I'm Nika, and I help founders impact the world with their personal stories
Exploring a new and weird world of work, one newsletter at a time
Subscribe for a weekly dose of internet culture, solopreneur stories, and a shared idea library for your writing workflow.
Rethinking work/life in the digital age and how we can better shape it.
People, ideas, machines - in that order! - Colonel Boyd
Hi there! I’m Nika.
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 are coming:
The ‘creator economy’ has mushroomed and is projected to double in size from $250B to $480B by 2027, according to Goldman Sachs research.
Half of all professionals will have a portfolio career by 2030, according to an OECD forecast. 71% of high performers plan on launching a portfolio career, according to a Forbes survey.
Individual people with their own brands and online audiences have emerged as one of the biggest developments of the digital age.
What a time to be alive! Whether you sign up for free or become a member, I hope you join me on this wild ride.
What you can expect
Paid members get the spicy stuff 🌶️, including…
👀The Hot List: A curated roundup of things to read, listen to, watch, book. I also share any writing opps that come my way. Plus, access to the full archive.
💬A Cosy Community Space: Member-only Chat + shoutouts: Start threads, leave comments, connect anytime. 1:1 DM support - ask me anything about writing or life.
👩🏻💻Weekly Writing Hour: Community Coworking every Friday from 1-2 pm BST on Zoom. Get real-time Substack support and accountability.
🙏Support Mentorship: Your membership helps me mentor more media students, empowering young women to go for it.
Free readers get:
Weekly posts. Collaborative resources - feel free to add your deets and share them.
An Idea Library for your writing workflow - building mine on Sublime.
Join the community
A community of cheerleaders on Substack. Collective energy!
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
I’m Nika, and I help founders impact the world with their personal stories.
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, author 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 writing studio. I work with the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) to help writers survive and thrive in an expensive city and a modern, messed-up media world.
I’m passionate about helping female founders build influence, impact and income through writing, storytelling and AI. So we can work less and enjoy life more!
My motto: Be kind. Be useful, as Arnie would say. 🦾
My Second Act: More fun, more friends, more travel. On a quest to learn how to Live to 100+: Secrets of the Blue Zones.
Have you seen it yet? Turns out the secret to a long, healthy, happy life is connection and community. We evolved by listening to stories around the campfire, in small tribes.
Gotta have big, hairy, audacious goals, right?
Life’s too short for the in-between.
Cheers,
Nika 🥂
If you enjoy this newsletter+, here are some ways to support me.
☕️Don't like change? Leave it in the Tip Jar
💬Book 1:1 mentoring: Ask me anything about writing or life.
✍️Hire me to write your newsletter+. I’m a word nerd (with a diverse network). Let me build your brand on Substack!
Gold star for reading this far. I love connecting with like-minded souls. Get in touch if you need help with your newsletter or just fancy a chat!
Too feral to go back to working for the man? 👋