Welcome To The Junkyard
Godspeed: good fortune; success (used as a wish to a person starting on a journey, a new venture, etc.).
We’re wandering the junkyard this issue, looking for parts and pieces, a semi-structured approach to an unstructured mind (mine) that seems to be having a hard time focusing this week.
Oh, you having a hard time focusing, too?
Well, then, sorry about that, though welcome to parts and pieces!
Now let’s go.
Reader Spotlight: Heather Meyer
We’re trying something new this week – shining a light on a Godspeed reader.
Heather Meyer is our willing guinea pig. I’ve known (and occasionally worked with) her for a while now – she’s the real deal, both as a human and a professional, and she’s currently scoping out career opportunities for her next big step forward.
So enough of that – let’s meet Heather.
Most Recent Title: Marketing & Partnerships
Location: I'm based out of Brooklyn with frequent trips upstate near Albany.
Conjure up your inner ninja and tell us about roles where can you demonstrably kick ass for a company.
- Marketing - including branding, strategy, affiliate relationships, and partnerships
- Community Engagement - from social media to Slack or other community-gathering platforms
- Comms - internal and external stakeholders
- Project Management - anything from personal side projects you want to get off the ground to more complex organizational framework
- Personal or Executive Assistance
- Property Management - based out of NYC
- Visual Design & Merchandising - with over 10 years’ experience in experiential retail ranging from high-end boutiques to big-box stores
Tell us about your dream company?
I’m most interested in connecting with a role in the impact communities of B Corp and 1% for the Planet.
Remote, hybrid, or in-person?
I favor a hybrid or in-person opportunity but am flexible for remote with the right team.
When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a farmer when I was quite young. I'm working on making it a reality with 4 acres I now own with my Dad upstate.
What are you currently watching, reading, or listening to?
Lately I've been loving the Good Hang podcast with Amy Poehler. I'm doing my first watch of Veronica Mars and I'm reading Mary Roach's "Replaceable You: Adventures In Human Anatomy" - she's my favorite author.
Rock, paper, or scissors?
I could not come up with an answer for this so I consulted AI and learned that there's some behavioral studies of the game which show people most often throw rock first. I'm going with paper.
You can learn more about Heather here and connect with her directly here.
💪 Economic Boycott News
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the need for consumers to land an economic haymaker on the Administration's policies of ICE (Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?). Well, podcaster and NYU business professor Scott Galloway has a big platform and he just created a website where you can unsubscribe from the offerings of companies that he believes have an "outsized influence over the national economy and our president." You can join "Resist and Unsubscribe" here.
Oh, and if you're ditching subscriptions you might consider a paid subscription to Godspeed – take away from the bad and support the good. You can do that below.
Melting ICE in Minnesota
They know how to do it in Minnesota.
"If the Minnesota resistance has an overarching ideology, you could call it "neighborism" – a commitment to protecting the people around you, no matter who they are or where they came from."
That's from a beautifully written article in The Atlantic by Adam Serwer about the resistance in Minnesota, sourced with a (thank you!) gift link from Today in Tabs. While Adam's story might not make you feel good about everything, it will make you feel better.
Poetry To Meet The Moment
You know how I love poetry – Poetry Month begins in just 56 days – and I love to share it with you. Here's one that meets today's moment.
Word Of This Week
Kowtow: Verb (also a noun); to show obsequious deference: fawn
I’ve always loved the sound of this compound word, parallel in its construction – and its meaning has stuck with me from a very early age (Pearl Buck's The Good Earth, perhaps?).
Bringing it into the forefront this week as we're looking at you, America's CEOs. (Hard to refer to corporate chieftains as leaders these days.)
Trivia Rears Its Curious Head
Trivia was banished from the Godspeed kingdom a while ago, though it occasionally tunnels under the fortress walls back in the cover of darkness to pose a question. Like now.
Our favorite human-potential-boosting machine, AI, was cited as the cause for how many layoffs last year?
- 25,000
- 55,000
- 75,000
- 95,000
You can find the answer at the end of the newsletter
You’re Smackin’ Me Gob With Your Fast Fashion Critique
Ah, creativity! I’ve always been a fan of art that grabs attention, beautifully, while giving you a big smack across the face with a Big Issue. Check out this gobsmacker of a social critique by Emanuele Jane Morelli that draws attention to the true cost of Shein’s fast fashion empire. You can read more about how it was created here. (Spoiler alert: AI was involved.)
Okay, that's it for all the parts and pieces. Hope you found something you liked in the junkyard.
Thanks for hanging with me this week. And remember – I’m here to help. So, if you ever need a friendly ear, a hand up, or a piece of advice, just give me a holler.
Godspeed, friends.
Russ
Trivia Answer
Nearly 55,000 people were automated out of work in the US last year, with the reason cited as AI. (Source: CNBC)
Certainly, AI created new jobs as well; the stats would indicate that more AI-related jobs were created than jobs were lost, though the definition of AI-related jobs is a little hazy – were these completely new positions or existing roles that were “upskilled” by including new AI skills. Anyone out there seen any good stats on this?
As for the future? I’m guessing AI-infused layoffs will pass the six-figure when we close out 2026.