Developing the ecosystem of wisdom, community-led governance and the stewardship of care.
A few weeks ago at HATCH 20, the above talk closed out an evening and left the whole audience in wonderful awe.
In a little over twenty minutes, this gentle offering was fierce in revealing the compassionate truth of where humanity finds itself, and invited us all to be buoyed in the potential of embracing the cooperative choice of prioritising community and connection through feeling / sensing.
For me, what was revealed is what we innately know: living is giving, and love is the only path.
After Forrest finished speaking, it felt like the whole room sighed, together.
Through the welcome tears I wrote the following on one of my mundane postcards and gifted it quickly to Forrest later on in proceedings:
“For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love.” Carl Sagan
Click play above for a energetic deconstruction regarding the elements of said talk, a detailed verbal essay which pulls out the storytelling components I was using plus the highlights which mattered to them. All whilst offering further insights and broadening out the lessons learned plus sharing their own experiences as well.
UPDATED WITH VIDS: A little side Cymru-Aotearoa / Wales-New Zealand project.
A few months ago in a catch-up with the superb Robin Moore, the topic of collaborating (again) came up, specifically around activating my network in the media industry from my time in New Zealand and if there was anyway to share insights back into the Welsh ecosystem.
What followed is alignment with Media Cymru and the opportunity for me develop the following three unique learning opportunities (click on the images below to go to the event listings to sign up)—CHECK OUT THE VIDEOS BELOW:
I’ll be facilitating said events and doing my best to extract applicable lessons, build some bridges plus allow our guests to shine.
Join us and / or spread the word to others in Wales, please and thank you!
““A factor of 10 is an enormous difference, and this is what happens when you look at a reproduction compared to a real work,” said Martine Gosselink, director of the Mauritshuis, on Wednesday. “You become [mentally] richer when you see things, whether you are conscious of it or not, because you make connections in your brain.” Gosselink said she had been convinced of the power of the real before the study but had wanted her hunch to be formally investigated. “We all feel the difference – but is it measurable, is it real?” she said she had asked her colleagues a year ago. “Now, today we can really say that it is true.”” Real art in museums stimulates brain much more than reprints, study finds | Neuroscience | The Guardian
“Let’s be clear: the UK’s mooted copyright scheme would effectively enable companies to nick our data – every post we make, every book we write, every song we create – with impunity. It would require us to sign up to every individual service and tell them that no, we don’t want them to chew up our data and spit out a poor composite image of us. Potentially hundreds of them, from big tech companies to small research labs. Lest we forget, OpenAI – a company now valued at more than $150bn – is planning to forswear its founding non-profit principles to become a for-profit company. It has more than enough money in its coffers to pay for training data, rather than rely on the beneficence of the general public. Companies like that can certainly afford to put their hands in their own pockets, rather than ours. So hands off.” Here’s the deal: AI giants get to grab all your data unless you say they can’t. Fancy that? No, neither do I | Chris Stokel-Walker | The Guardian
““The existing structure of OpenAI is quite convoluted,” said Brian Quinn, a professor at Boston College law school. “If they simplify their structure in some way and have a public benefit corporation as the parent company, they can make as much money as they want.” The ChatGPT developer is reportedly heading for a valuation of $150bn under the new fundraising, making it worth nearly as much as Uber. Apple and the chipmaker Nvidia are among the companies cited in reports as potential investors in the funding round.” OpenAI planning to become for-profit company, say reports | OpenAI | The Guardian
“The TikTok owner launched its own web scraper, Bytespider, in April, and it’s now scraping data multiple times faster than bots from other companies, Fortune reported, citing research from Kasada, a bot management company, and Dark Visitors, a monitor of scraper bots. Companies developing AI models, such as Google and Meta, use scraper bots to gather data to train and improve the large language models (LLMs) and multimodal models that power the companies’ AI services.” TikTok owner ByteDance scrapes the web faster than OpenAI
“Kline sat at his keyboard between the lime-green walls of UCLA’s Boelter Hall Room 3420, prepared to connect with Duvall, who was working a computer halfway across the state of California. But Kline didn’t even make it all the way through the word “L-O-G-I-N” before Duvall told him over the phone that his system crashed. Thanks to that error, the first “message” that Kline sent Duvall on that autumn day in 1969 was simply the letters “L-O”.” ‘We were just trying to get it to work’: The failure that started the internet
“This week, Balaji posted an essay on his personal website, in which he argued that OpenAI was breaking copyright law. In the essay, he attempted to show “how much copyrighted information” from an AI system’s training dataset ultimately “makes its way to the outputs of a model.“ Balaji’s conclusion from his analysis was that ChatGPT’s output does not meet the standard for “fair use,” the legal standard that allows the limited use of copyrighted material without the copyright holder’s permission.” Former OpenAI Staffer Says the Company Is Breaking Copyright Law and Destroying the Internet
WATCH
EXPLORE
The Mudita Kompakt is live on Kickstarter and fun attempt at cutting out the digital distractions of a phone (apart from the e-ink this can be achieved with any phone though but good for kids as a dumb phone).
The WikiProject AI Cleanup aims combat the increasing problem of unsourced, poorly written AI-generated content on Wikipedia.
Linkwarden is a self-hosted, open-source collaborative bookmark manager to collect, organize and archive webpages.
A unique conference where hugs are longer / more sincere.
Situated in the high desert of Bend, Oregon at the superb Juniper Reserve, the four-day-20th-anniversary event of HATCH just rocked my soul.
This was my fifth time attending (see 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2023 write-ups) so I knew what to expect, however, what blossomed for me was the understanding that even though the events of this past year had broken me in many ways, HATCH broke me open…
…open to connect (with self / others / ideas), to listen (really listen), to appreciate music, to dance, to explore, to talk, to sing, to move, to write, to participate, to observe, to learn, to lead, to play, to be tempted, to be.
A cherished time which greatly expanded my already hungry curiosity, accelerated my muted creative belief / potential whilst amplifying the obvious but not-heard-often-enough-truth that we all need other humans to thrive.
Dual badger.
Apparently, I was the first to register this year and was honoured to play a dual role: as an attendee / alum and also leading a reflection activation on the last day / eve, running a pop-up session on speaking with purpose, facilitating an ‘intention session’ plus arrived a day early to help set-up:
Attendees are medley of seekers, doers, artists, creatives, business greats, technologists, environmentalists, investors, next generation’ers—simply, a confluence of talent (what I learned after my first two is not to be awed but instead be playful / grateful in the possibility to learn from impressiveness):
One of the cornerstone pieces of any HATCH is the ‘ask and offer’ whereby the community is invited to create in-situ the reciprocal-ness we all need to flourish. For most, the offer part is easy, it’s the ask which causes challenges as it should be personal, honest and intentional. These are then displayed for the duration, amended and added to via other offers from those in the room who can aid the call:
My ask of the community.
HATCH is the most effective event I know at creating the conditions for people to feel trust, find purpose, see kindness manifest and generate creative value. All stemming from the curative skills of the organisers, the space / place, the talks / sessions offered, emotional positioning by the MC’s, as well as those who answer the call to step into the unknown and embrace the fluid nature of the experience:
Thank you HATCH for again being there when I needed it. For allowing me to be seen. For providing the space and place for others to shine. For giving us the belief that connection, true human connection is the currency of success.
BONUS playlist from some of the artists sharing their talents on stage:
Taken from when we recorded the below audio podcast episode
A new leadership framework coming soon (wink-face-emoji).
What a joy to converse with fellow curious soul Digby Scott on his new fortnightly podcast, Dig Deeper, conversations with depth to change the way you lead:
We talk about mundanity (it’s now a word, sod off!), hobbies, context vs content, audacity, white space, delegate experience design, what’s eternal, hearing, listening, speaking, storytelling, coaching, translation / narration / curation / host leadership™ plus what the world needs more of.
Hope you enjoy and thank you again Digby for the opportunity to spend time with you again!
The original approach to this blog post was a reflective look back from my initial online forays during my first year of University, writing essays on hyper-reality as part of the course I was taking, then participating in the most early social networking platforms, right through to building businesses around the emerging space plus everything up till now.
I scrapped that as was getting bored and my fingers hurt. So started writing 30 things I learned (one for each year) in an attempt to extract some wisdom from being an early adopter.
But that went by the wayside as could only conjure up a dozen or so and they felt a little ‘preachy’, so, I’m just going to mark it with a simple side-eye and a tut.
A physical gesture and audible proclamation which sums up how I feel about the whole tech and interwebs space currently.
So many online platforms and services plus the technology we now use to access this incredible tool for humanity, is designed to purposefully trick and hide the fact that it’s all about extraction…
…extracting attention, the good vibes / kinship / playfulness which fuels our mortal souls, the pioneering spirit enabled through accessibility, plus even vacuuming up the whole web without permission and / or attribution to then build predictive-pattern-regurgitators-wrapped-up-in-AI-branded-interfaces which users can be charged again for.
However, I still believe in the inherent positive power of the internet: how it creates unique opportunities for voice, agency, story, connectiveness, learning, to amplify intentional technology in enhancing the whole human project, through kindness and participation not commodification and engineered engagement.
So here’s to the next 30 years and the evolving nature of the online space, more laws and governance over data sovereignty, transparency of data use, the universal shift back to adding not reducing value, building opportunities for people to link up their creativity, along with and making people think and / or smile.
These offerings was inspired by a real life event (“I don’t do mundane” was my response when someone asked for ‘mundane’ from me). That value destroyed a career path, meant the loss of a healthy dose of money / about a year in time / loads of positive energy, and deeply affected my mental health, because:
“A principle isn’t a principle until it costs you something.”
…so I’m turning that deeply negative experience into a gift of inspiration and designed the following for audacious humans with aligned principles (the posters would be great for offices, workshops, classrooms, meeting rooms, funky shops / cafes, creative and co-working spaces etc. plus the cards to celebrate / encourage someones imaginative approaches):
Eighteen items from three designs, with two variations on each (colour / no colour) across another three product options of greeting cards, matte posters and / or framed posters.
A tailored leadership learning experience aimed at greatly improving storytelling techniques and oratory skills, as well as enhancing the capability to deliver exceptional showcase presentations across diverse fields.
This brand new professional development program was recently delivered for a wonderful international client over 5x 2.5/3hour online sessions with twelve leaders from three continents across four countries—highly participatory in nature and focused on increasing the literacy levels of those involved aligned to specific strategic needs.
Interviews were undertaken with chosen participants to first gain an understanding of levels of literacy as well as current approaches. Desk research regarding language use, industry trends and internal policies was also completed to ensure the course had relevance and direct corporate impact.
Here’s the result:
“We recently had the opportunity to learn from DK as we launched the Better Futures Catalyst program, a facilitated public speaking initiative at Steelcase. This program brought together a cohort of employees from around the world to enhance our presentation skills by focusing on our people and planet efforts. DK created a bespoke hybrid program, guiding us in developing compelling stories and boosting our confidence in public speaking—both in-person and virtually. Our final presentations showcased remarkable growth, with each of us effectively weaving our unique experiences into an engaging narrative. We are so grateful to DK for his authentic approach, for creating a safe space for us to learn together and from each other, and for the number of resources he shared throughout the journey. Highly recommend!” Kim Koeman, Global Director, Social Innovation at Steelcase
Was lucky enough to deliver a second cohort for Steelcase and currently exploring an ‘advanced’ offering for those who have been through the first ones.
Here’s some of the anonymous participants feedback gathered post-course:
“I appreciated the three pronged approach that DK showed us, backed by the wealth of experience he brings to the training. Public speaking is such an art and with practice and the right training, can be a powerful tool for delivering story and message.”
“This course provided me with the mindset, toolsets and experience/feedback to confidently approach speaking in a modern context. The quotes inspired me, the challenges felt relevant and the peer support (in addition to expert feedback) helped me develop quickly.”
“Overall, the entire course was wonderful. Really appreciate the guidance provided by DK. It was also a great opportunity to network and build connections with colleagues across the globe, with such diverse backgrounds and areas of work expertise.”
“Thank you for an amazing few weeks. I learned so much, i was pushed out of my comfort zone, and I’m looking forward to applying these techniques to my work.”
“DK and the overall training have been extremely professional, appropriately safe and fun. I enjoyed it plenty and learned a lot! Judging this as a highly impactful and worthwhile investment into the success of our people and with it our company at scale. I was and am grateful for the chance to participate in this first cohort.”
“I appreciated the three pronged approach that DK showed us, backed by the wealth of experience he brings to the training. Public speaking is such an art and with practice and the right training, can be a powerful tool for delivering story and message.”
“I really enjoyed this program and am so glad we piloted it with the group we had. There was community within the cohort and I look forward to working alongside a powerful group of speakers. Thank you DK for sharing your brilliance. Your coaching and guidance was supportive and affirming, and you created a space that encouraged respect for the craft. Appreciate you!”
“The course was very well structured, I loved the design of the experience, with the cadence and the home works, as well as seeing all of us grow. The length was perfect, the content relevant and DK was really a good coach! Energizing, inspiring and very actionable. Loved it! Thank you very much for this great opportunity.”
DK’s content is very good and the delivery is remarkable – he managed to create a great environment for us to learn and receive feedback, I truly hope more colleagues will have the opportunity to join this experience.
This service is now available to other organisations and companies looking to invest in the professional development of the storytelling abilities of their leaders.
Get in touch to explore further the process, alignment, costs and availability—only running a handful of these a year due to the time it takes to craft and deliver plus other commitments.
I did something similar (albeit in-person) for Sir Peter Jackson’s personal post production studio a few years back and fantastic to now have a couple of case studies of this instructional activity plus impact:
“We contracted DK to run several sessions with members of our leadership team and other staff who are required to present ideas, solutions, explanations and work flow information to clients and audiences. The sessions were so insightful and the feedback was extremely positive, even the most cynical were surprised at what they could achieve and change the way one approaches preparation and off the cuff speaking. A highly productive and useful experience and one we will repeat.” Vicki Jackways, Head of Marketing, Park Road Post Production
