Welcome to the Shift.

Hiya 🤗

Adventures in journalism, 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.

Project Hastings

A year of walking my way to stories. My little corner of the world (Hastings & St Leonards) is getting up to £20m regeneration funding over the next decade to improve local neighbourhoods and create opportunities.

The Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the Battle of Hastings, is set to return to the UK on loan in 2026 after 900 years.

I’m curious to see what changes (or not!) and will be recording it here (short texts, picts, audio).

Why the Shift?

Because media 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 financially and emotionally.

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 journalist co-operatives, creators hiring creators, the Substack Motel, and platform promiscuity (not having all your eggs in one basket ;-)

It’s fast, messy and a bit Wild West—and also the most exciting and trusted part 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. Tell big-hearted stories, share intel, and build community so we can figure this out together. I believe we can achieve more collectively than alone.

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

These are heavy topics, so I promise you vintage gifs, jokes and joyscrolling too.

I want the Shift to be reader-powered, collaborative, and fun!

Paid subscribers get:

Be part of the gang growing and shaping the Shift.

• Weekly letters + creator news roundups / opps - with a focus on Substack

• Community chat, office hours, 1:1s, and more - fun, friendship, accountability

• 20% discount on 📲 Pocket Editor: your writing wingwoman for one week.
  - async writing & publishing support on Voxer

Free subscribers are cherished and receive public posts and events.

• Billy No Mates? Write with us! Writers’ Café in Hastings.

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

Why upgrade?

Because journalism ain’t cheap.

I’ve been writing this letter for five years. It’s changed a lot but my mission is the same: empowering writers and readers with creator news and opportunities. Busting Starving Artist Syndrome.

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 TS or buy me a block of writing time.

☕️ Make a single payment

Who’s Nika?

I’m a writer and founder based in London and St Leonards.

📍START HERE: On the Wild West of freelancing, creator journalism—and choosing yourself. Why I’m here for it.

In a nutshell, I love a good story.

I believe in the power of writing (and walking!) to connect people and create a more compassionate world.

I help tech + creator brands build authority with long-form art/content.

Using my skills to make an impact and working on things I care about - arts & culture, activism, creator journalism, and living fully. (RA warrior!)

• 12x book babies (health & wellness)

• NUJ social media officer c2016 (42K+ media pros)

• Julieta’s mum (at U of York so I’m an empty nester for now ;-)

Wall of Love

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! 💎

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 & Editor, HotFlash Inc.

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.

Gold star for reading this far. 🤩

Work and collaborate with me

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