Sweden Looked at Childhood on Screens and Said: ‘Yeah… We’re Done Here.”

I’ve been paying a lot of attention to the deep presence that screens and educational technology have in our school systems. I’m deeply interested in Sweden’s reversal on screens, and their recommitment to deep learning. After a decade of assuming digital tools would accelerate education, they realized the opposite was true: students were more distracted, less able to sustain focus, and struggling to think critically in the presence of constant digital stimulation. Their response mirrors the work at the center of my practice: designing environments that support human learning, not interrupt it. And I definitely wouldn’t mind these learnings showing up in American school systems to better benefit our kids.

Helicopter Parenting 2.0: When Mom Moves to College With You

I was astonished to read this article from The Atlantic. The rise of “trailing parents”—moms and dads who follow their kids to college physically, emotionally, and digitally—signals a deeper shift in how adulthood is unfolding. Instead of giving young adults space to stumble, self-correct, and build the confidence that comes from doing hard things alone, overinvolved parents are unintentionally blocking the very growth they want for their kids. And consider the implications for the workforce once these children graduate. Will their parents call their boss next? I advocate strongly for the opposite approach: learning only sticks when people have room to try, fail, and integrate experience into judgment.

The Godfather of AI says LLMs are mid - is he right?

I’m really interested in AI and its impact on our economy and our job market. Yann LeCun, one of the original architects of modern AI, is pushing back hard against Silicon Valley’s obsession with ever-bigger language models. While Meta and the rest of Big Tech race to scale LLMs into “superintelligence,” LeCun argues they’re fundamentally limited and believes the future lies in world models that learn from real environments, not massive text piles. So this WSJ take made me stop and think - what’s the endgame if LLMs tap out on their learning? And I learned a new term: “world model.” Check it out.

The Exit Interview: Women Are Done with Unfulfilling Corporate Paths.

Women are walking away from traditional corporate paths at record rates and building careers that finally align with their values, energy, and lived reality. With nearly half of new U.S. businesses in 2024 founded by women, the trend is clear: corporate structures aren’t flexible enough, secure enough, or meaningful enough for a generation that wants purpose, autonomy, and room to grow. This shift reflects exactly what I teach through my work—people thrive when they stop contorting themselves to fit outdated systems and instead build careers that reflect who they are, what they value, and how they want to live. Women aren’t opting out; they’re opting into careers that feel like them.

The Future of Work Has Range. So Should You.

When speaking to organizations or advising clients, I’m often asked to explain what a portfolio life is. FuturaLab has a really succinct description of what it is, how you can build it, and why it will likely overtake the typical 9-5 in future years. The current model of work can’t keep pace with how people actually live, learn, and earn today. A portfolio life lets people diversify their income, protect against volatility, experiment with passions, and build a career that adapts as quickly as the world does. The reality is, people thrive when they stop trying to fit into outdated career lanes and start designing work that aligns with their curiosity, capacity, and lived experience.

Still here? You’re my kind of curious.
The Cultivation drops (for free!) regularly with quick hits of what’s worth thinking about (and sharing). Paid subscribers get the good stuff — a thread for real conversation, shared interests, commentary/reactions, and a say in what we explore next. Come hang out — hit subscribe, and let’s grow this thing together.

Showcasing art that catches my eye

The vibrant, gleaming rings of Judy Chicago’s Pasadena Lifesavers series (featured in my caption today) are air-brushed, industrial surfaces made when she trained in auto-body school. I can’t take my eyes off them; they struck me immediately. Chicago’s rings open, close, vibrate, gesture, wiggle. The more you look at them, the more you see. The leadership and growth takeaway lies in that pivot—how to translate presence, material, moment, and meaning into forms that shift expectations. You can see them in person at The Huntington.

A Master Class in Emotional Intelligence

I love Hugh Grant dancing. And I love the Pointer Sisters. I love that he’s the Prime Minister and that this is at 10 Downing Street. I love that he’s had a stressful day and this is how he unwinds. I love that this clip is evergreen and gets played every year (cue Mariah Carey). I love that my kids think it is cringe. I don’t care. Every time I watch it, I’m reminded that joy is strategy. Presence is power. Sometimes life is about choosing movement when everything else feels heavy. So go dance like no one is watching.

The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway 🎶❄️

“When life gets rough and your world goes cold, Hygge will keep you warm.” (Frozen, Broadway musical). This is by far the best carousel of Hygge (pronounced “hoo-gah”) that I have found so far. In Danish culture, hygge is more than coziness; it’s about designing moments that make us feel safe enough to let our guard down and human enough to connect deeply — with others and ourselves. Scroll through the options and see if any of these resonate. They definitely describe a simpler life, one with deeper meaning and connection, and definitely with less brain rot.

Agency Is the New Ambition

I’ve been following Suzy Welch’s approach to reinvention for a bit, and she’s really approached it from an academic viewpoint. But this recent conversation boiled it down for me. Most of us coast through life on old decisions — jobs we outgrew, identities we never questioned, paths we didn’t choose but learned to tolerate. But what I can really get behind her vision of agency. Get clear on your values — what actually matters, not what you’ve been told should. Know your aptitudes — the work that feels effortless because it’s yours to do. And choose where they meet something real and sustainable. She also had a longer, more in-depth conversation with Dan Harris; I found it a valuable listen.

Why Women Get the Job When Everything’s Falling Apart

True leadership isn’t tested in calm waters — it’s defined in crisis. The women studied here succeed in unstable environments because they lead with emotional intelligence: they listen before reacting, steady the team before fixing the system, and rebuild trust before strategy. Their approach reminds every leader that progress isn’t born from control or charisma (often prized as “male” characteristics), but from composure, empathy, and clarity of purpose. Growth happens when we see crisis not as failure, but as the invitation to reinvent how leadership works.

Still here? You’re my kind of curious.
The Cultivation drops (for free!) regularly with quick hits of what’s worth thinking about (and sharing). Paid subscribers get the good stuff — a thread for real conversation, shared interests, commentary/reactions, and a say in what we explore next. Come hang out — hit subscribe, and let’s grow this thing together.

Always best to open with cute kids

I’m a late follower of Cooking With Carter but I’m a fan. He’s adorable, articulate, and passionate about cooking — and his confidence in the kitchen is infectious. Watching him slice, stir, and taste his way through a recipe reminds me how much joy comes from doing something simply because it lights you up. His parents hover just enough to keep him safe, but mostly they let him try, and that freedom — that trust — is where the magic happens. We could all stand to sing “Big Red Combine Harvester” in our own kitchens once in a while: to approach what we love with less precision and more play.

#Couple Goals…And Sound On

Moving from cooking in the kitchen to dancing in the kitchen. Turns out Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick love to boogie while getting dinner ready. And honestly? Same. I love the reminder that growth doesn’t always look like productivity. Sometimes it’s a sway between moments, a willingness to turn routine into joy. We spend so much time chasing improvement that we forget life gets richer when we loosen our grip and let delight lead for a while. And now I’m wondering what the All Night Long/Big Red Combine Harvester mash-up sounds like…?

The Kind of Reinvention No One Posts About

This story isn’t about choosing reinvention — it’s about being forced into it. These folks aren’t chasing growth or change; they’re adapting under duress. This is what it looks like when change isn’t a choice, but a demand. It reminds us that behind every story of resilience is a reckoning with exhaustion, pride, and the quiet will to keep going. But, what’s on the other side of this kind of reinvention is a stripped-down understanding of what actually matters, what you can live without, and what’s worth rebuilding when the dust settles.

The Only Person You Need to Outgrow Is Yesterday You.

A former colleague always used to ask me, “Is this within the locus of your control?” That really helped to frame what was an area I could exert energy to change and where that energy would simply be lost. We live in a culture that makes comparison almost irresistible — every scroll, every feed, every filtered moment is an invitation to measure our worth against someone else’s. But as this piece reminds us, growth doesn’t happen in the mirror of other people’s lives; it happens in the quiet work of tending our own.

Turns Out, Doing Good Is the Cheat Code.

On the flip side of focusing on what you control, this Cornell study validates that fulfillment comes from cultivating purpose. When we shift from self-focus to contribution — to using what we have to make something better for others — we experience clarity, motivation, and emotional balance. Doing something small, consistent, and outward-facing that reminds us we matter. Plus, there’s the added benefit of just feeling good about doing something nice for others. Go on - hold that door open, let that person merge in front of you, pick up something that someone has dropped…it is all up to you, but the benefits are the same.

Still here? You’re my kind of curious.
The Cultivation drops regularly with quick hits of what’s worth thinking about (and sharing). Paid subscribers get the good stuff — a thread for real conversation, shared interests, commentary/reactions, and a say in what we explore next. Come hang out — hit subscribe, and let’s grow this thing together.

Because my algorithm actually got it right today.

We love dogs in our house. We especially love children and dogs. Watch this. I dare you not to cry happy tears for this adorable little boy. Reinvention often gets framed as change: new roles, new goals, new versions of ourselves. But watching that little boy reminds me that sometimes the best reinvention isn’t about reaching farther. It’s about realizing what’s been waiting to meet you all along.

BRB, adding ‘make magic out of nothing’ to my 2025 goals.

Have you seen Charlie Puth creating a song in real time on Jimmy Fallon? The ingenuity stopped me in my tracks. Layering beats, samples, and melody until something extraordinary emerges. Watching him work is pure wonder. It’s not just talent; it’s deep noticing. He hears possibility in everything — a sound, a snap, a stray note — and turns it into art. In leadership, in learning, in life — the work is the same. Pay attention. Build in public. Let others see how ideas take shape. The process is the art.

Low-key obsessed with this.

It is that time of year in NYC to see the holiday windows decorated. The creativity at the Dior windows on 57th street was a sight to behold. Everything is gingerbread, it sparkles, there’s mini clothing designers…my kids loved it. I really loved the attention to detail and precision. In today’s short attention span world, it was a welcome respite to stand at a storefront window and be both inspired and entertained. It’s a reminder that real creativity isn’t loud—it’s layered. The best ideas invite us to slow down, look closer, and rediscover what’s possible in plain sight.

Filed under: things I didn’t expect to learn.

Did you know that the Disney Parks designs are based on real-life locales? I might have known some of them, like Neuschwanstein Castle, but I had no idea about the truly global reach of some of these ideas. That’s the essence of reinvention — noticing what already exists, then asking: what else could this become? It’s the same in teaching, leading, and designing change. The answers we’re looking for are often already in the room. The creative act is learning to see them differently. Makes me want to start plannng some travel!

What if we stopped treating reinvention like a makeover?

Everytime I speak to someone about reinvention, they sigh, their shoulder droop, and they explain the dread of having to relearn something, remake themselves in a new image, etc. I appreciated how How I Broke Up With Self-Help To Find Self-Love from The Good Trade approached reinvention as way to embrace awareness, a way to pay attention to you more, and the Rumi poem was a beautiful addition. I love the idea of treating yourself with respect and as someone who deserves to be heard.

The Read That’s Reshaping My Thinking

I just finished The Picasso Heist by James Patterson and Howard Roughan. It has your typical Patterson multiple viewpoints approach, and it takes a while for the reader to see the full story that emerges late in the novel. The protaganist is a deeply intelligent female who traverses the art, crime, government, and financial worlds. Her real talent, though, is pattern recognition. She reads systems, spots leverage points, and reimagines the rules everyone else accepts as fixed. It was a good example of how to develop the awareness to see how existing structures can be redesigned, and the discipline to decide when you’re using your gifts to create value—not just chaos.

Still here? You’re my kind of curious.
The Cultivation drops regularly with quick hits of what’s worth thinking about (and sharing). Paid subscribers get the good stuff — a thread for real conversation, shared interests, commentary/reactions, and a say in what we explore next. Come hang out — hit subscribe, and let’s grow this thing together.

The age of deskilling

The job market is hell

Read more

However, it was the board member that stopped me in my tracks. She described (mostly, sadly) female friends who were self-proclaimed “bored” and wanting to find something to do with their time. “Just go get a job..I tell them,” she said dismissively, with a shrug of her shoulders and a wave of her hand. “This isn’t that hard,” she stated. “Figure out what you want to do with yourself, and just do it.”

What?! Does she not know what it is like out there?

I could not believe the cavalier attitude, the almost “let them eat cake” approach. The federal government is going on almost a month of being shut down, senior executives are getting reduced from both technology companies and nonprofits, graduating college students are not able to find a job due to AI automating what is left of the old jobs that they used to be funneled into, and people are having a hard time paying their bills. LinkedIn is littered with jobseekers telling their stories about being ghosted in interviews and never landing that next job. People are worried and scared and looking for a way to improve their lot in life. They wish they could “just go get a job.”

“It is actually harder out there than you think, “ I said to her, and she looked at me blankly. “People can’t just go out and get a job. They are trying. The old ways of finding a job aren’t working, AI is making it harder to connect with actual humans, and anyone who isn’t generation Alpha needs training and experience on how to reinvent themselves in the new world working order.” She looked at me like I was from another planet. And then I saw any desire to understand dim from her face, and she turned to the woman sitting next to her and began a new thread of conversation. Conversation over. Ghosted in real time.

I was frustrated. Here was my moment to help people understand. To teach, to support, the have them provide counsel, to provide perspective. But for many, I think, this is too real, it feels too overwhelming, they don’t understand all the moving pieces, and they don’t want to tackle the enormous obstacles in their way to help kickstart change. Or, they are so removed from the problem that they are disinterested and incurious about the struggles that others are experiencing. It was truly a raw and heartbreaking moment of what is reality in our lives now.

I want more for us. I want jobs to be plentiful and the economy to be strong. I want people to find their way to understanding how to get skills if they want (or need) to pivot and reinvent. I want those that have to help those that do not have.

So I decided, walking to my car after that event, that this would be the platform by which I will start to do this. I will use LeadReinventGrow as a place to synthesize and share resources, offer community options to collaborate with each other, educate on the current state of leadership and the workplace, and inspire you to be equipped to “just go get a job” with a clear path to doing so.

Tell me what else you need, and we will make it happen.

#wecandohardthings #youarenotalone

Fear underlies this decision to stand strong, to be different, to hold yourself up for inspection as opposed to blending in to the group. It is scary to have to defend your choices sometimes. Or is it that we’re not used to doing it and that with regular practice, the joy of being authentic and choosing to do something different than the group could feel more like pride and strength?

This choice lives in our day to day lives - from the banal to the extreme. How we represent ourselves through mannerisms and style. But even more relevant - the increasing push to be on the extremes (whether right or left - if those are even the correct terms anymore) as opposed to being nuanced, informed, interested in segments of all, living in the gray.

There are purported maxims on the the “best ways” to live your life - professionally, personally, in relationships, through parenting. Work harder than anyone else - even to burnout. Sell your soul to the company if they pay you enough. Be it all - the best parent/spouse/child. Essentially, fill everyone’s cup but your own. Why? And for what? Is there pride in doing too much because that is what is expected?

The world around us is changing. No longer are people rewarded for their enduring loyalty to one company, one political philosophy, one parenting style. It feels increasingly out of touch to stay focused on one lane. The future is a life full of collected experiences - hopefully ones that are of your choosing and not those that are in alignment with others’ expectations of you. Curiosity is what keeps us connected to possibility. Without it, we stop learning — and when we stop learning, we stop growing.

Leading is not always about being followed. Sometimes it’s about modeling what it looks like to think independently — to show others that clarity and courage can coexist with empathy. Every time we question “why” we’re doing something just because others are, we practice reinvention. We practice seeing ourselves again — not as others expect us to be, but as we might become. Growth isn’t in the perfection of being right — it’s in the willingness to keep questioning, to stay curious even when the world demands certainty.

We are increasingly living in a world where people live in their own echochamber, get their news and politics from a curated to their viewpoint source, and standing out feels like you are setting yourself up for attack. It doesn’t have to be this way. We can support each other to have viewpoints, ideas, goals, strategy, wants, needs that are different from the group. In fact, I think we increasingly need block out the noise and choose to do so. The simple act of being unique is what’s beautiful.

Maybe it’s time we stop glorifying sameness and start celebrating discernment. The courage to think differently — to question, to pause, to choose for yourself — might be one of the most radical acts left. Reinvention doesn’t always come in grand gestures; sometimes it’s the quiet decision to say, “That’s not me.”

The more I watch my kids, and the world they’re inheriting (as well as creating the kind of world I want to live in now!), the more I’m convinced: the goal isn’t to fit in, it’s to stay awake. To keep noticing when you’ve fallen into patterns that no longer serve you. To remember that growth lives in the in-between — in curiosity, discomfort, and the willingness to evolve in public.

This is a conversation space exclusively for subscribers—kind of like a group chat or live hangout. I’ll post questions and updates that come my way, and you can jump into the discussion.

Our first topic is focused on GenX, but I want to know what other topics you’d like to discuss. Message me directly with ideas, and we’re on it. We can’t wait to have you join us.

Shane

LeadReinventGrow

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Now add in social media and its curated algorithms. There’s essentially a commentary on everything from where and how you live, where and how you socialize, how you work, how you parent, how you dress, how you engage spiritually, how you can improve your friendships, partnerships, marriage, what’s wrong or right with your politics. Again, over. whelm.ing. Imagine a leaky boat- all of these expectations are the metaphorical areas where water seeps in. All you are doing is running around trying to stop the damage. You are exhausted immediately.

I think it is apparent when you are living inauthentically. You come across as defensive, as a know-it-all, as brittle, as tighly-wound, as uncomfortable. There’s an excuse for everyhing. And deep inside, you know that you are living inauthentically. You won’t acknowledge it easily because it takes work and struggle to unwind all the packaging you have built to appear in a certain way. There’s fear that “coming clean” will cause a whole house of cards to come down. This is a scary place to be, particularly since you don’t know what comes next.

I say it is time for us to say enough. Enough with representing yourself the way you think the world expects you to show up. Allow yourself to acknowlege the exhaustion and utter discomfort that is wearing a personality or a career or a relationship that isn’t really what you want. Give a gift to yourself - be courageous. Try stepping out and figuring out the YOU. Who are you? What do you want? What feels effortless and like you could do it forever? What feels like absolute drudgery and torture and you wish to never, ever experience it again?

There’s a social media/AI undercurrent driving us to liken ourselves to others or find online communities that reflect back our perceived values as opposed to pushing us out of our comfort zones and asking us to reflect, redesign, realign. Be true to you. I encourage you to set the phone down, go for a walk, think deeply and introspectively, and ask yourself the hard questions.

I’m doing this work. I welcome you to join me. Let’s come out of our shell or turn towards the light together.

The mental load of the lead parent has been written about widely. See Fair Play, The Company of Dads, etc. This truly seems to be a more modern concept. At least current researchers and writers are talking about it more comfortably and making the load visible. But the parenting load was always there. The juggling, the planning, the keeping track of it all, the last minute stuff, the stuff we forgot, the stuff we were supposed to do. It seems endless. But summer is the zenith. It is a vast empty expanse that needs to be filled, occupied, scheduled, structured. Or so we are told.

Those that argue for more boredom, less screen time (Jonathan Haidt), finding time to play and let your mind wander - I can appreciate this approach and methodology. I also think it is gaining traction across the parents who have hit the breaking point of finding themselves responsible for the curation and activation of their children’s every waking minute (in addition to all of the adult responsibilities that come with life). I’m warming to the idea that independent, capable children can truly be responsible for planning their own time, and depending on their age, carry out their own activities. What’s the worst that could happen? They make the wrong choice, they fail, they find they don’t like something?

But that’s exactly it. I think the era of overscheduling and parental load sits right there - it then becomes the parents’ problem to help the child solve when they have made a decision that didn’t work out well. Who decided that? Did we as parents set up paradigm that says, “come to me, and I’ll figure out your solution for you?” I wonder if we simply said, “sounds like you didn’t like that. That’s good to know.” Or an even better upgrade: “think a little about the choice you made. Would you make that choice again, based upon what you know now?” I personally feel like trying this offers me a way to exhale - let my shoulders down, and feel like we are all in it together.

Don’t get me wrong. You can’t do this all day, every day, for 8-10 weeks at a time. You’ll drive yourself crazy. But I do think the kids can be a part of the planning of the time, the budgeting of the costs, the researching of available programs, etc. And going into summer with a mindset that there will be unstructured time where you have to fend for yourself. That’s real learning, and to be honest, it is interning in adulting, even at a very young age. These are valuable lessons for your children to learn. That should buoy my fellow parents - look at how well you are preparing them for a future that can and will be uncertain. These will then be kids that will not only survive, but thrive.

This will feel like being a maverick parent. I encourage you to embrace it - not only for your own sanity and mental well-being, but also for the kids who are learning and growing instead of being funneled into a path that doesn’t allow for either of those.

Let’s keep talking. I want you to know there’s support for you to explore new options.

How quaint that feels now - looking back. In experiencing life - the one that you have no control over - it is rife with hills, valleys, peaks of happiness, and valleys of desperation. The joy and contentment is to find the ability to stay on the ride through it all. This is difficult for me. Somehow I have stumbled into a roller coaster metaphor (!), and these are quite possibly my least favorite place on earth. I can’t stand that feeling in your stomach as you go over the hill and barrel down into the valley. Quite honestly, I think it is the speed. It feels out of my control, without my consent, and as if I’m hurtling to a new place that is unknown, and that feels uncomfortable. So, how to find a way to simply “ride the wave?” I haven’t quite mastered it yet. And so interesting, as a writer, to find yourself compelled by imagery of what makes you uncomfortable as a vehicle to express the nascent emotions around evolving, growing, and reinvention, and finding out what’s new on the other side.

Do you identify with these feelings? Fear, uncertainty, maybe a tiny bit of a thrill, a glimmer of excitement, and a lot of curiosity around what will happen next. This happens in our work, in our parenting, in our extended families, in our communities, in our own personal growth. I think it might happen more than we realize, but we aren’t always equipped with the right tools or aren’t in the right mindset to know it is happening. We may feel the feelings, but we don’t know what to do with them. Often we dismiss them instead of listening to them, asking them why they are there, and using them as part of our development, our ongoing evolution.

For those of you who have had what felt like changes that were life-altering (having children, losing a job, moving towns, starting a new endeavor, just to name a few), these feelings are familiar. I think they are at the heart of reinvention. They are the source for pushing you futher into becoming more of who you are, and more often than not, they feel not welcome if we aren’t ready to receive them and follow their direction. A consideration here is how to embrace them and nurture them, how to allow them to take up space, how to simply “be” with them. They will tell you how to move forward, if you allow them.

Reinvention is not forced, it comes unbidden, taught to you, by yourself, by your years of learning and thinking, and a more evolved you results. Despite the hills of exciting anticipation and the terrifying valleys, simply staying on the ride and hearing what you have to say to yourself results in a more refined and erudite you. I, too, am still working through this process, but I’m grateful to have a community of those curious enough to continue to explore and consider.

I did what I usually do in these kinds of situations. I procrastinate with another task while I let it marinate in my subconscious. It pops up again and again in places where my brain is quiet and doing its own processing - walking the dog, taking a shower, loading the dishwasher, making the bed - the mundane tasks of life, but they are exactly the places I do my best thinking. It took me a long time to understand what was happening there, though. Calm, quiet, classical music - these are the building blocks of creativity for me. And, what I assume all writers know, it only comes when it is ready. The flow happens when your subconscious has something to say and is ready to let it out.

This is how I landed on the concept of meta - how best to write about curiosity and where thinking and learning comes together to do exactly that. Write about the process. Write what results from what the subconscious pieces together. Write about the thinking, the research, the asking of questions, the stumbling blocks, the stops and starts, the frustration, and the understanding that every obstacle is a place to learn from. A new place to learn and grow.

Hence - CultivateEd: Curious was born. Here is where I’ll share my thinking and observing of life - my flow, my thoughts, all with the hope that we’ll learn and grow together. Being inquisitive and reflective is an optimistic way to live your life, and it can bring you much joy - if you allow it. There’s so much to question in today’s life - let’s ask about it, reflect on it, learn on it, and join the journey of living a curious life - together.

Would you look at that? I just wrote my first post. All those years of waiting for the perfect words to come out. And here they are. I’m feeling a little nostalgic. And proud.

Welcome. I look forward to thinking and learning with you.