Sabbatical is a funny thing.

Some days I wake up completely certain this is exactly what I needed. I can feel myself slowing down, noticing more, and remembering what it feels like to have a little space. Other days, I’m ready to jump back into the rhythm of work. I miss having projects to launch, a team to collaborate with, and the structure that naturally comes with a full calendar.

What’s surprised me most is that both feelings can exist at the same time.

One thing does feel much clearer, though. I trust that the timing will reveal itself when it’s supposed to. Until then, I’ve been incredibly lucky.

Over the last six weeks I’ve traveled spontaneously to Hawaii with my childhood best friend Alissa, spent a few weeks wandering Copenhagen, booked a last-minute flight to London to see Harry Styles, and celebrated the Fourth of July with my family in Michigan. And I’m heading back to Europe soon.

The other night, I caught myself thinking about how rare this kind of season actually is.

Most people move from one job to the next without ever having the chance to pause. We spend so much of our lives focused on what’s immediately in front of us that we rarely get the opportunity to daydream about what could come next.

For the first time in a long time, I don’t feel rushed. I can spend two hours reading at a café, book a flight because it feels right, or sit in the middle of the afternoon watching the World Cup without checking Teams or thinking about what’s waiting in my inbox.

That feels like an incredible gift.

And lately, I’ve been coming back to one idea I can’t seem to shake.

The most important thing we’ll ever design is our own life.

I’ve always loved good design: beautiful homes, thoughtfully planned dinners, products that feel intentional, cities that invite you to slow down.

And maybe that’s because I’ve always believed the most meaningful design project isn’t something we buy or build.

It’s the life we choose. The friends we spend time with. The projects we say yes to. The rituals that shape our mornings. The conversations we keep having. The things we decide are worth protecting.

Those choices become the design.

Right now, I’m simply grateful to have the space to ask a better question:

What kind of life am I building?

What Would Harry Do?

One of the highlights of the last few weeks was checking off a bucket list item: seeing Harry Styles at Wembley Stadium from the Royal Box (yes, the one the royal family uses). It still feels a little surreal to type.

I’ve admired his creativity for years, but the thing I admire most has very little to do with the music.

Every interview I’ve heard from someone who’s worked with him seems to end the same way. Whether it’s a stylist, a security guard, a band member, or someone on his crew, they all say some version of the same thing before anything else:

“He’s kind.”

That stuck with me.

Kindness is one of the few things that only becomes more meaningful as your career grows. We live in a world that’s constantly asking for our attention: emails, meetings, flights, deadlines. It’s easy to become so focused on what’s next that we forget to be fully present with the person standing right in front of us.

That’s the impression Harry seems to leave on people. And it’s made me come back to one simple question: What would Harry Styles do?

Most Memorable Bite

This week’s winner goes to the chocolate croissant from Sawada Coffee.

I was invited by my friends at Notre to a Nike ACG trail run outside Chicago to try some of their new gear. We spent the morning running through the trails, but the moment I keep thinking about happened after the run.

Parked at the finish line was an old Mitsubishi bus that had been converted into a tiny coffee bar. Inside was an espresso machine, a barista pulling vanilla-orange oat milk lattes, and trays of warm chocolate croissants waiting for us.

Like most memorable bites, it wasn’t really about the croissant.

It was the intention behind the experience. Someone decided the finish line shouldn’t just be a folding table with bananas and protein bars. They designed a moment people would remember.

It’s such a small detail, but it completely changed the feeling of the morning.

That’s the kind of design I’ve been paying more attention to lately: not just beautiful things, but thoughtful ones.

Currently

Training for: Chicago Marathon + New York City Marathon

Listening to: Dancing On My Own by Robyn (Thanks to Voicemails for Isabelle)

Favorite Product: Octobre swim trunks. I practically lived in them this month.

Craving: Military Latte from Sawada

Excited for: The next month of my sabbatical and wherever curiosity takes me next.

Taking with me: The most important thing we’ll ever design is our own life.

See you next week.

In the meantime, I hope you find a little space this week to ask yourself the same question I’ve been asking:

What kind of life am I building?

Ry

Share

Welcome back to Breakfast Club, a weekly note on movement, food, community, creativity, and building a life worth slowing down for.

life lately

Life has felt like it’s moving fast and slow at the same time.

I’m wrapping up being in Copenhagen (some virtual postcards here) for a few weeks, and I don’t think I could’ve picked a better place to begin this sabbatical season. Everything kept pointing me here. Rest. The sea. The pastries. Long bike rides.

_{Top and shorts by Octobre, loafers by Huckberry, bag by Uniqlo}

The city moves slowly. The streets are quiet. The design is beautiful. The food is next level. More than anything, Copenhagen reminded me there’s another way to move through the world. It’s something I’m hoping to bring back with me to Chicago.

When you’re surrounded by people who move slowly, you naturally slow down. When everyone bikes, you bike. When public spaces invite you to stay awhile, you end up staying. Our environment quietly shapes who we become.

It’s made me wonder how often we try to change ourselves, when sometimes changing our environment, even in small ways, is enough.

That thought has been following me all month, and it connects to something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately... Most big changes begin as very small decisions.

the snowball effect

A few weeks ago, I was trying to explain something to a friend, and the only way I could describe it was with a snowball.

Imagine packing a tiny snowball at the top of a hill. You give it a push, and at first it barely changes. But as it rolls, it picks up a little more snow. Then a little more. Before long, it’s something completely different than where it started.

The older I get, the more I think life works like that.

We spend so much time waiting for one big moment to change everything. A new job. A move. A relationship. The perfect opportunity. But when I look back, most of the biggest changes in my life didn’t happen overnight. They started with one small decision that quietly snowballed into something much bigger.

This is just one example, but it’s the one I come back to most often.

For me, that decision was joining a men’s group in Chicago called MoveMENt.

It didn’t feel like a life-changing decision at the time. Once a month, we get together to challenge ourselves physically and then spend time in small groups talking about life. I had no idea how much would come from that one decision.

From that first event, I joined a running group. That led to the Shamrock Shuffle. Which led to my first half marathon. Then another half marathon. Then Hyrox. Then the Chicago Marathon. Another Hyrox. Now I’m training for both Chicago and New York marathons this fall.

That one decision changed my friendships. It changed how I spend my weekends. It changed how I think about my body. It probably even gave me the confidence to take this sabbatical.

Sometimes we put so much pressure on ourselves to change our lives overnight. But maybe the better question is simply: What’s one small decision I can make today?

You don’t always notice the snowball growing while it’s rolling. One day you just look around and realize your life looks completely different.

before i analyze my life...

One thing I’ve been adjusting to on sabbatical is having so much open space in my calendar. For years, every hour already had a purpose. Meetings. Deadlines. Workouts. Dinner plans. My days were structured for me.

Now I have to create that structure myself, and honestly, I’m still getting used to it.

Last week in Copenhagen was one of those mornings where I woke up feeling like I should be doing something. Go for a run. Read another chapter. Work on business ideas. Try to map out my next chapter.

Instead, I made one small decision: I walked to to the park at King’s Garden.

I sat in the grass, sketched for a while, read, watched students play tag, and let my mind wander. Somewhere between people watching and filling a few pages in my notebook, I gave myself permission to daydream. To contemplate. To chase ideas without worrying whether they’d ever become anything. Maybe I’ll build one of them. Maybe I won’t.

I didn’t solve my life or figure everything out. But, I left feeling lighter than when I arrived.

One sentence I wrote in my journal that day… Before I analyze my life, take a walk in the park.

seven bites from copenhagen…

One thing I did exceptionally well this month? I ate.

I shared my top seven bites from Copenhagen over on Instagram. These are the places I’d happily recommend to any friends going. Save for your next trip, or send to a friend.

most memorable bite…

This week’s most memorable bite belongs to the smoked salmon focaccia from Hart Bageri in Copenhagen. I liked it enough to order it three different times.

One afternoon, I grabbed a sandwich and a lemon kombucha before walking down to the water. People were swimming in the harbor, reading books on the docks, talking with friends, and making the most of the long Copenhagen summer days. Another quick shoutout to the Danes and their back tattoos.

The meals I remember most are rarely just about the food. They’re usually tied to a place, a conversation, or a feeling. This one tasted like a perfect summer afternoon in Copenhagen.

currently

Training for: Chicago Marathon + NYC Marathon

Listening to: Harry Styles, Are You Listening Yet?

Product of the week: Marshall Stanmore III speaker

Craving: Cardamom bun from Juno Bakery

Excited for: Fourth of July in Michigan with my nephews

Taking with me: Most big changes begin as very small decisions.

See you next week,

Ry

Welcome back to Breakfast Club, a weekly note on movement, food, community, creativity, and building a life worth slowing down for.

when things get quiet

It’s wild to say this, but today marks exactly one month since my last “official” day at work. In some ways, it feels like it flew by. In others, it feels much longer.

After years of managing teams, budgets, launches, timelines, openings, and calendars packed all day, I’ve spent the last month adjusting to something entirely different: space. And if I’m being honest, it hasn’t always been easy.

I think a lot of us spend years filling every available moment. Work. Social plans. Workouts. Deadlines. There’s always something demanding our attention.

But when things finally get quiet, something interesting happens. The noise disappears, and the questions we’ve been avoiding get a little louder.

Some days, I miss the momentum. Some days, I wonder if I’m doing enough. And then there are days when I realize this season is giving me exactly what I’ve needed for a very long time.

That’s what this first month of sabbatical has felt like for me.

My friend Jedidiah Jenkins recently shared a thought on The Truth Is… podcast that has stayed with me. He said everyone is one sabbatical away from a breakthrough. He compares it to a pond. When the water is constantly being stirred, you can’t see clearly. But when everything settles, clarity starts to emerge. That image feels incredibly true right now.

The last month has stirred up a lot. Excitement. Fear. Gratitude. Uncertainty. Hope. Some days I feel incredibly grounded and optimistic about what’s ahead. Other days, fear creeps in and I start questioning everything.

What I’m learning is that both can be true.

The lesson, at least for me, has been patience. Trusting that not every answer needs to arrive immediately. Trusting that growth doesn’t always happen through force. Sometimes it happens through stillness. Or through sitting long enough for the water to settle.

Which brings me to Copenhagen…

a slow day in copenhagen

One thing I’ve started sharing more on social is a series called A Slow Day In…

The idea is simple: travel doesn’t always need to be optimized.

For years, I treated travel like a checklist. See everything. Eat at every restaurant. Pack the itinerary. Come home exhausted.

Lately, I’ve been approaching it differently. More sitting. More wandering. More returning to the same places. More noticing. Less pressure to make the most of every minute. Honestly, it feels a lot better.

I share this on my Instagram (watch here), but if I were planning the perfect slow day in Copenhagen, it would look something like this:

Start your morning at Prolog in Meatpacking. Grab a flat white and a pastry (highly recommend the poppy seed & lemon pastry), find a seat, and stay longer than you planned. One of my favorite things about Copenhagen is how intentional everyone seems to be. People are reading books, talking with friends, and genuinely taking their time.

Bike over to King’s Garden. Find a patch of grass, sit in the sun, and do absolutely nothing for a little while. The flowers are in bloom, the trees are perfect and massive, and somehow the entire city feels calm.

Grab lunch at Hart Bakery. My favorite bakery in Copenhagen. I’ve had their smoked salmon focaccia sandwich more times than I’d like to admit.

Spend the afternoon by the harbor up near Nordhavnen, or Papirøen. There are so many good spots so you won’t go wrong. This feels like the heart of Copenhagen summer. Swimming, reading, lounging, people watching, drinking kombucha (lots of kombucha), and soaking up every second of sunshine. Also, shoutout to the Danes and their back tattoos. I genuinely didn't see a bad one the entire trip.

End the day at Mother Pizza. The Massimo was easily one of my favorite dishes of the trip: local sausage, roasted potatoes, pesto, mozzarella. I feel like the crust is better because of Scandinavian water.

Something tells me this won't be my last time in Copenhagen this summer…

things i’m learning

Growth is allowed to feel gentle. Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is sit in a park.

Self-trust grows when you stop outsourcing every decision.

Two things can be true at once. I can feel excited and uncertain.

Love > Fear.

Not just in relationships, but in creativity, business, friendships, travel, and the stories we tell ourselves.

most memorable bite

This week’s most memorable bite belongs to La Banchina.

As I write this, I’m sitting outside overlooking the water. People are stretched across the docks reading books, jumping into the harbor, and soaking up the long Copenhagen summer days.

The meal itself was incredibly simple: rye bread, a smear of butter (the perfect amount), a hard-boiled egg, a little salt, and an iced oat milk latte.

Nothing revolutionary. But maybe that’s why it felt memorable.

The older I get, the more I’m realizing that some of life’s best moments aren’t the extraordinary ones. They’re the quiet ones. The ones where nothing particularly exciting is happening, but you’re fully present enough to notice how good it all is.

currently

Training for: Chicago Marathon + NYC Marathon

Listening to: The Truth Is by Kathryn Flaschner

Brand of the moment: Pas Normal Studios

Product of the week: Wilbo Hat

Craving: Lemon poppy seed pastry from Prolog

Learning: Growth is allowed to feel gentle

Excited for: Harry Styles in London

Reminder: Love > Fear

See you next week,

Ry

Share

Share breakfast club by ryan meyers

Subscribe now

breakfast club No. 001

It’s kind of wild to say this, but I finally started a newsletter.

I’m Ryan Meyers (aka Ryan in the City), and I’ve wanted to do this for over a decade. I just never gave myself the space to begin.

So welcome to breakfast club, a weekly note for people who love movement, food, community, creativity, and intentional living.

Each week, I’ll share a little life update, what I’m training for, what I’m eating, what’s inspiring me, and a few things that might help you slow down, move your body, or feel a little more connected to yourself.

If you’re here, there’s a good chance we’ve crossed paths at a yoga class, dinner party, run club, wellness event, or somewhere around Chicago over the years.

Breakfast Club is inspired by a bi-weekly gathering my friend Kayla Jeter and I started at Soho House. It’s a room full of people pursuing very different goals but connected by a shared belief: life moves a little better when you have community around you.

People come to celebrate wins, share ideas, work through challenges, and support one another in building lives that feel intentional.

I’m glad you’re here.

Big Life Update

I’m officially on corporate sabbatical.

After 15 years working across hospitality, marketing, branding, and cannabis, I’m taking a career break.

I’ve spent most of my adult life in build mode: launching brands, opening restaurants and hotels, helping grow businesses, creating for other people’s visions.

And honestly, I just want a little space.

Space to think.

Space to create.

Space to reconnect with what I actually want next.

I’ve always dreamed about building something that fully feels like mine, something with my fingerprints all over it, but I’ve never really given myself the room to explore what that could look like.

Maybe I end up right back in another corporate role.

Maybe I build something entirely different.

I genuinely don’t know yet.

That uncertainty feels equal parts terrifying and exciting.

But I do know this: it became very clear that I needed the space.

And based on the conversations I’ve been having lately, I don’t think I’m alone.

A lot of people seem to be craving that right now.

Where I’m Going

People keep asking what’s next, and for the first time in my life, I don’t really have an answer. Other than Copenhagen.

I’ll be spending a few weeks there this summer, just being.

Slow mornings.

Bike rides.

Great coffee.

Tiny tables on sidewalks.

Almost croissants.

Podcast walks.

Nowhere urgent to be.

I picked Copenhagen because it feels like a city that knows how to breathe: creative, beautiful, energetic, but calm.

Exactly what I think I need right now.

If you have recommendations, send them my way. Especially cafés, bakeries, n/a wine bars, or places that feel slow.

What I’m Training For

A lot of my life still revolves around movement.

This last weekend, I ran the Chicago 13.1, one of my favorite races because it takes you through neighborhoods and communities that remind you just how big and diverse this city really is.

I was also supposed to attempt a sub-60 HYROX last week, but we had to pull out at the last minute.

If there was a lesson in that experience, it was non-attachment.

In yoga philosophy, one of the teachings is learning to accept what is rather than resisting what isn’t.

Instead of forcing the outcome I wanted, I let go of it.

And somehow that led to an impromptu trip to Hawaii with Alissa Jo, my best friend friend from high school.

Life has a funny way of redirecting us when we let it.

Looking ahead, I’m training for both the Chicago Marathon and NYC Marathon this fall while raising money for Peace Runners, an organization bringing movement, wellness, and opportunity to Chicago’s South and West Sides.

More on that soon.

What I’m Learning

“Space brings clarity.”

I keep coming back to that sentence.

But two weeks into sabbatical, I’m realizing clarity doesn’t arrive the moment you create space for it. If anything, the opposite happens first.

The questions get louder.

The uncertainty becomes more visible.

You start noticing how often you’ve filled every open moment with work, goals, plans, productivity, or distraction.

I’ve spent most of my adult life moving toward something.

A promotion.

A launch.

An opening.

A milestone.

Now, for one of the first times in my life, there isn’t a clear finish line.

And that’s uncomfortable.

But I’m beginning to wonder if clarity isn’t something you chase.

Maybe it’s something that slowly reveals itself when you stop running long enough to hear it.

So for now, I’m practicing something I’m not particularly good at:

Trusting the space.

Most Memorable Bite of the Week

The Campechano taco from Taqueria Chingón: Asada, chorizo verde con papas, melted Monterey Jack cheese, avocado salsa, and cilantro.

Years ago, Rich Melman told me the best meals are the ones you think about the next day.

The ones you crave after you’ve already left.

I’m still thinking about this taco.

And yes, I’d absolutely pay $8 for it again.

Currently…

• Training for: Chicago Marathon + NYC Marathon

• Listening to: Jake Shane’s podcast on long walks

• Brand of the moment: Saucony Endorphin 5’s (for my half marathon)

• Recovery product of the week: LMNT Watermelon

• Chicago spot: Taqueria Chingón

• Wellness reminder: Sleep is the cheat code

• Craving: Another Campechano taco

• Learning: Slowing down is harder than staying busy

• Excited for: Slow mornings in Copenhagen and teaching more yoga classes

• This week’s reminder: Less forcing. More listening.

See you next week,

Ry