I’m an engineering manager who stopped writing code at work. So evenings and weekends, I build things — to keep sharp, to keep up, and because I can’t not. This is where I journal what I’m learning, what I’m shipping, and everything still unfinished.
I’ve been a developer since 2001. Started in digital agencies — writing code, leading teams, doing both at the same time. For most of my career, building and leading weren’t separate things. I did both, and that felt right.
Three years ago, that changed. New job, new role, full-time engineering manager. No more coding. Just leading.
It’s a good role. I’m good at it. But something was missing.
The Itch
Being a developer isn’t just a job title — it’s how I think. I break problems into components. I look at systems and see what’s inefficient. I get uncomfortable when I can’t build the thing I’m imagining.
Managing engineers scratches some of that. But not all of it. Reviewing architecture decisions isn’t the same as making them. Unblocking your team isn’t the same as shipping something yourself.
After two years of not building, I started feeling it. Not burnout — more like rust. The gap between what I knew and what was actually happening in the industry was quietly growing, and I didn’t like it.
So I started building again. Evenings. Weekends. Whatever time I could carve out.
Then AI Changed Everything
I came back to building at exactly the right moment — or maybe the most overwhelming one.
In the last year, AI coding tools changed what’s possible for a single developer working in stolen hours. Tools like Cursor and Claude don’t just autocomplete — they help you think through architecture, generate boilerplate, explain errors in plain language, and accelerate the parts of building that used to take the most time.
For someone like me — technically sharp but time-constrained — this was a multiplier I didn’t expect.
I realized I could build actual products, not just toy projects. Real things, with real users, solving real problems. And I could do it without quitting my job or sacrificing sleep indefinitely.
What I’ve Been Building
The first thing I shipped was ChurchPrompt.Directory — a directory of AI prompts specifically for church and ministry use. A niche product, but a real one. It’s live. People use it.
Next up is ReguBrief — a compliance briefing tool aimed at DPOs and teams trying to keep up with GDPR and the EU AI Act. Pending launch, but close.
And the biggest one right now: ArwenHQ, an open-source alternative to Basecamp. Project management for teams who want something simpler, self-hostable, and not locked into a SaaS subscription they don’t fully control.
Three products at different stages. All of them built in the gaps of a full-time job. All of them unfinished in some way.
Why This Blog
I’m not writing this to document success. I’m writing it because the process of building these things — the decisions, the dead ends, the small wins, the tools that changed how I work — is worth capturing.
If you’re a developer who manages now and misses building, you’ll find something here. If you’re building solo products in your spare time, you’ll find something here. If you’re trying to figure out how to use AI tools to actually ship things faster, I’m figuring that out too, and I’ll share what I learn.
This blog is a journal, not a tutorial series. Posts will be honest about what’s broken, what’s half-done, and what I’m still figuring out.
What’s Still Unfinished
ReguBrief isn’t launched yet. ArwenHQ is mid-build. And honestly, I’m still working out what this blog is — what cadence makes sense, which projects deserve the most attention, how to balance building with writing about building without one cannibalizing the other.
But that’s the point. Shipped & Unfinished isn’t a state I’m trying to escape. It’s just an honest description of where I am.
More soon.