Welcome,
Start Here
Hi there, I'm Lucas. I'm a dad of two little ones, Mylo and Cora, and a shih-tzu/toy fox terrier rescue named Gizmo. I'm also the CEO of Barrel. We help CPG brands create unified brand experiences online.
I like to write to make sense of what I'm learning. This site is where I share it.
With 500+ posts and counting, there's a lot to explore. If you're new here, this page will help you find your way in.
How I Got Here
I joined Barrel in 2013 as a freelance designer shortly after moving to NYC. At the time, I was just hoping it would become a full-time gig. I could never have predicted it would become a 12+ year journey, from designer to Creative Director to CXO to CEO. This site captures the latter part of that journey in real-time.
Read: Designer to CEO: What 12 Years Taught Me About Leadership
BL&T
My weekly newsletter (Borrowed, Learned, & Thought) published every Monday. Each edition follows a simple format: a quote I'm sitting with, a reflection from the week, and a question to end on.
Where to start:
- How Weekly Writing Helps Me Lead — Why I write
- When the Work Is No Longer Yours Alone — On letting go as you grow
- The Unexpected Returns of Showing Up Fully — Why giving your best pays off
What You'll Find Here
Agency Leadership
I write about the realities of agency life: pricing, sales, hiring, client relationships, and building culture from a distance.
Start here:
- Closing a Client Chapter After Nearly Six Years — When a long-term client moved on
- The Rituals Driving Communication at Barrel — How we stay connected remotely
- Takeaways from an 18-Month Sales Cycle — Patience and strategy in new business
- The Cost of Moving Fast Without A Plan — What happens when you skip alignment
- The Right Things In Common — On culture and what we share
Endurance & Fitness
I came to fitness later in life and fell in love. These posts are about training, discipline, pacing, and what hard physical pursuits have taught me about everything else.
Start here:
- Reflections from My First Marathon
- 10 Things I'll Remember from the Philly Half Marathon
- Racing My Second HYROX
- Competing in Strongman
Fatherhood & Family
I write about the dance of managing presence and patience and how becoming a parent reshapes everything.
Start here:
- Becoming A Dad — When we found out about Mylo
- Cora — Our daughter's Christmas Eve arrival
- A Weekend in the ICU & A Reminder to Slow Down
- Overcoming Fear & Comfort from Parenthood to Professional Life
- On My Mind This Father's Day
Books & Applied Learning
I always have my nose in a book or two and write about what resonates. Our leadership team reads together, and many posts explore specific books in depth.
Start here:
- Insights from Danny Meyer's "Setting the Table"
- Leading to Empower: Reflections on "Multipliers"
- Leadership Lessons from "Becoming Trader Joe"
- "Getting Naked" by Patrick Lencioni: Takeaways
- Takeaways from "Same As Ever" by Morgan Housel
- Shaping "The Path of Least Resistance" to Create the Life You Want
Personal Growth
The posts that are often the hardest to write. On navigating roles, connection, and the inner work behind the work.
Start here:
- Why I Organized a Men's Group
- What I Took Away from My First Men's Retreat
- The Road I Thought I Knew: On Presence & Gratitude
- A Letter to the Overambitious
- Always Perform Like You're in an Arena
Annual Reviews
Each year, I take a step back and look at highlights, lessons learned, and progress across key areas of my life through the lens of my habits. I'm not a big fan of resolutions. Instead, I use this as a tool to recalibrate my habits and daily practices based on the life I want to live in the future. These offer the fullest picture of any given year.
Thanks for being here.
Lucas
