What's up 2025

It’s already February 2025! After taking a little over a month to rest, it’s time to reflect on what happened in 2024 and share what’s coming this year.

Why Did I Disappear from Dec ‘24 to Jan ‘25?

Many may not know, but 2024 was a weird and chaotic year for me. It ended with me being unemployed and needing to step back—to rest, focus on my health (body, mind, and soul), and figure things out.

Here’s what happened:

• I was moved from DevRel-ing k6 to a full focus on Grafana, which meant losing support for testing-related conferences.
• Ironically, I was finally accepted to many major (testing) conferences I had been trying to get into for years, and backing out wasn’t an option.
• Signs started pointing toward a possible move out of Mexico.

Balancing everything became a massive challenge. By August, I had decided to push through until November-December, juggling both work and conferences, knowing that by the end, I’d have to choose between them.

Changes Had to Be Made

By August, I realized work wasn’t bringing me joy anymore. Someone told me, “A happy Leandro is very important.” That stuck with me. So, I decided to quit my job and dedicate December and January to healing and recovery.

My plan was simple: fulfill my remaining conference commitments while wrapping up work responsibilities. That meant a lot of traveling (which I usually enjoy), speaking at conferences, using up all my PTO, and at the same time, working late nights to keep up with job duties.

By the time everything was done, I was completely drained—physically and emotionally. I had burned the candle at both ends, and something in me broke. To rediscover my joy in conferences and content creation, I needed reflection, rest, and time with family.

So, I spent the holidays with loved ones, played a ton of video games (rocked MegaMan ZX and Street Fighter 6), read five books, took long walks in the forest, returned to fitness classes, got more sleep, and just focused on recharging.

What’s Going On Now?

As of today—early February 2025—I’m not employed, and fortunately, I’m in no rush to find a job.

Biggest news? My wife also went through some changes, which means we’ll be moving to Germany in mid-2025!

Being unemployed gives me the chance to focus on Señor Performo, the move, my health (both physical and mental), and—most importantly—my happiness.

Goals for 2025

Given everything happening this year, getting a job isn’t my top priority. Here’s what I’ll be focusing on instead, roughly in order of priority:

1. Moving to Germany

This is going to be a massive task—packing up my life, leaving behind what won’t fit, sorting out logistics, paperwork, processes… everything. By January 2026, I want to be able to say, “I live in Germany.”

2. Improving My German

For my visa, I need to pass a language exam. Right now, my Tarzan-level German isn’t going to cut it. So, this is a key focus. Ich muss besser Deutsch sprechen!

3. Creating at Least One Performance Course

For years, I’ve struggled to find the time to create courses for platforms like Udemy or even to host them myself. Now that I’m on my own, this is more important than ever—I need to bring some bacon home!

4. Translating My First Book

Another long-overdue project: translating The Hitchhiking Guide to Load Testing Projects into Spanish. I want to make sure those who struggle with English can access the knowledge.

And who knows? Maybe I’ll even make some progress on my second book, tentatively titled Thank You for the Continuous Performance Fish (written first in English).

5. Creating More YouTube Content

I want to keep growing my channels—yes, plural. My English channel has been a bit neglected, so I’ll give it more attention while also keeping up with my larger Spanish-language channel.

6. Conferences

I still want to participate in conferences, but I’ll be more selective this year. With so much happening in my life, I need to pace myself to avoid burning out like I did in 2024. But I definitely want to reunite with my conference family and continue sharing performance and observability knowledge!

Closing Thoughts

Writing this blog post is a cathartic way to cement these plans in my mind, my subconscious, and my soul. It also serves as a written guide to keep me on track.

This year, my top priority is health— in the process of moving my life over countries, staying as fit as possible and keep up with my family and friends. But no matter what, I’ll always keep sharing knowledge with the world!

Let’s see how well I stick to these plans. Stay tuned for what’s coming!

❤️ Besos!

—Leandro SrPerformo