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Tue 30 Dec, 2025
Titu, Romania
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Hey Reader,
This is the last letter of 2025. I’m back in Romania, at my parents’ place.
At the end of the year, that contrast feels stronger. It’s easier to notice what changed, what stayed, and how I relate to my own life now. This is what this letter is mostly about.
This year, more than anything, I stayed with something.
I’ve written over a hundred letters across the weekly Rooted Dad Letters and the Cold Showers. The rhythm really began the last time I was here, in the spring. Coming back now, it feels like closing a loop. Since March, a letter went out every week. When Cold Showers started, I showed up Monday to Friday as well.
That matters to me because consistency hasn’t always been easy. Seeing that I can stay with something, even while the direction is still forming, feels important.
Along the way, the audience grew. From a small email list to more than 800 readers. From a few hundred people online to around 20,000 across platforms. What that showed me is not success, but relevance. There is a real hunger for orientation, especially among men and fathers.
I’ve never wanted to be a guru. I don’t speak from above. I speak from experience, from being in it, sharing what worked and what didn’t, and staying open to learning from others. That’s why I’ve always invited you to write back. This has never felt like a broadcast. It feels more like walking alongside each other.
This year, some of you trusted me enough to work together one on one. I created ebooks and small courses. I invested again in my own learning, through courses and a lot of reading. That’s always been my way. Learning from people who’ve walked the path, while staying grounded in my own experience.
Financially, this work brought in around $8,000. It’s not something to boast about, but it’s not meaningless either. It showed me that this is more than an idea. It has weight.
One thing I’m genuinely proud of is that I didn’t quit, but I also didn’t fool myself. I gave myself a clear deadline. By the end of 2025, I wanted to know whether this direction could stand on its own or whether it was time to pivot. Holding both commitment and realism at the same time feels like maturity.
Another unexpected shift came when I accepted a remote job connected to my background in active travel. It eased the financial pressure and brought more stability for my family. And interestingly, once I stopped asking Rooted Dad to carry everything, something softened. In the past couple of weeks, a few of you chose to support this work financially by becoming founding members.
That meant more to me than the income itself. It meant this work lands somewhere outside my own head. That it brings value, and that it’s seen.
If I look at what I want to improve, it comes back to taking better care of myself. I’m deeply nourished by nature, by community, and by building things with my hands. Too much time indoors, alone, in front of a screen drains me quickly. I function better when I move my body, ride my bike, spend time in the forest, carve wood, work in a garden, or sit with people who feel good to be around.
Being back in Romania highlights something else too. Even decades after communism, there’s still a heaviness here. A grey tone in how many people relate to life. I don’t see myself as above it. I just notice how different my inner posture feels after years of travel, exposure to other cultures, relationships, and ideas.
What’s become clear to me is that I live from a sense of agency. I believe I can choose. That belief shapes how I parent, how I relate to my partner, how I speak to myself, and how I guide others. It took years, but I can finally see the effects of that inner work.
Another thing that became very visible in 2025 is how present AI now is in everyday life. I use it too, but deliberately as a tool. I don’t want it to become the compass for my thinking, my voice, or my decisions. Orientation still has to come from inside.
Looking ahead to 2026, I feel more grounded in my role as a father and partner. I’m learning to decide, to live with consequences, and to lead my family through direction rather than force. With this new job, I’ll have less time for my own projects, and strangely, that feels healthy. Constraints tend to clarify what actually matters.
I’ll keep writing this letter every Tuesday. I’ll keep sharing what I’m learning about family, work, creativity, relationships, and what it means to live well right now. I’ll continue writing Cold Showers on weekdays for those who choose to walk a little closer.
I also want to be more visible. Less hidden behind words. More direct, more human, more present.
Thank you for being here with me this year. I don’t take that lightly.
One dad figuring it out, same as you.
P.S. If you feel like reflecting too, here’s something simple I’m sitting with.
I imagine a compass with four directions: family, work, vitality, and community. I look at where each one stands right now, and which direction needs more attention in the year ahead. There’s nothing to fix here. It’s just a way of noticing.
If you’re open to it and want some guidance, write back and tell me what you see. I read every reply.
If you want to support my work, you can become a paid subscriber. Paid subscribers get:
• Weekday Cold Showers: Short notes that help you slow down and come back to yourself. Plus full archive access.
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• Live Q&A Invitations: A few times a year we gather for honest conversations about what matters most to you.
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