Robert the philosopher. Robert the wanderer. Robert the father. Robert the husband. Robert the artist.
There is something deeply gratifying about being friends with extraordinary people. Robert Patrick Rondeaux is part of our tribe, our orbit, our constellation of humans who make the world feel bigger and more intimate at the same time.
Have you ever had someone call you and ask, “Tell me what you are working through right now? Leave nothing out. No stone unturned.” And then they listen with the intensity of the earth’s inner core?
No rushing.
No interrupting. Only reflecting and seeking clarity.
No agenda. Only genuine interest.
That is Robert.
He is disarmingly intelligent, quietly hilarious, and impossibly patient. He never rushes a response. He never forces an answer. Even under the real constraints of time as we know it, he marinates in every question. When his response finally arrives, it lands like a sage whispering lean in.
The School Bus Full of Gear
Among Robert’s identities, one stands out with almost mythic glow: cinematographer. To call him talented feels too small. To describe what he does as filmmaking feels too narrow. The truth is that he creates environments for meaning to happen.
On several occasions he has packed what appears to be an entire school bus worth of equipment and let me participate. Air quotes on assist because I probably added layers of effort to an already demanding job, but he made me feel included.
Immersing myself in someone else’s mastery is always humbling. Witnessing the by product of years of craft, trial, error, passion, and perspective colliding with the force of a black hole is something to behold.
The Health Investment Hidden in Plain Sight
Here is the part I did not expect: spending time inside Robert’s world became one of the most beautifully expansive health investments I have made.
Not because I learned camera settings, or lighting temperatures, or the difference between a director, a producer, and a cinematographer. Though I did.
It was because stepping into Robert’s mastery reorganized something inside me.
It sharpened my attention.
It softened my nervous system.
It challenged my assumptions.
It stretched my imagination.
It reminded me that craft is a spiritual practice in disguise.
This is the heart of Health401k®: the environments we immerse ourselves in pull new behaviors, new insights, and new identities out of us naturally.
Why This Counts as a Multidimensional Investment
Being with Robert, learning beside him, and watching him work crossed multiple dimensions of health:
- social: Time with a friend I deeply admire, whose presence grounds me.
- intellectual: Learning about lenses, color temperature, framing, directing, editing, visual effects.
- physical: Setting up and breaking down gear is no joke, and film days demand stamina.
- emotional: Being around a deeply emotionally intelligent human has a regulating, steadying effect.
- spiritual: Creating art that lasts transcends the moment. It is a way of leaving a mark.
- environmental: Film sets are living ecosystems that shift identity the moment you step inside.
Robert and I often talk about how to protect his health so he can continue protecting and enjoying his family. But the truth is that he already makes some of the most powerful long term health investments simply through how he lives, listens, and creates.
The Investment Named
If I had to name the investment plainly, it would be this:
Immerse yourself in the world of someone whose mastery exceeds your own. Let their environment temporarily become yours, and watch what reorganizes internally.
It is one of the most under-appreciated pathways to profound growth.
The Unexpected Return
Every time I leave a film day with Robert, I walk away with something I did not have before: clarity, focus, spaciousness, gratitude, or a new way of seeing my work.
He is a father, a husband, a wanderer, a maker, a philosopher, a quiet warrior of patience and presence. He is one of the people whose footsteps leave an imprint you notice only after you have walked behind them for a while.
For that, I am grateful he is part of our tribe.
Ryan Travis Woods