Bingo! A Thousand Days Ago I Started a Newsletter

E157: I teamed up with AI to develop my Directory of Topics

Just over 1,000 days ago I hovered over the ENTER button on my keyboard. “Well, here goes nothing!” I said on September 15, 2021, as I sent the first edition of my Substack to the five email addresses (I’d) signed up. Mum, my three kids and me. 

• 1000 days ago I didn’t have the confidence or process necessary to publish weekly. 

• 1000 days ago we were still in the throes of on-again, off-again Covid restrictions.

• 1000 days ago I had children in school, and I was writing my second book.

• 1000 days ago my Mother was alive and well. 

• 1000 days ago my only reference for BTS was “behind the scenes”. I knew very little about ChatGPT.

A lot can change in 1000 days.

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• I only discovered international sensation BTS, the seven-person K-pop band in January 2022. They have since taken a hiatus to do their 18-month military service (which Jin has completed and he is already back on the public stage!) That rabbit-hole has now spilled over, expanding my listening and viewing history to explore J-, C- and K-drama and -pop!

• I got to spend some extended time with my mother each year and be with her when she passed away unexpectedly earlier this year.

• My children have all now graduated and are working. (Two writer’s retreats later, however, and I’m still working on the book!)

• Covid-19 is a fading memory for many.

• I’ve learned a lot about myself. Through trial and error, I created a discipline of publishing weekly. Core to that was surrounding myself with great friends¹ who provided me with the weekly scaffolding that got me to the point of publishing this third-year edition 157 of my newsletter.

A lot can happen in 1000 days.

As for AI and ChatGPT? We are creating a relationship. I have spent the past few weeks experimenting with AI-highlight reels, prompt engineering and Perplexity. Playing and re-iterating, I sifted through the past 156 editions looking for trends and keywords. I created summaries and searched for the topics that had you coming asking for more.

The result is a Directory of Topics found on the navigation bar of my newsletter Tilt the Future - answering when serendipity knocks :

What I discovered:

156 editions ago, I came to write about Climate but began with a post about Parenting. Since then the conversation has expanded to how we (Boomers, GenX and young parents) can empower younger generations as we Raise the Future-Ready Leaders of 2050, 2070 and beyond. The newsletter now explores 21st-century skills, emphasizing heirloom skills that foster resilience as we navigate society’s transition into the Future of Work. Robust Connections and Community - relative to their importance for Mental Wellness - have also become recurring themes.

I have a few iconic essays that capture my thoughts on the Future of Work and my position on Climate.

Sustainability unexpectedly showing up in various categories. Naturally, I expected to see it mentioned relative to Climate, but I was surprised to see it permeate other ‘human’ conversations. Most notably, the “Craft of Sustainable Story-Weaving” (Shoutout to Perplexity for helping shape that title). In every 7th issue - the Rest & Recap editions - we normalize and emphasize proactive rest ensuring we have sustainable personal energy and avoid burnout.

When I polled my readers around edition 30, they said that positivity, empowerment, and hope were central emotions in my writing. I “hope” that three years later, you can still say the same.

Print off the Bingo card and use it to explore the growing library of ideas. (Help categorizing²) Is there a recurring topic you inherently associate with this newsletter that I haven’t mentioned in the Directory? Does crossing off all boxes on the card earn you a prize?

Thank you, Tribe Tilt, for allowing me into your inbox for the past three years.

What discoveries will the next 1,000 days reveal as we continue to journey together?

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Thank you for continuing to be a treasured member of Tribe Tilt! As I re-read some older posts, I see that many of you have journeyed alongside me across the globe, through various family highs and lows, and my personal adjustment out of active parenting. Thank you for your company, and for being a significant part of my robust network.

We are a group that believes we can make a difference to the people and places that are precious to us - that we have fun, hope and agency in our lives. We believe that the best ideas can come from anyone, anywhere, at any time. Please join in our conversations.

Stay healthy. From there all else becomes possible.

Until next week …

Karena

1. Thank you to

Brooke Smith

and

Emma Dorge

who review my weekly essays, providing me the necessary reflective points that make this a better read for each of you. And to readers from the WoP and WiC communities whose insights make this a better product each week.

2. If an article is incorrectly categorized, please DM me! And if a memorable essay does not show up under a topic area you associate with it, please allow me to fix that.