Let’s discuss a bit more about your career path. You moved from senior analyst to head of premium content to product manager. How did wearing so many different hats, like writer, content leader, and product strategist, shape the way you think about building products and leading teams?

In general, even the most technical person needs to express themselves; they need to sell a bit, to communicate at least what they’re doing. And now, with AI doing much of the grunt work, I think something AI will never replace is face-to-face communication. I developed a passion for communication early in my career. If you talk about what you’re doing and then start talking about what other people are doing, it can be uncomfortable to intervene in someone else’s work. I found myself moving to the product manager role because I had a background in entrepreneurship. I had an idea of how things should look. And it was just expressing my opinions all the time. Sometimes people would accept my opinions, sometimes they would kick me out, but they knew that I had an idea of how I wanted to do things, looking beyond my job description. I think, in general, if you’re working for a company, it’s always important to look beyond your job description and have an opinion about some things, not everything, but having an opinion is important, and being able to communicate and share it as well.

You nearly died after your first marathon from water intoxication. Most people probably would never run again. So what made you sign up for another one?

Well, I guess I’m stubborn, but I also wanted to prove I can do it the right way and fix things. And it was important for my own confidence. And it was also important for me to prove to the people closest to me – my wife, my parents, my sister, close friends – that I’m capable of correcting my mistakes and doing it right. I’ve been running all my life, maybe because I never had any talent in football or basketball. I don’t know how I found myself doing that, but running — and for other people, it can be other sports — is a good way to vent emotions, to process things. So, I felt it especially a few years later when I just got injured and being unable to run was sort of brought me down. I was a lower version of myself.

In one of your TED talks, you made a key distinction between short and long runs and compared it with the difference between tactical and strategic thinking. And you said that during the long runs, you see things clearly and focus on the things that matter. How can business leaders create their own version of the long run, given what’s happening in the world? We constantly see what we need to do only for tomorrow.

AI is moving fast. We should dedicate a bit of time in our calendar to zoom out from the day-to-day stuff, and to just have a bit more time to either process the day-to-day stuff and get everything together, or take even one step further and think, okay, we had a strategy at the beginning, this is where we are, should we adapt? What’s going on? Because things are always moving fast, and plans are great, it’s better to have a plan than not to have one; it’s important to adapt. So for me, any kind of time-boxing, I do it running, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be pounding the sidewalk. I think we should all find time to do that.

You said the best time to have a hard conversation with a teenager is in a car, both staring forward, not making eye contact. And you compared that to the deep conversations that happen during long runs as well. How can leaders foster this kind of open, pressure-free dialogue within their teams?

A few things that I’ve learned. If you have a face-to-face conversation with somebody, it’s better not to sit one in front of the other, but on the side, with a sort of 90-degree angle. Then it creates less of a confrontational thing. And I know that many leaders just go for a walk with somebody; walk with me instead of just going to a meeting room. Now, it’s not always possible. We’re having this conversation online, and we’re stuck in our chairs. But if possible, relaxing that eye contact allows us to go a bit deeper. And I think, and movement in general helps as well, this kind of movement and lack of eye contact can help in concentrating better and diving deeper. That’s my experience.

The advice you offered in one TED Talk was really great: “Name your North Star, build a team around your dream, and don’t forget to eat.”

Can you explain what “don’t forget to eat” really means for leaders?

Well, it can be literal, physical. In my case, I didn’t eat enough, and that almost cost me my life in my first marathon. I think leaders and especially founders of startups can get carried away in work, and they feel energetic, and they feel that every minute they dedicate really brings the company forward. But there’s also a chance, as we know, that the extra time at work is counterproductive, or at least there are diminishing returns after you just get tired. And it’s still important to eat—even if you stay late—get a pizza and maintain some kind of routine. Don’t give up on food, don’t give up on exercise we mentioned before. Regarding “build the team” — I find that if I tell somebody, okay, this is my goal, people want to help more than we appreciate. People appreciate being reached out to more than we think. We don’t bother them as much as we think we do. When I ask somebody for help, it gives that person a sense that they’re worthy, they can do something. Of course, until a limit — we can all be annoying — but usually we underappreciate how much people want to help. And even just telling your big goal to somebody will get them to offer to help, connect you with people, and keep you accountable. So I think communicating your goals, even to people who are outside your team, is important.