The Human Behind the Keyboard
Hi, I’m Diego.
If we were at a cocktail party and you asked me the standard “What do you do?” I’d give you my standard, surface-level response about how I've consulted over 300 businesses in my career. From Fortune 500 companies to startups, I'd tell you I've worked with clients of all sizes to help them scale their businesses. I'd tell you I've worked in sales training, marketing, and tech, specifically in DevOps.
Now if we went deeper and really got to know each other, I’d tell you I’m an extremely curious person and that my true passion lies in exploring topics I find interesting. Combining ideas from what I think, what I've experienced, what I read, and what I listen to, and turning that wonderful combination into something, which I usually do through writing (though I give myself full liberty to tinker with other mediums)—that's what I really enjoy. That version of me feels way more authentic.
When I’m not jumping down internet rabbit holes, I’m either on a client call or on an airplane. I firmly believe that travel is essential to better understanding the world. Reading and studying can only get you so far. With every trip, the way you see the world shifts, things make a bit more sense, your ego lowers, and you change, even if it’s just a tiny bit.
Despite all the expertise I’ve gained from my career, it all goes out the window in moments like the first time I had to figure out the train system in Japan, trying my best to communicate with a worker about how to get from Tokyo to Kyoto, or when I tried to decipher a French menu at some bougie restaurant in southern France, the annoyed waiter telling me that menu was all they had.
Both experiences made me feel awkward. I think regular exposure to that is good for the soul.
I tend to have more interesting insights on trips abroad than when I’m back home. Because of that, some of those insights will find their way into my writing. If you’re looking for a purely informational newsletter devoid of any humanness, this may not be for you.
So What Exactly Is This Newsletter About?
This is a place for me to reflect on our changing culture and emerging technologies. It’s a place for me to write about my experiences in the real world and the insights I’m having about those experiences. It’s a place for me to mine lessons from the past to make predictions about the future.
You see, I’m always consuming information. I read two books a month, finish a podcast every couple of days, and am subscribed to multiple newsletters (which have taken the place of my previous habit of Instagram/Reddit scrolling). I travel about once a quarter and try to make many of those trips outside of the US (to become more cultured), and I’m the guy who takes his time to read the plaque on the statue.
I’ve also cultivated an early adopter mindset. I don’t mind shelling out a few bucks to be the first to try or read something new.
I also write a lot. I journal about once a day, and it’s not uncommon for my weekend journaling sessions to be three to four hours long. As I write this, I’m thinking about a journaling session that lasted well past midnight on a balcony in Madrid, where I spent that time thinking deeply about my past and future and what the hell I wanted to do with my life. Beautiful memory.
I digress. This combination of information consumption from multiple sources, my experimentation with new technologies, my insights while in other countries, and the time I’ve set aside time to reflect on everything I’m experiencing is culminating in this newsletter you’re considering subscribing to—a place where I can house everything I’ve learned (and am learning) in one place.
As trite as it may sound, I believe that knowledge is power. The sooner you acquire it—no matter the source—the better off you’ll be. I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I’ve acquired a few along my journey. My goal is to share detailed reflections, research, and interesting insights in the hope that they will help you along yours. I hope that through my writing, I can help us both better navigate this evolving world.
If you’ve made it this far, it means you’re ready to join me for the ride. It’s going to be an interesting one. Glad to have you here.
PS. Oh and about that journaling session in Madrid, I never quite arrived at a satisfying answer. It seems this newsletter is also secretly an attempt to answer it.
