Personal update
Time away from Fahren and looking for my next opportunity to build and lead software teams.
Hi friends. I’ve been relatively quiet publicly over the last six months and I wanted to share an update on where I’ve been and what’s coming next.
For me personally, 2022 turned out to be one of the hardest years of my life, but also one of overdue deep reflection and personal work. At the beginning of the year, after what felt like a grueling 2021, I had hit a wall mentally, physically, and emotionally. I lost my grandmother in December of 2021. My mother was also battling brain cancer at the time.
I didn’t realize it then, but I was slipping into a state of depression. I had dealt with burnout before, but this time it felt much different and much worse. I was dealing with a severe illness that left me unable to work at any semblance of the level I was accustomed to.
Given this, I was forced to step away from Fahren in April of 2022. For the last eight months, I’ve been doing the deeply personal work of trying to heal from a physical and mental illness. The good news is I feel significantly better and am very eager to get back into my craft.
During this time, I’ve spent a lot of time getting clear on what I really want. Unfortunately, that just isn’t Fahren anymore. While I still firmly believe in Fahren’s mission and values, I realized I wanted something different from my current daily life and that a change was needed.
What does this mean for Fahren?
In the short term, nothing. I stepped away from Fahren in April to deal with my physical and emotional health. With Jim’s leadership and our great team, our clients didn’t feel a thing about my absence. The company today remains in a really strong position and is continuing to grow.
Going forward, Jim will continue to be the CEO of Fahren. I will remain an advocate and investor in the company but will be cheering the team on from the sidelines instead of being on the field.
What’s next for me
I’m excited about what’s next and the ability to explore a number of new passions and interests. I also want to get back to building things again. Building platforms, software, and teams. I want to get back to the craft of building great digital experiences that impact real humans. Going forward I will be looking for opportunities in the digital space where impact and growth are at the center of what I do.
In the days and weeks ahead, I’ll be reaching out and reconnecting with former colleagues and friends. Given the current environment in product management and technology, if anyone is interested in networking or needs any support, I would love to help.
Lastly, I want to thank Jim Cuene again for all of his support over the last five years, and in particular, this last year. I wouldn’t be in the good spot that I am today without his guidance and support.
Joe
P.S. A quick side note on depression. For me, depression felt like I was at the bottom of the ocean. I was trapped, defenseless, and suffocating; all the effort I could muster was powerless against it. All I wanted to do was sleep. I could take a two-hour nap at 10 am and another one at 2 pm. On many days, I did. Completing simple tasks became almost impossible. Work felt pointless in the face of sadness, loss, and grief. Given the impermanence of everything around us, nothing seemed to matter.