You can build something that scales and still lose the thread.
Chris Fischer knows. He’s led product and engineering at nine startups, helped take companies public, and raised millions. He’s built teams that moved fast, shipped fast, and sometimes broke apart just as fast.
What stuck with him wasn’t the exits. It was the people who disappeared quietly along the way.
“Some of the best people I’ve worked with didn’t disappear. I just forgot to stay in touch.”
In this week’s Field Note, we sat down in his Brooklyn office — exposed brick, bike leaning in the corner — and talked about what it means to build infrastructure for something softer, slower. Something that doesn’t scale on its own: care.
We talked about the team members he lost track of. The cross-country ride that rewired his relationship with endurance. The brain injury that nearly knocked him out of tech for good. And why he’s now building Goodword — not as a networking app, but as a way to remember.
This one’s for anyone who’s ever said “I meant to reach out…” and then let it pass.
The people you didn’t mean to lose.
The ones who shaped the path.
The thread you still want to hold.
This is Chris’s story.
Listen to the audio, view the portraits and sit with the practice 🎧
If someone came to mind while reading this, reach out.
No big moment, just the thread — picked back up.
Head over to Goodword to sign up as an early user.
And if this Field Note moved something in you, you can buy me a coffee or become a paid subscriber to support more stories like this.
See you next Friday!
— Lindsey
Such an important lesson transformed into a collective mission! 💛