Cultish Creative Weekly Recap (8/3/2024)

I’m still so excited to be able to share this conversation - Scott Bradlee of Postmodern Jukebox fame (easily my favorite real life remixes on YouTube ), in conversation with Kyla Scanlon (one of my favorite economic thinkers and authors), together, on stage at Epsilon Connect 2024. Read the post, but please, give this one a shot. All I can guarantee is that you’ll learn something new:

I also wrote an essay about the conference this episode was recorded at. It… well, this essay just means a lot to me. It’s a messy world out there, and as maybe-homeless-guy told my wife and I while we were leaving a Nashville coffee shop, “What matters is that you help after the storms.” There’s a lot of truth in his words. This is that story.

Breaking News! Politics are a(n un)healthy contributor to our messy world. These conversations Ben, Jack and I are having are in many ways an extension of the deeply heartfelt conversations I have at work, family, and friends. People care, they’re worried how “it” all effects them, and the idea that politics are not easy to talk about means we’re honestly trying to demonstrate something human here. Recording these episodes just feels important.

Plus, if you work in a field where you have to be able to talk to anyone about just about anything, it helps to understand how the narratives all tie together. Speaking with Ben and Jack is a core part of my own process now:

Excess Returns! Kind of cool that I got to Wade Pfau right?! In my financial planning life, Pfau is one of the main researchers I will always check on for perspective. This is a wonky conversation, but his work is the keystone to how I understand guiding people in and through retirement. Honored to be able to spend this time with him and go over some of his major work together:

Posts you might have missed:

Is it much too late to admit how much I love “Too Late for Goodbyes”? Never.

This idea of your life’s priority stack is sticky. I think it’s the key to not getting swept up in politics, and social media angsty.

I have a healthy Bob Newhart obsession going right now. This story about the first time he performed live, it’s just incredible. That first album - it’s incredible too!

You should read and re-read old books and old stories. Just ask Ted Gioia.

Speaking of old stories -

What does Narcissus (Ovid), Brat (Charli XCX), and the fate of humanity have in common? There’s a prophecy and a curse out there. I think making art is an essential part of the answer.