Welcome to the 5th edition of This is Not Advice, a non-advice column for premium subscribers of What Works. If youre already a premium subscriber, thank you! If youre not, I still think youre greatand you can read a solid chunk of this column for fre

"Failure" got a glow-up sometime in the last 20 years. Instead of something to be feared, gurus tell us toembrace failure. That failure is a waypoint on the path to success. But this shift in our relationship with failure has only further inscribed the w

Buckle uptoday's episode was inspired by something that got mereally worked up this week: "I think home-baking is one of the stupidest things anyone can engage in," says Rick Easton of Jersey City's Bread and Salt. This episode is about shoulds and supp

"Outsiders" shoulder a disproportionate burden when it comes to fitting in. Can we demand more from the "insiders?"This is a preview of the 4th installment of This is Not Advice, a not-advice column for paid subscribers of What Works. If you’re not a paid

What gets labeled as "authentic" is often quite predictable. It's a market-compatible expression of what was once something unique or personal. Authenticity is avibeand a valuable one at that."Predictably unique" is how David A. Banks defines authentici

On June 8, Skye Pillsbury opened the latest edition of her newsletter, The Squeeze, with the header RIP Gimlet. She continued:Im heartbroken over the news that Spotify has laid off another 200 podcast employees, though Im not shocked. Skye Pillsbury, T

Im about to write the most journalistic thing Ive ever written: I received a tip.I wish I could say it was an anonymous tip because that sounds even more journalistic. But it wasnt anonymous, though I wont say who it was. Anyhow, my source told me a

Welcome to the 3rd edition of This is Not Advice, my advice column thats not an advice column for paid subscribers of What Works.This week, I am tackling a question that came up during last weeks workshop on media ecosystems (link to replay below!) and

Today's episode is all about trust and responsibilityand how those qualities impact the cost of doing business and the work that's required for any company to be successful. And specifically, it's about something I'm calling the Trust-Profit Paradox. Sim

What are we really talking about when we talk about our hopes and fears about AI?It's us. We're the problem.Actually, we're not the problemwe're more like the solution. But that's less mimetic.Sure, this is yet another pod hitting your feed with a take o