Risky Business
There’s a quiet theme running through HBO’s new series Your Friends and Neighbors, and if you haven’t seen it yet, it’s worth a watch. On the surface, it’s about families in a well-to-do suburb navigating relationships, ambition, failure, and identity. But underneath, it’s really about something else: what happens when people trade conviction for convenience. When they stop showing up as the person they know they could be and start settling for the one that’s easier to maintain. Classic golden handcuffs stuff.
It’s also a familiar issue in leadership.
As people rise in their careers, it’s natural to become more cautious. The decisions feel weightier. There’s more at stake. But that’s also when the ability to lead with clarity and conviction matters most. Because when a leader chooses to speak up, to fix what’s broken, and to invest in people, others notice.
They start to believe again. Not just in the organization, but it’s leaders and ultimately, themselves.
We’ve seen policies changed, the right people promoted, and stagnant systems unlocked through small moments of courageous decision-making.
Leadership isn’t about being the loudest voice in the room. It’s about using your position to build something better.
Your Friends and Neighbors reminds us of what happens when people drift from their values. But it also highlights, in its quieter moments, how powerful it can be when someone chooses to take a risk and do the right thing.
That choice is always available.
Dare to Act Differently and Be Happier
“In 1932, when economic circumstances were far scarier than anything we face today—unemployment had soared to 23.6 percent and economic growth was negative 12.9 percent—Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was running for president that year, gave a speech at Oglethorpe University, in Atlanta, in which he proposed experimenting and risk-taking as a response to trouble. “It is common sense to take a method and try it,” he told the students. “If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.” He won, and he did try something—launching the New Deal, which permanently changed the role of the federal government in American life.”
College Students Are Using ‘No Contact Orders’ to Block Each Other in Real Life
This level of fear of conflict is going to be a challenge in the real world. Maybe.
JPMorgan Internal Memo Shows Morale Took a Hit on Return to Office
Probably not a surprise.
First, a Feminist Utopia. Now, a Dollhouse in the Country.
“Audrey Gelman, the creator of the Wing, is taking another stab at shaping millennial tastes, this time with a pastoral inn — and more hotels on the way.”
Young people on TikTok are trying to make the 80s happen again
Everything Millennial Is Cool Again
And just like that…
Brian Wilson Wrote the California Dream, but He Didn’t Live It
“He tried surfing, but got hit on the head by his board and decided once was enough.”
Sloop John B — the story behind The Beach Boys’ hit runs deep
What a song.
11 Baby Names That Have Been Banned in the U.S.
Nutella?!?
Culture Edit Podcast
Ep. 094 – Michael Garrison, Pro Cyclist
A special hot-off-the-press episode where we check in with Michael after a successful and highly entertaining Tulsa Tough weekend. We chat about why the race is special (the Super Bowl of criterium racing), get a report from each day, whether they ever talk during a breakaway, was he really drinking a beer during the race, and how the weekend was a success without winning. Of course, we go deep on “The Bunny Hop Heard Around the World,” his unusual tire set-up, why the live feed commentators were so negative, his power numbers, and why he starts at the back of the race. We get into how racing Basso Diamante is like a Ferrari in NASCAR, being a part of the Basso family, the +SpeedStudio program is built by members and sponsors, what’s next (lots of dirt), and why he chooses to race alone.
This is a no-holds-barred episode, so buckle up that chin strap.