A Real Good Time: The Books, News, and Music That Keep Me Curious

What Fuels My Thinking and Where I Spend Time aka My Media Diet

In fourth grade I stood in front of my class for Current Events Day and told them all about the riots at a Who concert where many fans died. Ms. Knott, recognized my fascination with current events and encouraged me to find more pleasant topics. Haha! What she saw was my hunger for stories beyond our Durham, NC hometown. I wanted to discover a bigger world and go see it by creating new adventures. I still maintain an insatiable curiosity for many passions and interests. Lifelong learners and strivers bring that same energy to their career and work.

The most inspirational thoughts and best insights come from stepping outside your weekly echo chambers, find unexpected sources, and work to connect the threads of seemingly unrelated ideas. If you're only reading to confirm existing biases, you're not a lifelong learner. Every conversation, podcast, or article should give you at least one new thought to place in your "personal parking lot." As a leader working at the intersection of strategy, brand intelligence, and demand growth, my voracious media diet sharpens my decision-making.

For 2025, I committed to cut back and focus my daily media consumption to allow more space for me to write, go deeper on strategic problem solving and find fewer extracurricular topics to obsess over. I can go deep on the history of Duke basketball, gospel music luminaries, concert posters of my favorite bands and North Carolina folk art…just to name a few.

Morning Routine

My habit of organizing each day stems from my time as Chief of Staff at PepsiCo, where pre-dawn briefings were essential to knowing how our days would roll. Now I check in with a curated algorithm of paid Apple News, Techpresso and Business Insider which provide quick market insights, while the BBC offers a broader global perspective.

In renewable energy, where compliance and regulation move quickly, I rely on Southeast Energy News. Just today I learned before 6 AM that Texas is crushing its solar, battery and wind goals just this week. Morning Brew I might scan weekly as I do with AdAge to help me monitor consumer sentiment changes. More AI related expertise newsletters are grabbing most of my daily attention this week.

Weekly Posts That Matter

I prioritize sources that challenge assumptions and deliver strategic insights. A few are behind the paywall, but a few monthly dollars to support journalists, I’m all in:

• Stratechery (Ben Thompson) – Essential for understanding tech-business intersections

• Why Is This Interesting? – Fresh approaches to familiar problems and what inspired this Substack post

• Heatmap News – Critical for climate, energy, and policy

• Lenny's Newsletter – Insights on product growth and leadership

• Local New Orleans news through The Advocate/NOLA.com and The Lens

Current Reading List

Since 2020, I've replaced much of my evening TV with books. Right now I am currently reading:

• "Strength to Strength" by Arthur Brooks – On power and long-term influence

• "Creativity" by Rick Rubin – Data-driven marketing strategy

• “Think Again” by Adam Grant - A great holiday gift from Steve Burt!

Music Discovery - I’m All About It

Music appreciation, production and live music attendance has been a former career, now hobby and passion of mine, my entire life:

• WWOZ.org New Orleans guardians of the groove and community radio. It’s worth checking out any time of the day, but especially during Jazz Fest in the Spring.

• WNCU.org My hometown community radio station that excels with old school DJs on Friday nights, 8 Track Flash Back on Saturdays and the finest Gospel Freight Train show on Sunday mornings.

• Spotify Of course, but our best curated “JRDB Covers” playlist was started during Covid with my childhood buddy Dean Barbee. It’s almost 1,500 tracks strong and 100 hours of fine eclectic music listening!

Podcast Heavy Rotation

For extensive travel, commutes and long walks in City Park.

• Acquired – Unparalleled business case studies

• The Prof G Pod (Scott Galloway) – Entertaining business perspectives

• Broken Record – Creativity in the music industry

• Stuff You Should Know – Curiosity-driven breaks from work content

When Will I Turn Off the Screens?

Live music in New Orleans energizes me – the spontaneity between musicians mirrors effective business leadership. I find clarity on the water, whether fishing or shucking oysters.

Want to know more, challenge me to find the right playlists for you! BTW, what are you listening to and reading?