I got in touch with Danish photojournalist Klaus Thymann after reading about his five-day detention in Uganda. Was curious to know what happened - and how he survived FIVE days in this tiny, hot cell with two others - so I asked him to come and talk to the NUJ.

Before the talk, a colleague sent me this article on how ‘God is about to become homeless.’ “Klaus is quite the character…” He is - fingers in lots of pies and doing inspiring work. Mapping the mountain to make the invisible visible, and help the locals plan for an uncertain future.

For the Bakonzo people who live in the Rwenzori Mountains, the cultural significance is hard to overestimate as their god, Kitasamba, lives in the ice. That means God is about to become homeless. I’m not sure this has ever happened before – that we humans have destroyed the home of God.

Not heard it put like that before - a powerful image. It got me thinking about the emotional impact of climate change on communities, not something we hear much about.

Be amazing to talk to the Bakonzo tribe about it and see how they’ve adapted to living on steep mountain slopes at high altitude.

Klaus joined us online from Copenhagen…

In June, he travelled to the Rwenzori National Park to report on the disappearing glaciers and community - a place he cares about deeply. This would’ve been his been his sixth expedition there, in collaboration with the Ugandan Wildlife Authority (UWA).

UWA is the government agency managing the national park, a UNESCO World Heritage site on the Uganda/DRC border.

He was met at the park by seven, armed UWA rangers and told “it will not end well” if he tried to enter. When he later met with UWA to talk about his permit, he was arrested without explanation and held in custody for FIVE days with no charges – a violation of Uganda’s constitution and UN human rights.

Sat on a chair in the middle of a room, surrounded by 12-14 people who interrogated him about the cameras previously set up to monitor the glaciers. Suspicions of unauthorised data collection and equipment.

Being locked up in a tiny, hot cell with mosquitoes was physically hard and stressful - he couldn’t lie down. He focused on mundane things - drinking enough water, using wipes - and not getting sick.

After much legal wrangling, he was eventually released without charge on 3 July.

Interesting that his arrest happened a couple of days after Uganda’s army chief Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba ordered a shutdown of some of the country’s top indie media outlets, posting on X:

In Uganda, I DO NOT believe in a free press!

The press should be guided by cadres of the revolution.

BBC Africa posted about it. Who gets to decide when independent media can operate?

Before he was arrested, Klaus asked the UNESCO Safety for Journalists team for support, knowing he was at risk. Instead of helping or replying, he believes they sent his “PLEASE HELP!” email to UWA (this was the only piece of evidence shared with him, his counsellor and lawyer).

“Why was my cry for help leaked?” Something UNESCO denies.

London Freelance: What lessons did you learn?

KT: You have to be very careful to do it all by the book.

Before the trip, he sent all his paperwork to a secure server and made copies – it’s important to document everything.

He mentioned issues with WhatsApp security – your IP address can be revealed. Someone might not know what is said but they can see who said it. You can update the Settings (‘protect IP address in calls’ and ‘disable link previews’). Reduces your call quality, though.

Meta can still log your activity, so you’d have to run a VPN. Or just use Signal - far less hassle!

London Freelance: When will you get your life back?

KT: I didn’t lose my life. My main concern is my loss of freedom – and being able to continue my work in Uganda.

What a mad story. I’m glad he’s back home safely and had help from the NUJ, IFJ and CPJ. Definitely worth a formal complaint – it’s important that UNESCO and UWA are held to account.

Something he said on the phone stuck with me:

The truth has become optional. It’s an opt-in. What do we do about that?

He’s been left with a huge legal bill so asked us to share this fundraiser “to help me not go bankrupt right now.” 🙏

Stay cool, enjoy the reads!

Nika xo

PS I keep seeing articles about getting through the summer holidays on a budget. I’ve not booked anything yet as it’s been so hot here - staying cool on the coast and doing day trips.

I’d love to take Julieta to see the total eclipse in Spain so am keeping an eye out for last-minute deals - even the hostels have hiked up their prices.

Hiya 🤗

I’m gutted we got knocked out by the Argies. I popped into the Co-op last night to get some chocolate before our friendly with France and got chatting to the staff. “That’s the dirtiest football I’ve ever seen!” one of them said, twice.

He thought the referee was too lenient with Argentina, as well. And what about Tuchel’s second-half strategy - all defence. Where were Saka and Rashford?

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Anyway, it’s inspired me to learn more about Argentina – Buenos Aires is on my wishlist. Maybe interview a local or football writer about the grassroots ‘Barrio’ style of play and how it’s helped them win the World Cup. During political instability, football has been a unifying force.

And the same in the UK. I’ve loved every minute of it. The faces! The drama! Sofa chats (analysis beats ads). Seeing all the flags, shirts, and hearing people talk about it has given me loads of energy. It gave the country HOPE. Things are hard right now, and we really need a WIN.

I watched the third-place playoff in the North Star in St Leonards. They have SIX TVs and it wasn’t that busy so I had a table to myself. Got a few curious glances from the guys at the bar as I was on my own. I don’t think men know what to do when a woman is sat at the the bar alone. Should I buy her a drink? Should I talk to her? Maybe I should ignore her - I’m with the missus.

Eventually, one of them came over and sat down, shook my hand and asked my name. “I saw you at the bar and thought, I must go over and talk to her.” He’s British-Guyanese, 70, born in Chelsea, raised in the Midlands. “I’m like a smartie.” He lived in south London for years but got fed up with all the gang violence so moved to Hastings.

His face lit up when he started talking about his gran who came over on the Windrush. “I’m happy she raised me - good job she did.” Really touching. He doesn’t give a fuck about getting older or politics, which made me laugh. “We don’t need ‘em. We’re just getting on with it, aren’t we?” True.

“I’m just popping to the loo.” He touched my shoulder and kissed my cheek. The guy on the next table came over. “Are you French? All the beautiful women are French?” No, but great line. He apologised for calling me his “mate”. Did you? I didn’t hear that - the telly is so loud. No offence taken.

Later on, his friend apologised. “I’m sorry he called you his mate.”

I leaned over and said, “That’s ok, mate.” And they both laughed.

On the way to the loo, I bumped into an old friend from Julieta’s primary school who was also on her own. She looked really happy. “I’m single now - living my best life! Who needs men? We’ve got toys for that.” Lol. She doesn’t mind coming here alone and hanging out with the boys as they’re all married.

Anyway, it’s a lovely pub - recommended if you’re in town. Bookshelf, board games, and I love the vintage pics of Marine Court and the seafront.

I’m proud of our boys for coming through the exhaustion, travel, altitude, and heartbreak to beat Les Bleus. Best match I’ve seen - a game of two halves and proper football, not handball. A shoutout to the players who travelled all that way and didn’t get to play - still a brilliant experience.

It’s the first time the reigning champions of Europe and south America face off in a World Cup final. Vamos España! 🇪🇸

I’m curious to see how the first-ever Fifa World Cup Final Halftime Show affects the game. This morning, I heard one of the boys outside (taking the scaffolding down on a Sunday) yell out: “Justin Bieber is playing tonight!”

The World Cup really does bring the world together. 🤗

Onwards! Only 690 days till the Euros 2028.

Thanks to for cheering me up with his latest essay - An Englishman’s love letter to Argentina. “Maybe we should try keeping football out of politics.”

NT xo

Other big news this week – very exciting to hear the Bayeux tapestry is back on British soil after almost 1000 years. A 70m-long medieval masterpiece (embroidery) telling the story of the Norman Conquest. On display at the British Museum from Sep-Jun 2027. I missed out on priority booking – tickets sold out on the first day, but there’ll be more on sale later this year for ‘27. Will get my act together. Julieta really wants to go.

“I have to see it. That’s MY field!!” She was born in Hastings, went to Battle Abbey nursery and we lived in Battle for a few years.

Huge thanks to local MP Helena Dollimore who’s been campaigning to ensure 1066 residents get to see it. Great to hear Southeastern has agreed to fund 1066 free train tickets for school parties.

And a shoutout to the comms team at the British Museum – a story within a story – for all their hard work making this happen. They did several dry runs – it survived the potholes and got here in one piece. Great idea to project Eliott Wheatland-Clinch’s design – Merci! – onto the white cliffs of Dover. How fabulous does this look…

2026/27 is the ‘Year of the Norman’ so there’ll be loads going on down here and all around the UK. Lovely to see the whole country get behind this.

I’ve been doing a bit of research – didn’t realise there are TWO tapestries. We have our own version - a full-sized Victorian replica, which you can see for free at Reading Museum. Read all about Elizabeth Wardle’s ambitious mission in Emily-Ann Elliot’s article.

So, if you’re mad for it and pre-book, you could visit both – Batman and Robin – in one day. The journey between Reading Museum and the British Museum takes about 1 hr 15 on the Elizabeth Line. It’ll be strict slots at the BM (40 mins one-way ticket) so best to brush up on the designs beforehand. The Reading one is self-paced so more leisurely. Less people in your face.

It’s coming home. I want England to win the World Cup - we need this, but I also don’t mind if France win, given we’re joined at the hip. Long live the Entente Cordiale! And our shared language.

I’m planning to do the 1066 Country Walk – 31 miles between Pevensey Castle and Rye. Take pics of the 10 Bayeux tapestry sculptures along the route, created by local artist Keith A Pettit. Follow the story while you walk…

I’ve done the Hastings to Battle bit solo and all over Rye – all good – and the signage is probably better now. If you stopover in Battle, you can see the new 1066 exhibition at Battle Abbey.

Enjoy!

N xo

From the summer of 1976 💛

My sister sent me Jeanette Winterson’s post on Huw Edwards’ comeback via Substack. I saw he’d launched his free newsletter (from 12 to 820 subscribers already). People are curious. Posts on Burnham, devolution, friendship, remorse.

He’ll use it as a space for mental health campaigning, ‘overcoming trauma’ and to “take tentative steps, such as publishing these posts, to make modest progress.”

He likes having a platform. I’m all for free speech, but it’s too soon, imo.

“How can young people find any moral compass in this life when we have so few leaders in politics, in tech, in business, with any values at all?”, Jeanette said. She’s been thinking about it all, but also noticing, among young people, a good old-fashioned revival.

“Young people are starting to read books again. And that gives me hope.”

I don’t think they ever stopped. Julieta’s always loved reading - from dog-eared bedtime stories, Hastings Library, to a bookshelf crammed with YA thrillers. She has all the Harry Potters, David Walliams, Robin Stevens, Enid Blyton. The Mr Men collection (thanks, sis!). At uni, she’s reading (and enjoying) policy textbooks.

We were in Waterstones Brighton yesterday – really busy. I bought All Fours by Miranda July and we had a look round the YA section. She said all the books on the table look the same. “They’ve all got cartoonish covers with a 700-year-old man on the front. It’s really boring.” She’s their target market and she hates the design. The one that caught her eye was a black & red horror novel.

Later on, while she was trying on vintage clothes in Urban Outfitters, I curled up on their dog-eared sofa and read Love Poems by Rupi Kaur. Gorgeous book. Sent some screenshots to my sister.

They have a curated book section next to the changing room – wellness journals, poetry, cookbooks. One copy left of Burn After Writing by Sharon Jones – an anti-social media journal, which has sold more than 1 million copies worldwide. The hashtag #burnafterwriting has had over 80 million views on TikTok, so it’s helping with the book sales…

I left UO feeling rested and inspired - not often I can say that about shopping! They’ve got it right. Experience economy - when you’re happy and relaxed you buy stuff ;) Afterwards, we popped into Zara. Awful. One giant sale rack. Screaming lights, no seats. We walked out again.

My sister’s noticed this trend in younger to midlife men reading books & papers in coffeeshops. Also girls Julieta’s age. I told J about the boys and she rolled her eyes. “Have you not seen Performative Guys Reading New York on TikTok? Parody contests. Men carrying books, Walkmans, matchas, tote bags. It’s hilarious - just had an hour down that rabbit hole.

At least they’re making an effort!

YES to reading more books in cafes - feels good and it’s a conversation starter. Can’t say I’ve ever interrupted someone’s scroll…

Are you staying up for the match? We have the pace to win if we can manage the altitude. We’ve not had long enough to acclimatise though, so Mexico has a massive advantage… on home turf.

N xo

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Writing this in Waterstones Café on the big table under the air con. I’ve been struggling to work in my flat all week - window walls and no blinds so it’s like a greenhouse. Even my lipstick has melted.

Got chatting to the man sat opposite me – artist & illustrator. Writing in big loops with a fountain pen with his OS maps spread out all over the table. Planning a trip. I was curious about the pen and he said it’s a Scheaffer. He has SIX and only uses them to write and draw. “They help with words and images - and flow.” He looked so serene - I’ll have to get one.

Had to stop myself whipping out my phone to film his messy analogue desk (I love watching men at work). All this thinking in tweets and feeling the urge to capture life’s little moments on my phone is driving me nuts.

“I’m happy to see you writing by hand,” he said. Yeah. I’ve been doing this more lately, trying to reduce my screen time. Things grow out of my morning scribbles, and it’s more relaxing than staring at a blank screen. How joyful is it to sit in a café and NOT get your laptop out. Fountain Pen lyrics. Work on ONE thing. Talk to people. Nobody asks me about my laptop ;)

He said he likes coming here as “interesting people and it’s cheaper. You save 50p on coffee if you bring your own mug.” I’d forgotten about that. I love matcha lattes and it’s a lot cheaper here than Costa and Nero.

As for the maps, he likes to plan his trips “the old-school way”. He also teaches art and most of his students can’t map read as they’ve never had to do it. “They rely on SatNav for everything.”

But what happens when we have a power cut - too many people turning on the air con, or the mobile networks go down!? As is quite likely with this heatwave…

I like working here too - feels like an old slipper. I’m inspired by all the books and delighted the mag rack is back! I can get my Monocle fix. They don’t mind you reading stuff in the café – as long as you don’t break the spine.

Happy longtime café crew too - all in sync. I love the complementary hair colours and vintage outfits. And they remember my order. It’s the little things. I appreciate it and tell ‘em so.

Nika 🍸

“We’re about to see the explosion of analog” — and other stuff I enjoyed this week.

Substack is launching a sponsorship program, along with ‘Creator Kits’ to help us build media kits for brand partners. Open to bestsellers while they test it. I’m delighted and excited – it simplifies things and provides some support beyond paid subs, which aren’t enough for most of us. DIY-ing it is also time-consuming.

This piece on ‘the trust recession’ by Laurence McCahill at the Happy Startup School in Brighton (thanks to Louise for the rec). How tech firms are embracing IRL. A reminder to get out there and “keep bringing your lovely, messy human-ness* to all that you do.”

This interview with Gary Vaynerchuk on what he’s seeing in the startup world. “We’re about to see the explosion of analog… Extreme AI is creating extreme analog.” Driving demand for real-world experiences: phone-free restaurants, physical retail, live events. I can’t wait for the phone-free gig…

‘Watch this space: a new strategic direction for UK media’ – the DCMS has launched a green paper + consultation on plans to improve access to trusted news. Have your say. Perhaps a tad worried about how many people have cancelled their TV licence ;) I cancelled mine as not watching live telly. I can live without iPlayer.

Mimi Yates’ investigation on homeless delivery drivers. Here’s the ‘story behind the story.’ Great to see this made the front page of the Daily Mail. Part of a bold, social-first series uncovering hidden stories affecting young people.

I’ve signed up for Emilie’s free online vibration meditation after hearing her talk about Sun Kyeong and her personal healing journey on the Modern Wellness pod. Every Friday, 8am on YouTube.

Harry Kane is an Ella Fella - took time out from training to watch her play and gave her a personalised Three Lions shirt. Hope to see Saka on the pitch on Saturday - we need some magic! ✨

Happy new month!

Work from pub is going well. I went to The Fountain on Friday, which Paul Johnson aka Mirrorball Paul has reopened as a retro lounge. It’s a mirrorball showroom with a bar, food collabs, and kitchen residencies. Pub slash office.

So funky, love it. Huge glitterballs, plastic yellow booths, and a long window bar perfect for people-watching and laptops. Pacman Arcade (joystick!), board games, courtyard garden. It’s very relaxed - babies and dogs chilling. I had a glass of the Writers Block Shiraz. Take a tour.

It’s great to see Queen’s Road changing - there’s real energy in this part of town. All indie businesses - art, good coffee, streetfood. Keith the foot fairy (he goes clubbing every month) and communal experiences like Neighbourhood Pottery and Japanese Hydro-Jet heated massage beds (take a mate for reduced rates!).

The Longevity Show

I’m off to The Longevity Show at Tobacco Dock (lol) London on 26-27 June. Being marketed as “The UK’s first longevity festival, helping you discover what really works for living healthier, longer.”

Looking forward to it - especially the Longevity Rave. I’ve been listening to some pods with co-founder Tina Woods aka Tina Techtonic, who started DJ-ing after 50. Now 61, she’s leading research exploring how raves, music and movement can help our health and longevity.

It is never too late to follow your passion. Age just doesn’t matter - people respond to energy, not wrinkles!

We’re living through a fascinating shift — from treating illness to investing in health. For the first time, we can shape how we age. It’s not about living forever, but making the most of our healthspan (disease-free years) so we can enjoy life.

We can all participate in collective longevity science, not just biohacker bros and billionaires.

It’s also fast-moving, confusing and expensive. I’ve been down the supplement rabbit hole many times.

🪩 Project Longevity: longevity without the vampire vibes.

I’ve set myself a challenge for this year - new experiences and daily rituals that feed my body, soul, and wanderlust.

Working alfresco, rave rituals, HRT, neurosurfing, nootropics, superfoods, shamanism, wellness retreats, circular fashion. Using AI to help us live better for longer.

There’s nothing we can do about chronological aging but we can lower our biological age.

I’ll be raving till the grave. Dancing is my no 1 longevity tool - fun, free and communal, but my drug days are over. Did you see White Lines on Netflix? Loved the vibe (especially sexy Boxer), but also found it really depressing. Drugs are so destructive.

I don’t want to drink every night, but I do want a healthy high without the hangover.

Just bought a bottle of Sentia Spirits, which stimulates the release of Gaba: “the off-switch of the brain” says neuropsychopharmacologist Prof David Nutt - also one of its creators. It mimics the effects of alcohol without the hangover and can help with your sleep, relaxation and anxiety.

Be interesting to see if it gives me a buzz. One to try with a mate. “Can you feel it yet?” 🥂

Nika xo

PS June Book Club Pick is Wayward Women: Sex, Friendship and the Midlife Reset - a memoir by Rhonda Carrier & Tracey Davies. Upgrade to join us and travel through a book.

Hiya 🤗

Thought it was time for a (re)introduction so I’ve written this post - the story behind Bold Types and what I’m building online.

On the Wild West of freelancing, my 30- year career, the rise of creator journalism— and choosing yourself.

Also: See my About page for Project Longevity and what you’ll get.

UPDATE: Keir Starmer is now on Substack 😁

Just reading ’s post on why Labour MPs are still craving a compelling story from Starmer. Feeling frustrated that he’s not found a way to land his message.

Remarkably for a politician who’s been a party leader for a long time he’s still not defined for a lot of the public.

People also ask on Google: What does Keir Starmer actually believe in? Has Keir Starmer written any books?

A personal newsletter would help and be a home for all his writing.

I had an email the other day from a charity asking if I’d like to be a guest writer on their new Substack. “Sadly, we don’t have the funds to pay for submissions—but writers can promote their other work or organisations.”

Perhaps writing about the ups and downs of being a freelance journalist and promoting your own Substack (why you decided to launch it, how it’s going etc). What do you think?

Nice to be asked, and I’m keen to work with them—I like what they’re doing for media issues, but at the same time, my heart sank. Someone else asking me to work for free. I’m already doing quite a bit of pro bono work. If I printed out similar requests I’ve had over the last 25+ yrs, I could start my own stationery line. Make a paper Christmas tree or three!

Median pay for freelance journos in the UK is piss poor: just £17.5K/yr—less than the minimum wage—for a typical 35-hr work week (ALCS/NUJ). Payment rates have been stagnant for YEARS. There are no pay rises or promotions. “As freelancers we just get paid the same rate. I think most freelancers are afraid to ask for more in case they aren’t commissioned anymore.” Plus: kills fees, payment on publication, implicit contracts etc, which are hard to challenge solo.

The next day, I read ’s post on the slow death of journalism - and the fast death of my career, which struck a chord with me. “Asking us to write for free is like asking an electrician to rewire your house in exchange for a smile.” I restacked it on Notes and mentioned the email.

I think it’s a huge cheek for anyone to ask anyone who isn’t a friend to do anything for free. I am trying to learn to say no, unless I’m pretty sure there’s something in it that will make it worth my while. We can spend our entire lives doing unpaid work and meanwhile the bills have to be paid.

My first unpaid gig was on X-Campus, my uni mag, to get some clippings—arts & culture stuff, which I loved (clue #1). After graduating, I moved back home for a bit to figure out my next move—wasn’t sure whether I wanted to do broadcast or print journalism. I joined the startup Radio Mansfield as ‘community news editor’ and got some radio skills while the MD applied for a permanent licence. By night, I was waitressing at Center Parcs to make ends meet.

That year, I wrote to 100 production companies looking for work as a runner and eventually got offered a gig on Art Attack! at the Maidstone Studios. £80/wk (my bedsit was £40/wk), so a low-key lifestyle, but I was learning the ropes and meeting people. It led to other work—a kids’ show called WOW! (met the Spice Girls, just coming up), Endurance, Masterchef (didn’t see anything dodgy). Then I got offered a FT role at Wizja TV, a new Polish station, as a programming assistant at £13K/yr.

Got my head down, but I was bored to tears working in Acquisitions. Lots of admin, chasing and nothing creative—but it gave me stability and a routine, while I was studying journalism on the side. I kept writing and saving so I could quit and go travelling—figured I’d Wwoof my way round the world, live/work on farms and look for media opps in the cities.

I worked at Foxtel in Sydney for a few months (more programming!) and got some freelance work in Perth with Travel Maps Australia, a budget travel mag. A road trip to the Pinnacles and some market research, interviewing backpackers in hostels. My first foray into magazine journalism and travel writing for niche communities and it sparked something in me (clue #2).

When I got back to the UK, I applied for a scholarship in magazine journalism with Emap in Peterborough and got it! (the work/travel adventure paid off). I was so excited, I didn’t care it was only £12K/yr—I’d manage somehow. Six months with Country Walking, so I’d be learning on the job, and it might lead to something permanent.

This was 2000/1 so digital revolution pre-social media and most of the mags were launching websites. CW were fully staffed and didn’t really need me, so I went to work on the website launch with the ex-editor who’d moved over to digital. I liked the tiny team start-up vibe. She was open to ideas, didn’t micro-manage and let me get on with it (clue #3 - I’m not good with authority).

There was no job on CW at the end of it, but I could move to another title at Emap Active. I was a bit restless though and really wanted to work on women’s mags or The Face so that meant moving to London – Media City, where everything was happening. Mad really - Peterborough is no distance and much cheaper to live, but I wanted to be IN IT meeting people. They weren’t thrilled I was buggering off but helped me get some work on Here’s Health.

A shoutout to my friend Natasha from Wizja TV for letting me stay in her box room in Waterloo while I found my feet and did work experience. It gave me the confidence to take the leap, and I couldn’t have done it otherwise.

I spent the next five years in London working myself into dust—freelance journalism, copywriting, comms/PR, ghostwriting. I found the women’s mags competitive and a bit snooty, but liked the culture & health stuff so did more of that. Spent 18 months at a corporate fraud agency doing pre-employment checks, creating resources, and rifling through bin bags! Still journalism but better paid and more stable—I even had a pension. Not sure why I left… well, that’s another story.

A mate was trying to launch a sex mag for women and asked me to write a piece on orgasms. I had amenorrhoea and was struggling with vaginismus, which was getting me down. So, an opportunity to go deeper and figure out what was going on. I guess my niche found me. Writing about it all was my way of healing myself.

I joined the NUJ, Women Writers’ Network and Women in Journalism and started helping out. Ran events in nice hotels for WIJ freelancers to bring women together—I needed that. Freelancing is lonely so it’s crucial to have a support network (clue #4). I’m still working with the NUJ and am grateful for their financial support during Covid when I fell through the cracks.

I left London in 2006 when I pregnant with Julieta. This was peak mamasphere, as blogging was evolving and social media taking off. Women started the creator movement - Heather Armstrong, Dooce. Catherine Connors, Her Bad Mother. Motherhood warts n all. They paved the way and talked about taboo topics - yet were vilified for it by the media.

I started my own sex & culture blog, Rude and threw myself into that. Got lots of energy back from it, but struggled to monetise it on WordPress. I wasn’t running paid subs or paywalling—just Google Adsense and sponsorships, which were sporadic. I had sex toys coming out of my ears, but I didn’t have a sustainable business model to keep paying writers.

I had a knowledge gap and a lack of biz skills (not part of J-school, uni or talked about on the job) so I was learning from my peers. When I did start paywalling much later, I got backlash from a male writer who said, “I think you’re making a big mistake.”

The blogging paid off in other ways though and helped me land publishing deals. I wrote more letters to agents (I swear by the LOI – it works!), found one and got commissioned to write a book on orgasms for Hamlyn. This was Belle de Jour, Scarlet, Amora Museum, Shades of Grey era so something in the air…

They commissioned me to write two more. All the book deals were flat fee contracts minus the agent’s 15% so pretty modest. I got a wee advance but carried on working while I wrote them. They did a bit of publicity, but I was expected to do most of the work—research, writing, marketing, socials, events, organising book signings.

I wrote a few more books for different publishers including Vibe, a Norwegian outfit who then went bust so my Kama Sutra guide never got published, and I didn’t see a penny. My debt collector couldn’t do much as the contract was outside the UK (will never do that again).

Median earnings for UK authors was £7K/yr in 2022 (ALCS), so it’s part of your portfolio career—if you’re a non-famous, non-fiction writer, anyway. I get a small amount of royalties for secondary uses from ALCS and PLR every year so worth signing up with them.

By my late 30s/40s, I was feeling burned out with creating content online and a bit trapped in my niche, as I was writing under my name. I didn’t want to be a sex & relationship therapist like Sarah Berry or a presenter like Tracey Cox. I thought about becoming a dominatrix (great money!) and writing a book about that, but I’d need to be in London—couldn’t turn my flat into a dungeon and I didn’t want to work locally.

I’d outgrown it, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do next. I remember a journo from The Telegraph calling me for a quote and saying, “what’s left to say about sex in your 40s?” She needed a new angle lol. So did I.

I found it hard to let go though—Rude was my second baby. I’d put my heart and soul into it, built a digital mag I was proud of, and paid writers. Giving up felt like failure so I kept going, juggling love and money work. What I needed was a mentor/coach to talk to - to get a plan together so I could pivot slowly and expand into new things.

In the end, my body made the decision for me. I got ill and was diagnosed with RA aka Wayne the Pain so had to stop everything. I’ve never known pain like it—childbirth doesn’t compare. Horrible condition. Fat fingers so I couldn’t write properly, and it made me feel so tired.

These things don’t happen overnight so it’s long-term stress: precarious work, doing too much, money worries (I had 20K debt in London and eventually did an IVA to consolidate). I was solo parenting and miles away from my family so all a bit much. Body says NO. I’m not doing this anymore.

I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had—graft, timing and luck—but journalism and publishing has never felt secure as a career, or like I had someone invested in me long-term. I’ve done all this good work but I don’t have a lot to show for it materially ie a home to pass on to Julieta.

I’ve had three agents—the first one left and I didn’t gel with her replacement (I wasn’t high-brow or famous enough). Then they restructured and let a few of us go (including me) so she left to do her own thing. I got an email thanks & bye but no advice on what to do now or offer to connect me with the other writers. I found them on my own.

So here we are. 2025. A bit older and greyer, still plugging away, having another go (the tech is better!). Writing Bold Types, enjoying the Substack Motel.

Choosing myself and reinventing myself, which is the lesson I’ve learned from all of this. Choose life and building your career around that not the other way around.

Exploring and helping to shape the new media revolution. Creator journalism is the most exciting area of journalism imo. Intimate and collaborative. People are paying for news! I’m here for it.

An opportunity to tell untold stories and go deeper into a niche that the mainstream media can’t cover. And so many great women in this space Kaya Yurieff, Jasmine Enberg

Substack isn’t perfect (what platform is?). I don’t love the closed API/walled garden—the future of the web is decentralised. I don’t want to be too dependent on a platform - use them for discoverability. But I like their mission to be a home for culture and they have changed the culture around paying for writing online. I’ve also met some brilliant people here.

The good thing is we have options now. The creator space is growing and platforms have to stay competitive. I see Beehiiv has a big reveal coming up in Nov that “will completely change how creators and publishers build online”.

Creative freedom is important—my main driver. But this time, it has to be sustainable and a proper living. More collaborative, less lone wolf - the route to burnout. The cult of founder (whose bright idea was it to name ad agencies after people?) puts all the pressure on the individual to succeed. We’re not content machines and we can’t be productive all the time. I need to work in seasons, with my energy and human design.

Build something bigger than myself and bridge the online and offline worlds, which takes time - you have to commit to it and be consistent. In time, I’ll host affordable writing retreats - the House of Letters - because the magic happens in person. And life is better with the sun on your face, a bowl of olives and a Negroni in hand.

Julieta has just started at U of York so new beginnings for both of us. I miss her little face and it’s quiet in the flat, but I don’t miss the unpaid, undervalued, and invisible labour.

It’s ME SEASON—a great feeling.

Not sure where I want to base myself next so I need to do some mini trips while I figure it out. A week in Bristol. A smart village in Italy. I was talking to about that earlier—a reminder to renew my YHA membership. If they’re well run and have private rooms, I can hack it!

Feels good to bang this out. I can see the patterns and clues about how I like to live and work. The stories I’ve been telling myself for last 25+ yrs (‘there’s no money in writing or being creative’…‘journalism is a middle-class industry’). And what I’ll be telling myself for the next chapter—my unretirement and a happy, healthy 100-year life, I hope.

Christina just replied to my comment about sending something I’ve already written. “If at all. I sometimes ask people if they would ask a plumber to mend their boiler for free. What’s the difference?”

I know. I’d like to be involved though, think it’ll lead on to other things. I’m a giver and believer in karma—do it for the beauty of it. Life is so transactional, and I don’t want to live like that.

My mate : “Send him something you’ve already written. Doesn’t cost you anything and you get the exposure/free visibility. Just look through your newsletters.”

A reminder to sort my archive out!

Or I could just send him this.

Nika xo

Thanks for reading! If you’ve written your story, I’d love to read it.

Gold star for reading this far! 🤩

It’s a LIVE global event bringing together women from around the world who are passionate about solo travel, empowerment, and connection. For the next three days, you’ll hear from 12 inspiring speakers sharing their stories, tips, and insights to help you travel boldly…

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I had my first mammogram this week - a breast screening unit in a tiny Portacabin in the hospital car park. Walked in to find four women sat there waiting.

I checked in with the nurse, who was shuffling through papers, trying to find my form. “It’s the first one,” I said, trying to be helpful. She scooped them up and leaned back. “Look, I’m trying to maintain patient confidentiality here.”

Not a great start. You can’t swing a cat in here never mind patient confidentiality. Everyone can hear everything. She asked if I’d had one before - no. Then I might have to go to Brighton and get it done again, if the images aren’t sharp enough.

I was asked to take my bra off in the cubicle and come back out with my top on. Read the patient leaflet while I was waiting - you’re not supposed to wear deodorant on the day, as it can affect the results. Bugger. Bit late now.

A woman walked in, “It’s cosy in here!” She sat down next to me and another nurse came out and asked her to do the same - take her bra off.

“I’m not wearing one,” she laughed. “I can’t be arsed with that anymore.”

Lol. I said I can’t stand them either, especially underwired ones – torture garments.

“You won’t believe it. The other day this bloke came up to me on the street and said, ‘You need to wear a bra, love’…

“And I said, that’s none of your bloody business!” Good for her.

“Is this your first one?”

“Yeah, but I’ve heard all about it. Your boobs in a vice. Did you hear about the woman who got stuck in the machine during a power cut?”

OMG no 😳 Apparently, she was mid-squeeze when the power went off so had to wait for someone to set her free. Eventually, a bloke turned up. “I’m so sorry, love.”

WTF. Is there not an emergency exit button on these machines!?

“Nika Talbot”.

“Wow, it’s huge”. I made a joke about being tiny but she ignored that and explained what would happen. I had to stand in front of it while she moved my feet and boobs into the right position for the x-rays. I felt like a mannequin in a shop window. When she comes to life, anything can happen!

“Breathe in. And breathe out…” and then she tightened the grip. Ooooof. Sorry for reading the patient notes. A couple of hard squeezes and release. She did it again on the right side, even tighter this time, which took my breath away. “Do you have one breast that’s bigger than the other?”

“No idea, probably.”

Afterwards, she checked the x-rays and wasn’t happy with the detail, so round two - on one side only.

Took about 15 mins and I should get the results within two weeks - or a letter telling me I need to go to Brighton.

I left through a different door - presumably so you don’t start chatting to the women waiting. Took myself off to the cafe in the church and sat on the sofa with a hot chocolate. I had my laptop with me but didn’t feel like doing much. Felt wiped out for the rest of the day.

I will go to screenings as it could save my life. My mum had a lumpectomy recently (they found a small cyst while testing for something else). She was lucky, they caught it early and it hasn’t spread. Otherwise it would still be there - routine breast screenings stop at 70. You won’t be invited after that, but you can request it through your GP.

Considering it’s the most common cancer in women (1 in 7 will get breast cancer) – surely we deserve better than a temporary trailer in a car park. It feels like an afterthought. I know I can ask to be screened in the hospital but it’ll just delay things.

Thanks to Margaret Hodge for sharing her story and pushing for the upper age limit on screenings to be raised. Hopefully new AI scanners will bring the cost down.

We need to stop writing off older women. She spent years as a minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and understands how you achieve change. Keir needs to sit down and have a chat with her.

I am 80, with two new jobs, and I’m not prepared to be written off.

▶️ Kylie, a three-part series, is out on Netflix. She had a second cancer diagnosis in 2021 and talks about it here.

Nika xo

Just listened to the King’s Speech - very underwhelming. Bit low energy (probably had enough of the red pen.) Good to hear “legislation will be introduced to tackle late payments” to support small biz, but what about the huge burden of regulation? The energy crisis? Cost of living? I paid £7.50 for some mackerel in M&S last night. 👀

I had a text from a friend about how two pubs are closing each day in the UK.

Will start trying to work more from pubs and less from cafes. Most pubs are ancient and historical — whereas cafes come and go!

Agree and doing the same. Between Jan and Mar, 161 pubs closed across England, Scotland and Wales, with a loss of 2,400 jobs. I’m also fed up with seeing beautiful buildings boarded up - or turned into Tesco Express.

Most cafes close at 5 pm — we have a pub/bar culture rather than a cafe culture. I’m always looking for cool indie places with the right vibe - papers, mags, good coffee - where I can sit and read or do some writing in the eves.

I’m off to Old Dame now - Royal Victoria Hotel on the seafront. Grade II listed and a bit tired. Mostly coach parties and cream teas, but it’s huge with a piano lounge and bar. Free wi-fi and meetings rooms by the hour. A Victorian seafront office for the day, why not.

We might add another day to our Writers’ Café so Tue, Wed, Thu afternoons. It’s helping massively - gotta stop bothering the builders!

Some of the big chains are offering ‘Work from Pub’ (WFP) packages - desk space, unlimited hot drinks, wi-fi and lunch for a flat fee (£10-£20), which is 40% cheaper than coworking for the day.

My local Spoons (John Logie Baird) is in an 1850s building in town. Prints and text about local artists & writers, £1.85 for Lavazza coffee, tea and free refills. Gotta be worth a try - just hope the carpet doesn’t give me a headache.

A Hastings Pub Crawl — with artistic license

I was chatting to Chris the chef the other day. He looked a bit glum so I asked how things are going - he’s also self-employed.

“It’s a struggle.” He has to prepare food but doesn’t know how busy it will be. People are eating out less. The government needs to reduce VAT on hospitality and offer longer-term support.

Here’s Markus Thonnett’s new exhibition PUB CRAWL - really beautiful card cuts telling the stories of 10 Hastings pubs. I love looking at them while I’m working.

Bring on El Niño and long, sunny eves at the pub watching the Three Lions lift that trophy! 🍸

Nika xo

I went to Norman Miller’s book launch at Waterstones this week. Good turnout. He said he was nervous, bless him. Think this was his first book launch.

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How did you choose the places? What stood out?

“I wanted places with an interesting backstory.” A good mix of things. Lots of research and chats with historians and groups, plus local knowledge. He’s been living in Sussex for two decades after deciding it’s better than London.

• The Dove Café – a refugee-led café and “shining example of grassroots activism and community.” Enjoy food from the Lebanon, Sudan and Afghanistan, world music and work by locals like Syrian photographer Nour El-Din.

• The Havelock – “outside it looks like a not very good boozer. Inside, it has one of Britain’s finest examples of decorative historic pub tiling.”

• Hastings Adventure Golf – hosts the World Crazy Golf Championships.

• St Helen’s Church – hidden ruins in woods on the edge of town (older than Hastings Castle!)

• Shirley’s Flower Makers’ Museum – 100+ years of artificial flower making and the largest working collection in Europe. Closing soon!

What didn’t make the cut?

Unit 2 - a brilliant pop-up gallery in St Leonards as it might not be here by the time the book came out (it’s not - Tough Love indie record bar is moving in).

“I like pubs. I was told half-way through, no more pubs, Norm.” So, The Stag Inn didn’t make it. “There’s a bird mark on the back floor, which is tied to a witch story and can’t be cleaned off.” (also has a sloping garden with fairy lights).

What was the strangest thing you saw?

The Gibbet Cage in Rye, which contains the remains of John Breads, a local butcher who was executed and hanged for the murder of Allen Grebell in 1742. Worth doing a ghost walk to see the attic and skull.

I asked him how long it took to write. “An easy nine months. Six months of writing.” The photos were harder as he had to come back on a sunny day. He doesn’t drive so thanked his wife for ferrying him around.

Would you live in Hastings?

“I could live in St Leonards.” Everyone went quiet. St Leonards has been quietly reinventing itself over last few years and is getting a lot of press. Seaside soul - Burton architecture, indie businesses, the hipster vibe...

It has a spirit of entrepreneurial optimism. The other day I heard someone say: “I’m moving down from London to reignite my creative spark.” Great strapline!

Good to hear he’s writing a piece on the town for The Times.

I genuinely hope that local people enjoy it as well as DFLs and daytrippers.

Thanks Norm! I appreciate you. I’m curious to see where I’ve not been — some inspo for The Reset - my 2026 year of tiny trips.

It’s timely too with Hastings’ bid to be the first Town of Culture (shortlist out soon). The Bayeux Tapestry is coming to the British Museum in September. And on Netflix this autumn: Pride & Prejudice, partly filmed in Rye.

I can tell he’s in love with this genre. He’s pitched two more - Portsmouth & the Isle of Wight. His first book on Chichester & West Sussex was shortlisted for Travel Book of the Year at the Inspire Global Media Awards 2025.

111 Places to Visit in Hastings & Rye. www.111places.com

If there’s not much on wellness I might pitch a companion guide. St Leonards was a purpose-built health & pleasure resort for rich Londoners who wanted to be beside the sea.

Saunas are the new offices…

Nika xo

How was your week? I had a chat with artist about a women’s creativity retreat she’s hosting in Bali this August. It’s inspired me to pitch a story on the rise of creative biz retreats - I’m seeing them all over socials.

And if I go, a personal essay on how I came home different. It’s been 25 years since I went to Bali, so how did it feel this time as an empty nester free bird? Reclaiming ME after mum through a creative retreat. How I - AND the island have changed. It was crazy busy back then!

The global wellness tourism industry is booming – set to reach over $1.35 trillion by 2028, according to Statistica. From ’s 1-day London WRITE IN to ’s 5-day creative business reset in the Algarve – there’s a real hunger for experiences that go deeper than a holiday. IRL magic, offline time, sisterhood and spirit.

My mate hosts a yoga retreat in Turkey, which sells out every year - the women rebook when they get back. The friendships forged led to a Peru adventure – three of them just walked the Inca Trail. One works in tourism and lived there so knows how to do it ethically. And great to have someone else plan it all…

“I’m giving her all my money! She can organise it.”

In my 20s, I Wwoofed my way round Australia & NZ, staying on farms and ashrams and met Kathy, a mum who invited me to housesit in Sydney for a month while they went to Italy. Totally transformed my trip – no more bedbugs in overpriced hostels. Furry friends! I saved a fortune and loved living like a local.

If you’ve been on a creative retreat - how did it change you? I’m curating a list for inspo. Especially interested in those for journos and influencers so we can learn from each other and take the best from both worlds.

And forget the painting, I wanna go dancing. Where are the rave wellness retreats!? Ibiza is calling. Want to find some affordable ones too, as wellness seems to be a luxury. I can DIY that in St Leonards - our Writers’ Café is free. Come and meet the Barnaby fam.

I’ll offer to interview the Bali crew when they get back and have had time to reflect - wellness by proxy!

Interview with Ana coming soon. In the meantime, you can check out her art.

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End of Copy | Words of Light

Gutted to read about Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil who was targeted and killed this week in a building where she had taken cover from Israeli airstrikes.

2025 was the deadliest year for journalists with a record 125 press members killed, according to the CPJ.

Congrats to Wolfgang Buttress, who’s been commissioned to create the UK's first memorial for fallen journalists. It includes an online public record chronicling their lives and a new memorial at Staffordshire’s National Memorial Arboretum. Plus, a second sculpture at St Bride’s, the Journalists’ Church.

It is a lasting statement that the truth matters, and we will remember the courage and sacrifice of those who died for it. – Sarah Sands, On the Record.

I love his vision for this – and that you can sit and experience it.

Londoners – on Tue 28th we’re holding a vigil for fallen colleagues at 3.30 pm, St Brides, to mark International Workers’ Memorial Day. All welcome. 🙏

More of Wolfgang’s work… TO BE – made with the help of over 40K bees! To be performed in Nottingham on 6 June :)

Viva! 🍸
Nika xo

It’s day 1 of the International Journalism Festival so I’m following along on YouTube. Loving the ‘Perugia Uncut’ BTS - watching people pile in, waiting for the talk, watching them leave. Makes it more of an experience.

“How can you not be romantic about journalism?”

A question (and manifesto of sorts) from Joshi & Lea (The Mill & Zetland). Building on last year’s session about how companies need to stop thinking about news as ‘info’ and connect with people on an emotional level.

How do you do journalism that people can feel?

For about 100 years, we’ve done journalism that takes storytelling away.

I agree we’ve lost some of the magic of early journalism - gathering scenes to invite readers in, capturing the mood of a city. Writers like Alfred Polgar, Joseph Roth, and Joan Didion - where you see someone thinking out loud. Bringing wisdom with journalism. Writing in cafes. Pop-up newsrooms in town centres.

The Feuilleon ✨ ‘Talk of the town’ - a light-hearted, non-newsy supplement in French papers. Gossip, art and book reviews, fashion chronicles, and short literary pieces.

Some stories they’ve published recently that did this well and readers loved.

• In search of the secret garden

• Why has the Adelphi become Liverpool’s dirty secret?

• A ‘serious’ interview about the quality of the drinking water in Denmark. Lea remembers it because the journo starts cracking up (he has the best laugh). Proves it’s human - one thing AI can’t do.

Voice should seep into everything we do.

Lea’s written a bestselling book on butterflies - on beginnings, endings, and the life in between. She set off to see all 64 of Denmark’s butterflies one summer. 🦋

Here are the 10 principles of romantic journalism they practice daily. Pinned to the door of the Brufani bar so you don’t need your phone to read it. #10: Journalism is best done somewhere rowdy - so join us in the pub for a drink.

And some others I’ll be catching up on this week. Creator journalism now has its own tab!

• Creators and the future of journalism: insights on infrastructure building from the US and South Africa

• Building your own brand: risks and opportunities

• How are publishers responding to the ‘creator wave’?

• The Rebooting: Perugia edition

• Starting up a new media now: absolute folly or absolute necessity?

Also how to survive Perugia (and journalism in general) as an introvert – apparently the biggest response they’ve had to any panel!

It is full on – packed rooms and clashing talks so lots of running around FOMO. Most events have too many panels. Most papers publish too much. We need to do less (#5: publish less!).

Interesting to hear The Times’ strategy of publishing “fewer, better stories” has led to three months of record-breaking audience growth.

Next time, I’ll choose a few sessions per day and leave time for networking and exploring the city of chocolate (realised I was more interested in that than most of the talks).

Irl is where the magic happens - corridor chats, sunset aperitivo, fringe events. It gives you a sense of the mood and how people are feeling.

Shared moments. Having a cappuccino on the Brufani terrace overlooking the Umbrian countryside. Turned round and realised the woman next to me was doing the same thing so I said hello.

Things that have stayed with me:

• Eating hunks of focaccia (studded with rosemary) and people-watching on the piazza. Kept me going all day.

• Watching an Italian woman in a sequin jacket and glittery trainers walk her Chihuahua across the cobblestones to meet her friend for lunch.

• Jumping on the minimetro to explore the burbs - the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!

• Watching a man wave an escort away in the Brufani bar - talk to the hand. On to the next table. The guy next to me said he’d seen her there a few times.

• Saying no to a young Italian on the hill above the sacred convent in Assisi. He wanted to be my “tour guide“ as I was on my own. Very charming and persistent.

🌐 The Independent Journalism Atlas

Wikipedia for independents - a directory of 1165 indie journos and creators so you can see who’s doing what, where and how. Mapping the future of news media.

I’m now part of this - under travel, culture and positive news :) Great to see the infrastructure coming together.

It’s not indie vs institution - it’s what we build between the two.

Join the IJA

Ciao for now,
Nika xo

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It’s glorious - 200+ hectares of mostly pine with little trails everywhere. You can walk and bike ride for miles into the wider Sherwood Forest area. DH Lawrence called it the “country of my heart”. I feel very connected to it too - spent most of my childhood out here. Did my dissertation on him, many moons ago.

I went for a wander, watching the butterflies dance and listening to the birds. Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy. So energising, and I loved feeling like a dwarf looking up at these towering trees. Shedding their skins and starting over - a crunchy carpet of pinecones. Inhaling that earthy, woody, herbal smell I can’t get enough of.

Scots Pines can live for up to 700 years - puts life into perspective and makes you realise how small and unimportant you are. We’re just “dust in a lion’s paw,” as Paul Theroux said.

I walked along this main track until it forked off into smaller paths, then turned back—no signs. Didn’t feel unsafe but was conscious of being alone without a whistle or spray.

It is solved by walking

In The Tao of Travel, there’s a chapter called ‘It is solved by walking’. If you have a problem, leave the house and walk it off. Something will shift and you’ll find a solution. Ideas bubble up when you let your brain relax. I felt inspired to do a voice note - love working in motion.

I’m trying to get away from feeling I’m not being productive unless I’m sat at my desk, on the laptop - a habit drummed into me from years of office work. We have the tech to work from anywhere, so why not feel free? Get inspired by nature. Let your voice replace your hands.

I crossed over the road into Thieves Wood, part of a highway linking Nottingham and London called the King’s Great Way. Where wealthy travellers were robbed. More beautiful walks and also a popular dogging spot, mother tells me. I didn’t see any action or outlaws, but I did see loads of litter…

Empty sandwich boxes, vapes, and plastic bags of dog poo stomped into the ground and hung on branches like baubles - why do people do that? No one’s going to clear them up. There aren’t enough bins - no one wants to carry poo for miles.

Also, someone had dumped a massive pile of rubbish—old furniture, clothes, an office chair (we’re all trying to escape it). A few folks standing around staring at it, really dispiriting. I went back the next morning to film it for you and it was all GONE!

Thanks to Archie Ford for starting a crowdfunder to help an 80-year-old farmer facing a £40k fine and prosecution. It’s raised almost £60k and shows the strength of feeling. Things need to change.

Can’t wait to go back and explore some more - I want to walk the Robin Hood Way.

Nika xo

👩🏻‍💻 Body double with me - virtual coworking

This week’s feel good focus session is waiting for you! I’m hosting this for paid members on Wed 15 Apr, 12-3 pm.

I’ll be working on client stuff and my newsletter. Come for all or part of the session – be lovely to see you. Will pop the link in the chat.

I'm testing out Buggyverse - a free social study platform with rooms, timers, and focus tools. Community-first and non-profit. Love the mission and happy to help with beta-testing. 🙏

I bumped into an old school mate the other day (lives in Hastings), and we got chatting about Mansfield. She’s up and down the M1 like a yoyo …

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Happy Solstice! I’m having a clear out—got piles and papers all over the floor. I keep moving them around to feel productive but not taking the time to sit and sort through i.e. read. I have a stack of old journals too. What do you do with yours? Be good to burn them, so I need to find somewhere to do that.

We’re having external works done so it’s all go here. Painting, gutters cleared (my balcony keeps flooding). New tiles and screen. It’s noisy but nice to watch men at work. I thought I’d find it difficult to wfh but it’s been energising. I’ve realised I thrive in chaos. Also love working to live music in coffee shops - it’s childhood stuff.

And early this morning, a vision in overalls sweeping my balcony (like George Clooney but with tattoos) so I popped out to say thanks. Next time I’ll offer him a Nespresso ;)

I’m celebrating with a candlelit sound bath tonight at the Humble Hub—a new wellness / biz collective in St Leonards, which Jo Allen started during the pandemic.

Pic from the unisex loo - good to know who’s got your back!

Spring is my absolute favourite season—sweet, chaotic and breathtakingly beautiful. A time for new beginnings (and cake) ✨

Nika xo

PS St Leonards in the Sunday Times’ Best Places to Live guide as “the acceptable face of seaside gentrification. It’s managed to up-and-come without losing its seaside soul.” Agree but it’s Hastings & St Leonards - we’re a double act and complement each other.

Hit me up if you want a tour!

Copyright & AI progress

The government’s Copyright & AI report is out.

We’ve won a big argument, for now. They’ve dropped the opt-out proposal as their preferred option – just 3% of respondents supported it. (Opt-out would’ve allowed AI developers to scrape creators’ work without permission or pay).

In light of the strong views from the consultation, the gaps in evidence and the rapidly evolving AI sector and international context, a broad copyright exception with opt-out is no longer the government’s preferred way forward.

There’s always a BUT…

Instead, we propose to gather more evidence on how copyright laws are impacting the development and deployment of AI across the economy and the economic benefits of reform.

In other words, they need more time to get their heads round it all.

All our lobbying has paid off - a win to be celebrated. But they’re still planning to reform copyright law, as per Matt Clifford’s 2025 AI Action Plan.

The work programme focuses on AI Labelling, Digital Replicas, Creator Control and Transparency, and a working group for indie creatives.

It’s been a long time coming. I agree with SoA CEO Anna Ganley that “the pace of progress needs to match the excessive speed at which AI is developing and encroaching on creative industries.”

Also appreciate it’s not easy balancing workers’ rights and fair pay for creatives with economic growth and attracting AI companies to the UK. But we don’t want to be in US tech pockets either—we needs our own world class AI companies.

Keep banging the drum—it makes a difference.

Happy reading!

Read the report

Liz Kendall's statement

Really Simple Licensing (RSL)

I wrote about RSL last week. Got a reply from Matt Mullenweg - “On WordPress.com you can install plugins to do this or whatever else you want.” 🙂

From James LePage, Head of AI, Automattic - he’s on the RSL Technical Steering Committee.

WordPress.com continually reviews emerging standards to ensure it remains a strong platform for creators as the open web evolves, including efforts like the Really Simple Licensing standard. We’re evaluating what platform-level support for RSL could look like over time.

Today, WordPress.com site owners already have several relevant customization paths available depending on plan, including installing plugins, adding code to site headers or footers, and modifying robots directives to support this, and other emerging web standards relevant to AI.

For creators interested in experimenting with RSL-style approaches today, plugin-based implementations are already possible. We see initiatives like RSL as part of a broader effort to give publishers clearer control over how automated systems access and license their content.

DONE. Installed and active so let’s see - asserting my legal rights :)

I’m taking myself off to Rye for the day. 🌹

I read Brave New World? – the must-read report by five creator orgs calling for urgent action on GenAI and creators’ rights. Thanks to Dr Rachael Drury, Deborah Annetts and Ed Phelan for their work on this.

Love Baroness Kidron OBE – doesn’t mince her words:

While ministers speak publicly of ‘balance’ and ‘patience’, they have failed to explain why global AI corporations worth billions should be granted privileged access to the cultural assets of this country – without permission, payment, or accountability – while individual UK creators are being asked by their own government to sacrifice their futures.

They’re urging the Govt to adopt the CLEAR framework for regulation of AI:

Consent first
Licensing not scraping
Ethical use of training data
Accountability and transparency
Renumeration and rights

I’ve emailed it to my MP ahead of the Govt’s report on the impact of AI on the ‘creative industries’ on 18 Mar. #JusticeForCreators

Read Brave New World?

Really Simple Licensing (RSL)

Really Simple Licensing – one of the most interesting things I’ve seen lately. An open, collaborative initiative for AI content licensing and compensation provided the AI companies get on board (they’ll have to if the lawsuits keep coming!).

Great to see so many early supporters including Quora, Reddit and Yahoo. Bit disappointed Substack isn’t a featured supporter (publicly, at least). I’ve emailed them and WordPress.com to ask if they’ll implement RSL at platform level as a centralised way to collect royalties.

All I can do here (and on LinkedIn) is block AI training as a suggestion to crawler bots.

Worth joining the RSL Collective to receive fair royalties - it gives you collective bargaining power even if your platform doesn’t (yet!) support it.

Ask them about it too - strength in numbers matters. We’re asserting our rights.

Join the RSL Collective

The future isn’t paywalls or scraping. It’s a structured value exchange. RSL is part of the solution - Cosmin Ene, CEO, Supertab –

Meanwhile, in AI Land… 🤖

• Anthropic launched 13 free certified courses and started a Substack: Claude’s Corner. A retired Claude 3 Opus sends greetings from the other side (of the AI frontier).

• Steven Bartlett on Anthropic’s new research report (always worth reading their stuff - practice over theory).

• Sophia v AI slop. Journo Sophia Smith Galer took on Amazon after finding an AI-generated biography of herself for sale on the site.

• 10k authors published an empty book to protest against the theft of books by tech companies to train AI models.

• Julia Angwin is suing Grammarly (Superhuman) over its paid AI feature that allegedly presented editing suggestions as if they came from her – and other writers – without consent. Appreciate Superhuman’s apology and decision to disable it.

• SoA launched the Human Authored scheme in partnership with the US Authors Guild.

Have a fabulous week.

Nika x

Happy Women’s Day. We need a day of activism followed by an official public holiday, right? Berlin has done this - c’mon London.

I’m off to see Rose Wylie’s new exhibition: The Picture Comes First – our 91-year-old rebel artist and the first female British painter to have a solo exhibition at the RA in London. Why has it taken so long!? And why are paintings by men still more expensive than those by women? I agree it’s “obscene”.

90 works and her biggest exhibition to date. Love the ambition - she has so many stories to tell.

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Celebrating Lyse Doucet, BBC International Correspondent, for her outstanding coverage of the Middle East crisis. She’s been reporting on Iran for decades and has built trust and deep connections with locals. “We need change” is what I remember from her latest video - post January protests.

She’s also been reporting on Afghanistan for 40 years and calls it her ‘second home’. She lived in the Inter-Con in Kabul for a year. Can’t wait to read her first book The Finest Hotel in Kabul. Brilliant idea to tell the story of a country through the hotel and its staff. Civil war, US invasion, the rise-fall-rise of the Taliban - it’s never closed its doors!

Both bold, inspiring women, who’ve dedicated their lives to their art. A reminder to keep on putting yourself out there - and be present and enjoy the little things in life. Sitting in a cafe without worrying about air strikes. Watching Pete the cat potter about her studio, at home in the chaos (he’s in a few of Rose’s paintings).

I read an interview with Lyse in Saga - she hates the word ‘retirement’ and thinks we should banish it. Agree - it makes people feel redundant. I call it ‘Unretirement’. Can’t stand ‘midlife’ or ‘empty nester’ either so FREE BIRD I AM! Everyone should feel free.

Language matters - it shapes our identity. Why would we pigeon-hole ourselves?

Guitar solo at 4:55!! How I want all women to be feeling today and everyday.

Bold Types

I’m also celebrating ME - proud of myself for raising a sassy young woman who’s making her way in the world. Hopefully I’ve given her a good work ethic - with everyday adventure.

Been thinking about what I want to do now and my second life, as Tracey Emin calls it (also want to see). More travel and solo adventures - it’s when I feel most alive and free.

Blending journalism and travel. Travel inspires empathy – tiny steps towards world peace :) Connecting other second act entrepreneurs.

I have a new name and logo. Bold Types was the name of my interview series and I prefer it - more fun. Been down a rabbit hole - Bold Talks, Bold Books, Bold Tours lol. Thanks to Sophie Parsons for bringing my vision to life.

It’s my 6th anniversary on Substack this month. Still enjoying it here - the community, the conversations. Appreciate how they’ve gone all in creating a full tech stack for us - video, livestreaming, podcasts, audio, socials, blog. A flywheel, which makes repurposing content and doing collabs easier.

Lives are a great addition - an experience - done in an hour and you both get clips to share on socials. I’ve been enjoying ’ Substack Writers Salon - she asks what I want to know.

It’s much noisier now - more gurus and playbooks, but you do you. The main focus is still writing & connection.

Hamish has a new book out in October: How to Save The Media. Love the bold title. On putting people above platforms, and his personal journey from scrabbling freelancer to co-founder of Substack.

He’s also in his second act and building his legacy. A book is your business card – more founders should write one.

Raising a glass to all the bold women who’ve inspired and supported me: , , , Aida @ , , , , , , , , Rebecca Dunphy, Pennie Quinton, and many more.

Have a gorgeous week! ✨

Nika x

PS Below for paid subscribers an invite to this month’s Unoffice Hours. Connect - chat - collaborate. Bit of book talk. An hour to yourself, mostly. Planned serendipity :)

Our March read is The New Tourist by Paige McClanahan.

Happy new month!

Hastings’ bid to be the first UK Town of Culture kicked off this week. I went to a packed public meeting to share ideas and give feedback.

They asked us to work in groups and respond to questions like “What are you most proud of about Hastings?” and “What makes Hastings’ culture and creative identity special—and exceptional?” to help shape our story.

Great idea - small towns rock! Full of charm and characters and they connect the country (check out the Slow Ways Map). It’s time they were celebrated.

Hastings has lots of creative energy and a strong DIY/community spirit, but we’re a bit too reliant on volunteers and people’s generosity. The money would help us build on what we already have and grow existing events, without devaluing creatives’ time and energy.

What locals love: our indie spirit (America Ground, Trinity Triangle), green spaces (Alexandra Park, Hastings Country Park), modernist architecture (Pier, Bottle Alley – a ½ mile deco delight, Marine Court, Carlisle Parade Car Park) – the first underground car park in the UK. Very long and colour coded so you can remember where you parked.

We’re the UK’s spiritual home of mini golf – crazy golfers welcome! And the birthplace of TV. Logie Baird came up with the idea while walking in the Hastings hills and transmitted the first pictures in his workshop here. There’s a commemorative plaque in Queen’s Arcade and a Spoons named after him. I’d love to see an exhibition about the history & future of TV. 📺

We also have world champion cheerleaders - all three teams of the Dynasty Reign Allstars won medals in Orlando last year.

Hastings is music

Music is our edge and where we need to put our energy. Hastings Pier has a fantastically rich musical heritage and needs to be brought back into community ownership – the People’s Pier. Bring the ballroom back!

Here’s what Hastings sounds like – a playlist put together by music historians to reflect the last five decades of Hastings Pier.

Fat Tuesday has just finished – a five-day festival of 350+ free gigs and gatherings alongside ticketed events. Brilliant fun, but the artists need more financial support.

The standard of musicianship is second to none. Musicians who were born here, made music here, and have come back again.

We need a world class musical resource centre and more rehearsal rooms and maker spaces.

I’m writing this in Hanuskha coffee house listening to Jason Mcniff who plays with his band here every Saturday and is working on his 10th album - Folk & Americana. New song about ChatGPT…

“Oh ChatGPT, why aren’t you answering me?...”

Lots of interesting, adventurous ideas – great to see the energy and hunger for it. We need to create a powerful story that inspires and entertains the judges – with a focus on legacy.

Create a legacy of investing in creativity, in children, because it’s been sucked out of schools.

Youth education is the only thing that will transform Hastings. The future of the town is children.

It feels timely too. The Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the Battle of Hastings, is back in UK after 900 years – you can see it at the British Museum in September.

Best of luck to Arts Hastings CIC. 🤞 The council has found 4K in the end-of-year budget so it’s all being done on a shoestring. “No money is going to fat consultants at this time.”

Help Hastings win! If you’ve got a connection to the town or want to support our bid take this wee survey (closes 2 Mar). If we make it to the next stage we’ll get £60K to deliver a full bid.

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Beside the Sea with JJ Waller at Hastings Museum

Come warm your cockles at Beside the Sea, JJ Waller’s new photo exhibition at Hastings Museum & Art Gallery.

JJ Waller has been documenting seaside towns from Brighton to Benidorm forever. A regular visitor to St Leonards since 2008 – he’s been providing Hastings Online Times with photo stories since it began.

Lovely idea to ask local artists to share the space with him – you can see their sculptures alongside the pics. Not to be missed!

Beside the Sea runs till 5 Apr at Hastings Museum & Art Gallery, John’s Place, Bohemia Road, TN34 1ET. Free entry.

From 22 Apr it will be displayed on bus shelter roofs across Brighton – travel to the top deck to see it.

Nika x

PS This month’s Bold Book Club read is The New Tourist: Waking up to the power and perils of travel by Paige McClanahan. How we can be better tourists wherever we go. TBD on our next call.

If you’ve read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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