Welcome to Bold Types!

Hiya 🤗

Bold Types: Adventures in journalism and solo travel, from a GenXy writer who walks*. Your weekly hit of optimism and grit.

*My productivity OS. Because my feet are wiser than my head.

The antidote to internet brain and being chronically online.

Why Bold Types?

Because the world is chaotic. Journalism is a struggling industry, and freelance rates have been stagnant for YEARS, so it’s about building something new and networked—through Substack and beyond—that empowers writers.

We’re seeing a massive shift in how media gets made and who controls it. No more gatekeepers—the audience decides.

Beyond pale, male and stale: legacy media learning from creators, worker-owned journo co-operatives, the rise of the Substack Motel, platform promiscuity…

It’s fast, messy and a bit Wild West—and also the most exciting and trusted area of journalism imo. People are paying for it! I’m here for it.

I’m fascinated by the shift towards creator-led media, the rise of entrepreneurship (the future of work), mobile offices and portfolio careers - making peace with my own!

My mission: celebrating culture, telling stories, and empowering people to get out and explore our world.

Empty nester now so I’ll be on the move more - travelling is when I’m happiest and feel alive.

Walking my way to stories and housesitting around the globe for a home from home - and a deeper connection to people and place.

Nika x

What you’ll get:

Be part of the gang growing and shaping Bold Types.

Free subscribers:

• Weekly letters + shared culture calendar

• Bold Types Q&A series with creative entrepreneurs

• Billy No Mates? Write with us! Writers’ Café in Hastings is open to all

Paid subscribers:

If you appreciate what I’m doing and want to support my work become a Boldie! Friends of Bold Types get everything above and community perks:

• Fun, friendship and collective solidarity

• Access to the subscriber-only chat and threads

• Monthly Office Hours call (1-2 pm on the last Thursday)

Founding Members:

You’re directly supporting my work and helping me pay it forward via gift subscriptions and fundraising for Young Minds. A true patron of the arts :)

However you support me THANK YOU - it means the world.

Founding Member: Nige Cook

☕️ Make a single payment

About me

Travel & culture writer | Turning the world into words.

I’m an adventurer, writer and mum from the Midlands with 25+ years in media—from local news and lifestyle shows like BBC Masterchef and ITV‘s Wow! to editorial + brand work for Here’s Health, Courier, Country Walking, Expedia and Travel Maps Australia.

I was a sex reporter for Scarlet mag and founded Rude, a digital publication for women. 12x book babies on health & lifestyle.

My work explores culture, adventure + solo travel for women. Transformation over tourism. How we balance work and travel, and the healing power of walking - the best vehicle to unleash your creativity (RA Warrior!).

Since 2020, I’ve been publishing and growing my newsletter, recommended by Hotflash Inc. as “a helpful newsletter for the intersection of writing, the digital world and entrepreneurship, which can be a lonely place for many of us.”

Alongside my own writing, I mentor (creator journalism) through the NUJ and City St George’s, University of London and host a Writers’ Café in Hastings & St Leonards.

If you’d like to collaborate or work together, see my offerings - and join my newsletter!

See my offerings

Wall of Love

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, Workforce Futurist.

Nika Talbot is a hidden gem on Substack—writing about the business of writing in a way no one else is and the intersection of writing and AI. - Sarah Fay, Substack Writers At Work.

They should frame this newsletter in the Louvre—simply a joy to read! - Eoin Whyte, Chief Revenue Officer & co-founder, Savvy.

Here to help with your content gaps! 💎