Reading time: 4.48

1,140 words

Hey Reader,

Tamu Thomas’s question to us yesterday, at Laura Brunton’s Ignited Woman event.

So I picture myself: grey hair, still in space buns. More wrinkles that get really deep when I smile, and I smile a lot, I hope. Still wearing bright orange sneakers, leopard-print jeans, and a mustard-yellow jumper.

Still standing and shouting about using your voice. Especially if your voice has been sidelined, or shrunk, or edited to fit someone who isn’t you. Still creating space for women to expand.

And I know what I’d say to myself if I could see me now.

I’d say, “I’m proud of you. Look how far you’ve come. Look at the books you’ve helped to bring into the world and the difference you have made to people who couldn’t find their voices. Now it’s time to take a deep breath and step up and SHOW OFF. You’ve got much more work to do.”

There was a thread running through the whole day: WE NEED TO SHOW OFF MORE.

We’ve spent our whole lives being told we’re too much, too loud, and that showing off is unseemly. Shhhh. Sit down. Make everyone else comfortable.

Don’t be a nuisance.

That’s the opposite of what I do and I think it’s one of the things my authors struggle with most. They don’t want to show off. They don’t want to be a nuisance.

Or they’re terrified of what might happen if they put their book out there and people don’t like it.

Which is the other side of the same coin.

What would 85-year-old you say to yourself now?

I think I know because there have been lots of studies of people at the ends of their lives. What they did and didn’t do; what their regrets were. And the number one regret of the dying isn’t, “I wish I’d been more likeable.” It’s, “I wish I’d had the courage to be fully myself.”

I refuse to reach my deathbed with that regret rattling around my head.

I think your 85-year-old self would say, “Do the thing you want to do. Show off. Stop hiding. Stop living for other people’s dreams.”

I spent my whole life pretending to be someone I’m not so nobody would notice I’m different. So I wouldn’t be punished for failing to human appropriately. No more, and now I’m finally writing THAT book.

I’m going to show off about it, too.

How about you? I know you have plenty to show off about. I know you have a story to tell, a book to write. We all do. The question is, when?

If not now, why not?

If now, I’d love to help you. I have 1 VIP Day and 3 Book Breakthrough: Unlocked sessions available before the end of May. You could have a good chunk of your first draft written by the end of the Summer. What say you?

And now for the Friday Goodie Bag. Strap in — we’re going on a ride!

The Onion reports on kidney transplants

It’s an alarming state of affairs when the most informative and trustworthy news source on the internet is the satirical newspaper The Onion but here we are… And in their latest round-up they included this story about a transplant patient who got super excited choosing his new kidney from the kidney tank and I don’t know why it made me laugh so damn much but it did and I think you should read it too because it is a little masterclass in how to write satire and hilariously understated headlines.

Angine de Poitrine’s rule-breaking music

There’s a video doing the rounds of a university commencement speaker being booed during her speech. She’s addressing a roomful of students about how AI is the new industrial revolution and BOY did she misread the room. I don’t think the techbros, billionaires, and boomers understand just how hostile so many of us are to LLMs.

And I say “LLMs” rather than AI deliberately. Because true AI will be revolutionary without stealing jobs. LLMs are enshittifying everything, destroying our brains, and trashing the kids’ futures.

Anyway, I know what my response to the rise of LLMs is: to become insufferably, entirely, unapologetically, heroically HUMAN. More myself than ever before because by GOD that gives us an advantage over those who are outsourcing their brains and bypassing effort.

As are Angine de Poitrine, a French band whose response to AI-generated music is to break all the rules of music in very clever ways. This guy explains it better than I can, but I’m very encouraged. Humans are always gonna human.

Just because it’s proven, doesn’t mean it’s true

Someone told me (perhaps it was Joy?) to listen to The Scientist and the Bumblebee by Harry Baker and I did and it’s great and now I’d like you to listen, too. Bumblebees “shouldn’t be able to fly.” Just because it’s proven, doesn’t mean it’s true.

Some good news from around the world

Just some good news bears really, from a few weeks ago. Because we need more good news, right?

My sojourn onto Janine Coombes’ podcast The Show (Off)

​Just in case you missed it yesterday, you can hear me say things like, “Why do you care what’s in their pants?!” and “I am so filled with rage” and “it’s not fucking silly” which, out of context doesn’t make much sense, but I promise our interview was fully coherent. Janine is a great interviewer who got me talking about all the things I care deeply about.

What I’m reading

​Life on the Autism Spectrum: A Guide for Girls and Women by Karen McKibben is a short and powerful book that has made me cry twice so far. First, the foreword by Tony Attwood, which was like reading a description of me as a child. I have never encountered this before as I assumed that everyone had the same struggles and feelings and I was just crap at humaning. Second, when I realised that no, I’m really REALLY not making it up (despite my official psychiatrist-stampted diagnosis) and that this is actually me and no I’m not just terrible at life. NEVER underestimate the power of getting your message to the people who need to hear it.

What I’m writing

I’m sketching out Season 1 of my podcast, which I am relaunching this Summer. I’m rather excited about this. I’ve got some amazing guests lined up so watch this space!

Word of the week

apricity

The warmth of the sun in winter. I know it’s not winter, but as I write this, it’s unseasonably cold for May…

Quote of the week

I saw that quote on the wall in the Seed Café in Euston’s Quaker building. Had a delicious breakfast, and eavesdropped on strangers talking to each other. It was one of the kindest, calmest, most inclusive vibes I’ve seen for ages.

TTFN,

Vicky 🫡

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