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trying something new
field notes
Kieran Lenahan
August 10, 2025
Hey all 👋
Testing something new!
I want the vibe of this newsletter to be:
Field notes of a father in the trenches of building a family + businesses
I constantly have things I’m learning or experiencing as a father/builder/follower of Jesus that I think others could benefit from.
But doing that in a very “polished” way takes too long to make it doable in the current stage of life.
(Hence, why I’ve been averaging 1 of these emails every ~6-8 weeks).
Here’s what I’m testing (first one is below - let me know what you think):
Length: Short. I want you to read it in ~1 min or less and leave with something thought provoking or actionable.
Content: More raw, real, stream of consciousness style
Frequency: 2-3 times/month
I’ll still do some deep dives on topics when it makes sense, but the norm will be short.
If that’s doesn’t sound fun, feel free to unsubscribe at the bottom of the email. I won’t be offended (that much) 😉
Here we go…
Three things on my mind…
1. Balancing generosity with focus and boundary setting: For the last few years I've personally struggled with the tension between being generous with my time as an offering to God and other people vs. following the common business of advice of saying no and valuing/protecting my time. Curious if anybody has a helpful way to think through this or a framework for how they decide when to say yes versus no.
2. Testing AI Voice Dictation: It feels like there’s a new AI product coming out every 60 seconds. I'm trying to do my best not to get overwhelmed with them while also giving some of them a test to see if I can be more effective with my time. The latest one I'm testing is called Wispr Flow. It's a dictation app that allows me to speak instead of type (4x faster). So far the best part is that the transcription is actually accurate, unlike my iPhone. Testing it for a month on my laptop and phone for more informal emails and writing. (Yes, I dictated this paragraph)
3. Kids want to play outside unsupervised: Jonathan Haidt (author of The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness) wrote a new article worth a read. In the book, his thesis is: We overprotect children in the real world, and underprotect them online. The article he just wrote talks about how kids long for the type of unsupervised play we (and our parents) enjoyed as kids. One quote sums it up quite well: “Kids being raised on screens long for real freedom. It’s like they’re homesick for a world they’ve never known.” Full article here but it’s paywalled. You can read the most important parts in his IG post here.
Until next time,
Kieran
P.S. Cali and Lucy are quickly becoming besties and I’m here for it.
P.P.S. Here are a few things I’m working on - let me know if I can help.