Smile or Die

“Acclaimed journalist, author and political activist Barbara Ehrenreich explores the darker side of positive thinking.”

MacTalk Australia: Good “Hand Feel” podcast

Yesterday I was a guest on the MacTalk Australia podcast. We discussed the nationwide release of the iPad, the newly-released iPad data plans, the latest iPad apps from publishers, our favourite podcasts plus other stuff. You can download and listen to the podcast on iTunes here and don’t forget to check out the show notes here. It goes for around an hour.

Happy listening!

Lifehacks for women

You could say I’ve been doing some field research: intensively listening to conversations amongst my female friends – processing and analysing for trends. While that may sound clinical, I’ve found that I am frustrated with common problems that we constantly talk about but never make behavioural alterations to fix. I came up with a list and have included it below. I cannot say that I am not a culprit of some of the things on there – I think we all are – men and women alike, but self-awareness always helps. So here goes:

  • Start believing in yourself – your skills, abilities, etc. (say no to ‘Imposter Syndrome‘)!
  • Stop buying stuff you don’t need – remove the social and financial conditioning that more stuff will make your existence better – it won’t.
  • Stop trying to be a clone – embrace diversity of interests, aesthetics, opinions, desires, etc.
  • Stop evaluating worth on appearance – you are much more than your physical entity.
  • Stop talking about men all the time and start talking to them.
  • Don’t be afraid of ‘hard’ subject matter – study or explore the worlds of engineering, science, technology, etc.
  • Start speaking your mind – let go of the fear of what others will think – be outspoken!
  • Start focusing on your goals – what do you want?
  • Don’t wait for anything or anyone to make your life better – do it yourself.
  • Start supporting other women – there are no threats – only opportunities for advancement…
  • Exercise – take up a competitive sport – it’s never too late to start/resume.
  • Say no to discomfort – personally, I feel high heels are akin to Chinese foot binding!
  • Embrace ageing – embrace the signs of wisdom.
  • Stop devoting time and energy to things that don’t matter.
  • Don’t waste time on anyone who doesn’t respect you.
  • Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want or need.

I love men and I love women, but I grow tired of these self-fulfilling prophecies and pseudo social norms that we place on women. If we can make small changes from within, the bigger picture will follow.

What else would you add to the list?

Trying stuff out

During a morning flight on the commuter route (MEL<->SYD), I started thinking about past experiences and the art of experimentation. I’m a strong believer in trying stuff out – you never really know how you feel about something or where it will lead until you get a taste for it. I like to think I’ve tried a few things out so far – and I’m pleased I did because I wouldn’t have the direction, focus and determination I do now if I didn’t. I’ve listed some of these things below and the purpose of this isn’t to demonstrate a psychedelic CV. It is an example of celebrating diversity in work and play – to celebrate and have no fear of experimentation.

After all: “There is no such thing as a failed experiment, only experiments with unexpected outcomes.” ~Richard Buckminster

  • I’ve sucked saliva out of people’s mouths in a dental surgery
  • I’ve styled models for bridal photo shoots
  • I’ve fed and analysed Zebrafish in a cancer research institute’s aquarium
  • I’ve served babychinos (with an accidental dose of caffeine!) to Sunday strollers in a bakery
  • I’ve set up new homeware retail stores here and in New Zealand
  • I’ve stacked shelves, photocopied reports and arranged appointments
  • I’ve walked the halls of the Sydney glossy magazine world
  • I’ve gone for Friday-afternoon beers with my development team and chatted about code
  • I’ve interviewed international business leaders for magazine cover stories
  • I’ve fed tennis balls to students as a tennis coach’s assistant
  • I’ve learnt about and burnt fabrics (to test the properties) while studying fashion business
  • I’ve helped round up Angus cattle on a farm
  • And so on…

So, what about you? What weird and wonderful things have you tried? How did they shape where you are now?

How tech news spreads

In case you missed the tweet:

New adventures

I have a pre-announcement announcement to make. I am leaving my digital director job at Niche Media and my last day is… tomorrow. It is a conscious decision I made just over a month ago and the timing feels heartwarming and right. My affiliation with Niche started in July 2008 and over this time I’ve built up some absolutely amazing friendships that I’ll take with me for life. A very special mention to one of the greatest people in my world – Kylie, another to my long-term favs Matty, Sean, Liana, Jon and James. Then also to Martin, Jo, Brendan, Robbie, Bonnie, Matt, Alexa, Vicki, Aaron, Danielle and of course, my MD Paul for all the opportunities. There are many more people that I’ll miss – I could practically list the whole company. Most days I am choking with laughter at the jokes and wit in the office, and when we’re not working hard during the day (or evening), we’ve had lots of great Friday nights at our locals here in South Melbourne.

But, when one door closes, another opens. In my case, fortunately, many have opened. There are so many opportunities, choices and paths to pursue. It is a very exciting time – for everyone. But as time is precious, we need to choose where to put our focus. We need to work on things that matter to our very core. What mark do we want to leave? Where is our help most needed? I want to redesign my life with things (or lack of them) that I need and want in it. I want to challenge my being and grow to become the best person I can be.

I’m calling this a “pre-announcement announcement” and I’ve left it late to announce because I don’t have anything finite to share at this moment. I love sharing things with my network (as you’re all aware!) but in this case it’s been difficult to articulate one’s future existence in 140 characters!

A couple of weeks ago, I tweeted the following question: “Would you rather time or money?” Out of the 30 people or so who replied back, all said time (but with the complete understanding that money buys time). Right now, I am incredibly time poor and I have a 20,000-word marketing thesis to submit by late June. Therefore, my next step is to focus on getting this task done. I also want to spend some time on what I’ll call the four Rs – reading, running, researching and reflecting. This will be a welcome micro-break as I’ve worked constantly since I was 15 years old. I fear that I might not get this chance again so want to enjoy it while I can – although, my iCal calendar is already looking a little psychedelic and I’ve got some event and speaking commitments in Sydney in the next couple of weeks.

I’m very lucky to have such a caring, experienced and extensive support network and community around me and have had the luxury of chatting to smart individuals face-to-face over the past weeks. One person suggested that I call this time my ‘entrepreneurial sabbatical’. I like how the description resonates nicely around words like time, change, projects, dreams, inspiration, research and discovery. Experimentation. A journey. It doesn’t work so well when you look at the literal meaning as a rest or hiatus, as I’ve currently found a fitting momentum that satisfies the amount of energy that I have to give.

Anyway, the actual announcement will therefore come post-June. It will revolve around a mashup of consulting (yes, including social media), writing, speaking, travel and alignment with companies that share my philosophy.

But for now, I would love to hear from you. Proposition me. Share your ideas or vision with me. For those people I said “no” to when I was working full time, get in touch again. Let’s see how we can work together.

Best contact methods are via email on: kendall.kate [at] gmail.com or as usual on Twitter – @KateKendall.

Thank you for listening – I continually appreciate it.

Kate

P.S. Official website(s), branding, identity, coming soon… ;-)

Tea for me please


A few weeks ago I tweeted a link (http://bit.ly/9sNHJJ) to the ‘Top 10 Health Benefits of Drinking Tea’. I also asked for some user recommendations on where to start as I currently don’t drink any kind of hot beverages. I got some great suggestions and have listed them below if anyone wants to try them too. (Perhaps I’m finally living up to my British roots by becoming a tea boffin? Although, you won’t see any English Breakfast here!) Anyway, I haven’t chipped away at the list much yet, but have been enjoying some chai and green here and there. One of the indirect health benefits of adopting a tea tongue, is that when I now meet someone for ‘coffee’ in the morning I don’t have to opt for a sugary fizzy drink or juice. Thank you to everyone who @replied me.

  • Peppermint – @jonstribling, @freyapurnell
  • Green – @katmancreations, @allidc, @david_neiger, @amoyal, @jetsettingjoyce, @alexavery
  • Green with jasmine – @katmancreations
  • Earl Grey – @freyapurnell, @jwrigley
  • Green with mint – @freyapurnell
  • Jasmine – @allidc
  • White tea – @rickclarke87
  • Green tea chai – @janstewart
  • Chamomile – @jwrigley, @paulzee
  • Ceylon – @echocolor
  • Red clover – @david_neiger
  • Dandelion – @david_neiger
  • Russian Caravan, Lady Grey, Price of Wales, Ceylon Orange, Pekoe Teas – @amcal
  • Ginger – @howdog
  • Chai – @howdog
  • Lemongrass – @howdog
  • Buddha’s Tears – @zenfeed, @howdog
  • Sencha – @scottlasak
  • Rooibos – @jasonstrachan
  • Ti Kuan Yin – @zenfeed
  • Dragonwell – @zenfeed

So, do you drink tea? Do you find it relaxing? Cleansing? Heart warming? :-)

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