Exploring a new and weird world of work—one newsletter at a time.
Stories and ideas to help you live and work creatively on your own terms.
Hi there! I’m Nika.
Rethinking work/life in the digital age and how we can better shape it.
People, ideas, machines - in that order! - Colonel Boyd.
I write to think deeper about my craft,
contentconnection, communication as culture, and the future of work (entrepreneurship) as we live longer.I interview founders I admire. Delightful & insightful chats on courage, craft, and creative living.
I curate links to make you think and learn from what others have figured out.
‘The Shift’ means two things to me:
From 9-5 nest to solopreneurship by the sea after my daughter was born.
Taking my writing business to the next level. I’m excited by what AI makes possible for us soloists - fun, creative, empowering!
And now, more big shifts:
Innovation on the Internet: Jack Dorsey on the
death of the followerfuture of creativity on the web. The solution: a direct-to-fan biz model and deeper connections. Let’s see how the next wave of internet companies tackles this.The ‘creator economy’ has mushroomed and is projected to double in size from $250B to $480B by 2027, according to Goldman Sachs research.
Individual people with their own brands and online audiences have emerged as one of the biggest developments of the digital age.
But solopreneur life is a bit lonely. We can work more collaboratively ;-)
What a time to be alive! I hope you’ll join me on this wild ride.
What you can expect
Paid members get the spicy stuff 🌶️, including…
👀The Shift List: A monthly roundup with opportunities for writers & creative entrepreneurs, including freelance work, events, awards, grants, fellowships, retreats and residencies. Promote a project, share a link, make an ask/offer and I’ll give you a shoutout in the newsletter.
💬A Cosy Community Space: Members-only chat. This is where I crowdsource ideas for upcoming posts, and I’d love your insights and ideas to help me shape The Shift. Leave comments, start threads and DM me. Plus, invites to Substack meetups and DigiDinners!
🙏Support Mentorship: Your membership helps me mentor more media students, empowering young women to go for it.
Free subscribers get:
The weeklyish column and daily delights on Notes.
I also made some collaborative resources - feel free to add your deets and share them:
Join the community
A community of thinkers on Substack. Collective energy & cheerleading!
For the full experience, on the go (chat, DMs, email zen), get the Substack app.
Voices from the community
Nika writes a really helpful newsletter for the intersection of writing, the digital world and entrepreneurship, which can be a lonely place for many people. Her guidance is greatly appreciated. — Ann Marie McQueen, Founder, HotFlash Inc.
If you’re interested in a lifestyle-first one-person model too, subscribe to The Shift, the newsletter for content entrepreneurs. Written by Nika Talbot, a fountain of knowledge in creating online! — Ellen Donnelly, Founder, The Ask.
Nika has written 12 books relating to health and wellness. There is fun to be had as we make The Shift to work smarter and live better—recommended reading for Workforce Futurists! — Andy Spence, Founder, The Workforce Futurist.
Thank you for your thoughtful questions. Answering them felt more like a journaling session than an interview. Very great! — Johanna Renoth, Founder, Bye, Social Media!
Why I write
In a nutshell, I love a good story. I believe in the power of writing to connect people and create a more compassionate world.
Those who tell the stories run the world.
I’ve been writing online since ‘99 (remember Y2K, The Millennium Bug? We’re still here…), working independently as a writer and journalist.
12 x book babies. 3 x startups. 2 x awards. 1 x teen (my proudest achievement!)
Outside The Shift, I run Firebird, a delightfully tiny content studio. I work with the NUJ London Freelance to help writers survive and thrive in an expensive city and a modern, messed-up media world.
I’ve started the St Leonards Substack Writers and plan to do some DigiDinners. From 2016-2018, I ran St Leonards Salon - talks, workshops and community coworking.
My mission is to help writers make money, be more creative and feel more connected to others doing things differently.
Gotta have big, hairy, audacious goals, right?
Life’s too short for the in-between.
Cheers,
Nika 🥂
Gold star for reading this far. I love connecting with like-minded souls. Get in touch if you need help with your content or just fancy a chat!
Bluesky
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Too feral to go back to working for the man? 👋
