Reflections and Ripples

E53: Lists of newsletters and prior editions

Reflections and Ripples

• Reflecting on the journey

• Ripples - how some of my favourite newsletters inspire me

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Evolution

My finger hovered nervously over the ENTER button on my keyboard for what felt like an eternity. Finally, I took a deep breath and pushed “publish” on the first edition of the Tilt the Future newsletter. The date was September 15, 2021. I had five subscribers: my children, my mother and me. Everyone knew me and loved me — but I was still nervous. Because I was about to bare a part of my soul.

My first essay was based on a writing prompt: “Answer your Frequently Asked Question”. In the introductions in the various breakout rooms on Zoom, I was constantly being asked why I’d added “Mother of Dragons” to my profile. I published the newsletter, then spent the next few hours hitting refresh to see how many likes I had collected. It reminded me of the time I launched my podcast! Crickets.

Since then, I have changed almost everything about the newsletter — apart from the name:

• The topics that I share have expanded to include more personal stories.

• My readership has since expanded to include fellow WoP and WiC alumni from across the globe, educators, friends of friends, influencers, people who I have never spoken with directly (that was a little freaky and an exercise in vulnerability!)

• I am experimenting with visual messaging.

• I created a seventh-inning stretch. We hit ‘Pause’ every seven issues and take a break, learning to pace ourselves in this always-ON world. A really useful 21st-century skill.

• We are a tribe of Tilters. I believe in community as a net that supports each other. I share the profiles of various members as an example to a young adult on how life will twist and turn over the unfolding decades, and how to lean into serendipity. And as a resource for the younger readers - particularly parents - to discover how to best prepare their young families for a very interesting future.

• I have learned that it is OK to dribble out little parts of myself over various editions of the newsletter. It is impossible to fit a life and lessons learned over five decades into 1500 words.

I had a bold ambition at the start: to encourage long-term thinking and planning in a world where we are busy paying the next bill and getting the next meal on the table. I know that climate makes it difficult to think positively about the future. But we have to believe we can make a difference in order to create the environment that stimulates great ideas and breakthroughs. Over time, I’m finding my zone. I presently distill what fits into this newsletter as:

Leaning into the opportunity of the Climate Crisis, skills that make it easier to embrace the new Future of Work and Raising Future-Ready Leaders. Bringing it all together.

Each week, I iterate. I hope I am getting better at delivering something of value to your mailbox. A tighter message. An aha. A resource. It is really encouraging when I get a personal email or a comment back that a particular phrase has resonated with one of my readers.

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Ripples

In the true spirit of the tribe, many editions have been inspired by other Tilters. They send me ideas and resources to share forward with you all. Sometimes, material from a newsletter published by one of them plants a seed for new content.

As promised, here is a list of a few of many newsletters that I enjoy reading. Here are some not previously listed. If you like them, please subscribe. Many are Write of Passage Alumni:

Laila’s Kitchen: This is a bait and switch. Laila is a beautiful MineCraft-playing mother-of-one from New Zealand who invites you in with promises of quick and slow cooking, and then proceeds to help you revolutionalize your life with productivity ideas.

Visual Growth: by GenZ Ash Lamb is a colourful pop in my inbox, and an invitation to see the world through the eyes of a younger generation. He is one of many who are working on condensing messages into visuals.

Mindswitch Mondays: is published by Alexandra Zamora from El Salvador, who has coined the phrase Edu-Parenting. It is filled with the questions that many Tilt readers are addressing daily: how can I work with the education system and beyond it to make my child future-ready.

Creators Corner: Actuary by day, Creator by night, South African born John Nicholas lives in Munich and shares his journey to become a better writer.

The Letter: by San Francisco-based Simone Silverstein is a weekly hoot! She has such an obtuse take on life, beautifully crafted, and ends each edition with a prescription for her reader.

Nutshell Notes: If you are looking for a quick read, and beautiful storytelling, subscribe to the weekly poetry of Joojo Ochran currently based out of Dakar.

3 Pillars Parent: holds a wealth of ideas on raising a family from Catherine Lynch.

That should be enough to get you started! Many of the newsletter will reference others in our community, which makes it a great way to build out your network.

Write of Passage

The next session of Write of Passage will run from October 5th, 2022 - November 9th, 2022. Enrollment is now open. Click here to apply for Cohort 9.

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To all the Tilt Tribe, particularly our new members, thank you for your company on the journey this week. I’m headed out for a week immersed in nature.

Stay safe. Stay healthy. From there, all else becomes possible.

Until I see you again,

Karena

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