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Pandora Sykes's avatar

I think from a millennial pov the thing that is so interesting to me about Gen Z in media is that they won’t work the shit hours for shit pay that was just the norm for millennials. The line was: if you don’t want the hours or the pay you don’t want it enough. I think there might be a process whereby hard work and therefore ambitious becomes untangled from the hours you work. I have definitely heard anecdotally about Gen Z not wanting to work overtime or travel weekends and I get it - Self care! Health! Boundaries! All things we never knew and which are *good things* - but it’s also true that if you don’t show willing with those things in media (probs most industries) you are not going to excel. I actually don’t know where the answer lies. I think we could have an interesting much longer convo on it!!

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

I feel the same. I ponder about this A LOT! I think that from what I see among my peers, people who really want it will work for it, but they have to really want it. We’re so passionate about driven you know, and all that quiet quitting or whatever is like people doing jobs that are just jobs I think, and not what they really want. But also, gen z has been coddled in this specific way where everyone is like obsessed with Gen z cuz we are the hot consumer right now, so our opinions and tastes count for a lot. So some people think that’s a lot. We also don’t live suffering, and are enamored with choice and freedom. It’s weird for sure, definitely a different work ethic I want to unpack more

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Sharmadean Reid's avatar

For goodness sake, CHARGE ALREADY! This is better than 100% of my business expenses trending reports…

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Emma Gannon's avatar

agree, i would pay ya asap, Ochuko!

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

good to know! 😆

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

It’s coming it’s coming!!!! 😂😘

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Aurelie Chazal's avatar

Do it! Do it! And your boyfriend will come around on interior design. Or you just don't let him take any of the decisions.

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Pandora Sykes's avatar

also sporty and rich is such a gross brand name

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

Yeah it’s rough !

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Tay's avatar

Hate the name. I also hate their sweatshirt that just says “health”.

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Ashleigh Rader's avatar

100% agree

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WILFY RODRÍGUEZ's avatar

"In my gift guides, I will recommend items (for rich people) and ideas (for poor people)." so FCKN cringeeeeeeeeee!

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

Haha I love the honesty though

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Virginia's avatar

I only have one question: why are you not a consumer vc yet??? Your mind ✨!!

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

Seriously in another life I would have been perfect that that job. You never know, one day!

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Maro Akpovbovbo's avatar

I love my colours, and I wouldn't say I like the whole one-colour room trend. It sucks, because why are colours like bold red, orange, yellow and others being replaced by grey, white and beige. Like, wait till the kids grow up. Even as old as I am I still adore my colors.

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

Why do you have your phone it’s a weeknight 😂. Does mommy know?

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Maro Akpovbovbo's avatar

well now she knows

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

But love you

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Vitally Useless's avatar

We're going Gattaca baby! If genetically engineering kids becomes a thing among the wealthy, how far off are we from these adult kids suing their parents when they didn't get the full IQ and Looks package? Love that more open discussions about neurodivergence has immediately led to the scam supplement market. I remember when St Jonh's Wort was a promised anti-depressant and all it did was make people extra sensitive to the sun.

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

No this is wild! I’d so sue my parents if they genetically engineer me and I didn’t come out perfect. All’s fair!

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Jordan Bogigian's avatar

I really sat here and read that whole Shark Tank article.

I, too, am a lover of food culture as it relates to other industries and consumer behavior, and am now following Juicy Brick. If you’re interested in a dystopian food novel, Land of Milk and Honey was very interesting. I still don’t know my full thoughts on it but I find myself thinking about it often. In an environmental crisis that causes most crops to fail, a chef is hired by a private country of billionaires. A wild ride of a read.

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

Okay I’ll add to my list but dystopian novels scare me lol! But this sounds fun ngl

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Jordan Bogigian's avatar

They scare me too but for some reason I keep reaching for them 🥲

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Shanna Johnson's avatar

Zara’s kid clothes have always been incred. When I worked there in 2014, particularly small coworkers would shop the kids section because it was essentially the same as the adult styles, just smaller and cheaper. Those fur vests were everywhere

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

I kind of love that. Like kids clothes that are a take down of adult clothes you know? That’s really cool

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Jenovia 🕸️'s avatar

I'll take you to Costco next time you're in NYC and I'll buy you an ice cream cone from their food court. ❤️‍🔥

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

Please do! My friends don’t love me clearly

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Katy Donahue Wynn's avatar

very juicy update on a monday -- loved this one

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

Thanks Katy! ☺️

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Maro Akpovbovbo's avatar

same

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Meg's avatar

this newsletter makes me feel smarter! So much good stuff here.

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

Makes me smarter too!

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Amber Nelson's avatar

I’ve used Reveri but tbh I like the self hypnosis tracks from To Be Magnetic much much better. I’m highly hypnotizable which is both a fun and scary thing to know about myself lol. TBM is much more expensive—I pay $240 annually—but so worth it to me. It’s made a huge difference in my mental health. You know, like, that’s the cost of one therapy session but TBM has a library of at least 30 different self hypnosis tracks for almost any situation. Reveri has like 8 and they’re not as immersive.

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

Wait I love this thanks for sharing! What does it feel like when you’re using the app? Is it different from like calm or headspace ?

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Amber Nelson's avatar

Yeah! It has a “manifestation” angle. The idea being if you can change your neural pathways your life will also change—something that’s mostly based in science even tho the manifestation branding initially kind of annoyed me lol. It also has EMDR informed practices and internal family systems. I used to do hypnosis with my therapist so I found it really similar to what we did in session. but I find jt useful to process challenging emotions, re-interpret events from childhood/past, stopping anxiety spirals, and that kind of thing. Sometimes I listen to them going for a walk at work during my lunch break (so not fully hypnotized lol) if I’m stressed out.

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Elle Sundberg's avatar

this was a really freaking good one

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

I'm glad you think so. it was really fun to write :0

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Lindsey Stanberry's avatar

Thinking about how you talked about the decline of innovation in one blurb, and then onto the NY Mag power issue, where the so-called greatest minds in media think the solution to our industry's downfall is...subscriptions. Face in palm; things are rough! No wonder Gen Z doesn't want to work long hours. (BTW, they once said the same thing about millennials, and no doubt Gen X before that, all while compensation rates continue to plummet. But sure, let's blame work ethic!)

Clearly I have feelings on this!

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

literally no wander. just subscriptions CANNOT be the answer.

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Lindsey Stanberry's avatar

Truly! Also they always just all jump on the same bandwagon. Rushing to the shiny new revenue play with no clear strategy

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Hannah Connolly's avatar

That New York Magazine piece has me speechless !! "The term newsletter sounds like something that comes out of a church basement"??? I'm on the floor.

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

im gong to fight someone lol

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Hannah Connolly's avatar

can't wait to watch it happen x

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