Oh hi! Hello! How are you? It’s been so long. I missed you.
In October I talked about wanting to be more spontaneous. Well, just before Christmas some spontaneity dropped in my lap when a couple of friends invited me on a group hiking trip between Christmas and New Year. We took on four days of the Great South West Walk, (including a bonus stay in a lighthouse cottage), and then two of us headed up to the Grampians for more hiking to bring in the new year.
Other than the inevitable bits of me breaking (Achilles) or falling off (another toenail) after a long hike, it was the very best way to spend dead week; outdoors, with friends, moving.
After that, I left summer for three weeks and hopped on a couple of planes to the US for a learning tour. This extravaganza of learning included the Professional Certificate in Foresight at The University of Houston, having lots of coffee catch ups in New York, a coaching session with Cindy Gallop in #theskyapartment, and attending the Heroic Public Speaking CORE program in New Jersey. The best bit was that alongside all of that, I got to spend loads of quality time in New York with one of my favourite people.
Doing a trip like this one feels very much like putting your head in a vice. I swear I could actually feel my brain getting wrinklier as I was shoving all that new information into it. But the same time as experiencing that growing-brain-glow, I feel like I’m going to burst out of my skin in wanting to do everything at once.
Immediately.
Right now.
This feeling is always made harder when returning home to exist mostly in ‘old’ whilst trying to build the ‘new’ from what you’ve just learnt about the world, your work, and yourself.
“The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters.”
~ Antonio Gramsci ~
Luckily, I’m surrounded by some pretty amazing (and sensible) people who have been there to listen to the unformed ideas, revelations, possibilities, fears, confusions, and questions that are very much a feature of this time.
In a leisurely lunchtime Facetime call with one of those amazing and sensible people, I said my two current pervasive feelings are 1) excited, and 2) daunted.
In Michael Bungay Stanier’s book How to Begin, he says that a worthy goal should be a healthy mixture of thrilling, important, and daunting. I loved that when I read it in late 2021, and it feels so very relevant right now.
Daunting is the bit where you don’t know what might happen, what it looks like, if you can do it, the impact it might have, or who you might be if you follow those delicious breadcrumbs into the unknown.
I think I might try and find out though.
To more summers of exploration,
Steph
PPS. To borrow from Austin Kleon, this newsletter is 'free but not cheap'. You can support their ongoing creation and keep me in books by buying me a coffee as a 'thank you', recommending it to a friend, or using one of the affiliate links in the email.
The it list 🔥
Here’s a few other things I’ve been obsessing over, enjoying, or doing recently…
Podcast - Distraction Pieces by Scroobius Pip: Firstly, how have I only just heard of this podcast?! The algorithm finally brought it to my attention last week and I really enjoyed the recent conversation with Samuel T Herring of Future Islands. Spotify | Apple Speaking of which…
Album - People Who Aren’t There Anymore by Future Islands: I hadn’t realised this new album was coming out, so this felt like a little surprise treat. I think it’s one of their best so far. Standout track: The Tower.
Album - Wall of Eyes by The Smile: I have been counting down to this release. I was itching to land back in Australia last Friday morning so I could immediately stream this new masterpiece. And it did not disappoint. It’s even more Radiohead-y than The Smile’s first album, and gives the full-body experience you want from a Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood project. Standout tracks: Teleharmonic, Read the Room, Bending Hectic.
Podcast - The Louis Theroux Podcast: After just -stopping- in the middle of last year with no mention of why/when it would be back, it suddenly reappeared this month with a fun interview with Paul Mescal. Spotify | Apple
Playlist - This is Penguin Cafe: I had a very fly-by conversation with a stranger whilst I was in the US and they gave me this band recommendation. I’ve listened to them everyday since.
Film - Saltburn: I finally caught the much-hyped film last weekend (it’s now on Amazon Prime). I loved the decision to set most of the film in 2006; close enough to still feel relevant and modern but without the interference of having to include social media and the distractions of the last four years. It also means that the soundtrack is an excellent shrine to mid-00s British indie. The storyline is bonkers, and darkly funny. There were a few plot gaps which could have been annoying in other films, but the final scene makes up for all of that.
Film - Poor Things: WTF was that?! If anyone else has seen this, we need to discuss.
Netflix - The Rescue: My friend and her wife talked at me about this documentary for about ten minutes straight whilst I was at their house in December. And having now watched it, I understand why. It’s a documentary about the Thai football team cave rescue, with interviews with the people involved. Even if you know the outcome, it’s still a very stressful watch, and such an incredible story of right people, right time, luck, and leadership against almost all of the odds.
Netflix - Sex Education: I know, I know, I am SO late to this party. But I binged the first three seasons in the two weeks before Christmas and I absolutely loved it. The way they cover so many tricky subjects is the perfect balance of funny and sensitive. The acting is great, I love how Otis and Eric’s friendship is really the star of the show (and Ncuti Gatwa is just brilliant), and I fell even more in love with Gillian Anderson in every episode. Hard recommend.
📚 What I’m reading 📚
QAnon and On by Van Badham
This is a bit of a teaser as I’m only part way through, but this book is equal parts thoroughly depressing, totally terrifying, and absolutely fascinating. My February ambition is to get back into a good reading routine, and I can’t wait to finish this one and tell you all about it next month.
Some places I popped up recently 👋🏻
Podcast - From Little Things: Just before finishing up for the year, Daniel Cannizzaro from Parpera, invited me to jump on the mic and talk about the decision I made to leave my corporate job and start my business in 2019, and what’s next. Spotify | Apple
Article - SmartCompany: My latest piece for SmartCompany I share my future of retail travel diary from the USA; what glimmers of the future I saw amongst the underwhelm.
App - The People Spot: Each month I pop up in the audio tracks of the People Spot app sharing a few interesting signals about the future. These audio clips are included in the free download (iPhone only) and you can use the code STEPHC for access to more content in the app.