Think for yourself
See more clearly
Make better decisions
Live on your own terms
Speaking
Training
June 2025 Book Report
A mixture of crotch-wetting, tear-shedding and hope-for-humanity books to improve your month
Alicia McKay
Latest
Serifos
Cutting off the heads of rape victims ain't pretty but this sunrise sure as hell was
Delphi
Getting high as balls to tell the future (spoiler alert: the future is on fire)
Introducing The Ambition Recession
A new essay series is on the way.
Local government is back in the firing line
They don't want reform, they want rates-capping. This is a bad idea, but it will play well in the 2026 election.
Scrolling is the new smoking
Tech giants have copied Big Tobacco’s playbook - and it works.
Society
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Nepotism, networks and human connection
On finding an afterschool job and buying a duvet in the current digital WTF-scape + BRING BACK LANDLINES
Power
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Critical thinking is not enough. It's time you learned about power
Numbers and words are cool, but we have calculators and ChatGPT now. What you need is POWER LITERACY.
Bonus AI resources for paid subscribers
Thanks for your support, here's the goods.
AI
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Big things should be good for us
Cos you're worth it. Public value, private plunder, and general purpose technology.
May 2025 Reading Journal
Short stories, essays and memoir to get you thinking, but in manageable chunks (+ a prompt for a mid-year reset.)
Press
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NZ Herald Feature - From foster care to own boss: How a teen mum defied the odds
NZ Herald profiles Alicia McKay's journey from foster care and teen pregnancy to international consultant, author, and speaker.
Events
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Queensland Small Business Friendly Conference, Brisbane, May 2025
Alicia McKay to speak on how to bridge the engagement gap between Councils and business - Local Legends: How to find your collaborative advantage. Recording inside!
AI
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The problem with AI Conference Culture
We are letting techno-optimist corporate shills dominate the chat. Get these men off the stage.
Events
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LGASA Conference, May 2025
Alicia McKay speaks to elected and executive leaders in Adelaide at the Local Government Association of South Australia OGM
AI
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There are no magical robots
And if there are, they look a lot like the dudes who already run the show
Identity
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Everyday is everything
Find meaning in the daily drudgery or consign yourself to a lifetime of dissatisfaction
April 2025 Reading Journal
From China to Aotearoa + a focus on form