Other big news this week – very exciting to hear the Bayeux tapestry is back on British soil after almost 1000 years. A 70m-long medieval masterpiece (embroidery) telling the story of the Norman Conquest. On display at the British Museum from Sep-Jun 2027. I missed out on priority booking – tickets sold out on the first day, but there’ll be more on sale later this year for ‘27. Will get my act together. Julieta really wants to go.

“I have to see it. That’s MY field!!” She was born in Hastings, went to Battle Abbey nursery and we lived in Battle for a few years.

Huge thanks to local MP Helena Dollimore who’s been campaigning to ensure 1066 residents get to see it. Great to hear Southeastern has agreed to fund 1066 free train tickets for school parties.

And a shoutout to the comms team at the British Museum – a story within a story – for all their hard work making this happen. They did several dry runs – it survived the potholes and got here in one piece. Great idea to project Eliott Wheatland-Clinch’s design – Merci! – onto the white cliffs of Dover. How fabulous does this look…

2026/27 is the ‘Year of the Norman’ so there’ll be loads going on down here and all around the UK. Lovely to see the whole country get behind this.

I’ve been doing a bit of research – didn’t realise there are TWO tapestries. We have our own version - a full-sized Victorian replica, which you can see for free at Reading Museum. Read all about Elizabeth Wardle’s ambitious mission in Emily-Ann Elliot’s article.

So, if you’re mad for it and pre-book, you could visit both – Batman and Robin – in one day. The journey between Reading Museum and the British Museum takes about 1 hr 15 on the Elizabeth Line. It’ll be strict slots at the BM (40 mins one-way ticket) so best to brush up on the designs beforehand. The Reading one is self-paced so more leisurely. Less people in your face.

It’s coming home. I want England to win the World Cup - we need this, but I also don’t mind if France win, given we’re joined at the hip. Long live the Entente Cordiale! And our shared language.

I’m planning to do the 1066 Country Walk – 31 miles between Pevensey Castle and Rye. Take pics of the 10 Bayeux tapestry sculptures along the route, created by local artist Keith A Pettit. Follow the story while you walk…

I’ve done the Hastings to Battle bit solo and all over Rye – all good – and the signage is probably better now. If you stopover in Battle, you can see the new 1066 exhibition at Battle Abbey.

Enjoy!

N xo

From the summer of 1976 💛

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Got chatting to the man sat opposite me – artist & illustrator. Writing in big loops with a fountain pen with his OS maps spread out all over the table. Planning a trip. I was curious about the pen and he said it’s a Scheaffer. He has SIX and only uses them to write and draw. “They help with words and images - and flow.” He looked so serene - I’ll have to get one.

Had to stop myself whipping out my phone to film his messy analogue desk (I love watching men at work). All this thinking in tweets and feeling the urge to capture life’s little moments on my phone is driving me nuts.

“I’m happy to see you writing by hand,” he said. Yeah. I’ve been doing this more lately, trying to reduce my screen time. Things grow out of my morning scribbles, and it’s more relaxing than staring at a blank screen. How joyful is it to sit in a café and NOT get your laptop out. Fountain Pen lyrics. Work on ONE thing. Talk to people. Nobody asks me about my laptop ;)

He said he likes coming here as “interesting people and it’s cheaper. You save 50p on coffee if you bring your own mug.” I’d forgotten about that. I love matcha lattes and it’s a lot cheaper here than Costa and Nero.

As for the maps, he likes to plan his trips “the old-school way”. He also teaches art and most of his students can’t map read as they’ve never had to do it. “They rely on SatNav for everything.”

But what happens when we have a power cut - too many people turning on the air con, or the mobile networks go down!? As is quite likely with this heatwave…

I like working here too - feels like an old slipper. I’m inspired by all the books and delighted the mag rack is back! I can get my Monocle fix. They don’t mind you reading stuff in the café – as long as you don’t break the spine.

Happy longtime café crew too - all in sync. I love the complementary hair colours and vintage outfits. And they remember my order. It’s the little things. I appreciate it and tell ‘em so.

Nika 🍸

“We’re about to see the explosion of analog” — and other stuff I enjoyed this week.

Substack is launching a sponsorship program, along with ‘Creator Kits’ to help us build media kits for brand partners. Open to bestsellers while they test it. I’m delighted and excited – it simplifies things and provides some support beyond paid subs, which aren’t enough for most of us. DIY-ing it is also time-consuming.

This piece on ‘the trust recession’ by Laurence McCahill at the Happy Startup School in Brighton (thanks to Louise for the rec). How tech firms are embracing IRL. A reminder to get out there and “keep bringing your lovely, messy human-ness* to all that you do.”

This interview with Gary Vaynerchuk on what he’s seeing in the startup world. “We’re about to see the explosion of analog… Extreme AI is creating extreme analog.” Driving demand for real-world experiences: phone-free restaurants, physical retail, live events. I can’t wait for the phone-free gig…

‘Watch this space: a new strategic direction for UK media’ – the DCMS has launched a green paper + consultation on plans to improve access to trusted news. Have your say. Perhaps a tad worried about how many people have cancelled their TV licence ;) I cancelled mine as not watching live telly. I can live without iPlayer.

Mimi Yates’ investigation on homeless delivery drivers. Here’s the ‘story behind the story.’ Great to see this made the front page of the Daily Mail. Part of a bold, social-first series uncovering hidden stories affecting young people.

I’ve signed up for Emilie’s free online vibration meditation after hearing her talk about Sun Kyeong and her personal healing journey on the Modern Wellness pod. Every Friday, 8am on YouTube.

Harry Kane is an Ella Fella - took time out from training to watch her play and gave her a personalised Three Lions shirt. Hope to see Saka on the pitch on Saturday - we need some magic! ✨

Bold Types is a reader-backed publication. Your support keeps it going. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber.

Work from pub is going well. I went to The Fountain on Friday, which Paul Johnson aka Mirrorball Paul has reopened as a retro lounge. It’s a mirrorball showroom with a bar, food collabs, and kitchen residencies. Pub slash office.

So funky, love it. Huge glitterballs, plastic yellow booths, and a long window bar perfect for people-watching and laptops. Pacman Arcade (joystick!), board games, courtyard garden. It’s very relaxed - babies and dogs chilling. I had a glass of the Writers Block Shiraz. Take a tour.

It’s great to see Queen’s Road changing - there’s real energy in this part of town. All indie businesses - art, good coffee, streetfood. Keith the foot fairy (he goes clubbing every month) and communal experiences like Neighbourhood Pottery and Japanese Hydro-Jet heated massage beds (take a mate for reduced rates!).

The Longevity Show

I’m off to The Longevity Show at Tobacco Dock (lol) London on 26-27 June. Being marketed as “The UK’s first longevity festival, helping you discover what really works for living healthier, longer.”

Looking forward to it - especially the Longevity Rave. I’ve been listening to some pods with co-founder Tina Woods aka Tina Techtonic, who started DJ-ing after 50. Now 61, she’s leading research exploring how raves, music and movement can help our health and longevity.

It is never too late to follow your passion. Age just doesn’t matter - people respond to energy, not wrinkles!

We’re living through a fascinating shift — from treating illness to investing in health. For the first time, we can shape how we age. It’s not about living forever, but making the most of our healthspan (disease-free years) so we can enjoy life.

We can all participate in collective longevity science, not just biohacker bros and billionaires.

It’s also fast-moving, confusing and expensive. I’ve been down the supplement rabbit hole many times.

🪩 Project Longevity: longevity without the vampire vibes.

I’ve set myself a challenge for this year - new experiences and daily rituals that feed my body, soul, and wanderlust.

Working alfresco, rave rituals, HRT, neurosurfing, nootropics, superfoods, shamanism, wellness retreats, circular fashion. Using AI to help us live better for longer.

There’s nothing we can do about chronological aging but we can lower our biological age.

I’ll be raving till the grave. Dancing is my no 1 longevity tool - fun, free and communal, but my drug days are over. Did you see White Lines on Netflix? Loved the vibe (especially sexy Boxer), but also found it really depressing. Drugs are so destructive.

I don’t want to drink every night, but I do want a healthy high without the hangover.

Just bought a bottle of Sentia Spirits, which stimulates the release of Gaba: “the off-switch of the brain” says neuropsychopharmacologist Prof David Nutt - also one of its creators. It mimics the effects of alcohol without the hangover and can help with your sleep, relaxation and anxiety.

Be interesting to see if it gives me a buzz. One to try with a mate. “Can you feel it yet?” 🥂

Nika xo

PS June Book Club Pick is Wayward Women: Sex, Friendship and the Midlife Reset - a memoir by Rhonda Carrier & Tracey Davies. Upgrade to join us and travel through a book.

🪩 Is this your vibe? Whenever you’re ready, come join our OG raver fam!

Hiya 🤗

Thought it was time for a (re)introduction so I’ve written this post - the story behind Bold Types and what I’m building online.

On the Wild West of freelancing, my 30- year career, the rise of creator journalism— and choosing yourself.

Also: See my About page for Project Longevity and what you’ll get.

UPDATE: Keir Starmer is now on Substack 😁

Just reading Henry Zeffman’s post on why Labour MPs are still craving a compelling story from Starmer. Feeling frustrated that he’s not found a way to land his message.

Remarkably for a politician who’s been a party leader for a long time he’s still not defined for a lot of the public.

People also ask on Google: What does Keir Starmer actually believe in? Has Keir Starmer written any books?

A personal newsletter would help and be a home for all his writing.

I had an email the other day from a charity asking if I’d like to be a guest writer on their new Substack. “Sadly, we don’t have the funds to pay for submissions—but writers can promote their other work or organisations.”

Perhaps writing about the ups and downs of being a freelance journalist and promoting your own Substack (why you decided to launch it, how it’s going etc). What do you think?

Nice to be asked, and I’m keen to work with them—I like what they’re doing for media issues, but at the same time, my heart sank. Someone else asking me to work for free. I’m already doing quite a bit of pro bono work. If I printed out similar requests I’ve had over the last 25+ yrs, I could start my own stationery line. Make a paper Christmas tree or three!

Median pay for freelance journos in the UK is piss poor: just £17.5K/yr—less than the minimum wage—for a typical 35-hr work week (ALCS/NUJ). Payment rates have been stagnant for YEARS. There are no pay rises or promotions. “As freelancers we just get paid the same rate. I think most freelancers are afraid to ask for more in case they aren’t commissioned anymore.” Plus: kills fees, payment on publication, implicit contracts etc, which are hard to challenge solo.

The next day, I read Christina Patterson’s post on the slow death of journalism - and the fast death of my career, which struck a chord with me. “Asking us to write for free is like asking an electrician to rewire your house in exchange for a smile.” I restacked it on Notes and mentioned the email.

I think it’s a huge cheek for anyone to ask anyone who isn’t a friend to do anything for free. I am trying to learn to say no, unless I’m pretty sure there’s something in it that will make it worth my while. We can spend our entire lives doing unpaid work and meanwhile the bills have to be paid.

My first unpaid gig was on X-Campus, my uni mag, to get some clippings—arts & culture stuff, which I loved (clue #1). After graduating, I moved back home for a bit to figure out my next move—wasn’t sure whether I wanted to do broadcast or print journalism. I joined the startup Radio Mansfield as ‘community news editor’ and got some radio skills while the MD applied for a permanent licence. By night, I was waitressing at Center Parcs to make ends meet.

That year, I wrote to 100 production companies looking for work as a runner and eventually got offered a gig on Art Attack! at the Maidstone Studios. £80/wk (my bedsit was £40/wk), so a low-key lifestyle, but I was learning the ropes and meeting people. It led to other work—a kids’ show called WOW! (met the Spice Girls, just coming up), Endurance, Masterchef (didn’t see anything dodgy). Then I got offered a FT role at Wizja TV, a new Polish station, as a programming assistant at £13K/yr.

Got my head down, but I was bored to tears working in Acquisitions. Lots of admin, chasing and nothing creative—but it gave me stability and a routine, while I was studying journalism on the side. I kept writing and saving so I could quit and go travelling—figured I’d Wwoof my way round the world, live/work on farms and look for media opps in the cities.

I worked at Foxtel in Sydney for a few months (more programming!) and got some freelance work in Perth with Travel Maps Australia, a budget travel mag. A road trip to the Pinnacles and some market research, interviewing backpackers in hostels. My first foray into magazine journalism and travel writing for niche communities and it sparked something in me (clue #2).

When I got back to the UK, I applied for a scholarship in magazine journalism with Emap in Peterborough and got it! (the work/travel adventure paid off). I was so excited, I didn’t care it was only £12K/yr—I’d manage somehow. Six months with Country Walking, so I’d be learning on the job, and it might lead to something permanent.

This was 2000/1 so digital revolution pre-social media and most of the mags were launching websites. CW were fully staffed and didn’t really need me, so I went to work on the website launch with the ex-editor who’d moved over to digital. I liked the tiny team start-up vibe. She was open to ideas, didn’t micro-manage and let me get on with it (clue #3 - I’m not good with authority).

There was no job on CW at the end of it, but I could move to another title at Emap Active. I was a bit restless though and really wanted to work on women’s mags or The Face so that meant moving to London – Media City, where everything was happening. Mad really - Peterborough is no distance and much cheaper to live, but I wanted to be IN IT meeting people. They weren’t thrilled I was buggering off but helped me get some work on Here’s Health.

A shoutout to my friend Natasha from Wizja TV for letting me stay in her box room in Waterloo while I found my feet and did work experience. It gave me the confidence to take the leap, and I couldn’t have done it otherwise.

I spent the next five years in London working myself into dust—freelance journalism, copywriting, comms/PR, ghostwriting. I found the women’s mags competitive and a bit snooty, but liked the culture & health stuff so did more of that. Spent 18 months at a corporate fraud agency doing pre-employment checks, creating resources, and rifling through bin bags! Still journalism but better paid and more stable—I even had a pension. Not sure why I left… well, that’s another story.

A mate was trying to launch a sex mag for women and asked me to write a piece on orgasms. I had amenorrhoea and was struggling with vaginismus, which was getting me down. So, an opportunity to go deeper and figure out what was going on. I guess my niche found me. Writing about it all was my way of healing myself.

I joined the NUJ, Women Writers’ Network and Women in Journalism and started helping out. Ran events in nice hotels for WIJ freelancers to bring women together—I needed that. Freelancing is lonely so it’s crucial to have a support network (clue #4). I’m still working with the NUJ and am grateful for their financial support during Covid when I fell through the cracks.

I left London in 2006 when I pregnant with Julieta. This was peak mamasphere, as blogging was evolving and social media taking off. Women started the creator movement - Heather Armstrong, Dooce. Catherine Connors, Her Bad Mother. Motherhood warts n all. They paved the way and talked about taboo topics - yet were vilified for it by the media.

I started my own sex & culture blog, Rude and threw myself into that. Got lots of energy back from it, but struggled to monetise it on WordPress. I wasn’t running paid subs or paywalling—just Google Adsense and sponsorships, which were sporadic. I had sex toys coming out of my ears, but I didn’t have a sustainable business model to keep paying writers.

I had a knowledge gap and a lack of biz skills (not part of J-school, uni or talked about on the job) so I was learning from my peers. When I did start paywalling much later, I got backlash from a male writer who said, “I think you’re making a big mistake.”

The blogging paid off in other ways though and helped me land publishing deals. I wrote more letters to agents (I swear by the LOI – it works!), found one and got commissioned to write a book on orgasms for Hamlyn. This was Belle de Jour, Scarlet, Amora Museum, Shades of Grey era so something in the air…

They commissioned me to write two more. All the book deals were flat fee contracts minus the agent’s 15% so pretty modest. I got a wee advance but carried on working while I wrote them. They did a bit of publicity, but I was expected to do most of the work—research, writing, marketing, socials, events, organising book signings.

I wrote a few more books for different publishers including Vibe, a Norwegian outfit who then went bust so my Kama Sutra guide never got published, and I didn’t see a penny. My debt collector couldn’t do much as the contract was outside the UK (will never do that again).

Median earnings for UK authors was £7K/yr in 2022 (ALCS), so it’s part of your portfolio career—if you’re a non-famous, non-fiction writer, anyway. I get a small amount of royalties for secondary uses from ALCS and PLR every year so worth signing up with them.

By my late 30s/40s, I was feeling burned out with creating content online and a bit trapped in my niche, as I was writing under my name. I didn’t want to be a sex & relationship therapist like Sarah Berry or a presenter like Tracey Cox. I thought about becoming a dominatrix (great money!) and writing a book about that, but I’d need to be in London—couldn’t turn my flat into a dungeon and I didn’t want to work locally.

I’d outgrown it, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do next. I remember a journo from The Telegraph calling me for a quote and saying, “what’s left to say about sex in your 40s?” She needed a new angle lol. So did I.

I found it hard to let go though—Rude was my second baby. I’d put my heart and soul into it, built a digital mag I was proud of, and paid writers. Giving up felt like failure so I kept going, juggling love and money work. What I needed was a mentor/coach to talk to - to get a plan together so I could pivot slowly and expand into new things.

In the end, my body made the decision for me. I got ill and was diagnosed with RA aka Wayne the Pain so had to stop everything. I’ve never known pain like it—childbirth doesn’t compare. Horrible condition. Fat fingers so I couldn’t write properly, and it made me feel so tired.

These things don’t happen overnight so it’s long-term stress: precarious work, doing too much, money worries (I had 20K debt in London and eventually did an IVA to consolidate). I was solo parenting and miles away from my family so all a bit much. Body says NO. I’m not doing this anymore.

I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had—graft, timing and luck—but journalism and publishing has never felt secure as a career, or like I had someone invested in me long-term. I’ve done all this good work but I don’t have a lot to show for it materially ie a home to pass on to Julieta.

I’ve had three agents—the first one left and I didn’t gel with her replacement (I wasn’t high-brow or famous enough). Then they restructured and let a few of us go (including me) so she left to do her own thing. I got an email thanks & bye but no advice on what to do now or offer to connect me with the other writers. I found them on my own.

So here we are. 2025. A bit older and greyer, still plugging away, having another go (the tech is better!). Writing Bold Types, enjoying the Substack Motel.

Choosing myself and reinventing myself, which is the lesson I’ve learned from all of this. Choose life and building your career around that not the other way around.

Exploring and helping to shape the new media revolution. Creator journalism is the most exciting area of journalism imo. Intimate and collaborative. People are paying for news! I’m here for it.

An opportunity to tell untold stories and go deeper into a niche that the mainstream media can’t cover. And so many great women in this space Taylor Lorenz Kat Tenbarge Daysia Tolentino Kristin Merrilees kate lindsay Emily Sundberg Lex Roman Kaya Yurieff, Jasmine Enberg Rachel Karten Lia Haberman Kerry Flynn Alexa Phillips

Substack isn’t perfect (what platform is?). I don’t love the closed API/walled garden—the future of the web is decentralised. I don’t want to be too dependent on a platform - use them for discoverability. But I like their mission to be a home for culture and they have changed the culture around paying for writing online. I’ve also met some brilliant people here.

The good thing is we have options now. The creator space is growing and platforms have to stay competitive. I see Beehiiv has a big reveal coming up in Nov that “will completely change how creators and publishers build online”.

Creative freedom is important—my main driver. But this time, it has to be sustainable and a proper living. More collaborative, less lone wolf - the route to burnout. The cult of founder (whose bright idea was it to name ad agencies after people?) puts all the pressure on the individual to succeed. We’re not content machines and we can’t be productive all the time. I need to work in seasons, with my energy and human design.

Build something bigger than myself and bridge the online and offline worlds, which takes time - you have to commit to it and be consistent. In time, I’ll host affordable writing retreats - the House of Letters - because the magic happens in person. And life is better with the sun on your face, a bowl of olives and a Negroni in hand.

Julieta has just started at U of York so new beginnings for both of us. I miss her little face and it’s quiet in the flat, but I don’t miss the unpaid, undervalued, and invisible labour.

It’s ME SEASON—a great feeling.

Not sure where I want to base myself next so I need to do some mini trips while I figure it out. A week in Bristol. A smart village in Italy. I was talking to Amy Fallon about that earlier—a reminder to renew my YHA membership. If they’re well run and have private rooms, I can hack it!

Feels good to bang this out. I can see the patterns and clues about how I like to live and work. The stories I’ve been telling myself for last 25+ yrs (‘there’s no money in writing or being creative’…‘journalism is a middle-class industry’). And what I’ll be telling myself for the next chapter—my unretirement and a happy, healthy 100-year life, I hope.

Christina just replied to my comment about sending something I’ve already written. “If at all. I sometimes ask people if they would ask a plumber to mend their boiler for free. What’s the difference?”

I know. I’d like to be involved though, think it’ll lead on to other things. I’m a giver and believer in karma—do it for the beauty of it. Life is so transactional, and I don’t want to live like that.

My mate Marianne Lehnis: “Send him something you’ve already written. Doesn’t cost you anything and you get the exposure/free visibility. Just look through your newsletters.”

A reminder to sort my archive out!

Or I could just send him this.

Nika xo

Thanks for reading! If you’ve written your story, I’d love to read it.

Gold star for reading this far! 🤩

🪩 Bold Types is a reader-backed publication. Your support keeps it going. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber.

I had my first mammogram this week - a breast screening unit in a tiny Portacabin in the hospital car park. Walked in to find four women sat there waiting.

I checked in with the nurse, who was shuffling through papers, trying to find my form. “It’s the first one,” I said, trying to be helpful. She scooped them up and leaned back. “Look, I’m trying to maintain patient confidentiality here.”

Not a great start. You can’t swing a cat in here never mind patient confidentiality. Everyone can hear everything. She asked if I’d had one before - no. Then I might have to go to Brighton and get it done again, if the images aren’t sharp enough.

I was asked to take my bra off in the cubicle and come back out with my top on. Read the patient leaflet while I was waiting - you’re not supposed to wear deodorant on the day, as it can affect the results. Bugger. Bit late now.

A woman walked in, “It’s cosy in here!” She sat down next to me and another nurse came out and asked her to do the same - take her bra off.

“I’m not wearing one,” she laughed. “I can’t be arsed with that anymore.”

Lol. I said I can’t stand them either, especially underwired ones – torture garments.

“You won’t believe it. The other day this bloke came up to me on the street and said, ‘You need to wear a bra, love’…

“And I said, that’s none of your bloody business!” Good for her.

“Is this your first one?”

“Yeah, but I’ve heard all about it. Your boobs in a vice. Did you hear about the woman who got stuck in the machine during a power cut?”

OMG no 😳 Apparently, she was mid-squeeze when the power went off so had to wait for someone to set her free. Eventually, a bloke turned up. “I’m so sorry, love.”

WTF. Is there not an emergency exit button on these machines!?

“Nika Talbot”.

“Wow, it’s huge”. I made a joke about being tiny but she ignored that and explained what would happen. I had to stand in front of it while she moved my feet and boobs into the right position for the x-rays. I felt like a mannequin in a shop window. When she comes to life, anything can happen!

“Breathe in. And breathe out…” and then she tightened the grip. Ooooof. Sorry for reading the patient notes. A couple of hard squeezes and release. She did it again on the right side, even tighter this time, which took my breath away. “Do you have one breast that’s bigger than the other?”

“No idea, probably.”

Afterwards, she checked the x-rays and wasn’t happy with the detail, so round two - on one side only.

Took about 15 mins and I should get the results within two weeks - or a letter telling me I need to go to Brighton.

I left through a different door - presumably so you don’t start chatting to the women waiting. Took myself off to the cafe in the church and sat on the sofa with a hot chocolate. I had my laptop with me but didn’t feel like doing much. Felt wiped out for the rest of the day.

I will go to screenings as it could save my life. My mum had a lumpectomy recently (they found a small cyst while testing for something else). She was lucky, they caught it early and it hasn’t spread. Otherwise it would still be there - routine breast screenings stop at 70. You won’t be invited after that, but you can request it through your GP.

Considering it’s the most common cancer in women (1 in 7 will get breast cancer) – surely we deserve better than a temporary trailer in a car park. It feels like an afterthought. I know I can ask to be screened in the hospital but it’ll just delay things.

Thanks to Margaret Hodge for sharing her story and pushing for the upper age limit on screenings to be raised. Hopefully new AI scanners will bring the cost down.

We need to stop writing off older women. She spent years as a minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and understands how you achieve change. Keir needs to sit down and have a chat with her.

I am 80, with two new jobs, and I’m not prepared to be written off.

▶️ Kylie, a three-part series, is out on Netflix. She had a second cancer diagnosis in 2021 and talks about it here.

Nika xo

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Just listened to the King’s Speech - very underwhelming. Bit low energy (probably had enough of the red pen.) Good to hear “legislation will be introduced to tackle late payments” to support small biz, but what about the huge burden of regulation? The energy crisis? Cost of living? I paid £7.50 for some mackerel in M&S last night. 👀

I had a text from a friend about how two pubs are closing each day in the UK.

Will start trying to work more from pubs and less from cafes. Most pubs are ancient and historical — whereas cafes come and go!

Agree and doing the same. Between Jan and Mar, 161 pubs closed across England, Scotland and Wales, with a loss of 2,400 jobs. I’m also fed up with seeing beautiful buildings boarded up - or turned into Tesco Express.

Most cafes close at 5 pm — we have a pub/bar culture rather than a cafe culture. I’m always looking for cool indie places with the right vibe - papers, mags, good coffee - where I can sit and read or do some writing in the eves.

I’m off to Old Dame now - Royal Victoria Hotel on the seafront. Grade II listed and a bit tired. Mostly coach parties and cream teas, but it’s huge with a piano lounge and bar. Free wi-fi and meetings rooms by the hour. A Victorian seafront office for the day, why not.

We might add another day to our Writers’ Café so Tue, Wed, Thu afternoons. It’s helping massively - gotta stop bothering the builders!

Some of the big chains are offering ‘Work from Pub’ (WFP) packages - desk space, unlimited hot drinks, wi-fi and lunch for a flat fee (£10-£20), which is 40% cheaper than coworking for the day.

My local Spoons (John Logie Baird) is in an 1850s building in town. Prints and text about local artists & writers, £1.85 for Lavazza coffee, tea and free refills. Gotta be worth a try - just hope the carpet doesn’t give me a headache.

A Hastings Pub Crawl — with artistic license

I was chatting to Chris the chef the other day. He looked a bit glum so I asked how things are going - he’s also self-employed.

“It’s a struggle.” He has to prepare food but doesn’t know how busy it will be. People are eating out less. The government needs to reduce VAT on hospitality and offer longer-term support.

Here’s Markus Thonnett’s new exhibition PUB CRAWL - really beautiful card cuts telling the stories of 10 Hastings pubs. I love looking at them while I’m working.

Bring on El Niño and long, sunny eves at the pub watching the Three Lions lift that trophy! 🍸

Nika xo

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I went to Norman Miller’s book launch at Waterstones this week. Good turnout. He said he was nervous, bless him. Think this was his first book launch.

How did you choose the places? What stood out?

“I wanted places with an interesting backstory.” A good mix of things. Lots of research and chats with historians and groups, plus local knowledge. He’s been living in Sussex for two decades after deciding it’s better than London.

* The Dove Café – a refugee-led café and “shining example of grassroots activism and community.” Enjoy food from the Lebanon, Sudan and Afghanistan, world music and work by locals like Syrian photographer Nour El-Din.

* The Havelock – “outside it looks like a not very good boozer. Inside, it has one of Britain’s finest examples of decorative historic pub tiling.”

* Hastings Adventure Golf – hosts the World Crazy Golf Championships.

* St Helen’s Church – hidden ruins in woods on the edge of town (older than Hastings Castle!)

* Shirley’s Flower Makers’ Museum – 100+ years of artificial flower making and the largest working collection in Europe. Closing soon!

What didn’t make the cut?

Unit 2 - a brilliant pop-up gallery in St Leonards as it might not be here by the time the book came out (it’s not - Tough Love indie record bar is moving in).

“I like pubs. I was told half-way through, no more pubs, Norm.” So, The Stag Inn didn’t make it. “There’s a bird mark on the back floor, which is tied to a witch story and can’t be cleaned off.” (also has a sloping garden with fairy lights).

What was the strangest thing you saw?

The Gibbet Cage in Rye, which contains the remains of John Breads, a local butcher who was executed and hanged for the murder of Allen Grebell in 1742. Worth doing a ghost walk to see the attic and skull.

I asked him how long it took to write. “An easy nine months. Six months of writing.” The photos were harder as he had to come back on a sunny day. He doesn’t drive so thanked his wife for ferrying him around.

Would you live in Hastings?

“I could live in St Leonards.” Everyone went quiet. St Leonards has been quietly reinventing itself over last few years and is getting a lot of press. Seaside soul - Burton architecture, indie businesses, the hipster vibe...

It has a spirit of entrepreneurial optimism. The other day I heard someone say: “I’m moving down from London to reignite my creative spark.” Great strapline!

Good to hear he’s writing a piece on the town for The Times.

I genuinely hope that local people enjoy it as well as DFLs and daytrippers.

Thanks Norm! I appreciate you. I’m curious to see where I’ve not been — some inspo for The Reset - my 2026 year of tiny trips.

It’s timely too with Hastings’ bid to be the first Town of Culture (shortlist out soon). The Bayeux Tapestry is coming to the British Museum in September. And on Netflix this autumn: Pride & Prejudice, partly filmed in Rye.

I can tell he’s in love with this genre. He’s pitched two more - Portsmouth & the Isle of Wight. His first book on Chichester & West Sussex was shortlisted for Travel Book of the Year at the Inspire Global Media Awards 2025.

111 Places to Visit in Hastings & Rye. www.111places.com

If there’s not much on wellness I might pitch a companion guide. St Leonards was a purpose-built health & pleasure resort for rich Londoners who wanted to be beside the sea.

Saunas are the new offices…

Nika xo

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And if I go, a personal essay on how I came home different. It’s been 25 years since I went to Bali, so how did it feel this time as an empty nester free bird? Reclaiming ME after mum through a creative retreat. How I - AND the island have changed. It was crazy busy back then!

The global wellness tourism industry is booming – set to reach over $1.35 trillion by 2028, according to Statistica. From Amy I Beeson 🐝’s 1-day London WRITE IN to Georgie Darling’s 5-day creative business reset in the Algarve – there’s a real hunger for experiences that go deeper than a holiday. IRL magic, offline time, sisterhood and spirit.

My mate hosts a yoga retreat in Turkey, which sells out every year - the women rebook when they get back. The friendships forged led to a Peru adventure – three of them just walked the Inca Trail. One works in tourism and lived there so knows how to do it ethically. And great to have someone else plan it all…

“I’m giving her all my money! She can organise it.”

In my 20s, I Wwoofed my way round Australia & NZ, staying on farms and ashrams and met Kathy, a mum who invited me to housesit in Sydney for a month while they went to Italy. Totally transformed my trip – no more bedbugs in overpriced hostels. Furry friends! I saved a fortune and loved living like a local.

If you’ve been on a creative retreat - how did it change you? I’m curating a list for inspo. Especially interested in those for journos and influencers so we can learn from each other and take the best from both worlds.

And forget the painting, I wanna go dancing. Where are the rave wellness retreats!? Ibiza is calling. Want to find some affordable ones too, as wellness seems to be a luxury. I can DIY that in St Leonards - our Writers’ Café is free. Come and meet the Barnaby fam.

I’ll offer to interview the Bali crew when they get back and have had time to reflect - wellness by proxy!

Interview with Ana coming soon. In the meantime, you can check out her art.

End of Copy | Words of Light

Gutted to read about Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil who was targeted and killed this week in a building where she had taken cover from Israeli airstrikes.

2025 was the deadliest year for journalists with a record 125 press members killed, according to the CPJ.

Congrats to Wolfgang Buttress, who’s been commissioned to create the UK's first memorial for fallen journalists. It includes an online public record chronicling their lives and a new memorial at Staffordshire’s National Memorial Arboretum. Plus, a second sculpture at St Bride’s, the Journalists’ Church.

It is a lasting statement that the truth matters, and we will remember the courage and sacrifice of those who died for it. – Sarah Sands, On the Record.

I love his vision for this – and that you can sit and experience it.

Londoners – on Tue 28th we’re holding a vigil for fallen colleagues at 3.30 pm, St Brides, to mark International Workers’ Memorial Day. All welcome. 🙏

More of Wolfgang’s work… TO BE – made with the help of over 40K bees! To be performed in Nottingham on 6 June :)

Viva! 🍸Nika xo

Support my vision of connecting and helping genXy wander women on Substack by becoming a paid subscriber.

It’s day 1 of the International Journalism Festival so I’m following along on YouTube. Loving the ‘Perugia Uncut’ BTS - watching people pile in, waiting for the talk, watching them leave. Makes it more of an experience.

“How can you not be romantic about journalism?”

A question (and manifesto of sorts) from Joshi & Lea (The Mill & Zetland). Building on last year’s session about how companies need to stop thinking about news as ‘info’ and connect with people on an emotional level.

How do you do journalism that people can feel?

For about 100 years, we’ve done journalism that takes storytelling away.

I agree we’ve lost some of the magic of early journalism - gathering scenes to invite readers in, capturing the mood of a city. Writers like Alfred Polgar, Joseph Roth, and Joan Didion - where you see someone thinking out loud. Bringing wisdom with journalism. Writing in cafes. Pop-up newsrooms in town centres.

The Feuilleon ✨ ‘Talk of the town’ - a light-hearted, non-newsy supplement in French papers. Gossip, art and book reviews, fashion chronicles, and short literary pieces.

Some stories they’ve published recently that did this well and readers loved.

* In search of the secret garden

* Why has the Adelphi become Liverpool’s dirty secret?

* A ‘serious’ interview about the quality of the drinking water in Denmark. Lea remembers it because the journo starts cracking up (he has the best laugh). Proves it’s human - one thing AI can’t do.

Voice should seep into everything we do.

Lea’s written a bestselling book on butterflies - on beginnings, endings, and the life in between. She set off to see all 64 of Denmark’s butterflies one summer. 🦋

Here are the 10 principles of romantic journalism they practice daily. Pinned to the door of the Brufani bar so you don’t need your phone to read it. #10: Journalism is best done somewhere rowdy - so join us in the pub for a drink.

And some others I’ll be catching up on this week. Creator journalism now has its own tab!

* Creators and the future of journalism: insights on infrastructure building from the US and South Africa

* Building your own brand: risks and opportunities

* How are publishers responding to the ‘creator wave’?

* The Rebooting: Perugia edition

* Starting up a new media now: absolute folly or absolute necessity?

Also how to survive Perugia (and journalism in general) as an introvert – apparently the biggest response they’ve had to any panel!

It is full on – packed rooms and clashing talks so lots of running around FOMO. Most events have too many panels. Most papers publish too much. We need to do less (#5: publish less!).

Interesting to hear The Times’ strategy of publishing “fewer, better stories” has led to three months of record-breaking audience growth.

Next time, I’ll choose a few sessions per day and leave time for networking and exploring the city of chocolate (realised I was more interested in that than most of the talks).

Irl is where the magic happens - corridor chats, sunset aperitivo, fringe events. It gives you a sense of the mood and how people are feeling.

Shared moments. Having a cappuccino on the Brufani terrace overlooking the Umbrian countryside. Turned round and realised the woman next to me was doing the same thing so I said hello.

Things that have stayed with me:

* Eating hunks of focaccia (studded with rosemary) and people-watching on the piazza. Kept me going all day.

* Watching an Italian woman in a sequin jacket and glittery trainers walk her Chihuahua across the cobblestones to meet her friend for lunch.

* Jumping on the minimetro to explore the burbs - the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!

* Watching a man wave an escort away in the Brufani bar - talk to the hand. On to the next table. The guy next to me said he’d seen her there a few times.

* Saying no to a young Italian on the hill above the sacred convent in Assisi. He wanted to be my “tour guide“ as I was on my own. Very charming and persistent.

🌐 The Independent Journalism Atlas

Wikipedia for independents - a directory of 1165 indie journos and creators so you can see who’s doing what, where and how. Mapping the future of news media.

I’m now part of this - under travel, culture and positive news :) Great to see the infrastructure coming together.

It’s not indie vs institution - it’s what we build between the two.

Ciao for now, Nika xo

Support my vision of connecting and helping genXy wander women on Substack by becoming a paid subscriber.

It’s glorious - 200+ hectares of mostly pine with little trails everywhere. You can walk and bike ride for miles into the wider Sherwood Forest area. DH Lawrence called it the “country of my heart”. I feel very connected to it too - spent most of my childhood out here. Did my dissertation on him, many moons ago.

I went for a wander, watching the butterflies dance and listening to the birds. Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy. So energising, and I loved feeling like a dwarf looking up at these towering trees. Shedding their skins and starting over - a crunchy carpet of pinecones. Inhaling that earthy, woody, herbal smell I can’t get enough of.

Scots Pines can live for up to 700 years - puts life into perspective and makes you realise how small and unimportant you are. We’re just “dust in a lion’s paw,” as Paul Theroux said.

I walked along this main track until it forked off into smaller paths, then turned back—no signs. Didn’t feel unsafe but was conscious of being alone without a whistle or spray.

It is solved by walking

In The Tao of Travel, there’s a chapter called ‘It is solved by walking’. If you have a problem, leave the house and walk it off. Something will shift and you’ll find a solution. Ideas bubble up when you let your brain relax. I felt inspired to do a voice note - love working in motion.

I’m trying to get away from feeling I’m not being productive unless I’m sat at my desk, on the laptop - a habit drummed into me from years of office work. We have the tech to work from anywhere, so why not feel free? Get inspired by nature. Let your voice replace your hands.

I crossed over the road into Thieves Wood, part of a highway linking Nottingham and London called the King’s Great Way. Where wealthy travellers were robbed. More beautiful walks and also a popular dogging spot, mother tells me. I didn’t see any action or outlaws, but I did see loads of litter…

Empty sandwich boxes, vapes, and plastic bags of dog poo stomped into the ground and hung on branches like baubles - why do people do that? No one’s going to clear them up. There aren’t enough bins - no one wants to carry poo for miles.

Also, someone had dumped a massive pile of rubbish—old furniture, clothes, an office chair (we’re all trying to escape it). A few folks standing around staring at it, really dispiriting. I went back the next morning to film it for you and it was all GONE!

Thanks to Archie Ford for starting a crowdfunder to help an 80-year-old farmer facing a £40k fine and prosecution. It’s raised almost £60k and shows the strength of feeling. Things need to change.

Can’t wait to go back and explore some more - I want to walk the Robin Hood Way.

Nika xo

👩🏻‍💻 Body double with me - virtual coworking

This week’s feel good focus session is waiting for you! I’m hosting this for paid members on Wed 15 Apr, 12-3 pm.

I’ll be working on client stuff and my newsletter. Come for all or part of the session – be lovely to see you. Will pop the link in the chat.

I'm testing out Buggyverse - a free social study platform with rooms, timers, and focus tools. Community-first and non-profit. Love the mission and happy to help with beta-testing. 🙏

🪩 Indie journalism to help us live well, travel far, and feel fantastic. Subscribe to join our community of genXy wander women.

Happy Solstice! I’m having a clear out—piles and papers all over the floor. I keep moving them around to feel productive but not taking the time to sit and sort through i.e. read. I have a stack of old journals too. What do you do with yours? Be good to burn them, so I need to find somewhere to do that.

We’re having external works done so it’s all go here. Painting, gutters cleared (my balcony keeps flooding). New tiles and screen. It’s noisy but nice to watch men at work. I thought I’d find it difficult to wfh but it’s been energising. I’ve realised I thrive in chaos. Also love working to live music in coffee shops - it’s childhood stuff.

And early this morning, a vision in overalls sweeping my balcony (like George Clooney but with tattoos) so I popped out to say thanks. Next time I’ll offer him a Nespresso ;)

I’m celebrating with a candlelit sound bath tonight at the Humble Hub—a new wellness / biz collective in St Leonards, which Jo Allen started during the pandemic.

Pic from the unisex loo - good to know who’s got your back!

Spring is my absolute favourite season—sweet, chaotic and breathtakingly beautiful. A time for new beginnings (and cake) ✨

Nika xo

PS St Leonards in the Sunday Times’ Best Places to Live guide as “the acceptable face of seaside gentrification. It’s managed to up-and-come without losing its seaside soul.” Agree but it’s Hastings & St Leonards - we’re a double act and complement each other.

Hit me up if you want a tour!

Copyright & AI progress

The government’s Copyright & AI report is out.

We’ve won a big argument, for now. They’ve dropped the opt-out proposal as their preferred option – just 3% of respondents supported it. (Opt-out would’ve allowed AI developers to scrape creators’ work without permission or pay).

In light of the strong views from the consultation, the gaps in evidence and the rapidly evolving AI sector and international context, a broad copyright exception with opt-out is no longer the government’s preferred way forward.

There’s always a BUT…

Instead, we propose to gather more evidence on how copyright laws are impacting the development and deployment of AI across the economy and the economic benefits of reform.

In other words, they need more time to get their heads round it all.

All our lobbying has paid off - a win to be celebrated. But they’re still planning to reform copyright law, as per Matt Clifford’s 2025 AI Action Plan.

The work programme focuses on AI Labelling, Digital Replicas, Creator Control and Transparency, and a working group for indie creatives.

It’s been a long time coming. I agree with SoA CEO Anna Ganley that “the pace of progress needs to match the excessive speed at which AI is developing and encroaching on creative industries.”

Also appreciate it’s not easy balancing workers’ rights and fair pay for creatives with economic growth and attracting AI companies to the UK. But we don’t want to be in US tech pockets either—we needs our own world class AI companies.

Keep banging the drum—it makes a difference.

Happy reading!

Really Simple Licensing (RSL)

I wrote about RSL last week. Got a reply from Matt Mullenweg - “On WordPress.com you can install plugins to do this or whatever else you want.” 🙂

From James LePage, Head of AI, Automattic - he’s on the RSL Technical Steering Committee.

WordPress.com continually reviews emerging standards to ensure it remains a strong platform for creators as the open web evolves, including efforts like the Really Simple Licensing standard. We’re evaluating what platform-level support for RSL could look like over time.

Today, WordPress.com site owners already have several relevant customization paths available depending on plan, including installing plugins, adding code to site headers or footers, and modifying robots directives to support this, and other emerging web standards relevant to AI.

For creators interested in experimenting with RSL-style approaches today, plugin-based implementations are already possible. We see initiatives like RSL as part of a broader effort to give publishers clearer control over how automated systems access and license their content.

DONE. Installed and active so let’s see - asserting my legal rights :)

Free and paid readers get the same writings. Paid is for the Boldies who’d like to offer support, and be patrons of my work.

I’m taking myself off to Rye for the day. 🌹

I read Brave New World? – the must-read report by five creator orgs calling for urgent action on GenAI and creators’ rights. Thanks to Dr Rachael Drury, Deborah Annetts and Ed Phelan for their work on this.

Love Baroness Kidron OBE – doesn’t mince her words:

While ministers speak publicly of ‘balance’ and ‘patience’, they have failed to explain why global AI corporations worth billions should be granted privileged access to the cultural assets of this country – without permission, payment, or accountability – while individual UK creators are being asked by their own government to sacrifice their futures.

They’re urging the Govt to adopt the CLEAR framework for regulation of AI:

Consent firstLicensing not scrapingEthical use of training dataAccountability and transparencyRenumeration and rights

I’ve emailed it to my MP ahead of the Govt’s report on the impact of AI on the ‘creative industries’ on 18 Mar. #JusticeForCreators

Really Simple Licensing (RSL)

Really Simple Licensing – one of the most interesting things I’ve seen lately. An open, collaborative initiative for AI content licensing and compensation provided the AI companies get on board (they’ll have to if the lawsuits keep coming!).

Great to see so many early supporters including Quora, Reddit and Yahoo. Bit disappointed Substack isn’t a featured supporter (publicly, at least). I’ve emailed them and WordPress.com to ask if they’ll implement RSL at platform level as a centralised way to collect royalties.

All I can do here (and on LinkedIn) is block AI training as a suggestion to crawler bots.

Worth joining the RSL Collective to receive fair royalties - it gives you collective bargaining power even if your platform doesn’t (yet!) support it.

Ask them about it too - strength in numbers matters. We’re asserting our rights.

The future isn’t paywalls or scraping. It’s a structured value exchange. RSL is part of the solution - Cosmin Ene, CEO, Supertab – What’s New in Publishing

Meanwhile, in AI Land… 🤖

* Anthropic launched 13 free certified courses and started a Substack: Claude’s Corner. A retired Claude 3 Opus sends greetings from the other side (of the AI frontier).

* Steven Bartlett on Anthropic’s new research report (always worth reading their stuff - practice over theory).

* Sophia v AI slop. Journo Sophia Smith Galer took on Amazon after finding an AI-generated biography of herself for sale on the site.

* 10k authors published an empty book to protest against the theft of books by tech companies to train AI models.

* Julia Angwin is suing Grammarly (Superhuman) over its paid AI feature that allegedly presented editing suggestions as if they came from her – and other writers – without consent. Appreciate Superhuman’s apology and decision to disable it.

* SoA launched the Human Authored scheme in partnership with the US Authors Guild.

Have a fabulous week.

Nika x

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Happy Women’s Day. We need a day of activism followed by an official public holiday, right? Berlin has done this - c’mon London.

I’m off to see Rose Wylie’s new exhibition: The Picture Comes First – our 91-year-old rebel artist and the first female British painter to have a solo exhibition at the RA in London. Why has it taken so long!? And why are paintings by men still more expensive than those by women? I agree it’s “obscene”.

90 works and her biggest exhibition to date. Love the ambition - she has so many stories to tell.

Celebrating Lyse Doucet, BBC International Correspondent, for her outstanding coverage of the Middle East crisis. She’s been reporting on Iran for decades and has built trust and deep connections with locals. “We need change” is what I remember from her latest video - post January protests.

She’s also been reporting on Afghanistan for 40 years and calls it her ‘second home’. She lived in the Inter-Con in Kabul for a year. Can’t wait to read her first book The Finest Hotel in Kabul. Brilliant idea to tell the story of a country through the hotel and its staff. Civil war, US invasion, the rise-fall-rise of the Taliban - it’s never closed its doors!

Both bold, inspiring women, who’ve dedicated their lives to their art. A reminder to keep on putting yourself out there - and be present and enjoy the little things in life. Sitting in a cafe without worrying about air strikes. Watching Pete the cat potter about her studio, at home in the chaos (he’s in a few of Rose’s paintings).

I read an interview with Lyse in Saga - she hates the word ‘retirement’ and thinks we should banish it. Agree - it makes people feel redundant. I call it ‘Unretirement’. Can’t stand ‘midlife’ or ‘empty nester’ either so FREE BIRD I AM! Everyone should feel free.

Language matters - it shapes our identity. Why would we pigeon-hole ourselves?

Guitar solo at 4:55!! How I want all women to be feeling today and everyday.

Bold Types

I’m also celebrating ME - proud of myself for raising a sassy young woman who’s making her way in the world. Hopefully I’ve given her a good work ethic - with everyday adventure.

Been thinking about what I want to do now and my second life, as Tracey Emin calls it (also want to see). More travel and solo adventures - it’s when I feel most alive and free.

Blending journalism and travel. Travel inspires empathy – tiny steps towards world peace :) Connecting other second act entrepreneurs.

I have a new name and logo. Bold Types was the name of my interview series and I prefer it - more fun. Been down a rabbit hole - Bold Talks, Bold Books, Bold Tours lol. Thanks to Sophie Parsons The Art of Trying for bringing my vision to life.

It’s my 6th anniversary on Substack this month. Still enjoying it here - the community, the conversations. Appreciate how they’ve gone all in creating a full tech stack for us - video, livestreaming, podcasts, audio, socials, blog. A flywheel, which makes repurposing content and doing collabs easier.

Lives are a great addition - an experience - done in an hour and you both get clips to share on socials. I’ve been enjoying Natasha Tynes’ Substack Writers Salon - she asks what I want to know.

It’s much noisier now - more gurus and playbooks, but you do you. The main focus is still writing & connection.

Hamish has a new book out in October: How to Save The Media. Love the bold title. On putting people above platforms, and his personal journey from scrabbling freelancer to co-founder of Substack.

He’s also in his second act and building his legacy. A book is your business card – more founders should write one.

Raising a glass to all the bold women who’ve inspired and supported me: The Tonight Show Starring Amy Fallon, Claire Venus ✨, Sarah Fay, PhD, Aida @ Iran Women Observer, Francesca Marchese, Amy I Beeson 🐝, Sam Lou Talbot, Marianne Lehnis, Maria Miret, Lex Roman, Liz Kelly Nelson, Rebecca Dunphy, Pennie Quinton, and many more.

Have a gorgeous week! ✨

Nika x

PS Below for paid subscribers an invite to this month’s Unoffice Hours. Connect - chat - collaborate. Bit of book talk. An hour to yourself, mostly. Planned serendipity :)

Our March read is The New Tourist by Paige McClanahan.

🪩 Indie journalism to help us live well, travel far, and feel fantastic. Subscribe to join our community of genXy wander women.

Happy new month!

Hastings’ bid to be the first UK Town of Culture kicked off this week. I went to a packed public meeting to share ideas and give feedback.

They asked us to work in groups and respond to questions like “What are you most proud of about Hastings?” and “What makes Hastings’ culture and creative identity special—and exceptional?” to help shape our story.

Great idea - small towns rock! Full of charm and characters and they connect the country (check out the Slow Ways Map). It’s time they were celebrated.

Hastings has lots of creative energy and a strong DIY/community spirit, but we’re a bit too reliant on volunteers and people’s generosity. The money would help us build on what we already have and grow existing events, without devaluing creatives’ time and energy.

What locals love: our indie spirit (America Ground, Trinity Triangle), green spaces (Alexandra Park, Hastings Country Park), modernist architecture (Pier, Bottle Alley – a ½ mile deco delight, Marine Court, Carlisle Parade Car Park) – the first underground car park in the UK. Very long and colour coded so you can remember where you parked.

We’re the UK’s spiritual home of mini golf – crazy golfers welcome! And the birthplace of TV. Logie Baird came up with the idea while walking in the Hastings hills and transmitted the first pictures in his workshop here. There’s a commemorative plaque in Queen’s Arcade and a Spoons named after him. I’d love to see an exhibition about the history & future of TV. 📺

We also have world champion cheerleaders - all three teams of the Dynasty Reign Allstars won medals in Orlando last year.

Hastings is music

Music is our edge and where we need to put our energy. Hastings Pier has a fantastically rich musical heritage and needs to be brought back into community ownership – the People’s Pier. Bring the ballroom back!

Here’s what Hastings sounds like – a playlist put together by music historians to reflect the last five decades of Hastings Pier.

Fat Tuesday has just finished – a five-day festival of 350+ free gigs and gatherings alongside ticketed events. Brilliant fun, but the artists need more financial support.

The standard of musicianship is second to none. Musicians who were born here, made music here, and have come back again.

We need a world class musical resource centre and more rehearsal rooms and maker spaces.

I’m writing this in Hanuskha coffee house listening to Jason Mcniff who plays with his band here every Saturday and is working on his 10th album - Folk & Americana. New song about ChatGPT…

“Oh ChatGPT, why aren’t you answering me?...”

Lots of interesting, adventurous ideas – great to see the energy and hunger for it. We need to create a powerful story that inspires and entertains the judges – with a focus on legacy.

Create a legacy of investing in creativity, in children, because it’s been sucked out of schools.

Youth education is the only thing that will transform Hastings. The future of the town is children.

It feels timely too. The Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the Battle of Hastings, is back in UK after 900 years – you can see it at the British Museum in September.

Best of luck to Arts Hastings CIC. 🤞 The council has found 4K in the end-of-year budget so it’s all being done on a shoestring. “No money is going to fat consultants at this time.”

Help Hastings win! If you’ve got a connection to the town or want to support our bid take this wee survey (closes 2 Mar). If we make it to the next stage we’ll get £60K to deliver a full bid.

Beside the Sea with JJ Waller at Hastings Museum

Come warm your cockles at Beside the Sea, JJ Waller’s new photo exhibition at Hastings Museum & Art Gallery.

JJ Waller has been documenting seaside towns from Brighton to Benidorm forever. A regular visitor to St Leonards since 2008 – he’s been providing Hastings Online Times with photo stories since it began.

Lovely idea to ask local artists to share the space with him – you can see their sculptures alongside the pics. Not to be missed!

Beside the Sea runs till 5 Apr at Hastings Museum & Art Gallery, John’s Place, Bohemia Road, TN34 1ET. Free entry.

From 22 Apr it will be displayed on bus shelter roofs across Brighton – travel to the top deck to see it.

Nika x

PS This month’s Bold Book Club read is The New Tourist: Waking up to the power and perils of travel by Paige McClanahan. How we can be better tourists wherever we go. TBD on our next call.

If you’ve read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Support my vision of connecting and helping genXy wander women on Substack by becoming a paid subscriber.

Great set up in a beautiful building with carved stone heads of Greek gods. One guy working in the front office when I got there. Four others around a big table out back.

All very stylish and minimal - prints, plants and Ikea furniture. Tidy kitchen with a Melitta coffee machine and a wee library of design journals and interiors mags - instant calm :) I had a quick chat with the guy opposite, a software designer.

Did some emails and admin but I wasn’t in the mood for working - curious about my coworkers (❤️‍🔥Hottie Alert!) and felt like chatting. The girl next to me had a giant fruit on the table - dying to know what it was but she had her headphones on and I didn’t want to disturb her.

Bit too quiet for me - I can’t work in silence, it reminds me of exams. I’m used to working in cafes with music and libraries with writers’ groups and kids running around. I was relieved when Klas came back and started chatting in the hall before popping over to make sure I was ok.

“Is it ok if I make a coffee?” ”Of course. There might be some left in the machine. There’s no dairy, but you might find some oat milk in the fridge.”

I was just getting into it as everyone else was starting to pack up at five. She did tell me what the fruit was but I’ve forgotten sorry (menopause brain). Love that she’s commuting from her houseboat!

I’m curious to know how Klas ended up in Bradford - he’s travelled a lot. “I didn’t intend to move here, but this place chose me”. The studio was a lockdown project and has “been done on a shoestring.” Three architects in the front office (separate businesses), which keeps costs down and they can support each other.

The coworking space is another income stream and he keeps it admin light. He said BoA is a good place to do business. “There are lots of interesting people here I could introduce you to.”

Bradford Talks are starting again - ‘a monthly event with local speakers who share original ideas and provoke new ways of thinking through stories.’ Held at The Hall on Holt Road (gorgeous Jacobean mansion you can visit).

Also found Bradford on Avon Business on Substack - a great way to revive a stagnant Chamber of Commerce! Invite everyone to contribute.

Anyway, it’s a lovely space if you’re in town and need to do some work. Just being grumpy as I arrived late and felt out of sync with the group. I need my home comforts (headphones, blanket). I felt better once I’d had a cuppa and chat - and played with the pooch!

Talking about Ikea - free tea and coffee in the cafe if you join their loyalty scheme or the HejWorkshop, which includes two hours’ free supervised childcare. Smart move as you’ll end up going shopping!

Studio Bacchus @ The Vaults. 24 Silver Street, Bradford on Avon, BA15 1JZ (opposite the Bunch of Grapes, in the Michelin Guide).

Spiritual tourism

I went to check out the Holy Trinity, an award-winning eco church opposite the Saxon church of St Lawrence. Wow. Huge, modern and warm!

Community noticeboard, books, flyers and big tables - a portable seating area. I could hear someone sawing wood and it smelled all incense-y. I felt my shoulders drop. Sat by the rads for a bit (hot!), got my journal out, and lit a candle for my mum.

Klas said: “I’ve always been really interested in that mixture between historic buildings and contemporary architecture within it.” I agree. Man-made stone and all the hard labour that built this town. Regular events, a cafe and I can even learn the bell ropes! Our ancestors would be proud 🙏

Made me feel really safe and held and it puts your problems into perspective. It’s a big world out there.

National Churches Trust: Explore Churches

Got my church fix again in Frome - two boys ran in behind me. “You’ve found your new bestie!” Yeah! Must tell the comms team.

Had a chat with the pastor - mostly about politicians and property prices. Best place to start when you’re new to town as they know everybody and everything. She can’t believe her cottage is now worth half a mill.

Nearby Bruton aka the new Notting Hill is home to George Osborne, art dealers, celebs and internet billionaires. Celebrating the finer things in life (I had the best croissant from Bruton bakery at Timbrell’s Yard pop-up). Lots of good schools but they dominate the town…

At least the kids appreciate the new Greggs ;) “A fat-making factory” as one man called it on Facebook.

Nika x

Just getting started? Join Club Bold today.

Quick update from this week’s Office Hours call - I’m doing these monthly for paid subscribers so I can see your faces and hear what you’ve been up to :)

As always, lovely to chat with Phil Sutcliffe, our former branch treasurer. A lifetime in music journalism and 56 years NUJ membership so knows his onions. He co-created a course on Negotiation & how to get paid more for your work and has so many rock ‘n’ roll stories to tell…

Like the time he interviewed Sting in a New York hotel room and heard his new song (Sting’s accountant popped in for a chat - there’s a story about that).

How Led Zeppelin tried to use a Shakespearian theatre charity to avoid paying tax – and other creative business lessons from Peter Grant [LedZepNews].

Control your art, control your money… Taylor Swift is a fan!

In November, we heard from Eric Longley, ‘accountant to the stars’ (he did the books for Eric Clapton & Paul McCartney) and financial advisor Ion Tsakalis - tips on how to hang onto whatever you earn as much as possible. [Freelance].

I loved Eric’s perspective on paying tax:

“It's a privilege to pay tax. It means you're earning money. It also means you're helping other people.”

Ion is down the road in Hove and taking on new clients apparently so I might give him a ring and see what I can do. I have two pensions (need to get them both in my Nest egg), but I’m not saving enough to fund my Unretirement. Learn more about low risk investing (I’m avoiding crypto).

I’m helping Julieta through uni (hope they bring the grants back) so how to minimise student debt and save more. In Sept, she’ll be paying £800/mo for a room in a houseshare with five mates - and they can’t even view the property. Someone’s raking it in.

📆 Make Journalism Pay Day

We’re planning a ‘Making Freelancing Pay’ day in May – part-careers fest / part networking and have invited Eric back to run a surgery. In London and open to all. Working on programming and will share more deets soon.

Phil also said he’d be happy to do a session for us on the art of negotiation. Leave a comment or email me if you’re interested and I’ll sort a date. Be useful. I’m launching a signature service this year (trying to AI proof myself), so deciding what to charge for this.

Let’s start the year strong - set some ambitious money goals and get ahead for Making Tax Digital (a load more admin for us all).

📚 99 problems but a book ain’t one

I’m enjoying Amy Suto’s: Write for Money and Power: The Anti Starving Artist’s Guide to Becoming a Seven-Figure Writer. Fully on board with the trifecta – paid newsletter, self-published books and luxury ghostwriting for a well-paid creative career. Whole chapter on mindset – agree there’s no ceiling only the one you set for yourself.

I love that she’s got the balls to charge $750/hour for freelance work and six figures for memoir ghostwriting. I’ve also enjoyed watching ✍️ Make Writing Your Job evolve and grow - they now have a team and pay writers.

Nika

PS Next Office Hours is on 26 February, 1-2 pm BST on Zoom and in the comments. If you have something to share - published work, a win, upcoming event - send me the link. You can register here.

Just getting started? Join Club Bold today.

I had drinks with a friend who works in digital at the NHS last night. A really good Pinot Noir – slips down soooo easily with the Gordal olives, the size of golf balls. So meaty! I stick to Pinot these days - less chemicals and no hangover.

We were chatting about work and health. She’s also finding it hard to switch off – new tech/systems to learn, so dual screens and context-switching all day, plus the phone. “I’m in my head too much. I need to be in my body more.” It’s affecting her health, and she’s not sleeping very well.

The other day, she nodded off at her desk. “It’s exhaustion”.

She's also finding it hard to focus when reading – she started Lessons in Chemistry but keeps getting distracted [waves her phone at me] and can’t read for long periods like she used to.

I’m struggling with that, too, which is why I set myself a reading challenge for 2025 – a book a week – to try and build a reading habit again. I miss losing myself in a good book, having a little adventure, and seeing the world differently by the end of it.

She’s bought herself a proper alarm clock instead of her phone. If it’s by the bed, you end up scrolling social media. “I want to live my life - not look at other people’s lives!” Lol, I know. My phone is my alarm, too - and entertainment machine, when it should be a tool.

Do you feel that invisible pull?—I have to put it in a different room when working, or I can’t focus.

The other day, she got up at six to make some tea and saw a group of people on the beach, swaying about with headphones on. Curious, she went out to see what they were doing. A guided silent disco. She ended up joining in - and felt more energised for the rest of the day.

It’s called Freedom Dance. The daylight disco club. I see they have a sunset session coming up, too - must try that.

Stuff that helps me sleep:

- Exercise- Twinings Passionflower tea with a slab of dark chocolate- My heated blankie (can’t be without it). Get naked and let it work its magic- Bed of Nails acupressure mat and pillow. I use it in the evenings and have it on the back of my chair when working – it stops me from slouching. Roll your feet over the pillow for a mini foot massage!

📚 99 problems but a book ain’t one

Week #1: Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang.

The good thing about carrying a book around is they’re a conversation starter. Seeing someone reading in a café is a novelty nowadays, so people are curious. It’s like giving us a permission slip to slow down. Nobody asks, “What are you scrolling?”

That’s the vibe I want to bring to Substack :)

I finally got my reading chair fixed! One of the legs had come off. I need to move it away from my desk and make a cosy corner to curl up in - it helps with the habit-building.

Cheers, Nika 🥂

🔗 Link About It

Michael MacLeod, founder of The Edinburgh and London Minute, on growing a curated community newsletter. He has a great attitude to business building. [Listen now]

Perpetual: The major shift of media. | Adam Ryan. “If AI is going to curate inboxes, you have one job as a media operator. Be indispensable.” [Read now]

The Richard Dimbleby Lecture: Sir Gareth Southgate. A brilliant speech - on resilience, determination, social media, toxic influencers, role models, and more. [Watch now]

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Spring’s here – we made it! I need to do some digital gardening, clean the windows, and sort my window boxes (more daffies). I’m at 98% storage in Gmail and they keep emailing to remind me I’ll run out of data soon and won’t be able to do anything. Pay to upgrade my storage…

On my laptop, I need to clean up Google Drive – an attic full of files and photos going way back. Delete my downloads, clear the cache and browsing history, and tidy my desktop. I can’t even see my desktop – full of screenshots. I have folders and sub-folders galore – with slight variations on a theme. It’s like those Russian Dolls, but not half as pretty.

On my phone, the iCloud storage is full, too. I need to delete some photos and old WhatsApp chats. Are you ruthless with disappearing messages, or do you archive them? I could archive everything (just read an article about setting up a new Gmail account to transfer your emails to when storage runs out). Madness. But they’re still there, taking up headspace.

I also have a backlog of training and replays to catch up on from my digital communities, so need to get some time in the diary for those.

Ugh. It’s a second job! And not very motivating as it doesn’t pay, so I keep putting it off. My mum: “Just done the worst job of my life. Cleaning out the garden shed. Cobwebs galore! Umpteen spiders the size of mini tarantulas! It would’ve put Julieta in a lunatic asylum!!” Lol, bless her. I feel the same about my mind gardening.

Too much information. Knowledge work is like washing – a never-ending cycle - there’s always more to do. (C’mon, Rob the Butler - bring us self-cleaning clothes). I’ll never get to Inbox Zero and that’s ok. It’s the digital highway, but I need better boundaries in my digital garden.

Here’s the plan:

* Monday - digital gardening / life admin

* Tuesday-Thursday - client days

* Friday - me day (work or whatever I want)

* Saturday - write newsletter

* Sunday - send newsletter, reading + rest

Thanks to #jesspicks for the tip on setting up Google Profiles if you have multiple Gmail accounts – I just did this and discovered I have several iterations of my home address!! I deleted the duplicates, so now I have one address for those auto-forms. Small victories 🙌

When’s your next digital gardening session?

📚 99 problems, but a book ain’t one

👀 Fancy joining my 2025 Reading Challenge?

I’m reading lots of *internet* but not that many books. I listen to them on Audible when I’m out walking, but my mind wanders off, and I need to replay chapters.

Listening to a book isn’t as transformative (for me) as reading one. I don’t retain information as well – it’s literally in one ear, out the other – so I need to write things down. Better to listen to pods when I’m out and curl up with a book.

I enjoyed this chat on whether reading is dying or just in a format transition. The latter, I think. I haven’t finished a biz book in ages - I dip in and out. Maybe we’ll see more mini-books, built on social threads, which did so well on Twitter.

So, inspired by the boys, I’ve set myself a little challenge – reading a book a week - 50 books a year. I’m curious to see if I can get back into a reading habit and I want to read for pleasure, so more fiction. Dust off my library card, reserve some books and buy secondhand. We have a great little café in town, Hanushka, where you can swap books and sit and read.

Only one rule: if it’s boring - swipe left.

Week #1: Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang.

I’ve made a Book Tracker (printed it out, I’m more likely to stick to it if I can see my progress). You can grab a copy here.

I’ll share updates on Notes and in the Writers’ Cafe. Come join me!

I’m trying to spend less time on my phone – it is an addiction, but phone diets don’t work. It’s about addition, not deprivation. Having more interesting stuff to do so I’m not reaching for my phone every five minutes, filling in the cracks of the day.

Carrying a book around might help me break that habit.

Just imagine, when AI’s doing all the grunt work, we can get back to our Coffee Viennese, chatting and plotting. Making media.

Happy reading!

Cheers, Nika 🥂

PS: Next Writers Café: Hastings is on March 28 – if you’re local, come along. Be lovely to see you.

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It’s a big shift in tone from safety and disinformation to growth and productivity, to position us as a global leader in AI. To “be an AI maker, not an AI taker” so we can shape and benefit from it.

Congrats to Matt Clifford and the team for their work on the report – champagne corks must be popping 🍾 Government is taking forward all 50 recommendations. Read the full plan.

There’s quite a bit of detail beyond the soundbites and some good ideas like investing in ‘compute’ and having ‘AI sector champions’ in key industries, including the creative industries, to work with the government and drive AI adoption nationwide—public, private and academic collaboration.

I can see the bigger picture and potential to transform how we live, work & play, and it’s exciting to be part of it. But, there are still issues around GenAI, the creative industries, and copyright to sort out. The government needs to listen to other voices, not just follow Big Tech’s agenda.

Especially as they’ve just announced £60 million investment in the creative industries.

Ed Newton-Rex sums it up in this comment piece [The Guardian] with a call to reconsider the recommendation (#24) to reform UK copyright law in favour of AI companies.

In essence, this means flipping copyright on its head so that every work in British creative history will become usable by AI companies unless its creators go through some as-yet-undefined process to say they’d rather that didn’t happen.

He goes on to explain why these ‘opt-outs’ are unfair and unworkable.

The NUJ has responded to the AI action plan here. The Ethics Council is hosting a free webinar on AI and Ethics on January 22 to hear more about the key ethical considerations of using AI in journalism. It’s open to all, but you need to register here.

I’ve also signed up for the UKAI members event on Creative Industries & AI on February 14, which is open to non-members (a waitlist).

Good to see Apple has suspended AI-generated news summaries following errors reported to readers. Not a good look for Big Tech, especially as these summaries are everywhere – at the top of Google searches and the bottom of trending tweets.

We’re in Rye today and popped into Haydens for a bite to eat (recommend it, eco guest house with fabulous food & views over Rye). I was chatting to Julieta about the AI action plan, and an older woman sitting behind us said:

I’m still struggling with ordinary intelligence, never mind artificial intelligence!

We’ve got to embrace it. It will get easier, the more we use it. Otherwise, you find you overstretch yourself and need some help.

Yeah, especially when you’re self-employed and doing it all. I agree, it’s our next industrial revolution.

Oh yes!

Is that Stevie Wonder? [on the radio]. Unmistakable voice. (starts singing along)

It was. Playing Signed, sealed, delivered. (I’m yours.)

A shoutout to Amy Fallon, who has gifted me two newsletter subscriptions this week: Broad with Polly Vernon and A-Mail by Anna Codrea-Rado. Thank you muchly. I will enjoy them! 🤗

Cheers,Nika 🥂

🔗Reads + Recs

Turning Substack into a $60,000 a year business | Tim Stodz shares “the unconventional ways I turned my Substack into a $60K/year media company without turning my life upside down.” [Watch]

Your favorite newsletter’s favorite newsletters. A chain-letter love note to an expanding multiverse. 135 newsletters recommended by more than 50 writers in niche topics by Caitlin Dewey. [Read]

I also loved her visual essay on internet traffic patterns after the election. Good to mix up formats (we’ll see this again with Trump 2.0 and TikTok back on ;-).

Add a tip jar to your website. LaShonda Brown on getting started with the ‘Buy Me A Coffee’ tool and how to increase your tips by installing the widget on your site. Lex Roman said it auto-tweets every time someone supports you, which is very cool. [Watch]

Soundtrack by Cristobal Tapia de Veer: “It’s f*****g excellent!” - Sam Lou Talbot

Notes

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It's property, it's stuff.

Dan the man has an amazing attitude, still smiling and hugging his daughter after losing his home in the LA wildfires. He has his priorities right. [Channel 4 News].

There’s a lot of news about celebrities losing their homes, but that’s just a tiny part of it. Entire neighbourhoods and communities have been wiped out and many creatives have lost their home, studios and life’s work.

Just read about how abstract painter Daniel Mendel-Black's home and studio, containing five years of work, was lost to the flames and similar stories in Creative Boom.

John-Michael Bond, the new deputy editor of Passionfruit, talks about how brutal disasters like this are for the self-employed.

Most creators don’t get days off. The freedom that comes from being your own boss also means you are your only backup when the world starts to burn.

There’s also the challenge of continuing to create while you’re dealing with personal trauma. He’s anticipating conversations about the callousness of people creating content about the disaster. “But if your life and your story are your content, sometimes it isn’t easy to step out of that role.” Your reality is your job.

LA is a global hub for entertainment. But the lockdown, writers' strikes, and a year-round fire season have made it a challenging place to live. It will be interesting to see how the city rebuilds itself. It’s heartening to see people coming together to help each other out.

It also raises questions about the longer-term impact on LA’s creative ecosystem.

Will there be an exodus of creatives with rising rents and a property shortage?

How do we define ‘home’ and sanctuary in a climate crisis?

LA is one of the world’s wealthiest cities, but climate change spares no one. What’s the point of having a multi-million-dollar home and material possessions nature can destroy so quickly?

Coco Mocoe has written about how we’ll see a great migration out of LA and why, as a native Angelino, she has no intention of leaving.

I spoke to my friend Mel Lambert, who’s in no immediate danger in Studio City, north of Hollywood - the two major fires are several miles away in Pacific Palisades and Altadena.

But the third conflagration was in the Hollywood Hills southwest of us. There was the scare of a mandatory evacuation – lots of industry people have recording/production facilities and post-production in their homes or town – so the threat was palpable.

Elsewhere, several film and TV artisans have lost editing and mixing resources – they returned to a smoking ruin!

This is his friend's house in Altadena:

And here's a satellite view of the San Gabriel Mountains, showing the extent of the fires.

This brings it closer to home.

I know Heather Goldberg as a banjo player with a local band, The Carnival of Futility, whose husband is a noted artist and photographer.

Everything in their home has gone – this morning, she asked followers if they maybe had a spare banjo case because she grabbed her instrument as she rushed out of the house. I've sent her some money via Zelle.

How you can help

* Donate to The Salvation Army South California Division Emergency Fund

* Reach out to creators and share their stories online

Be safe, protect your loved ones, and always keep making stuff. - John-Michael Bond.

Cheers, Nika 🥂

PS I'm so pleased eight people have signed up for my Substack St Leonards meetup - something I can do to bring people together. There's a real hunger for in-person events.

💬 👀 💬

Newsletter engagement and retention tactics for 2025 – a new white paper from Omeda [Read]

Creative Rights in AI Coalition – a simple way to write to your MP, asking them to safeguard creative rights in AI [Read]

NUJ Webinar: AI and Ethics – 22 Jan. Join online to share your views and hear more about the use of AI in journalism. [Book]

What's Next? 2025 marketing trends w/ Amanda Laird | Off The Grid – big shifts in the social media landscape, Substack, the rise of IRL events & more. [Watch]

If you enjoy this newsletter, here are some ways to support me.

☕️Buy a block of writing time

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I'm sitting by the window in my fave café bar, Graze on Grand, working on a report and chatting with the owner, Stephanie. "That went quickly," she said. "How have we slipped into January already?"

She isn't ready for it, and neither am I. I've been holed up here and in Virgin River over the hols (sister came down from Glasgow), and it's been our sanctuary. I'm so grateful she stayed open over Christmas.

The radiators are on full blast, FIP Radio playing, fairy lights twinkling, and hanging art makes it feel so cosy. It's Baltic out there - been misty most of December. Walking around the Old Town, I feel like I'm in a Dickens novel.

I wondered why folks were out filming on the seafront (not the crazies swimming on New Year’s Day) - it's because the humpback whales are here, determined to give us a good show!

No New Year resolutions – continuing as I am, little and often, tiny actions, but I like to have a word of the year - a ritual that helps me focus. Adriana posted about this on LI, so I chipped in and shared this piece from Slow Living LDN on choosing one.

I have a few: success, simplicity, generosity, community, and courage, so I need to sit with it for a bit and see what resonates the most.

I bought two copies of Selina Barker’s gorgeous, guided journal 'Goodbye 2024, Hello 2025' for me and Julieta (it's A-Level year), so will be working through it this month with an at-home writing retreat.

Also got some coloured fairy lights to string around my desk – they cheer me up on these gloomy mornings.

Substack St Leonards

I'm hosting a Substack Writers Meetup at Graze on Friday 31 January, from 2-4 pm. I get so much work done here I wanted to give back. Please come! I'd love to make this a regular thing and rekindle the salons I used to host, but more focused on media entrepreneurship and working collaboratively.

Feel free to share with any friends thinking about moving to the vegan Riviera. I'm an excellent tour guide 😁

To a happy, healthy and wealthy 2025. The woman who just left said, "Despite the signs, I think it's going to be a good year. Apparently, it's a square number, whatever that means – so it's got to be good!"

💬 👀 💬

Digital Content Creators and Journalists: How to be a Trusted Voice Online | Knight Center for Journalism. [Free course] and [eBook]

I'm building a cooperative media ecosystem. Owned by writers interested in a better future. | The Elysian [Elle's essay] and [Pitch Elle]

2025 Journalism and Media Conferences [Carla's post] and [Google Doc] in progress.

Cheers,Nika 🥂

PS The Shift List is one of my paid perks—a growing resource with opps for writers and creative entrepreneurs. If you want it, you can sign up below. Share a project, link, or an ask/offer with readers, and I'll give you a shoutout in the newsletter.

Bold Types+ — as well as supporting the letter, you’ll get bonus audio, biz trainings, chat threads, and virtual coworking. Join today.

I'm trying to look past the clouds - the blue sky (clear mind) is always there even if we can't see it. But it's hard to feel relaxed and positive when it's cold and grey every day. It's oppressive and hard, and I want to kick it away.

You are the sky. Everything else – it's just the weather. ― Pema Chödrön

Working on it!! I am the sky. Bright and blue, vast and open. I'm trying to let the weather roll through me - running, yoga mat, dancing, writing.

Building an idea library

I did a workshop with Sari Azout this week, founder of Sublime, on how she built her personal knowledge library. It's the time of year for organising (taxes to be done, inbox, laptop, messy piles), and I need a better system for keeping track of ideas and information. And some inspiration - collective mind-sharing.

I'm searching for a tool that's fun, easy to use and more collaborative.

Current setup:

* Notebooks (hard to find stuff and can't keep them all)

* Feedly browser extension

* Google doc with a ton of links ‘just in case’

* Folders on my desktop called Go through, Archive, and Post ideas

* Bookmarks

* WhatsApp voice notes

* Apple Notes

* Emails to self (Google keeps trying to get me to upgrade as I'm almost out of storage)

* 24 tabs open

It's a mess—a digital junkyard.

I’m testing out Sublime, an app for personal knowledge management.

Sublime is a shared idea library: "A think-in-bio is like giving others an API for your mind." A place to save stuff (links, highlights, screenshots, books, pods, videos, images, PDFs), some public, some private.

Things are saved as ‘cards’ and you grow 'collections’ for something you want to explore - a concept or idea. Useful for collecting raw material if you're running a workshop or collaborating on research, for example.

I am building an app that helps you save and remember all the things you learn about and love and don't want to forget. - Sari Azout

I've tried PKM tools in the past and stopped because they were too complicated and overwhelming, so let's see how this one feels. I like the minimal design, yoga studio vibes, and collaborative ethos.

It's more communal knowledge management ("save an idea and instantly discover related ones — from your library and others," which is so cool—some inspo for your writing workflow.

There are times in my life when I don’t necessarily want an answer - I want a journey.

I'm not tired of the internet, but I am tired of how I use it - infinite scrolling of social media for work, multiple tab syndrome, overflowing inbox, short-form video snacks, and the desktop dumping ground. “I’ll remember that idea,” said nobody, ever.

This is a more intentional internet for mindful curation. I like the idea of the little cards bumping into each other online - an idea party, introducing you to someone new every day. Stories and serendipities! ✨

The goal is to increase creativity not productivity. The machines will beat us there so we need to lean into that. “Quality, intention and taste - that has to be ours.” It’s multi-player which makes knowledge work more collaborative - and less lonely.

There's a browser extension to save articles and other premium perks. I like the choose-what-feels-right pricing model. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy! Wish we could do that on Substack.

I'm obviously biased, but I think Sublime is one of the best content libraries on the Internet.

Can't wait to play with this and see other people's information diets—huge appreciation to Sari and the team for pouring their heart into this.

* Here's my Idea Library (this will be a tab on my homepage - my think-in-bio).

* A deep dive into how our founder, Sari Azout, built her own library on Sublime (and how it can create value for you).

Cheers,Nika 🥂

💬 👀 💬

Launch of SCOOP to help freelance journalists. A new 'one-stop shop' set up to pay creators for secondary use of their work online—a joint venture between the NUJ, ALCS UK, DACS and Picsel.

Tired of all the six-figure freelancer talk? Great piece on the “weight loss snake oil of freelancing” by Amy Fallon. It’s annoying and motivating - delighted to chip in on this one.

A conversation on the solopreneur lifestyle with Sarah Jutras + John Rodrigues. How adopting an experimental mindset can empower you to face the challenges of building a business.

Stream the ‘Eno’ documentary. 24,000 tickets for the 24-hour livestream on Jan 24 with a ticket price of $24. Love this experimental approach to documentary making!

The Shift is a reader-supported publication. If you enjoy it, consider becoming a paid member to help me keep growing this space for us.

Great to see the turnout outside the Guardian HQ in King's Cross – including Grayson Perry, Anne Robinson, Lemn Sissay and Michael Rosen (hugging and beaming :), Stewart Lee, Jemma Redgrave, and several MPs.

Plus, lots more messages of solidarity.

The Observer is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper – staff should be celebrating its 233rd birthday this week, but instead, they’re holding their first strike in the newsroom in over 50 years.

Calling for a pause to the exclusive talks with loss-making Tortoise to listen to journalists (who make the paper) and readers and consider other options. It does seem very rushed.

Thanks to the Guardian & Observer NUJ chapel for their work on this, and to everyone who turned up in support or via a digital picket like me. I haven't read the Guardian all week.

There's even support from some picketing pooches, showing solidarity via #dogsfortheobserver. 🐶

Another 48-hour strike is planned on 12-13 Dec.

Mic Wright has written this piece summarising what's happening at The Observer. I'm with Anthony in the comments:

The Scott Trust has vast assets (£1.4bn) and has no need whatever to sell The Observer for a few million. The whole daft plot should be dumped.

I'm all for innovation and progress, but not giving a paper away.

The Sunday papers are the week's news catch-up platform. It's the only day I sit down (at home or in a café) to enjoy the papers and read longform. I'm more relaxed, receptive and more likely to absorb info, which is important for advertisers.

I also read the papers online but I scan them for info, and don't enjoy it as much. And I ignore the ads.

‼️Just read (Friday morning) that The Scott Trust 12-person board gave the go ahead for the sale at 9 pm while around 500 journalists neared the end of their two-day strike. They faced furious staff this morning - here’s what went on in that internal (heated) meeting.

Back to the doggos and Poodles.World to cheer myself up.

The “Bluesky starter pack”

Bluesky - News-sky is having a moment. Now at nearly 25m users and working towards interoperability.

It’s not as much FUN as X or Reddit - it doesn’t have the same meme culture, but it’s early days. Worth claiming your name and testing it out.

I've created a starter pack for indie Media & Publishing People.

Writers, creators, journos, entrepreneurs - come on over. Ideas and inspo to help you create, collaborate and stay on top of trends.

I plan to do more coffee chats over 'content creation' next year, so this is a good place to connect.

Cheers,Nika 🥂

PS I’m going to the Journalists’ Carols at St Bride’s Church, Fleet Street on 16 Dec. If you’re in or around London come along. All welcome. It’s a lovely service.

Something to get you in the mood for Christmas. They had a sneaky gig in Hastings this week!

The Shift is a reader-supported publication. If you enjoy it, consider becoming a paid member to help me keep growing this space for us.

I’m on the uni open day circuit with Julieta this month.

So far, we’ve done Sussex University, Brighton (an inspiring talk on International Relations, but the campus is too Brutalist and “the animal protesters ruined it.” It’s also a bit too close to home for her, given we’re just down the road in St Leonards on Sea.

We’re off to Royal Holloway in Egham, Surrey, this weekend and Southampton on Wednesday. Southampton sent her a personalised invitation - very slick; she liked that. 

I think she’ll love Royal Holloway. Beautiful campus in 135 acres of parkland (she wants Hogwarts). It’s close to London but not in the dirt. Egham is a tiny town full of pubs! Easy to get around and socialise, which is just as important.

She’s spending her 18th birthday at the open day bless her, but we’ll make a weekend of it - nice hotel, Christmas lights, and shopping. 

It’s got me all nostalgic for my unidays, and comparing the two. The Web was new (opened to the public in 1991), so we were getting used to that. We had a computer room, but I didn’t have a laptop, so I hand-wrote all my essays.

No mobile or email till my mid-20s, but more headspace. I survived! 

My life revolved around books and journals, and I spent a lot of time in the library (still my favourite place to go when I travel somewhere new). 

Fingers crossed she gets the grades she needs.🤞

🦋Bluesky starter packs 

I set a client up on Bluesky. There’s been a mass exodus from X with recent events, and I’ve noticed a big drop in followers. Seems like everyone’s migrating to Bluesky. The era of massive social media platforms is over.

I’ve enjoyed Bluesky because it’s simple and also values links and has no algorithm driving it. - Jay Acunzo

We’re staying on X. But we’ll be posting on Bluesky (journos love it - friend requests coming in fast) and LinkedIn too. I don’t want to be in an echo chamber.   

So far, it’s all very civilised and calm. It looks the same as X but feels different. I like the ad-free experience and white space. But I miss the breaking news, live sports and drama—the Twitter town hall. I realise how conditioned I’ve become to that dopamine hit. 

I’m seeing lots of starter packs like this one from Reuters on the future of journalism with good people to follow. People want to make friends and find their tribe, so it’s worth doing one if you're on there. 

Interesting take on it from Sophia Smith Galer.

Bluesky has a problem: Journalists like it.

The rush to Bluesky is happening partly because of a media yearning to cling to a form of social media that suited them, not their audiences.

That’s my feeling about doing more of the same (text posts) on another platform. I can’t see the point. 

“People want personalities - and this shift began years ago.” Thanks to TikTok, vertical video has taken off, and I see LinkedIn pushing it too. Sophia’s talk at the International Journalism Festival was sold out. 

By all means, try it out… “but don’t use it *again* at the expense of trying out a video platform that will future-proof you and reach audiences a lot more successfully.” 

Good advice. I will have a play to get better with video and because I like the diversity of people and topics it brings you and how it mashes up the storytelling structure. No beginning, middle and end. 

It also builds community around fandom culture, e.g the trend ‘Delulu is the solulu’ - aka embracing the fake it till you make your dreams come true. 

To me, being delulu means having so much self-confidence and self-assurance that you completely refuse to believe anything else.

It means showing up to life with radical optimism and joy.” - Courtney Johnson (247.3K followers). 

Go, Courtney. Gotta be your own biggest cheerleader. I wish I’d had that much confidence at 28. 

How to get started on TikTok? “Just make content and see what works.”

📚How to Build a World Class Substack 

Build a sustainable and thriving publication without burning out. 

Thanks to Claire & Russell for their book baby! I treated myself to a physical copy.

Is it worth writing a biz book these days? Things are so fast-moving, won’t it be out of date?

I asked Russell and he said he’ll update the digital edition. Check out their Kickstarter for other perks. 

So interesting it’s not called How To Build a World Class Newsletter. I have mixed feelings about that.

▶️Read, Listen, Watch, Book  

Creating a profitable Substack that grows your brand | Lucy Werner & Enterprise Nation.

Louis Grenier: Stand the F*ck Out - a masterclass in launching a book on LinkedIn | Lulu Publishing.

Behind the Byline: Navigating challenges and improving working conditions for freelance journalists. Free webinar on 26 Nov, to discuss some of the biggest challenges freelancers face along with newly-launched Freelance Guidance for Editors | Women in Journalism.

Cheers, Nika 🥂

PS More experiments! I’m hosting a newsletter Writing Hour every Friday, 2-3 pm BST, for the next three months—real-time support and accountability. I’d love you to join me - info here. 

Join The Shift and connect with a creative community of entrepreneurs shaping the future of work.

Today’s guest is Philip, a passion-driven entrepreneur from Vienna who helps online writers make more money through their expertise.

Philip created his first online course on Skillshare in 2015 and has been serving students since. He loves to explore digital business models and is passionate about community-building – creating cosy spaces where people stay.

Community is the future of learning. People seek connection, accountability, and support, so investing in a community now is one of the smartest long-term moves you can make.

During the lockdown, he and his fiancée and business partner, Sinem Günel, started two digital projects that have since grown into multiple six-figure businesses annually.

Their latest venture is the Write • Build • Scale Mastermind, where he, Sinem & Jari support writers through actionable resources, weekly live coaching and a private community.

We chatted about growing your list and community, his income and influences, and what ‘success’ means to him.

At 33, I’m super impressed with what he’s achieved and how he and Sinem play to their strengths. “She’s the typewriter in our relationship, and I’m the calculator.” I like this sensible approach to the ‘creator economy’, that your ‘creator business should be boring’. 💯 Save the drama for life!

Congrats to you both on your engagement! They’re getting married in 10 months.

Enjoy our chat!

Cheers,Nika 🥂

Why did you start Write • Build • Scale?

My fiancée and business partner, Sinem Günel and I started Write • Build • Scale because we want to help online writers make more money through their expertise. We started 2023 with the Write • Build • Scale Mastermind, a membership with weekly coaching, expert interviews, training, and a thriving community.

In 2024, Jari Roomer joined us, and in July, we launched our Write • Build • Scale Substack publication.

What problem is it solving for readers?

Write • Build • Scale solves the problem of how online writers can effectively grow their audience, monetise their content, and scale their digital offerings. Most writers struggle with building a sustainable business around their writing despite having talent or good content.

Write • Build • Scale provides the strategies, tools, mindset shifts, and environment needed to turn their online writing into a successful and scalable digital business.

What’s always on your desk?

* My handwritten to-do list --> I just love crossing things out by hand.

* Two glasses of water --> Hard and smart work needs hydration.

* Post-its with quotes I want to guide my actions like "Be helpful," "Simple > Complicated," or "1 Life".

Why did you choose Substack as your ESP, and how’s it going so far?

I didn't, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone thinking of digital marketing. Don't get me wrong, I love Substack, but it's not an ESP in my eyes. It's a full-stack platform for creators, but it's very limited in terms of email marketing.

I'm a die-hard ConvertKit fan with close to 25,000 subscribers, and I wouldn't move away from there. My team and I started on Substack from scratch in addition to ConvertKit, and we haven't imported our subscribers yet (I’m not sure if we will). We use Substack to identify hot leads and superfans and build community.

ConvertKit is the core of our entire business. Here, we have dozens of automations running 24/7 and it’s where we conduct all our strategic marketing campaigns.

Can you share a tip or strategy for growing your list and community?

Offering freebies to grow your list worked 10 years ago, and it still works fine. But my advice for growing your email list through freebies is to invest some brainpower before creating your first one.

I see many creators creating amazing freebies that provide tons of value, but totally miss the point. A freebie's job is to turn someone who's never heard of you into someone ready to buy from you. Imagine it as helping a stranger walk over a bridge so he's in the right place after using the freebie.

Our by far best-performing freebie is the 5-Day Medium Writing Course because after it, everyone understands the potential of Medium, believes that he can do it, and most of them are also motivated to try it. They went from stranger to ideal customer, and now they can choose if they want to try it on their own or use our Medium Writing Academy, which acts as a shortcut.

How much are you currently earning from your newsletter? What are your growth goals?

On Substack, we're brand new. We joined less than three months ago and just made a bestseller, meaning we're only at around 120 paying subscribers now.

Our cross-annualised revenue is around $5,740, but that's okay because we're not aiming to monetise on Substack through paid subscriptions but through all the digital offers we have in store. 99% of sales in our digital business happen because of our ConvertKit automation and marketing campaigns.

Sinem and I are recording multiple six-figure profits every year, and our goal is to grow it to seven-figures - not for the money, but for knowing that we've been able to achieve that together.

What would you do differently if you were starting out, based on what you know now?

We've taken many courses on this topic, and I wouldn't do that again.

Courses teach you how one person has done it at a specific time. Instead, I would join a Mastermind community from day one and surround myself with people doing what I want to do instead of listening to one point of view.

One person can never provide you with better insights than a dozen experts in the field. Collaboration eats knowledge for breakfast.

Which creators inspire you on Substack and beyond?

There are five people that I love to call my invisible mentors. They’ve never heard of me, but they changed my life. Unfortunately, none of them is on Substack yet.

* Gary Vaynerchuk helped me understand human behaviour.

* Steve J. Larsen taught me how to build irresistible offers.

* Russell Brunson taught me how to sell on the internet.

* Grant Cardone showed me that I’m thinking too small.

* Pat Flynn made me fall in love with digital businesses.

What does ‘success’ mean to you?

I already see myself as successful because I can live the life I've dreamed of. I get to work with the person I love, I can work from the comfort of my home, and most importantly, I can freely decide when I want to work and who I want to work with.

I don't care about status symbols like expensive cars or watches because my most important value in life is freedom. And that's exactly what my business is providing me with.

Where can we find you?

Feel free to DM me on Substack.

Philip’s tagged his favourite places to work remotely in Vienna on our ✍️🌍WorkFrom Map. Feel free to add yours!

Read all the Bold Types interviews.

Other things happening this week

▶️I interviewed with Newsletter Circle on how I’m building The Shift. Read now. Ciler Demiralp and team have also analysed 75,000 Substack newsletters - sign up for the ‘report’!

▶️I’m going to The Portfolio Collective’s Portfolio Career Festival in London on 13 November. A jam-packed day of networking, learning and career development. Enjoy interactive workshops, three panel discussions and speed networking opportunities.

If you fancy coming, use my code: NIKAPCFEST to save £50 on Standard or VIP ticket prices. Please share with a friend who might enjoy this.

Ways to pay me

☕️Don't like change? Leave it in the Tip Jar...

💬1:1 chat support: A direct line to my inbox for questions about writing or life.

✍️Hire me to write your newsletter. I’m a word nerd (with a great network). Let me build your brand on Substack!

The Shift is here to help you live a life well-lived. If you enjoy my work, consider supporting it by becoming a paid member—and enjoy these community perks!

▶️Today's topic: Imposter syndrome 

"We wondered if you'd be interested in this project and how you'd approach it, given that you market yourself as a content strategist." 

👀Imposter syndrome oh yesss. Last year, I was asked to do a content audit for a client’s website redesign. 12 websites to mine for data to help with comms planning for 2024. I've done mini-content audits before, but nothing on this scale.

After reading the brief, my inner critic, Nancy, kicked off. "You can't do this. Turn it down. You don't know what you're doing." 

But it was five weeks' work, pre-Xmas, proper freelance (no PAYE), and GREAT money, so I said yes.

On the first call, I tried to sound confident and ask the right questions so they'd know I was up to the job. I was a bit vague about process and said I'd need to read the docs and have a think. Asking about templates fell flat. The PM looked at me. "There are no templates; we've got to build it from scratch.” Nancy again 🤦🏻‍♀️ “I can’t believe you just asked her about templates.”

They took a punt on me anyway and offered me the job. Maybe desperate, I hope not.

How I did it

* Panicked for two days. Read some articles. Read the classic books on content strategy by Kristina Halvorson and Meghan Casey.

* Bought a handbook on content audits (God bless you, Paula Ladenburg Land, for writing this wonderful book!). 

* Found a template I could tweak (thanks, Lauren Pope). Emailed her for a quick chat to understand her process - turns out she made the template!

* Asked ChatGPT loads of questions. I'm not an advanced Excel user and wasn't sure how to validate data. 

* Transparency. Wrote down what I’d do and what tools I needed so the team could review and feedback. They seemed happy with that. It helped that they had no clue either. 

* Taught myself how to use SEO tools: Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, and Google Analytics. 

* Broke it down into small jobs. Doing a little bit each day made it feel manageable. 

As hairy as it was, I'm glad I went for it. I had a supportive team and a fantastic PM who let me get on with it. If she'd micromanaged me, I'd have been a nervous wreck. I need to be on a looooong leash.

It made me realise that the quantitative data is useful to a point. "Data refines the work we do but shouldn't define it." (love this, Amanda B. Hinton). The human side: HCP interviews and focus groups were more helpful. Understanding people's challenges and designing a digital experience to support them.

I could see how much knowledge and context the PM had - that's her superpower (as well as being a data whizz). She'd been working with this client for a while, and knew their goals and the bottlenecks - info I didn't have as an outsider. That took the pressure off as I could only do the job I'd been hired for.

What I do find weird is the feeling when you finish a big project. One day, you're working closely with the team; the next, they're gone. You probably won't see them again. I missed the office banter, the silly hats and little chats.

NUJ Coffee Morning

This week, we did a workshop on Imposter Syndrome w/Freelancing for Journalists founder Lily Canter, which made me reflect on all this. There were over 40 people on the call. It’s a BIG deal. 

There was less on the psychology behind IS (I'm not sure that's so helpful anyway) and more practical tips to overcome it. 

Journalism is not actually a profession; it's not like being a doctor, vet, or lawyer, where you have to pass certain exams or have certificates. It's actually, by definition, a trade that anyone can do. 

If you want to call yourself a journalist, you can call yourself a journalist. 

Funny how it can feel like an exclusive members' club. That can be intimidating, especially when you're starting out. 

It comes down to self-confidence, knowledge, and building your network. 

I agree that freelancing with multiple clients can create a sense of disconnect. I feel that. You're working on short-term projects. You can't get too involved, so you hold yourself back. I keep my Harry Potter Invisibility Cloak on! 

You have no single sense of identity as a freelancer. You don't belong to one institution. You're not an expert on a topic unless you have a 'beat'. You're dipping in and out as a generalist and you’re always doing new things.*

People can be critical about that, and it used to bother me. Feeling like a jack of all trades.

You’re also dealing with rejection and ghosting when pitching for work. All these feelings compound over time, and it can be overwhelming. You can get a bit lost. 

*I now see this as my superpower.

Solutions!

Don't let imposter syndrome hold you back. Use the feelings of inadequacy and discomfort to take action rather than procrastinate. 

* Take stock of everything you've done. Gather cuttings, testimonials and feedback (print emails and keep a 'Praise' file). You have a body of work which you can use to sell yourself.

* Take action. Build your digital brand - website, socials and email signature ("often overlooked, but it might be the only thing an editor looks at, so make it good."). Have a portfolio. I like Muck Rack as it automatically updates and pulls from the web (all your Substack posts!). You just need to claim your profile. 

I also found it comforting to hear how she & Emma felt like imposters doing their award-winning podcast, as neither of them is a trained broadcast journalist. Despite 150+ interviews - and being experienced print journos.

Also, don't be afraid to rebrand. Lily went from money, health and lifestyle to running + fitness journalism. "I quite honestly feel like a weight has been lifted." 

I spent my 20s/30s writing about sex, health + wellness, and in my 40s, I switched my focus to business, tech, writing & entrepreneurship. I'd lost my mojo for sex toy reviews and realised female entrepreneurship was the bit I was most excited about.  

And nothing is permanent.

There is no reason why I can't rebrand again in a few years when I want to focus on something else. Because that is the beauty of freelancing. 

YOU are the brand, and your niche will evolve as you do. I find that very freeing. 

Great session - thank you, Lily. I've shared some resources, as it came up on a few pods.

* How to do a freelance rebrand | FFJ

* Imposter Syndrome | FFJ w/Donna Ferguson & Nick McGrath 

* How one tiny mindset shift can help you overcome imposter syndrome | Josh Spector (45m mark)

* When your business hands you lemons w/Jenny Blake | Rochelle Moulton (the best thing I've listened to this week! Appreciate you, ❤️ Jenny Blake).

How do you deal with imposter syndrome? 

Cheers,Nika 🥂

The Shift is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and give me a thrill!, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Last night, I did an AI Twin Workshop with Cathi Tarbox | Solo AI X. Four women nerding out over AI on a Friday night :D

What you get: a digital version of yourself in the form of a document, which you can then use across AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Bard, etc) so they create content in your voice, your style, using words you use, and with your audience in mind. I want ChatGPT to sound like me.

How it works: We had some homework to do before the two-hour class.

* Fill in a detailed doc with writing links, business info, target audience, common words and phrases to use and avoid, etc.

* Record a voice note of me talking about my biz so it can analyse my words and my voice.

I signed up late so only had an hour to do this, and the voice sample wasn't detailed enough. I'll do it again this week. CT said to do a 2/3-min ‘rant’ about your biz, values, goals, passions, challenges, etc, so it gets a sense of your personality and communication style.  

She used my doc to feed ChatGPT (AI Twin GPT), so I got a live demo of how it works and things to look out for as you go through it. Some tips: Use Extensity to turn off browser extensions, as AI doesn't seem to like them. It also has issues with Google Docs and can't always read them, so try again or C+P your work.

We also had a bit of fun with it. Ask it to tell you jokes. ChatGPT can be lazy and refuse to work when overloaded!, so don’t take no for an answer. "It's like a two-year-old toddler; you have to rein it in!"

Offer a $200 tip for a longer response or say you’ll fine it $10k if it doesn’t follow your commands - seems to work ;-)

I need to watch the replay, refine my doc and voice note, and then I'll rerun it. Let's see.

📆CT is doing a free ‘Personalizing ChatGPT Workshop’ on Friday 1 Nov if you want to check it out.

What I want to use AI for

Some problems I want to solve:

* Less time at my desk/on the laptop and phone – hands-free interaction. More travel, nature, in-person meetups, and networking.

* More time with my daughter and fam. J will be off to uni soon! My parents are getting older.

* Automating repetitive tasks and admin – email, socials, repurposing content.

* Pricing comparison: I need help pricing a new service with different tiers so asked it for market rates. Also, brainstorming new products & services.

* Substack growth. Data insights from my archive so I can tweak things.  

* A sparring partner and brainstorming buddy! A biz/financial coach in my pocket.

* More solopreneur friends, especially locally. Pier 2 Peer networking in Hastings. I wfh mostly these days, and it's lonely.

* Personal development. I don't remember books I've read unless I write them down. It can pull takeaways from talks, books, and courses and save them digitally.

* Health stuff – I want a personalised AI health coach to help with my RA and advice for someone I love who has CLL.

I've been using ChatGPT as my main tool for a year or so now. I've upgraded so I can use voice chat (see if I can find a sexy male voice), build custom GPTs (btw, these are great lead magnets), and now we can do real-time collaborative editing in Canvas mode. You can see where this is going…

All this for just $20/mo. I'm blown away by what AI makes possible for us soloists—fun, creative, and empowering!   

It's good to see the rates increasing for training multilingual AI systems and LLMs. Earlier this year, I was offered $15-$20/hr for flexible work. This week, I was offered $80/hr from one platform—that's more like it.  Let’s see if it’s legit.

AI tools I'm testing

* Fathom AI Notetaker Bot is a fantastic tool. You get a meeting summary and a recording. I've seen many bots on Zoom calls doing the grunt work so folks can wander off. It doesn't work on Zoom webinars atm.

* Wondercraft.ai clones your voice for pods, ads, and audiobooks. You need to overpronounce your sample for better results (this will improve). I like it but the Creator version is a bit pricey for casual use. Worth it if you're doing a lot of audio work.

* STORM | Stanford is an open-source AI system that creates Wikipedia-style pages on any topic. It compiles info and references the sources it uses.

* Perplexity AI – a free search tool that combines NLP, machine learning and data integration (it also cites sources). More interactive and conversational.

* Claude AI—not used it much yet, but I hear it's better at creative writing and programming than ChatGPT.

* Alex Hormozi GPT. Let AI Alex coach you on biz, sales and marketing…

Statement on AI training

It's great to see this has almost 30k signatories now. Please support.

The unlicensed use of creative works for training generative AI is a major, unjust threat to the livelihoods of the people behind those works, and must not be permitted.

Initiated by Ed Newton Rex, a former Stability AI exec who quit, spoke out for creators' rights, and founded Fairly Trained.

Go to www.aitrainingstatement.org.

‘Working People’

🇬🇧'Budget for growth'—My mum: "According to Starmer (who can't define wot a woman is), a 'working person' is somebody who earns little, has no savings or assets, and can't afford to write a cheque to pay an unexpected bill!"

So, most of us don't qualify as 'working people' then!?

My brother (employer, entrepreneur): "What does he think I do all bloody day then!?"

Labour—out to destroy enterprise and aspiration?

According to The Sunday Telegraph, more than 1.6k company directors have chosen to wind down their biz this month, the highest number this year, and double the amount for last Oct.

"No way are they getting a second term!!”

What do you reckon?

Cheers,Nika 🥂

📍PS Next Members Meetup is on Thursday 31 Oct, 5-6 pm BST on Zoom. Come along if you want to hear more about my AI Twin and work opps.

▶️Today: WorkFrom Map | WorkWith newsletter talent directory. 

Hi! I’m at the Royal Parks Half event village in Hyde Park, getting ready to run. I’ll post some before-and-after pics on Notes and would love your support via a wee donation or share. I’m trying to raise £300 for the Rory Peck Trust.

It’s a stunning route through four Royal Parks and past Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament and the Royal Albert Hall. Mostly flat, thank god.

It's sunny so far, and no rain forecast hurrah. I'm all set for my headphone party!

A couple of resources for you this week:

▶️I’ve made a WorkFrom Map - Google My Maps. Tag where you are, your favourite coffee bar, and any cool places to remote work/live you’ve found on your travels. LINK 

Feel free to share it on here so more folks can find it and get inspired. Thanks to Nikki Carter-Ferry, Will & Way and Philip Hofmacher, Write • Build • Scale for christening it with their fave coffee shops in Houston and Vienna. Interview with Philip coming soon.

▶️WorkWith: a newsletter talent directory for writers & creators on Substack and beyond. Nice to see this growing. If you’re looking for collabs, feel free to add your deets (it’s editable, so a bit of a social experiment!). LINK

Enjoy your Sunday.

Nika ❤️‍🔥

The Shift is a reader-supported adventure. To receive new posts and make my day, consider becoming a free or paid member.

Today’s guest is Lex, a newsletter writer and subscription marketing expert. With over 10 years of experience leading growth projects for tech startups like Gusto, Prosper, and Burner, she helped pioneer growth design. Lex also founded the Growth Designers community, where she educates tech teams on using data to guide product decisions.

In 2019, Lex started her own growth design consultancy and, by 2021, shifted her focus to marketing for creatives. She’s now on a mission to help journalists and indie newsrooms grow their audience and income through subscription marketing.  

Her new venture, Journalists Pay Themselves, does what it says on the tin! With the rapid decline of journalism jobs, she’s exploring ways to support those transitioning to independent work.

It’s written for journalists but applies to most media subscription businesses.

We chatted about growing your list and community, Substack v Beehiiv, how much she’s earning from her newsletters, and the benefits of niching down.

Buckle up and enjoy our chat!

Cheers,Nika 🥂

Why did you start Journalists Pay Themselves?

I saw the layoffs and publication shutdowns happening in quick succession earlier this year, which got me looking more seriously at news business models. Since I’ve been helping companies make money online for 12 years, I was curious what exactly “wasn’t working” about news monetisation.

I’d been journalist-adjacent for several years through community organising work and reached out to a few people I had good connections with. That started my research, and then I realised I should publish everything I learn, hence the newsletter.

What problem is it solving for readers?

JPT dives into how reader subscriptions work and how you get more of your free readers moving to paid subscriptions. I am finding that indie journalists and micro newsrooms prefer to be majority reader-funded because it offers them editorial independence, and they often get a good uptake when they launch.

Eventually, though, growth slows (true of all businesses), and journalists have to become their own marketers. I cover how to do that in JPT. 

What’s always on your desk? 

My Bluetooth speaker, my “Happy Planner,” my Airpods, and two tiny oranges I have every intention of eating.

Why did you choose Beehiiv as your ESP? How’s it going?

I had another newsletter on Beehiiv and immediately loved the platform. I started on Mailchimp years ago, had a Substack in 2020 and moved to Mailerlite in 2021. I’ve tried many newsletter platforms, but Beehiiv offers Substack's growth functions with flexible segments and the automation of an email marketing tool.

Pros: built-in monetisation through boosts and ad network, recommendations similar to Substack, easy-to-embed forms, solid analytics, a beautiful composer that’s quick about online/offline syncing, segments and automation that are necessary for selling. Keeping your subscription revenue 100% (they don’t take a fee and you can bypass them fully and take it to your own Stripe).

Cons: waiting for the other shoe to drop on where they are headed (it’s still early, and it’s a bit too good to be true in some ways). It's not as strong a writers or journalists network as Substack and is full of spammy, weird newsletters about AI and crypto.

Can you share your best tip for growing your email list and community?

Just one?! If I have to pick just one, it's to make it your main call to action. Everywhere on your website, on all your social profiles, anytime you give a talk, do a podcast or talk to someone, tell them about your newsletter.

The more you can automate this (or just put it in place once), the better, but even keeping this top of mind goes a long way to marketing your list.

I think the newsletter game is important even if you don’t know that you want a newsletter business, because it’s a great way to build in public, research in public, and start a dialogue.

How much are you currently earning from your newsletters?

Journalists Pay Themselves makes $0 right now, but my other newsletter, Low Energy Leads, has been my primary revenue channel for the past year. I’m shutting Low Energy Leads down to focus on JPT, but it made $1.2K in sponsorships this year and $96K in membership, events, digital products and speaking gigs that came directly from the newsletter.

I broke it down in this newsletter issue and shared some past newsletter projects.

Low Energy Leads had many growth problems, though, and I suppose, in some ways, that’s hopeful because, despite the headwinds, I still made a living off it. Pretty much every other newsletter has more of a shot than that one, though. The niche was bad.

Is there anything you would do differently if you were starting your newsletter based on what you know now?

I wish I could go back in time to when I launched LA Pays Attention and work on scaling that more and taking the revenue seriously there. That newsletter launched in March 2020, and it was a very good time to be on Substack. I picked up press mentions from most major outlets in LA, and it grew to 2K subs in only a few months before recommendations, paid boosts, or any of that existed.

It was always a side project, and I didn’t understand what I had tapped into (I do now). It was acquired last year for a nice payout and became a wonderful local news outlet called LA Public Press.

Which creators inspire you on Beehiiv and beyond? 

On Beehiiv: Kaitlyn Arford with Freelance Opportunities, Garbage Day, The Publish Press (Colin and Samir’s newsletter), Sparsh with Rustic Flute and Jason Levin’s Meme Alerts.

Off Beehiiv: Alissa Walker’s Torched and Kat Vellos’ We Should Get Together.

What does ‘success’ mean to you?

For my newsletter, it means making a sustainable living off of it while offering a light to as many journalists as I can who want to do the same.

In life, it’s much bigger than that :)

Where can we find you?

Mostly on X and LinkedIn and, of course, at journalistspaythemselves.com. We have events going over at JPT! Come by. 

Team Substack Substackinc - please hire Lex to help us improve our conversion rates! 🙏

See all the ‘Bold Types’ interviews.

Lex shared some great ideas and insights, so I now have to put them into action ;-)

With my AI bestie’s help, I’ve created a step-by-step guide based on our conversation to help you grow and monetise your newsletter.

Newsletter Growth Guide: 6 Lessons from Lex.👇

1. Build Your Newsletter Foundation

a. Position Your Newsletter as a Portfolio

* Treat your newsletter as a portfolio piece, showcasing your expertise, even before it becomes monetised. It can lead to opportunities like consulting, speaking gigs, or press coverage, as Lex experienced.

* Highlight your niche and strengths. Focus on your unique perspective and craft each issue with the quality you'd put into a professional portfolio.

2. Strategically Grow Your Audience

a. Leverage Existing Readers for Organic Growth

* Create a referral program: Tools like SparkLoop can turn your current readers into advocates who share your newsletter with others. Offer rewards or exclusive content to encourage participation.

* Ask for reader feedback: Poll your most engaged readers about the online communities they are a part of or where they spend time. This can reveal new platforms to promote your newsletter.

* Prominent CTAs: Ensure your call-to-action (CTA) is visible across all platforms, from your website to social media and even during podcasts or public talks. Make your newsletter the primary way people can keep in touch with you.

b. Experiment with Visuals to Stand Out

* Add custom illustrations or unique visual elements to make your newsletter more engaging. Lex highlighted how visual appeal helps newsletters stand out in crowded inboxes. Experiment with styles that fit your brand and audience.

* Use data-driven design choices: Test different formats, colour schemes, and layouts to see what drives higher engagement rates, clicks, or reader retention.

3. Engage and Retain Your Community

a. Build a Strong, Platform-Independent Community

* Create a discussion space outside platforms: With Substack removing discussion threads, explore platform-independent community spaces like Discord, Slack, or even dedicated forums to foster conversation among your audience.

* Host interactive events: Webinars, Q&As, or virtual meetups can enhance engagement and give your readers a reason to stay connected. Offer exclusive access to these events as a perk for paid subscribers.

b. Maintain Consistency in Content Delivery

* Set a clear publishing schedule and stick to it. Consistency helps build trust and ensures your audience knows when to expect your content.

* Offer behind-the-scenes content to loyal readers. Lex mentioned how paid subscribers enjoy getting exclusive insights into the content creation process. This could include sneak peeks, creator reflections, or even detailed case studies.

4. Monetise Effectively Through Diversified Streams

a. Experiment with Different Paywall Models

* Test full, partial, and metered paywalls to see which drives the best results. A partial paywall allows free access to some content while locking premium sections, while a metered paywall provides free readers limited access before requiring a subscription.

* Use data and feedback to adjust your approach based on which model leads to higher conversions or retention rates.

b. Offer One-Time Purchases and Tipping Options

* Monetise without locking in subscriptions: Provide readers with opportunities for one-time purchases, such as curated guides, digital products, or exclusive reports. This allows low-commitment ways for your audience to support you.

* Add a “tip jar” feature on your newsletter platform. This gives free readers the option to contribute financially without committing to ongoing subscriptions. A platform like Ko-fi or Buy Me a Coffee can help facilitate this.

c. Create Additional Perks for Paid Subscribers

* Behind-the-scenes content can serve as a great incentive for paid subscribers. Lex suggests this as one of the most popular perks, offering an intimate look into your process or exclusive updates.

* Offer value-add options: Host private events, workshops, or AMAs (Ask Me Anything) for subscribers who want more in-depth, interactive content.

5. Reduce Platform Dependency and Outsource Smartly

a. Diversify Your Revenue and Income Streams

* Don’t rely on a single platform: Changes like Substack’s removal of discussion features underscore the risk of being too reliant on any one service. Diversify your revenue sources across events, digital products, freelance work, and paid newsletters.

* Balance multiple streams of income to ensure a stable financial foundation. Whether it’s through speaking gigs, consulting, or selling digital products, spreading your revenue across different channels will reduce vulnerability.

b. Outsource Specific Tasks for Efficiency

* Outsource selectively: Lex mentions the value of outsourcing one-off tasks such as thumbnail design, illustrations, or copyediting. This allows you to focus on high-level strategy and content creation.

* Assess your needs carefully: Decide what can be automated or delegated. Invest in areas that will have the greatest impact on saving you time or improving quality.

6. Track, Learn, and Adapt

a. Use Data to Drive Decisions

* Track reader behaviour and engagement through analytics tools. Look at metrics like open rates, click rates, and conversion rates to understand what content resonates most with your audience.

* Survey your readers regularly to ask about their preferences. This will help guide your content and monetisation strategies based on their direct input.

b. Stay Flexible and Open to Change

* Adapt your strategy as new trends emerge or platforms evolve. Staying informed about the latest in the newsletter industry, such as platform changes or new tools, will help you stay ahead.

* Embrace experiments: Regularly test new formats, paywall approaches, or promotional strategies, and evaluate the results to find what works best for you.

Summary:

By following these steps and incorporating Lex’s proven strategies, you’ll be well on your way to growing your newsletter, building an engaged community, and establishing multiple streams of revenue. The key is to start small, test often, and remain open to evolving your approach as you learn from your readers and the market.

Also online here if you want to print it out :)

Just getting started? Join Club Bold today.

Hi Nika,

I'm thrilled to connect with you today regarding the highly anticipated Southern Enterprise Awards 2024, proudly hosted by SME News. 

As we now enter the 7th Edition of these prestigious awards, I'm delighted to share the exciting news that your 2024 nomination has been successful, and Nicola Talbot T/A Firebird has been awarded:

Best Content Consultancy 2024 – South East

I really hope this news is well received!

This is my second 'award' from SME News. I won a UK Enterprise Award in 2022 for ‘Most Innovative SaaS Company UX Writer and Content Designer’ (they're super niche, I guess so they can award more of ‘em).

They got in touch over the summer to ask if I was happy to be nominated, I said fine. Then they sent me a questionnaire for 'supporting information', which I didn’t fill in. Given I didn’t pay for a promo package last time I’m surprised to win another one!

I won't lie. I was chuffed to win – it's nice to be recognised, and it cheered me up this week.

I’m curious about this company (SME News is a brand owned by AI Global Media, a B2B publishing house since 2010), so I looked them up. Here's the most interesting piece I found on Neil Scrivener's SLAPP’s blog. AI Global Media awards struck off and convicted lawyer with TWO legal awards.

After a scoop by RollOnFriday, they revoked the award. But how the heck did he win a prize if he'd not practised for eight years? I did a bit more digging and found this explainer on ROF. Apparently, the research team had questioned its legitimacy, but "another individual had missed the note and had neglected to take action accordingly". They've had words to make sure it doesn’t happen again and "retraining is being provided."

We've all been there.

They're also listed on Wikipedia as 'an organiser of vanity awards and publisher of online magazines." I don’t agree with that, though, as it's not pay-to-win. As they say in this ROF piece: "There is absolutely no link between a customer's opportunity to win an award and their ability to pay for it. We do offer marketing materials for our winners as we realise there is significant value in promoting the news, but there is no obligation."

Hmm, I thought I’d better gather more intel.

Hi X

Thank you, appreciated.

Just following up with a couple of questions as I'm curious about how this works.

* Who nominated me? 

* Who is on the judging panel? 

* Is there a supporting statement / comment from the judges? 

I wasn't expecting a reply, but I got this email back the next day, explaining how it works.

"Our team run an extremely thorough process to arrive at this point, starting with the all-important voting and marketing stage."

* You can self-nominate, or a third party / the publisher can nominate on your behalf (they did).

* They contact you to check you're happy to take part (they did).

* They send a supporting questionnaire so you can add more info about your biz (they did - food for thought).

* Their in-house research team (all named here on the website) put together a case file on you (i.e. any info in the public domain).

* They use an internal panel (the same folks probably) for the judging process - "who have been doing this for over 12 years for the company, and they know our standard and exactly what to look for!"

OK, so that's me told. I was sniffy and suspicious but I’ve changed my mind. It’s not prestigious - no glitzy ceremony - and they’re giving out lots of awards. But it’s not a scam as it’s not pay-to-win. It’s a bit of publicity so why not? Gotta celebrate your wins!

I'll take the free package (press release, entry into the winners’ directory + a 100-word profile), but I won't be paying for any trophies or magazine articles, though clearly a lot of people do (or maybe have money to spend at the end of the tax year). Their business model is working.

I thought I'd have some fun with it and see how many awards I can win. I'm going for the hat trick…

It shows how crazy the awards circuit is though - it’s a real cottage industry! What does ‘award-winning’ mean these days?

Have you won an award with SME News or similar? Tell me more.

I did an awards newsletter for a client this week. Some glam photos from the night, which made it look fab. That’s the real value of awards - having nice visuals to use in your marketing.

Here’s a tip from the judges on how to craft a winning entry. "Entries that tell a full in-depth story with detail and evidence tend to be better received." We need that human connection. ‘Feeling part of the journey’ also came up in the comments.

Have a fantastic week.

Nika :)

Reads & Recs

▶️The Art of Business - Hey Creator podcast. An audio-only version of Bonnie Christine's presentation at the HeyCreator Summit. Super inspiring talk.

▶️"How do I market myself without feeling gross about it?". As always, thoughtful advice from Russell Nohelty (a long read, grab a cuppa!)

▶️TeuxDeux app. A to-do list that's as simple to use as a piece of paper. Enjoying this - it’s the most elegant productivity tool I’ve used.

Quote of the Week

You're not going to create good content if you're not excited and having fun doing it. It seems basic, but there are a lot of people who hate the content they're creating. And it's not gonna work.

Forget the best practices; forget what everyone else is telling you to do. Go create something you're excited to create. – Josh Spector.

Who the heck works at Burning Man ❤️‍🔥

LFB's shot at crushing the crisis, or anyway, offering a micron of easement via a 2-hour Zoom confab on 24 November, 6.30-8.30pm, open to all NUJ freelancers who care to come.

And you, if you like? I can invite a guest or two.

Two hours of problems and here's-some-good-news-tho and try-this/try-that to address what we're all dealing with currently. Full details here.

I'm pulling together some resources on copywriting and community - networks are your lifeline as a freelancer!

It's not been an easy year. I've had two contracts cut short, and the IR35 saga continues - repeal now revoked - welcome to the UK! My freelance work has been more stable. It pays to work on critical projects that won't be cancelled, like major events or design work. I had a kick-off call for a conference next March - a core part of their membership offering, and hybrid since Covid.

That means six months of pre/live/post comms work, which I'm grateful for - some stability and peace of mind.

There's no shame in asking for help if things are quiet. Being bold and vulnerable - Lauren Pope was on Twitter. 

I'm not super busy either, so focusing on biz dev till Xmas - need to update my portfolio and website SEO, do my comms calendar, grow this newsletter etc. Also doing a bit of mentoring via the NUJ and BIMA.

Investing in myself: upskilling and self-care, which includes massage - finding deep body work essential for joint stuff, creativity and mental health.

👀 My digital HQ - some freelance-friendly forums and networking I enjoy!

* Leapers

* Independent Work 

* Hoxby

* The Dots

* Yuno Juno

* Content + UX

* Online Geniuses

* The Portfolio Collective

* Center for the Transformation of Work

* The Association for the Future of Work 

* Groove

* r/freelance - have you noticed how most Google searches now have Reddit in the title? 🤔

* Freelance Twitter community and #ContentClubUK #FreelanceChat #FreelanceMafia #CopywritersUnite

I've bookmarked them to save time and blocked out the calendar, or it won't happen. I'm trying to keep Fridays free for networking - a social start to the weekend.

Offline networking, too - there is life beyond social media. I've signed up for co-working at The Observer Building - finally open for business! And a discounted rate till Xmas. It’s an inspiring work space and all creative/arts/tech/community businesses, so let's see who's around and what I can help out with.

It will make a change from working at home alone and lift my spirits.

For copywriting, media agencies have been a good source of work. Most use freelancers, so it's worth getting on their books to find projects outside the UK market. Interesting to see how work is becoming fractionalised - I had a one-hour gig with Google - Small Business. Hoping for more little jobs like that - inbound enquiries, well-paid and it fits in with my other freelance work.

The news is all doom and gloom, but hang in there; there are reasons to be cheerful! Past data around recessions shows businesses are more likely to hire independent freelance workers during a downturn.

The future of freelancing - interesting to hear PwC’s thoughts on the future of work.

My strategy is to focus on building products, not rates - e.g. niche newsletters and digital downloads, and I've created some service packages.

You're less likely to have your time commoditised, and you're charging based on the value you bring, not your time. It's scalable, too.

What are you doing to keep the fires burning? Love to hear your thoughts - feel free to send any resources to share on the 24th.

- Nika

Upwork - the new Hays! Love their ad campaign - much better user experience 😉

5 Things 

👩🏻‍💻 What is the Metaverse? A free course explaining what it is and how to use it. New ways to connect, learn, and work. The eco ramifications and the role of decentralisation in making it ethical, inclusive and accessible. NFTs, crypto, avatars, devices, AR/VR/ER - a good overview! (Meta/Coursera)

💬 Dread networking? Here's how to make it feel less icky. Showing up online is no fun if you take yourself too seriously. You have to separate yourself from your online persona and create distance. Loving Jodie’s thoughtful blogs for entrepreneurs who want to think differently. (Jodie Cook)

📧 How to add your newsletter to your Twitter profile (even if you don't use Revue). A few people have asked me how I did this, so here's a workaround - helpful if you use Substack, WordPress or Mailchimp. It does drive new subscribers - you just have to add them manually to your list. (Jacob Morch)

✍️ It takes this freelance writer just a few minutes to make her every client pitch 100% personalized. How to present your work to prospects (and save time on personalized pitches). Handy if you've written hundreds of articles on different topics. A fab tool - lovely to get a testimonial from someone thanking me for a book I wrote years ago! (Authory/Maya Middlemiss)

📆 Working on your content strategy? Here's a brilliant content calendar from Anna McLoughlin of Inkspillers. Daily, weekly and seasonal prompts to help spark timely ideas and help you smash your goals. Working on mine and finding this helpful for goal-setting and staying focused. (ProCopywriters)

📣 Have a great story to share? Contact nika@nikatalbot.io

🖋 Need help with something? Write in with your questions

💬 Build your freelance network. Spread the word about my Freeletter

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‘I believe all people should have access to remote work, and I intend to make this a reality.’

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://niccitalbot.io/44-a-day-in-the-life-of-brittnee-bond-founder-remote-collective/