Welcome to the Shift!

Hiya 🤗

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.

Join now

Why the Shift?

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 started the Shift in 2020 to celebrate culture and help shape the future of media. Sharing ideas and insights and building relationships so we can figure this out together. We can achieve more collectively than alone (longtime NUJ member!)

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

Street Stories

A year of walking my way to stories. I’m housesitting & hosteling around the UK and beyond to explore shifting perspectives on life and work (and find my next home).

My little corner of the world (Hastings & St Leonards) is getting £20M regeneration funding to improve neighbourhoods and create opportunities. I’m curious to see what changes (or not!) and will be recording it here (short texts, picts, audio).

The Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the Battle of Hastings, is set to return to the UK on loan in 2026 after 900 years. You can see it at the British Museum in Sept.

Free subscribers:

Be part of the gang growing and shaping the Shift. You get:

• Weekly letters and picts - biz mojo, street stories, travel inspo!

• Culture Calendar - interesting and inspiring talks and events

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

Paid subscribers:

Friends of the Shift get everything above and community perks.

• Subscriber-only chat and threads

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

• Fun, friendship and collective solidarity

Founding Members:

You’re directly supporting my work and helping me pay it forward (gift subscriptions, donations to the NSPCC). A true patron of the arts :)

However you support, THANK YOU. It means the world.

Founding Member: Nige Cook

Why upgrade?

Because journalism ain’t cheap.

I’ve been writing my letter for six years. It’s changed a lot but my mission is the same: celebrating culture and sharing stories. Helping writers to thrive in the creator economy.

It’s an invitation to go deeper, co-create this with me, and bring your ideas and experiences to inform what I write next.

Become a Friend of the Shift or buy me a block of writing time.

☕️ Make a single payment

About me

I’m a writer and publisher with 25+ years in media — from reading the news at Radio Mansfield and researching trends for ITV’s WOW! to feature writing for Here’s Health, Country Walking and Travel Maps Australia. I was a sex reporter for Scarlet — 12x book babies.

Since 2020, I’ve been publishing my own 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.”

My work explores the rise of the creator economy, with a focus on things I care about: arts & culture, solo travel, creator journalism and activism. The connection between writing and walking.

Alongside my own writing, I mentor journos through the NUJ, give talks at City St George’s, University of London, and host a Writers’ Café for creatives in Hastings & St Leonards.

• NUJ London Freelance officer (30K media pros)

• Julieta’s mum (at U of York – empty nester for now) 😉

If you’d like to collaborate or work together, check out my offerings below.

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! 💎