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Hey Reader,

Fight the power!

I can already hear the zombie-drones of capitalism moaning at us to drain our bank accounts in the pursuit of perfection.

January crawls closer like a B-movie undead torso, imploring us to spend money, transform ourselves into something we’re not and can never be, and perform productivity in the name of the gods of consumerism.

Yeah, I’m here with my fist raised, shaking it at the inevitability of “new year new me” spending frenzies!

NO.

Let’s just… not, shall we?

How about instead you partake of my JanVent Calendar: January Uncaged.

We’re gonna spend 30 days thinking, creating, and BEING.

I’m tired.

You’re tired.

We’re all really fcking tired.

This is the antithesis to that. Something to look forward to after [the joys of festive season / the horrors of festive season *delete as appropriate].

I’m going to start 2026 with joy. With a lens of delight. And you are invited to join me for January Uncaged.

Every day for 30 days, you’ll get a prompt, missive, or mini-adventure from me. It’ll take less than 60 seconds to consume (sometimes written, sometimes audio, sometimes video). Then you spend 5-20 minutes adventuring and/or writing. That’s it. No pressure to share, no pressure to be brilliant, no pressure to post it anywhere.

Just play, and think, and write like you mean it.

What you get:

• Daily prompts from me — short, sharp, designed to get you creating without overthinking
• Private Telegram group — for support, accountability, and cheerleading
• Flexibility — 5-20 minutes is the guide, but if you want to spend longer, crack on
• A body of work — by the end of January, you’ll have 30 days’ worth of writing that you’ll love at least some of
• Group debrief call — a chance to reflect, celebrate, and see what you’ve created together
• A sustainable practice — this isn’t about burning out in January and never writing again. You’ll build something you can actually maintain
• SECRET BONUS — a collaborative piece of art for you to take away!

Who it’s for:

• Writers who’ve lost their sense of delight
• Anyone who wants to access their creativity at the start of a new year
• Business owners who need to write but keep putting it off
• Anyone who wants to write more but doesn’t know where to start
• People who are sick of “content strategies” that feel soulless
• Those who want to stimulate the intellect and find fulfillment away from consumerism
• You, if you want writing to feel less like a chore and more like a practice you look forward to

What it’s not:

This is not a course on “how to write viral LinkedIn posts.” It’s not going to teach you growth hacking or give you 47 content templates. If that’s what you’re after, this isn’t for you.

The details:

Starts: January 6, 2026

Duration: 30 days

Investment: £75 + VAT

OR, until 5pm today: Use the code UNCAGED25 at the checkout for £25 off.

You in?

Okay, time for the Friday Goodie Bag! Brace yourself, I’ve got some excellence for you here.

From functionally extinct to another baby rhino!

One of the charities I support is Big Life Foundation. They do incredible work working with local communities in Kenya and surrounding countries to protect big game wildlife AND the local people. They turn poachers into rangers and they’re doing god’s own work. This story made me cry this week. There were only 8 Eastern black rhinos left until recently. Now a second calf has been born in two years.

This artist whose work is a delight

My sister-in-law introduced me to the art of Pam Holstein last week. I saw some pictures on my sil’s wall and loved them, and she pointed me at Pam’s Instagram. This collage flamingo is particularly fetching and I really want one!

50 Cent and his champion grudge-holding

I looooove a little well-placed pettiness and 50 Cent never disappoints. You can go down your own wormhole as I did, but my friend Wendy’s LinkedIn post is a great place to start. I think my favourites are when he bought the first 4 rows of a Ja Rule concert so they’d be empty. And of course he wanted to name his Netflix documentary “Diddy Do It” hahahaha. Legendary trolling.

Sarah’s video diary of her time in MicroBook Magic

Sarah Silva is writing her third book — and her second with me in MicroBook Magic! She’s just an incredible human generally but particularly because she’s doing the work AND she’s documenting it on her newsletter. I’m so super proud of her and please go and support her and add nice encouraging comments to her vids.

The Zweibrücken R2D2 observatory

Scientists are the most beautiful nerds. Dr Hubert Zitt (and can we have just a moment for that name please) is a massive fan of Star Wars and teaches lectures on the movies sometimes, and decided to turn the Zweibrücken University observatory into his favourite droid. How cool is that?

What I’m reading

Richard Osman’s The Last Devil to Die because I love a good cosy murder mystery and the characters in these books just give me the biggest smiles.

What I’m writing

I am writing all the prompts for my January Uncaged creativity + writing adventure, starting on January 6. I’m having SO much fun. So will you!

Word of the week

Wamble

Pronounced, delightfully, “womble” as it should be.

If you’re wambling, you’re weaving, wobbling, or otherwise moving unsteadily, you drunken toad.

Quote of the week

TTFN,

Vicky 🫡

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