2024 Report

What an incredible year 2024 has been! I always look forward to these end-of-year reports, particularly because they allow me to reflect on previous years and appreciate how far I’ve come. As we dive into the 2024 report, I should mention that some details will need to remain confidential for now. I’ll use code names for these projects, which will become clearer in the years ahead. Now, let’s begin.

The Inaction

I know this might sound paradoxical, but this realization has been the highlight of my year. Let me explain. I’ve spent years waiting for life to give me what I deserve—and therein lies the harsh truth: that rarely happens. The notion that “I deserve something because I worked hard” is a myth. One of the notes on my vision board for 2024 reads, “Go get the silver platter.” This plays on the well-known idiom “served on a silver platter” and reminds me that even if I deserve something, it won’t simply materialize—I must put in additional effort to claim what I’ve earned. This is when I recognized that the very idea of deserving anything was actually leading to inaction.

This mindset shift, which remains a work in progress (as bad habits can always resurface), has sparked several initiatives. First, I launched “The Project” (yes, that’s its code name). This had been on my mind for a long time, but I doubted my ability to execute it alone. Perhaps the timing wasn’t right, or there wasn’t enough pressure, or I was simply waiting for someone to hand it to me because I felt I deserved it. This year, I finally took the initiative to begin. The process unfolded more smoothly than I could have imagined and succeeded beyond my wildest dreams. I’ll share more details about it in the future, likely in my 2025 year-end report, as it represents a significant life change for me. I apologize for the secrecy, but I hope you understand. I want to document my current perspective, and the only way to do that authentically is to keep it under wraps for now.

The key lesson here is that there’s nothing you can’t accomplish. You just need to take initiative. Step out of your comfort zone. Stop waiting for life to deliver what you deserve. Go out and claim it.

Health, the bumpy road

Looking back at last year, I was dealing with weight gain and an IT-Band injury. For context, you might want to check out my previous year’s report. My first priority was preventing another injury (though there are no guarantees, of course). I started Pilates in Q3 2024 to improve flexibility and overall functional strength, and I’m still committed to it. For the first time in my life, I actually enjoy stretching! However, I’m still working on building the habit of stretching before and after runs.

My second goal was weight loss. As mentioned last year, I aimed to get under 100 kg (220 lbs). I’m now at 98 kg (216 lbs) - a definite success. I even completed my first 5K run before the year’s end.

What’s next? I’m targeting a weight range between 80-90 kg (175-190 lbs) for 2025. I plan to continue functional strength training and Pilates. Ultimately, after all these ups and downs, I want to run my third marathon. I’ve accomplished all of this before (see my previous fitness posts on this blog) - now it’s about doing it better and more consistently.

Business

My experience at Microsoft has been incredibly educational over these past 3 years and 6 months. During the last year, my territory expanded to include Southeast and Central Europe, bringing new experiences with different customers and cultures. From an organizational learning perspective, I feel I’ve gained most of what I set out to learn. One of my initial reasons for joining Microsoft was to experience a large organization from the inside. Previously, I had only worked with teams of fewer than 100 people, and I was typically the one who established the organization and set the foundation for its engineering culture. Especially after completing my second Master’s in Organizational Leadership and with my current PhD studies, I wanted to observe large organizations from within. While I know my perspective might be like that of one of the blind men examining the elephant - seeing only a part of the whole - these past 3.5 years have been incredibly valuable.

Image: Jono Hey, sketchplanations.com

My coaching journey is flourishing on multiple fronts. At Microsoft, I’m proud to be part of the Emerging Leaders program, where I coach internal employees to help them grow and advance in their careers. Outside of Microsoft, my private coaching practice is gaining significant momentum. I genuinely enjoy helping people and have moved my practice to a new standalone site at daron.coach. Additionally, I’ve become a USA National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach! More details in the Growth section below. I find great fulfillment in coaching people and watching them discover their path, moving forward with increased courage and confidence. For 2025, I plan to continue developing my coaching skills and expand my practice. One area of focus will be mindfulness and mindfulness-based coaching. I’ve been practicing mindfulness for some time and want to help others with it, though I don’t have a concrete plan to share yet.

Giving Back

I really went all out with speaking engagements this year, conducting 60 sessions across 25 cities in 3 countries. Only 10 of these events were online, which meant extensive travel. Two of them were TEDx events, which was a first for me. For 2025, I already have numerous events scheduled. I’m proud to share that I’ve been added to the ACM Distinguished Speakers list, which means ACM communities can invite me to speak at their events with travel costs covered by ACM.

During Q4, I focused on building my LinkedIn presence by sharing daily AI research findings. This initiative not only increased my reach but also motivated me to dive deeper into research, which has been incredibly rewarding.

While my YouTube content production was limited, I maintained a steady presence through 8 live streams. In Q4, I increased the frequency to two live streams per month, a schedule I plan to maintain going forward.

For those familiar with the SuperPeer community, I regret to inform you that the platform is shutting down. I’ve transitioned all members to a mailing list and plan to send monthly newsletter updates. You can subscribe to the newsletter through the signup form on my website. I’m selective about email communications and only send updates when I have valuable content to share.

Growth

2024 was phenomenal for my personal growth. I’m halfway through my Ph.D. thesis in Leadership Studies! If all goes well, I should complete it in 2025. Another achievement was passing the USA National Health and Wellness Coaching final written exam, earning my certification as a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC). As I noted in my 2023 report, the combination of coaching and therapy sessions continues to work wonders for both myself and my clients.

Now for a surprise that’s quite unusual for a current Ph.D. student - I’ve started a part-time Master’s degree in Engineering Management at the University of Colorado Boulder! Let me explain why. With my background in Computer Science (MSc with Software Engineering concentration) and Organizational Leadership (MA with HR Development concentration), I’ve gained valuable knowledge, but both degrees left gaps in financial management of engineering organizations. My Leadership Ph.D., while valuable, doesn’t address these areas either.

I see three crucial aspects to managing engineering organizations: technology, people, and finances. For technology, I have a strong foundation and keep up through daily research. For people management, I’m investing in my skills through my Ph.D. and coaching practice. However, my financial knowledge, while decent (like most founders), could use strengthening. That’s why I chose Engineering Management.

Since this is a part-time program, I’m not setting a completion deadline - my goal isn’t just to finish, but to thoroughly absorb the content at my own pace. Plus, I’m really looking forward to the tech leadership electives! I’ll keep you posted on my progress.

Future Look

Every end-of-year reflection reminds me that life is full of unexpected turns and opportunities for growth. Looking ahead, I’m energized by the multiple paths before me - completing my Ph.D. in Leadership Studies, diving deeper into Engineering Management at CU Boulder, and expanding my coaching practice with a focus on mindfulness. My health journey continues with clear targets: reaching that 175-190 lb range and working toward my third marathon.

What excites me most is how these different aspects of my life - academic pursuits, professional growth, coaching, and personal health - are starting to weave together into a coherent story. Through my speaking engagements as an ACM Distinguished Speaker and my growing LinkedIn presence, I’ll keep sharing knowledge and connecting with amazing people across the globe.

Sure, there’s a lot on my plate, but that’s exactly how I like it. Each goal, whether it’s maintaining those YouTube live streams or deepening my coaching practice, represents another step in this incredible journey.

Here’s to 2025 - a year that promises new challenges, unexpected victories, and countless opportunities to make a difference!