A wee summer break
Sharing my favourite books, Substacks and podcasts to get stuck into this summer
Summer is here and I’m taking a break from writing for a few weeks. While I’ll miss the daily opportunity to delve deeper into the themes of Changing Stories, Finding Hope, I am using the time in other wonderful ways.
This week I am back in Cambridge, delivering lectures for the University’s Postgraduate Certificate in Sustainable Business and getting to know a new group of talented students I will supervise. I have been working on this programme for 20 years now, and I still love it. I love meeting new students, all from very diverse professional, cultural and geographic backgrounds, but united by a passion for sustainability and for using their skills and networks to make the world a better place.
This week I will be trying a more interactive approach to the Changing Stories content I have been delivering in Cambridge since 2020. I will be asking my students to imagine how their lives, their communities and society might be different if a particular societal narrative isn’t as valid as we assume it is. For instance, what would the world look like if we collectively didn’t buy into the ‘economic growth is the best way to deliver good outcomes for society’ narrative? I’m a little nervous, which is good, but also hopeful that the new approach will resonate.
Next week will be another special week. Our children are all coming to our home in the Highlands first for a few days of hanging out together, going for local walks or swims. It is such a joy when we all come together. Maia and I are really blessed with our blended family. We will then all head out to Belladrum ‘The Tartan Heart’ Festival where I will be playing with The Magnificent Kevens and my other musical project, Sidewinder. Maia will also be performing and launching her new EP, Little Triumphs. I have been listening to it on repeat. Perhaps I’m biased but I think it is a stunning piece of melancholy songwriting, elevated by Maia’s gorgeous voice and harmonies. You can listen to her first track, Starting Over Again on all the usual platforms, and pre-order the EP on her website.
I’ll be back in early August, but until then, I thought I’d share some of the best things I have been reading and listening to in 2026. These individuals have grown my knowledge, helped my research, and in some cases shifted by thinking.
Books
The Care Economy by Tim Jackson
Tim is a mentor of mine and one of our generation’s most astute environmental economists, who doesn’t shy away from tackling big topics. But he is also a playwright, having written numerous radio plays over the course of his life.
In The Care Economy he brings together both skills to deliver a compelling vision for our economy, one of care: Care for self, care for people and care for planet. Simple, inspiring and realistic.
How to Fall in Love with the Future by Rob Hopkins
I have had the pleasure of working with Rob when I was involved in Transition Towns Lewes. He understands the challenges of the world deeply, but won’t allow negativity to bring him down.
In his latest book, he is a time traveller who returns from the future to give us the good news that we managed the transition towards a safe and just planet. It might sound idealistic, but there is a twist, because what we did to achieve we already have within our power. The book is filled with real case studies which show change is possible, it just needs to be scaled up.
Substack
The Great Simplification by Nate Hagens
Nate worked in Wall Street and it was the expertise he acquired working in finance that drew him towards a very clear insight: If we carry on this way, we are heading very fast towards dramatic outcomes for people and planet. To avoid this, we need to make a shift towards what he calls the ‘Great Simplification’. He summarises his perspective in this short film. On his Substack and Podcast, he interviews experts in related fields and shares his own thoughts. I always discover a new insight and perspective when I read or listen to Nate’s work.
Degrowth is the Answer by Matt Orsagh
If you have read my Substack articles, you will know that I am growth agnostic and don’t believe degrowth necessarily is the answer. But I agree with a lot of what Matt Orsagh writes in his Substack. He tackles a range of topics that underlie our current predicament and offers brilliant insights that help us move away from some of our underlying assumptions and narratives.
Podcasts
Plain English with Derek Thompson
Atlantic staff writer and co-author of Abundance, Derek Thompson tackles the big questions we are facing in Plain English in, well, plain English. No topic is too challenging and the guests are real experts who have helped shape my understanding of many of today’s most relevant areas. From AI to the Middle East wars, from healthcare to culture wars and beyond, everything gets tackled with real expertise.
Strangers on a Bench by Tom Rosenthal
My last recommendation is a gift. It was when Maia first introduced me to Strangers on a Bench, and it is my go-to when I need to feel connected to the human race. Singer-songwriter Tom Rosenthal approaches people sitting on park benches and asks if they’d be happy to have a quick chat. His gentle and empathetic style results in many beautiful conversations with a wide range of fascinating ‘normal’ people that makes us realise we have so much more in common than that which divides us. Each episode ends with a different singer-songwriter summarising the conversation in a 3-minute song.
An absolute gem.
I’ll be back in a couple of weeks and until then, I hope you enjoy my recommendations.
This week’s photo is from a recent Campervan trip Maia and I took to Achmelvich Beach in the North west Highlands.
