Partly due to the pandemic and partly the richness of available media, I find myself watching more, listening more, and reading more.
One of the things I most appreciate about my day-job as an executive coach, leadership consultant, writer, and Zen teacher is that I am always looking for what I can learn and how I can grow and develop – whether in books, podcasts, movies, or television shows. We are living, I think, in a renaissance of rich media. There is an abundance of creative and intelligent material to absorb and learn from.
Here are a few of the recent media offerings that I’m most enjoying and appreciating.
Series
McCartney 3, 2, 1 – Beautifully and creatively filmed. Two guys in conversation, in black and white on a dimly lit stage. The guys happen to be Paul McCartney and Rich Rubin. Stories and film footage highlighting how songs and lyrics emerge. Made me cry, with the extraordinariness of how creativity emerges.
Ethos – Filmed in Istanbul. An exploration of cultures, traditions, family, and emotions. Beautifully filmed, rich tapestry of sights and sounds. Terrific storytelling. I didn’t want the series to end.
Midnight Diner – Japanese series about a diner open from midnight till 7:00 a.m., located in the red light district of Tokyo. Quirky, sweet, and surprising. If you enjoy this series, you can keep going with Midnight Diner, Tokyo Stories.
Audio Book
Talking to Strangers by Malcom Gladwell – Terrific experience. Great insights about systems and human patterns and assumptions about what shapes our behaviors. Lots to learn from Gladwell’s research and the ideas he uncovers.
Movies
Coda – Beautiful film about a young woman’s journey of growing up. Her parents and brother are deaf and she can hear (and sing). I realize I’m crying more easily these days, and this movie had me crying a few times.
Books
Breath by James Nestor – Great read (and I’m told audiobook) about breathing. Lots of research, science, spiritual traditions about the simple and powerful art of breathing.
Memorial Drive by Natasha Tretheway – A memoir about growing up as a black woman born in Mississippi in 1965. Beautifully written. Powerful storytelling.
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong – A novel, written as a letter from a young man to his Vietnamese mother. I’m halfway into this book, and reading slowly, taking in the extraordinary writing and depth.
Podcasts
The Brains podcast episode on Writing Books features an interview with Mark Manson and James Clear, and offers great conversation with two best-selling authors regarding their strategies and experiences with writing, promotion, and building enormous communities.
Let me know what you think. And, what are some of your favorite media experiences?