Recommendation Week 1
You asked for recommendations. You got ’em. (not sure you actually did but you got 'em anyway)
I wrote about “When We Recommend” a while back, and then realised I should actually practise what I preach. So: every month or so, I’ll send a focused hit-list of things worth your time (in my opinion). Media, podcasts, books, music, travel, all aligned with the bigger theme here: reinventing in midlife, and pivoting into something that doesn’t make you want to heave your laptop into the sea.
Problem: there’s too much noise and not enough trust. Solution: a curated feed from someone who’s actually paying attention.
Trust is the new distribution.
Media
I’ve spent most of my career in media editor, director, journalist, producer, exec producer, and head of broadcasting for a couple of TV channels and a radio station. The landscape’s shifting fast. Legacy platforms (cable, satellite) are burning down while independent creators are building real businesses on trust, not just reach.
The interesting bit: new outlets are using platforms like Substack as their “channel delivery mechanism”. Not just a blog a full stack of newsletters, podcasts, and reporting under one roof.
Two to watch
The Bulwark: American politics. Newsletters, reporting, and multiple podcasts, all spun up from their Substack ecosystem. Sharp, consistent, and grown-up. Its a really interesting use of the new technical landscape.
Frances Cook (NZ) a one-woman media business using TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube to demystify personal finance. Her podcast, Making Cents, is a tidy entry point. This is exactly what we talk about here: using modern tools to wrap a sustainable media/coaching business around a real skill.
We should probably hit Frances up for an interview at some point.
Try this
Audit your media diet for one week. What are you actually consuming vs. what you think you’re consuming?
Replace two low‑trust sources with two high‑signal independents.
If you’re building something yourself, ask: what’s my “channel”? Newsletter, podcast, YouTube pick one and commit for 90 days.
Podcasts
Rich Roll Podcast
Rich Roll is an OG in the podcast world and his archive is gold. Start here:
John McAvoy: born into a notorious London crime family, think The Sopranos meets The Krays. McAvoy became one of Britain’s most‑wanted armed robbers. Two prison terms and a botched heist later, he finds redemption through sport. It reads like a film script because it basically is. Episode: https://www.richroll.com/podcast/john-mcavoy-379/
Redemption arcs aren’t just for movies. They’re for midlife, too.
Pivot
Kara Swisher (tech’s truth serum) and Prof Scott Galloway (marketing brain, bad dad jokes, surprisingly good heart) talk tech, business, and politics twice a week. It’s punchy, funny, and lands real insight.
Books
I both read and listen. You do you.
"Reasons Not to Worry" by Brigid Delaney A smart, funny doorway into Stoicism without the bro-fest. If you’ve wanted the benefits without another book by a man about men who died 2,000 years ago, start here.
"Friends of Dorothy" by Sandi Toksvig Pure joy. Listen to the audiobook if you can,Sandi’s narration is a treat. It’s about people trying to find a place in the world that lets them be who they are. If you know her Cambridge backstory (and the old‑fashioned views around sexuality she ran up against), it hits even harder.
Link: https://a.co/d/4DS7aEZ
Music
Laufey "A Matter of Time" A rec from my 18‑year‑old daughter. Vintage jazz vibes with modern pop sensibility. Great “make dinner and pretend you’ve got your life together” soundtrack.
Travel
Bodrum, Turkey From my 24‑year‑old, currently off travelling. Azure water, proper food, and you can still find pockets that haven’t been Instagrammed to death.
That’s a wrap
In a month or so we’ll do Recommendation Week 2. Tell me what landed, what didn’t, and what you think I’ve missed. And pass this on to someone who needs a cleaner signal in the noise.
Curate on purpose. Reinvent on schedule.
Try this
Hit reply with one recommendation of your own (media, book, podcast, person) and one thing you’re actively cutting from your feed.