This week last year, I stepped away from my role at Included Health with nothing lined up next for the first time in my life. After five years, I knew I was ready for something new, but I wasn’t sure what. And I found myself in the exceptionally fortunate position of being able to take some time to explore. Since then I’ve: ? Talked to 229 people ? Met with 41 companies ? Tried out 68 AI products ? Vibe coded 17 prototypes, and built 1 fully-functional app ? Walked my son to school almost every morning ? Discovered power zone training ? Rebuilt a deck, a set of neighborhood stairs, cut down a tree, and managed to keep my tomato plants alive for long enough for a deer to eat them all while I slept one night I received so much great advice along the way. A few bits that stand out: ? James Raybould's advice to never turn down a conversation, because we’re pretty bad at predicting in advance which conversations will be helpful ? Ross Jensen's counsel to pay attention to whether I was feeling more or less energized after a conversation, and to listen to that feeling ? Wade Chambers' wisdom: “first, look for the wind, and then find the sails that will catch it” ? James Cham's thesis that there's something intriguing at the intersection of AI and emotional intelligence, and his nudge last fall to simply play with everything I could get my hands on and watch to see where the dust settles ? Nupur Srivastava's encouragement to be discerning and wait for the right thing ? Claire McDonnell's framing question: figure out why the jobs you’re considering might not work out, and then ask yourself:?if that happens in a year or two, which will you rather have chosen? ? Zach Eddinger and Melissa Huang's repeated pings to tell me that the office felt different without me, a good reminder that the people you spend your days with really matter. In 3 weeks, I’ll be starting an exciting new adventure (watch this space for more soon!). In the meantime, to each and everyone who I spoke to, who reached out to talk, who offered to connect me with a person or a company that they thought I might enjoy meeting: thank you. You’ve been the best part of this journey.
Congratulations, Jonathan. I am really proud of you and in awe of your process. It has been a pleasure to be part of your year.
So excited for what’s next!
Woohoo excited to see what's next!
LOVE
Can’t wait to see where you are going ????
so fun to be a part of your journey Jasper. shout out to Molly Graham who I learned this brilliant question from!
Congrats! Can’t wait to hear more. ??
Pumped for you and what’s next Jasper!
Products + people + AI | x-LinkedIn, Spotify, Included Health
3 天前And last and most of all, thanks to Elaine Theios, who I know wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of me not having a paycheck for a year, but who nonetheless made clear she’d support me no matter what I chose