Gratitude edition - Highlights from the fall and summer

Here's a little glimpse into what I've been up to since the last newsletter in April and what I'm feeling thankful for at this time of year.

It’s been a while, but the personal newsletter is back. I’m kicking things off with some highlights of what’s been going on for the past ~6 months.

Running and Run Clubs

Running the Seacoast Half Marathon

In my last newsletter I had been to a run club once and felt like it was worth returning. I had just joined Strava and wasn’t sure if I was going to stick with running for any meaningful amount of time. It’s cool to look back and see now that I’ve found an incredible community of people through a couple of running clubs in Portsmouth, logged 100+ activities on Strava, 392 miles and ran a half marathon in October.

Shoutout to Treeline Outfitters in Portsmouth for hosting a vibrant community of casual runners and walkers every Thursday night, rain or shine! The owners, Cody and Emily create such a welcoming atmosphere for all levels, offering a 3 mile run, a 5 mile run and a walking club so there’s something for everyone.

Building in the Startup Community

Coworking at Treeline Outfitters!

After doing a lot of interviews and research into the startup landscape in NH during the spring, I started taking some action to try to improve the connectivity and move the ecosystem forward. I started a monthly coworking series (next one is on December 12th) and launched a weekly newsletter curating local events with another entrepreneur in the area. We’re growing slowly but steadily and just crossed 100+ newsletter subscribers and we’re close to 50 people having attended coworking since we July. Super grateful for everyone who has showed up, every for a brief stint at coworking.

Both of these initiatives have helped me meet way more people doing interesting things in the area. I feel more plugged in than ever and it’s super energizing to meet new people working on cool projects.

Surfing year round

I’ve surfed in every month this year (except December) but we’re getting close! I’ve logged nearly 70 sessions so far, and I’ve seen a ton of progression since last year. Surfing is one of those activities that feels so intense when you’re doing it, but looks pretty underwhelming if you ever see footage of yourself doing it. I wish I had better media to share, but for now I just have short clips from a grainy surf camera at Long Sands. Every time I think about where we live, the proximity to the ocean is the thing I’m most grateful for. Being 15-20 minutes from a handful of beaches means I can leave my house at 6:30am, surf for an hour, and be home at 8:30am.

Work stuff

Life at Trinsic is busy as ever. I’ve settled into a cadence where I’m traveling about once per month for work which helps to break up the isolation of working in a fully remote environment. I went to Denver in August, then Phoenix in September and Las Vegas in October. More states are launching mobile driver’s licenses, and more countries are going live with digital IDs, which are all good for our business. We’re hiring a for a number of roles right now so it’s an exciting time.

There was a time when I always wanted to work in a technology startup, and after spending 5 years in the education space after graduation I wasn’t sure if it was going to happen. But thankfully Trinsic took a chance on me and it’s worked out well for both sides.

Travel

On the 17th hole of Whistling Straits

Outside of work trips, travel has been pretty mellow lately. Taking care of two elderly dogs makes it hard to leave for long periods of time. I spent a few days in Wisconsin golfing at Whistling Straits with my friend Zach in August. Then we took a roadtrip to Montreal in September with some friends. Sophia and I are going to Atlantis in the Bahamas next weekend as a delayed birthday trip.

We’re not driving down to Florida this year either (too much for the dogs), so we’ll be sticking around Portsmouth for the winter, taking some ski trips where we can and maybe sneaking away for shorter stints in warm weather! But, no complaints at all as the cadence of our days and weeks are tons of fun. I’m always reminded of the quote from Seth Godin: “Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from.”

What’s next

I’m going to do a more comprehensive “year in review” post in about a month to finish out 2025, reflect on goals for the year, and look forward into 2026. Thank you all for being here and reading the newsletter!

Zack