I was standing with a sea of tourists at Mykonos port, waiting to be herded onto a gigantic ferry, in boiling heat of the midday sun, when I listened to this interview by Tim Ferriss of writer Anne Lamott.
That morning, I’d managed to injure my left calf while attempting to catch a ball (read playing tennis), so I was also limping while pushing my suitcases around. You’ll agree that these are not optimal conditions for any listening experience, yet I fell in love with Anne Lamott right then and there while breathing in the ferry fumes.

Did you know Vogue Scandinavia’s first Issue was published this August? I almost missed it but thanks to their choice of a cover star, which made the headlines outside the region. Both bold (the climate activist doesn’t believe in new clothes) and smart (she is a powerful visionary after all, already nominated for the Nobel Prize three years in a row!) I applaud this first Vogue cover of Greta Thunberg. It is sold only online (whether in print or digital) in limited quantities, due to the desire to be sustainable. The new glossy is the 27th edition of Vogue and is published in English ‘to communicate freely between the 5 nations of the Nordic regions’.

I felt really lucky when a friend shared this article with me. The headline and feature image grabbed me: ‘Climate reporter burns out’ I’d never heard of Emily Atkin, a prominent climate journalist in the US, author, founder of Heated and contributor to MSNBC. Her story is short, powerful, and essential, full of parallels to the subject she covers:

‘The rationale I’ve used to burn myself out is the same rationale the fossil fuel industry uses to burn up the planet. Downplaying and denying the pain extraction brings. Overplaying the ability to heal from its wounds. Saying I’ll lose everything without endless growth.’

It happens to be the second article I read this week about burnout, specifically about a writer’s burnout. Both articles are really worth your time, and both publications are worth subscribing to.

Every - the Long Conversation
Heated.World

It’s a delight to make new friends via the wonderful medium that is a podcast. Reflecting on it with a few others the other day, I was remembering that there is something intimate about hearing conversations, directly in your ears (or ear buds).

Nadine Kelly, of Yogi MD - aka my new friend - is a fellow Akimbo alumni. That's how we met, during the Podcasting Fellowship which I took in early 2020. Nadine's path is fascinating if anything: she left medicine as a pathologist in her early 40's to become a yoga teacher, life coach, and since 2018, a podcaster. Her love of of the medium is matched by her love of music: she is a keen drummer. So we chat about her journey, mental health and yoga, as well as coaching and limiting beliefs. This conversation left me feeling bright. I hope you will feel the same.

My appreciation for photography evolved over time to be awed by the magic that can be created via set design, especially in still life. An article on London-based set designer Imogen Frost offers, via a curation of her work, a wonderful glimpse in the worlds she creates. Whether artistic or commercial, it makes me want to explore the possibilities.

I’ve been increasingly aware of the waste coming out of my household so of course, sustainable beauty has been on my mind. It’s probably a sign of the times, the increasingly obvious violent effects of climate change. Going increasingly plastic-free is a desire that seems to be hard to achieve: so little quality products are available in sustainable or recyclable containers. If you’re anything like me, and you live in the US (not sure if the brands are available outside the country) this article is for you: 7 best products for a plastic free morning routine. Take note, beauty brands. Time to get clever with your packaging.

My exploration of the importance of boundaries at work, which you may have read about in previous articles, expanded thanks to the research I gleaned from this article in the NYT. Changing our scheduling practices, knowing when to put ourselves offline are important tools for sanity and productivity in the blended or hybrid world, because: ‘When our work is interrupted by a digital distraction like a message, it takes 23 minutes on average to return to the original task, according to one study.’

"If you have a long-term ambition for your business, take your customers on the journey with you." says Helen Baynes, this week’s guest on Out of the Clouds. The Customer Experience Consultant and Strategic Advisor, spent her career in the fashion and online retail world, via Harrods, Net-a-porter and Cult Beauty where she deployed her talents in customer centricity. Helen is now pioneering the digitalisation of traditional retail service values to meet the rapidly changing needs of increasingly digital consumers. Her diverse clients include champagne houses to fine jewelry to wellness supplements. Helen and I had the chance to collaborate recently, which gave me the desire to talk to her some more about key principles in customer care, experience design, the importance of listening to clients, partners and customers and how happy staff leads to happy customers.

I am ashamed to say I didn’t know of the Garden Museum in Lambeth, London until I discovered this beautiful exhibition of botanical portraits by photographer Kate Friend. For this series, the artist chose to approach people who she’d wanted to meet and who have a relationship with flowers but aren’t gardeners themselves. Friend followed her instinct which took her to visit studios and homes of people whose work she respected and the result is stunning. Her favourite (and mine from the selects on the museum’s website) is Yurgen Teller’s strawberry.