The consequences of being yourself
- Feb 22, 2026

Figure skater Alysa Liu reminded me what it looks like when someone becomes "a consequence of being herself"—pure artistry, no performance. That theme runs through this week's digest: from Jeremy Utley's integrity check for the AI age, to Ana Andjelic on building cultural meaning over viral moments, to Jill Scott describing her music as a "personal revolution" born from staying deeply in her niche.

A quote from Being and artist in the age of algorithms by James McRae via Sublime App

Have you been watching the winter olympics? I haven't. Too much to do. I barely manage 30 min of evening streaming at 10.30pm. But yesterday I awoke to figure skater's Alysa Liu's extraordinary performances popping up everywhere in my social media feeds. Joy seemed to irradiate from her with such intensity that it's hard not to feel what she was feeling. I watched both performances, and within a second, started to cry.

I'm not a big cryer but sports and public performances get me, as do Disney films and most films I watch in the air. Eurosport's commentator, former figure skater Louise Walden, offered her impressions that mirrored the depth I'd felt from the performance:

"It didn't feel competitive and that's not meant as a [...] criticism, it's mean as an absolute compliment. She's authentic, she's original, she's 100 percent herself. The scores and the technical ability and all of that nitty gritty doesn't matter. That will be a consequence of her being herself."

A consequence of being herself.

At those words, I burst into (more) hot tears. It's like Walden was offering a translation to what we were all feeling from this artist's performance - because hers was not just skill, but indeed artistry.

This is what I'm taking away from this week. Watch the performance here (with said commentary) or anywhere else online. For fun, watch her on Jimmy Fallon two months ago, telling the story of how she retired from figure skating at 16 only to come back and be her own boss at 19. Happy Sunday!

SUNDAY DIGEST

“Spirituality is not just about finding quiet in a noisy world. It is about finding the sacred in the mundane.”

Tara Mohr

THIS WEEK'S GATHERINGS

Monday, 24 February — Mindful Together 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM GMT+1 Join us for our weekly gathering → Join here

Thursday, 26 February — The Intention Hour 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM GMT+1 Drawing from a contemplative framework that bridges personal reflection and strategic clarity, this monthly session invites you to inquire into something that you want to achieve, as well as why it matters and who you're becoming in the process.→ Join here

Sunday, 23 February — Sunday Metta Session 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM GMT+1 A free weekly practice on Insight Timer (free account required) → Join me on Insight Timer

PAUSE HERE: A MEDITATION FOR YOUR WEEK

Resting with moment-to-moment sensations A guided practice for settling into the present → Listen here

THINGS I'M THINKING ABOUT

Stanford's Jeremy Utley asks: whatever you value most, are you now more of it? — And suggests a weekly integrity check for the AI age.

New neuroscience research reveals meditation isn't mental rest — It's heightened cerebral activity, debunking the "relaxation" narrative. I mean I knew this but it's nice to hear it from others.

Michael Pollan explains to Stephen Colbert why he doesn't think AI will become conscious — Author of How to Change Your Mind on the Late Show.

Scammers are gaming Google's AI Overviews— Embedding fake customer service numbers and phishing sites directly into search summaries. You can't trust the top of your Google search...

The viral AI agent OpenClaw — Security experts are calling it a "privacy nightmare" for its vulnerability to prompt injection attacks. Aka why I'm not toying with OpenClaw.

When everything goes viral, nothing does — Ana Andjelic argues brands must shift from chasing clicks to building legible cultural meaning that compounds over time.

One of my favorite artists, Jill Scott in conversation with artist Bisa Butler— Describing her new album as a "personal revolution"—art built on staying so deeply in her niche that it broadens the spectrum. Also, listen to her on NPR's Tiny Desks.

Hundreds of Alaska's pristine rivers are turning rust-orange— Thawing permafrost releases iron and toxic metals, degrading drinking water and wiping out fish populations. (Financial Times)

Sari Azout shares a moving letter from Einstein to his daughter on love — The universe's most powerful force (possibly apocryphal, but beautiful nonetheless). (Sari Azout on Substack)

LISTEN

NEW THIS WEEK: The Mettā Interview — Giulia Galli, parental coach and author of When a Parent Is Born, explores her question: "What is my intention?" A conversation about stepping off autopilot, the power of words, and the quiet revolution of raising children who can think for themselves. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts | Spotify or listen here

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Out of the Clouds — Yancey Strickler on Bento and post-individualism. Kickstarter co-founder unveiling a radical economic model for how artists can pool resources, share profits and own their work—imagine if the next Disney was an artist-owned collective, not a corporate giant. → Listen here

The Mettā View: Making friends on the internet — A recent conversation with friends highlighted the general misunderstanding around a business model based on live interactions, instead of selling pre-recorded courses. → Read or listen here