Writing

On this page you can find my best articles to read on topics like the future of learning, entrepreneurship, media & entertainment, coaching, and creativity.

I started writing here in 2015, and there are now over 350 articles on these pages, as well as various videos, slide decks, mixtapes, diagrams, and other ideas.

You’ll find articles on what to do when you’re not killing it, how to start a podcast, the value of the Educator in Residence, the best way to build your network in a new city or country, and much more.

Ready to jump in?

You can browse using the categories below, or scroll down to see every post I’ve written listed out by date and title.

Best articles by category

Career Fuel

Ideas and resources to move your career forward

Education & Learning

The future of learning – from short-form workshops to alternative universities

Media & Entertainment

What’s hot, what’s not, and where it’s going next

Entrepreneurship

Making stuff, breaking stuff, and keeping it all together

Coaching

The coaching mindset and why it matters

Life

Stories, observations and slices of life

All articles by date

2020

The flipped fortune cookie October 14, 2020
18 elements of the Zoom revolution (remix) October 13, 2020
The Rough Edges October 12, 2020
The cycles of alchemy October 5, 2020
Do you like dogs? September 21, 2020
A slice of Saatchi August 20, 2020
Back to the coffee shop July 31, 2020
How to transform a webinar July 22, 2020
How to introduce yourself July 22, 2020
How to calculate the time you need to create a workshop July 14, 2020
How to run a workshop for the C-suite June 26, 2020
A Workshop Canapé June 16, 2020
Workshop Creation: Any Questions? May 28, 2020
How to turn up the dials in your next workshop May 27, 2020
A simple recipe for working independently April 26, 2020
Pre Game / Post Game April 26, 2020
How to cook up a tasty workshop April 23, 2020
Crossing the online course chasm April 11, 2020
This ain’t no webinar April 10, 2020
How to create an interactive workshop in Zoom (Part 2) April 2, 2020
How to create an interactive workshop in Zoom April 2, 2020
The Entertainers April 2, 2020
Back to The Tension March 26, 2020
The Dollar Bill and The Golf Ball March 26, 2020
How to design a workshop slide deck March 16, 2020
The Workshop Stack March 10, 2020
5 ways to run better remote workshops March 5, 2020
The Joy of 6 March 4, 2020
4 Workshop Mindsets February 3, 2020
The new alumni January 15, 2020
“What do you mean, ‘a workshop’?” January 13, 2020
Opening Credits January 10, 2020
Connecting with Art January 10, 2020
Co-Founder Conflict: NFI? January 7, 2020
Building the 10 key skills for 2020 January 6, 2020
Unlearnings from the improv class January 6, 2020

2019

Thinking in Bits December 28, 2019
Undertaking a 2019 Annual Life Review (Guide & Template) December 11, 2019
Serious Fun December 10, 2019
Life’s a Pitch…but for who? November 26, 2019
The Tension: Chaos / Order October 29, 2019
The Tension: Time / Energy October 22, 2019
Why the future of learning is in the middle October 16, 2019
The Tension: No One Cares October 15, 2019
The Tension: Natural / Rounded October 1, 2019
The Question: ‘So, what do you do?’ September 24, 2019
The Tension: Microscope / Telescope September 17, 2019
No AC to DC September 11, 2019
A new podcast: The Tension September 9, 2019
Overwhelm, Skateboards, and a new podcast August 27, 2019
The Secret August 27, 2019
Stories around the fire August 22, 2019
SXSW 2020: The Remix August 8, 2019
On Stage August 6, 2019
The Educator in Residence August 1, 2019
Coaching: Three agendas for exploration July 31, 2019
When you see… July 31, 2019
Orbiting the Orbit: On Tour Again July 30, 2019
Talking to Humans: Go anonymous July 30, 2019
Talking to Humans: No intro, no get-go July 30, 2019
I don’t do name tags July 30, 2019
Fear, Envy, and Contempt July 24, 2019
Group Dynamics: Sitting in Circle July 16, 2019
What was it like? July 10, 2019
The important thing before on-boarding July 9, 2019
Learnings from the other side of an accelerator program June 27, 2019
Great (Un)Expectations June 27, 2019
The Educator’s End Credits June 25, 2019
Alchemy before Chemistry June 24, 2019
No Reply = No Interest? June 22, 2019
Work labels: word salad and connotations June 19, 2019
Switching to Annual View June 19, 2019
Lucky Number 7 – and a 40-degree day June 17, 2019
Two types of role model June 17, 2019
Positioning: Get Uncomfortably Narrow June 15, 2019
The Vessel & The Lens June 15, 2019
KPIs: The slide snap June 14, 2019
Sampling: You don’t know it until you’ve tried it June 8, 2019
Dominant Design May 29, 2019
A simple way to get unblocked May 25, 2019
The perils of a chain reaction May 22, 2019
22,000 songs in your pocket May 21, 2019
The Circuit May 19, 2019
Are you running a meetup or a workshop? May 18, 2019
Back to business school: the new case study May 18, 2019
Freelancer to Entrepreneur: The Forest, The Mountains, and the Water May 15, 2019
Labels In, Labels Out May 15, 2019
The Music Industry’s 73% May 10, 2019
Book Request: The Coaches May 10, 2019
Going Solo? You’re still in the Rat Race May 10, 2019
Why we need to get rid of ideas May 10, 2019
Becoming a wizard May 8, 2019
Empty Tank May 7, 2019
Coaching for creative inspiration May 2, 2019
Overrated Mentors, Underrated Coaches April 30, 2019
The Rotation April 26, 2019
Ghosted: from URL to IRL April 25, 2019
Two Tunnels April 24, 2019
™ April 19, 2019
Keep it boring April 16, 2019
Bonus Content April 15, 2019
Learning Styles: 3D Mapping a Conversation April 12, 2019
Signposts and Surprises April 6, 2019
Cultivate your questions carefully April 5, 2019
The two workshop danger zones April 4, 2019
Dress Up, Dress Down. April 3, 2019
Game Time: History Repeating April 3, 2019
What the music industry’s people need next April 2, 2019
A lot can happen between now and never April 2, 2019
The Rise of the Residency April 1, 2019
Over Indexing March 30, 2019
Question time: Getting booked to speak at conferences March 26, 2019
Gateway Drugs March 26, 2019
Stand Up if… March 24, 2019
Cross Training: The ChefTender and The KitBar March 23, 2019
The 2 Voices March 22, 2019
Natural or Rounded? March 21, 2019
How to start a podcast: a plan for success March 19, 2019
Coaching: Spinning our Wheels March 19, 2019
Study Skills: The Reading Mesh March 14, 2019
Insider, Outsider March 13, 2019
Learning / Unlearning: Everyday Carry, Backpacks and Left Luggage March 13, 2019
LA Story: Get to The Hour March 7, 2019
The one presentation slide to keep you on the edge of your seat March 1, 2019
Idea Fuel: The Creative Observer March 1, 2019
The Kitchen February 28, 2019
Battle Scars February 28, 2019
Coaching: Preparing for job interviews February 28, 2019
How to build your network in a new city, country or culture February 27, 2019
3 flavours of workshop February 26, 2019
Introducing Coffee Notes: A template for better meetings February 26, 2019
Beyond the 1 hour meeting February 25, 2019
7 Lessons from Jim Collins on The Tim Ferriss Show February 25, 2019
Hit Making: The Generation Game February 25, 2019
Suggestible, Susceptible? February 22, 2019
The Portfolio Career Podcast February 22, 2019
The Prestige February 21, 2019
80/20 in Group Dynamics February 21, 2019
Your Dunbar number February 21, 2019
Be Like Bowie February 20, 2019
The arcade of the multiple mirrors February 20, 2019
Winning at the great game: How to improve student results February 20, 2019
Tension February 20, 2019
The 2 most important slides for your workshop February 19, 2019
The Crier, The Glue, The Word, and The Arrow February 19, 2019
How to articulate your vision in 4 post-it notes February 19, 2019
Tickets Podcast: Gary Chou and Christina Xu on entrepreneurship education and harnessing the power of networks February 18, 2019
Coaching: Stories can lead to solutions February 15, 2019
Bringing the Essential Mix to work February 15, 2019
Pressure brings performance – or does it? February 13, 2019
5 x Why, 5 x Who February 13, 2019
“You had to be there” February 12, 2019
The Action & The Juice February 12, 2019
Tickets Podcast: David Lavin on representing some of the world’s leading intellectual talent February 11, 2019
Design Thinking: Culture and Contraceptives February 7, 2019
6 lessons from going live with Oprah February 6, 2019
The Gallery February 5, 2019
From the Magpie to the Hummingbird February 4, 2019
A simple way to overcome nerves and anxiety in a first meeting February 4, 2019
Getting to grips with my Inner Critic February 4, 2019
Why we should think more like Detroit’s techno pioneers February 4, 2019
Managing the feeling of being scattered February 4, 2019
Tickets Podcast: University Ventures’ Daniel Pianko on new opportunities in higher education February 4, 2019
Employee of the Month February 1, 2019
Should you be Standing Out, or Fitting In? January 31, 2019
Rules of the Game January 30, 2019
Finding mentors & advisors: 1:1 or a roster? January 29, 2019
Avicii: True Stories: A tale of tragedy, excess, indifference, and home truths January 29, 2019
The key to spreading your ideas January 29, 2019
Trade-offs January 29, 2019
Trust, Lock-in and Switching Costs for Coaches, Consultants, and Advisors January 28, 2019
Tickets podcast: Marc Lewis on running the world’s most awarded advertising school January 28, 2019
What do they remember you by? January 25, 2019
When is it hard to do, or easy to finish? January 25, 2019
5 common myths about coaching January 23, 2019
Workshop Slide Deck (guided): Lifecycles in products, companies, and careers January 22, 2019
On the guestlist: Making season 1 of the Tickets podcast January 21, 2019
Tickets Podcast: SXSW’s Todd Hansen on live event programming and spotting talent & trends January 21, 2019
My Podcast Gear: recording, editing, and publishing January 20, 2019
Why Penn & Teller ignored the audience January 19, 2019
Navigating Uncertainty: Climbing the Ladder, Going out to Sea January 17, 2019
Location Arbitrage January 17, 2019
It’s hard to tell other people’s stories January 17, 2019
Coaching: 15 things that make your heart sing January 15, 2019
Hiring? Look out for the goalkeeper January 15, 2019
The trouble with saying No January 14, 2019
Tickets Podcast: Adobe’s Andrea Rosen on creativity and the future of work January 14, 2019
Beyond The Happy Meal: products to transcend generations January 14, 2019
Trend Spotting: How to identify what’s coming next January 11, 2019
Concealing the Clues: Lessons from TV & film writers January 11, 2019
Tickets Podcast: Betaworks’ James Cooper on building products, brands, and communities January 7, 2019
Knowing what’s more trouble than it’s worth January 3, 2019

2018

Undertaking an Annual Life Review (a Guide & Template) December 28, 2018
Best of… December 27, 2018
Diving Deep as a Coach December 27, 2018
What kind of artist are you? December 27, 2018
Tickets Podcast: Rob Fitzpatrick on how to create compelling workshops, programs and products December 24, 2018
2018 List: Podcasts December 21, 2018
Build, Buy, Borrow, or… December 21, 2018
4 Podcast Trends for 2019 December 20, 2018
The Microscope & The Telescope December 17, 2018
Two quick tips on Trend Spotting December 17, 2018
7 things I learnt in 2018 December 17, 2018
Tickets Podcast: Duolingo’s Laura Nestler on growing global communities December 17, 2018
Being Typecast December 14, 2018
Demo Night December 14, 2018
The Quick No December 11, 2018
If Jobs were Houses December 11, 2018
Lowercase skills December 11, 2018
Tickets Podcast: Kano co-founder Alex Klein on fostering curiosity and creation through technology December 10, 2018
Open Source: My reading list December 2, 2018
The fissures on your path December 2, 2018
How to create your own personal investment thesis November 26, 2018
Pressing pause on Tetris scheduling November 26, 2018
Life Advice from Underground Resistance & Marcus Aurelius November 25, 2018
3 elements for making deals as a freelancer or consultant November 21, 2018
The Player-Manager’s dilemma November 21, 2018
Untangling Time & Energy November 14, 2018
3 elements of a successful entertainment venture November 13, 2018
From Code School to Podcast School November 9, 2018
Why you should say less than necessary November 6, 2018
The rise of Edutainment November 1, 2018
Company Name* (required) October 30, 2018
Introducing season 2 of the ‘Tickets’ podcast October 29, 2018
Shipping, Unshipping and the Creative Handbrake October 23, 2018
Mind the Gap: A primer on Biases and Mental Models (slide deck) October 23, 2018
How to facilitate your first class, workshop or training session October 4, 2018
Listening to other people’s conversations October 4, 2018
Introducing Sustainable Foundations September 20, 2018
Intensity or Technique? You choose September 18, 2018
3 circles for managing control, influence, concern, and anxiety September 17, 2018
5 lessons from Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola September 10, 2018
How to survive your first year living in NYC August 29, 2018
Forcing Mechanisms August 28, 2018
Tall Stories – the importance of storytelling July 16, 2018
Jiu Jitsu, Influence, and Persuasion for creative businesses July 13, 2018
The California chef’s foundations July 10, 2018
Origins, Beliefs and Declarations July 9, 2018
Why teachers are the new DJs July 4, 2018
Tickets Podcast: Scaling human connection through music with James Beshara (Head of Music, Airbnb) June 4, 2018
Tickets Podcast: Building a global electronic music brand with Elrow’s Victor de la Serna May 29, 2018
Connecting different dots May 23, 2018
How connected is your community? May 21, 2018
Tickets Podcast: What’s next in travel & tourism ticketing with Leith Stevens of Redeam May 21, 2018
Tickets Podcast: The evolution of spaces to places with Bart Higgins, Partner at WhatIf Innovation May 14, 2018
Tickets Podcast: Fusing music and technology with Sonar Festival’s Ventura Barba May 7, 2018
Protected: Protected: What we learnt from 31 weeks as accountability partners April 30, 2018
Tickets Podcast: Storytelling in VR with Time’s Mia Tramz April 30, 2018
Here’s your perfect brief April 25, 2018
Are you built for the big company? Take a tip from Ripley April 25, 2018
Tickets Podcast: Blending digital technology and physical space design with Parc Office April 23, 2018
Enjoy the silence April 18, 2018
Tickets Podcast: Building, financing and operating arts and music spaces with Dhruv Chopra (Elsewhere Brooklyn) April 16, 2018
Tickets Podcast: Talent programming from nightclubs to auditoriums with Dave Gamble (Royal Albert Hall) April 13, 2018
Career Fuel: signal vs ability, illicit activities, and the future of work April 6, 2018
Tickets Podcast: Next generation guestlists and Nordic innovation with Johan Ekelund (CEO, Keyflow) April 2, 2018
What’s your circle of competence? March 27, 2018
Tickets Podcast: Curation and community with New York Times’ Michelle Grey-Campion March 26, 2018
Tickets Podcast: The future of the built environment with Ross Guttler, VP at Delos March 24, 2018
Advisor, Mentor, Coach, Counsel: what’s in a name? March 22, 2018
Tickets Podcast: Vincent Marini on taking the magic of Broadway across the globe March 17, 2018
Tickets Podcast: Andre Lorenceau on live sports broadcasting in VR March 17, 2018
Career Fuel: Portfolio planning for the full stack freelancer March 7, 2018
Tickets Podcast: Debs Armstrong on bespoke experiential March 7, 2018
Get paid like a DJ March 7, 2018
The freezer or the morgue: a quick primer on innovation March 7, 2018
Tickets Podcast: Adam Morallee on international boxing and brand partnerships March 1, 2018
Introducing ‘Tickets’: a podcast exploring the world of live experiences February 21, 2018
Why do we ignore our middle chapter? February 16, 2018
Lifelong Learning: Going spartan February 7, 2018
Protected: Career Fuel: Social proof in the world of work February 7, 2018
Building creative businesses: The Power of 3 February 2, 2018
Are you an artist or a frame maker? January 28, 2018
Finding your hook: Merchandising the Stallone way January 26, 2018
Music Business: How to choose an agent January 24, 2018
Credit to the Edit January 23, 2018
The Intrapreneur in action January 22, 2018
Introducing the Operator’s Handbook January 22, 2018
If Sesame Street did nightclubs… January 12, 2018
Introducing Zorro: projects for hybrid talent January 3, 2018
Harness your curiosity. Beware the Magpie. January 2, 2018

2017

The secret of success? Forget about it… December 19, 2017
8 workspace trends for 2018 December 7, 2017
Your customer list is worth nothing December 4, 2017
Three way traffic December 4, 2017
Introducing Ohm: the talent agent for your career November 9, 2017
What gives you away when you least expect it? November 7, 2017
How to map your next career move November 7, 2017
How to rent an apartment in New York October 18, 2017
Startup scoping: Swimming back to shore August 17, 2017
When you’re not killing it August 7, 2017
Transfer Market or Academy? July 30, 2017
A workspace for your tribe May 26, 2017
Behind the scenes at Europe’s most eco-friendly major music festival March 8, 2017
Video stream: The Future of Human Attendance (panel session, 1/3/17, London) March 5, 2017
5 lessons from a day with 300 next-generation creatives February 19, 2017
7 lessons from the story of CAA January 4, 2017
How one club night became the turning point for my business January 3, 2017

2016

Could you take a bite out of your own business? October 30, 2016
Depression in the music industry: Here’s one thing no one is talking about August 14, 2016
Observations from the airport August 9, 2016
Overwhelmed by startups? There’s a spreadsheet for that August 2, 2016
The rise of the remixer June 22, 2016
Note-taking, creativity and 80s action movies May 22, 2016
10 years later: mind the gaps in the live music sector May 6, 2016
My Local – London March 27, 2016
So you wanna be a boxer? March 24, 2016
The Bookshelf: Boris Johnson meets the $12m Shark March 23, 2016
Where’s the mentoring in the music industry? February 14, 2016

2015

What have artist managers, football coaches and startup studios got in common? November 16, 2015
Getting down to business in South America July 30, 2015
This may be the future of UK music July 8, 2015
10 questions to ask when working with artists May 25, 2015
Ways to Win in Electronic Music May 16, 2015