everything with empathy from the get-go doesn't cost much, but it can change everything, fostering better and stronger relationships.
Stop Watering the Weeds: Your Superpower
Parenthood doesn't just expand your heart; it also significantly shrinks your free time. Overnight, "free time" disappears, time for catching up on work becomes non-existent, and a moment for yourself feels like a distant memory. This new reality, however, shaped a new, non-negotiable skill: the art of intentional, targeted focus – what I also refer to as ‘stop watering the weeds’.
Earlier this year I learned about landscaping and the difference between sprinklers and drip irrigation. Apparently, sprinklers spray water everywhere, wasting resources on weeds. However, drip irrigation? It's precise, intentional, focused only on plants you want to grow. It was a reminder for me: with your time, you should be like drip irrigation – focus only on what you want to grow, what’s important to you, not the weeds.
As a parent, you simply have no choice but to learn to zero in on what truly matters. At work, that means focusing on the highest-impact initiatives. At home, it's about prioritizing activities that align with your core values—like being fully present with your kids. Everything else? It's just noise, the weeds that drain your precious resources. You’ll always have noise, but you need to learn to delegate, automate or ignore it. This isn't just about managing a calendar; it's about intentionally directing your most precious and scarce resource: time.
For me, ‘stop watering the weeds’ meant making some deliberate choices in my own life: I deleted social media and news apps to stop doom-scrolling, committed to working out 4-5 times a week for 45 minutes (more on this later), and consistently went to bed before 10 PM. These weren't sacrifices; they were strategic investments of my time and energy into what truly matters, and nothing less.
Physical & Mental Health: My F45 Obsession
For the last two years, F45 became my non-negotiable. I remember venting to my mentor, overwhelmed by stress, lack of sleep, and feeling like I had no time for anything. He asked me a simple question: "When was the last time you truly broke a sweat?" I honestly couldn't remember. In tech, working from home, most days are spent in front of a screen. His point resonated: humans are meant to move, to sweat, to release that energy. That conversation kicked off my F45 journey.
When you're juggling kids, a demanding job, and a mountain of responsibilities, a long gym session feels like a dream. At first, I felt guilty about using that time for myself, thinking I should be working or helping more with the kids. But my wife and I made a joint decision: this was a crucial long-term investment in my physical and mental health, which ultimately I am doing both for myself and for them.
Those quick, intense 45-minute F45 workouts? They weren't just about the physical. They were my mental clarity, my stress relief, and an essential dose of healthy motivation. And let's be real, a strong core is non-negotiable for parents, critical for preventing injuries from all that constant lifting, carrying, and playing with young kids.
Investing this time became a key foundation for my mental well-being, ensuring I can be fully present and effective, both for my family and my work. What made F45 truly work for me was the sheer simplicity: no daily class booking, no thinking about the workout – I just show up, be present and get it done. Honestly, it's my meditation – a vital reset that grounds and refreshes me for the daily chaos. It truly transformed my life, and I only wish I'd started sooner.
The Unexpected Roasts: My Non-Work Fuel
Naturally, my coffee consumption climbed, and I was pouring too much time and money into chasing the perfect cup of espresso.
That's when a light bulb went off: I could probably roast my own beans at home – better, faster, cheaper.
This deep dive into coffee roasting, completely separate from my professional world, became my vital recharge. It's surprisingly efficient, involving just a simple coffee roasting machine and some open-source software. This hobby, with its meticulous process and distinct mental space, taught me an important lesson: you absolutely need a passion project that exists purely for you, outside the demands of career and family. It's not about escaping; it's about genuine replenishment, sharpening your focus, and charging those creative batteries for everything else.
Ronen's Picks
Since it’s been a minute, I wanted to share a few things that have genuinely resonated with me recently, keeping my brain humming even when my hands were full:
Book: The 5 Types of Wealth by Sahil Bloom. If you're navigating career growth, parenthood, or just trying to define "success" beyond the bank balance, this book is a must-read. It beautifully reframes wealth not just as financial, but across Time, Social, Mental, Physical, and Financial aspects. It's a powerful framework for prioritizing what truly matters when life gets chaotic, helping you design a truly fulfilling existence.
Coffee Bean: Ethiopia Wush Wush. This washed Ethiopian bean is truly unique. Roasted light-to-medium, it delivers distinct black tea notes and often has a surprising wine-like aroma. It’s not your everyday cup, definitely for special occasions.
Tool: Relay.App. My latest obsession on the marketing front. This AI workflow tool is helping us build some seriously cool things, from content to campaigns. It's a total game-changer for streamlining complex marketing tasks and getting more done with less fuss.
Keep Learning. Keep Growing.
Thanks for sticking with me. It’s good to be back, and I’m genuinely excited for the conversations ahead.