NEWSLETTER

#3 Unfold + Podcast With Boyuan Gao | April 2026

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Image attribution: Yevhenii Dubrovskyi via Unsplash

Welcome to the third newsletter from fireside.rs, ‘unlocking creative productivity by gathering humans effectively.’

There’s an uncomfortable tension in the world—scarcity blankets simple interactions as well as bold intentions.

The layers of the poly/meta-crisis impede delighting in the exploration of the possible. Criticism and negative opinion is rife, fueling the default divisiveness in so many aspects of work, play, discourse, the commons, the internal etc.

The hardest thing to do is to aspire in these conditions. And to remember, it’s just a ride:

I invite you to unfold into the creative abundance of your abilities and keep reaching beyond your grasp.

Gather with others who are endeavoring.

Champion those who are doing.

Provide support to those who are trying.

Invite hope into your being.

Embrace the constraints which liberate your imagination.

And remember to move slow and fix things!

DK
fireside.rs Founder and Creative Gatherer

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

Where we feature, celebrate and learn from those who craft spaces for humans to actively belong and be, introducing:

Boyuan Gao, Cofounder, Joyous Rebellion

SHOW NOTES & PULL QUOTES

1.26: “…people really yearn for, desire and i think are maybe even desperate for, is a reprieve, and so that’s really what our experiences are designed to do, is to provide the most high impact leaders in our world today, a place to actually pause.”

9.12: “It’s like, holy crap, like so much of these things that we put on the veneer of our professional identities, the things that we’re performing, right? All of these things just fundamentally fall away and people can hear themselves again for even just a moment. And that is not a small thing.”

23.25: “Like that’s what we get to see when we do these experiences with people, because they just cut through the surface so, so quickly and they get to a place that they otherwise would never get to.”

29.04: “That’s one of my markers of success for a Joyous Rebellion is that it doesn’t matter who is in the room, what their titles are. Every single time we’ve had people just boisterously belly laughing and then crying together. And those two things, if you have both of those things, I’m like, this was a freaking success.”

44.11: “…what people grieve a lot these days is having novel experiences, that is what really produces memories for us, right? And gives our lives meaning.”

Podcast music attribution: All I Did Was Wait For You: The Upbeat and Positive Track for Podcast or YouTube by kjartan_abel — https://freesound.org/s/543781/ — License: Attribution 4.0

Some creativity, productivity and gathering related content for the brain / heart:

“The problem was never how many things you own. The problem is that owning means something it never used to. Everything you buy is the beginning of a relationship you’ll be maintaining until one of you dies or gets discontinued.”
The Last Quiet Thing | Terry Godier

“The Beatles wrote 227 songs, but only 34 hit the Top 10. Do you think they would put out a song that they didn’t believe could be a hit? Mozart wrote over 600 songs, but only about 50 of them are widely played. Do you think he purposefully wrote duds? Of course not. Both the Beatles and Mozart made work that interested them, and occasionally those works resonated with other people.”
How to Make a Living as an Artist (and a creative)

Check out a wonderful array of visual frameworks – A language of patterns from the mind / pen of Dave Gray.

Check out the Trustbuilding Awards from IofC International, aiming “to recognize, encourage and raise the profile of the outstanding individuals/ organizations, promote youth efforts in building trust and thus raise the standards of ‘trustbuilders’ around the world”—deadline 12 April 2026.

Thank you again and please do get in touch with any ideas / comments / insights / suggestions etc. plus encourage others who care about ‘unlocking creative productivity by gathering humans effectively’ to subscribe also:

Published

#2 The Little Things + Podcast With Ignacio Packer | March 2026

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Image attribution: Zequan Tang via Unsplash

Welcome to the second fireside.rs newsletter where we focus on ‘unlocking creative productivity by gathering humans effectively.’

1,437 years ago Dewi Sant, patron saint of Wales said, apparently on his death bed, “gwnewch y pethau bychain” (do the little things).

It’s in the small stuff where caring is demonstrated.

Caring to embed playfulness and joy into activations as part of a larger learning experience (such as having kittens at a TEDxWellington I produced to offset a heavy speaker session).

Caring to understand the elements needed in creative facilitation beyond just booking the room and sending round a meeting invite (see Creative Ideation Workshop | Facilitating Inspiration (aka Herding Cats).

Caring to design avenues and mediums to enable all voices are heard when holding a stakeholder engagement experience (so not just the loud Henry’s speak the most and why I prompt clients to think about other layers of engagement like movement—see me facilitating an activation at CLNZ19 to get attendees into the interactive and exploration mindset for upcoming the masterclasses).

Caring about variety and quality not just quantity as you lead a city-wide activation project which delivered over 200 events in 14 months (see Collidering On | Refocussing On The Creative Purpose)

Caring about devoting to a decade-long volunteering endeavour which amplifies others as a generator of hope which reverberates beyond the event in question:

Full reflections of the event here: TEDxWellington 2019 Review | A Chance Which Paid Off

Caring to make intimacy a factor in bringing 100 people together to participate in a totally unique conversational experience (see Wrapping Up Creative Welly | A Study In Human Intimacy, a three year journey in creating something beautiful).

Caring to hold space for people to meet before opinions harden (taken from this months podcast—listen below).

It’s in these little things where saintly outcomes occur—Happy St David’s Day / Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant!

Thanks for your time / attention / curiosity,

DK
fireside.rs Founder and Creative Gatherer

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

Where we feature, celebrate and learn from those who craft spaces for humans to actively belong and be, introducing:

Ignacio Packer, Executive Director of the Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation (IofC)

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*apologies for my sound in this one, there was a raging storm going on during the time of the recording.

SHOW NOTES & PULL QUOTES

1.18: “And the goal is and has always been the same, to help humans meet before positions harden.”

2.20: “…crises are rarely caused only by lack of resources, they’re really caused by lack of trust.”

10.30: “Because brick and mortar doesn’t change life. You have to put light in it. And it’s the combination of the two that offers the space to work on trust, to work on dialogue. One of the fundamental elements, and it’s not new.”

20.52: “Because transformation, and that transformation for deep hope, without hope being something naive, it happens when identity becomes safe. And people would not open their minds until they feel their dignity is safe.”

21.49: “…well, the dialogue is cognitive, but the encounter becomes emotional and reconciliation is relational. Working in the humanitarian field and on resolution of conflicts, I have not had much success in working by Zoom. It is once you sit around a table and share a meal. It is once you manage to look at the other in the eyes or just look at and discover the humanity and recognize the humanity of the other, that the connections can be made.”

Podcast music attribution: All I Did Was Wait For You: The Upbeat and Positive Track for Podcast or YouTube by kjartan_abel — https://freesound.org/s/543781/ — License: Attribution 4.0

CURATED

Some creativity, productivity and gathering related content for the brain / heart:

“Created by the Inner Development Goals Foundation, this updated Guide draws on insights from over 21,000 people in 165 countries, and was curated by 25 research teams around the world. We offer it as a companion on the journey — a guide to collective human wisdom, ancient and emerging, that empowers us to shape a more compassionate, sustainable, and thriving future. We are a global community promoting the human capacity for wisdom, compassion, and collective action for a better world.”
Check out the new Inner Development Goals in this pdf – Google Drive

“Think of storytelling as peeling back layers to reveal what’s most meaningful:
– Layer One: The Raw Experience. This is where we start—unfiltered truth, a messy, personal experience we feel compelled to share;
– Layer Two: The Crafted Narrative. Here, we refine. We curate, find meaning, and decide what stays. We elevate the story beyond personal catharsis to something valuable for others;
– Layer Three: The Universal Theme. The final layer is the essence—the emotion, lesson, or truth that resonates with anyone who hears it.”
How to Tell Stories That Move Mountains | Psychology Today

““A factor of 10 is an enormous difference, and this is what happens when you look at a reproduction compared to a real work,” said Martine Gosselink, director of the Mauritshuis, on Wednesday. “You become [mentally] richer when you see things, whether you are conscious of it or not, because you make connections in your brain.” Gosselink said she had been convinced of the power of the real before the study but had wanted her hunch to be formally investigated. “We all feel the difference – but is it measurable, is it real?” she said she had asked her colleagues a year ago. “Now, today we can really say that it is true.””
Real art in museums stimulates brain much more than reprints, study finds | Neuroscience | The Guardian

30 minutes with a stranger is a wonderful visual essay illustrating the results of a research project in which they brought two people who didn’t know each other together for a conversation.

✱ dori the giant ✱: 13 Animals Made From 13 Circles—delightful and super-imaginative.

Thank you again and please do get in touch with any ideas / comments / insights / suggestions etc. plus encourage others who care about ‘unlocking creative productivity by gathering humans effectively’ to subscribe also:

Published

#1 Beginnings + Podcast With Natasha Zimmerman | February 2026

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By Brian de Ford – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

Welcome to the fireside.rs newsletter and to a new endeavor, all about ‘unlocking creative productivity by gathering humans effectively’.

In 1176, the Prince of Wales, Rhys ap Gruffudd hosted the first ever Eisteddfod at Cardigan Castle—a festival to celebrate song and literature.

The name itself comes from two Welsh words which uncovers the deeper intention behind the event: eistedd, meaning ‘sit’, and fod, meaning ‘be’.

To congregate and join with other humans is a gift—ingrained in all of us as sentient and conscious bearers of souls is the impulse to hold space together.

850 years since the inception of the Eisteddfod, another Welshman (me), gives voice to a multi-year research project tracking the different ways in which people congregate—the resulting database of frameworks / shapes when analysed and categorised illustrate over a hundred ways to bring folks together to collaborate, share ideas freely and be productive.

Here’s how you can assist:

  1. Reach out to book an opportunity to discuss the service offerings.
  2. Share this newsletter on to other like-minded souls (am presuming you’re already subscribed *emoji wink*);
  3. Host a fireside.rs workshop (a no-fee chance to experience and participate in the evolving nature of this work);

In closing, this is also an attempt to meet the divisive time we find ourselves in, to shake lose from those clinging to negative power through the positive agitation of the human conditioning for connecting to others. I’m taking this opportunity to also curate and celebrate those who do the same through the podcast conversations whilst inviting you dear reader / listener to join me in this adventure in gathering humans effectively!

Thanks for your time / attention / curiosity,

DK
fireside.rs Founder and Creative Gatherer

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

We feature, celebrate plus learn from those who craft spaces for humans to actively belong:

Natasha Zimmerman, Founder of Unchatter and Leadership Consultant

SHOW NOTES & PULL QUOTES

1.30: “we are very intentional in setting up the space so that people feel like they can really sink into vulnerability and maybe go a bit deeper than they might be accustomed to in everyday life.

2.07: “…when you’re clear about what a space or a gathering is for, that it allows people to feel that sense of psychological safety.”

7.37: “And, yeah, people stayed until the wee hours. But there was just that, you know, that singular moment where I was like, wow, this is really what it’s all about is just sinking into the good stuff with these, you know, humans that we barely even know and seeing a part of a part of them that, you know, maybe they don’t reveal all that often.”

10.46: “…here’s the responsibility that I have as the facilitator, the creator of this space, and also the agency and the responsibility that you have as the participant. And that feels like, you know, an important part of the process is establishing that relationship at the beginning that, hey, we’re both bringing something to this.”

14.14: “So the same, you know, centers in our brain that would respond to a physical threat like, you know, a tiger chasing us, for example, those same areas of the brain light up when we feel a sense of rejection or being excluded. So it cultivates that same degree of pain, whether it’s a physical threat or whether it’s that psychological threat of being in the out group.”

Podcast music attribution: All I Did Was Wait For You: The Upbeat and Positive Track for Podcast or YouTube by kjartan_abel — https://freesound.org/s/543781/ — License: Attribution 4.0

CURATED GOODIES TO READ / WATCH / EXPLORE

Some creative, productive and gathering related content for the brain / heart:

“When a Leader restores civility and fair play, eliminating dysfunction, it is not unusual for the Community Builders to join the good guys as they discover the personal empowerment inherent in authentic belonging. No longer able to manipulate circumstance and sully reputations, Dragons and Shapeshifters willingly leave, are dismissed, or they change their behavior to adjust to the new culture. Figureheads follow, or they are transferred out of leadership roles, opening up a space for the Creatives to get to work.”
Surviving Work: A Creative’s Guide to Dysfunctional Cultures | Psychology Today

“Creativity is made, not generated. Generative AI is ripping the humanity out of things. Built on a foundation of theft, the technology is steering us toward a barren future. We think machine learning is a compelling technology with a lot of merit, but the path generative AI is on is wrong for us. We’re here for the humans. We’re not chasing a technology that is a moral threat to our greatest jewel: human creativity. In this technological rush, this might make us an exception or seem at risk of being left behind. But we see this road less traveled as the more exciting and fruitful one for our community.”
Creativity is made, not generated — Procreate®

“The best definition for culture I’ve seen is: culture = values + behaviour.” Simon Sinek
“…at the bottom of all of it the question really to ask is: what is the thing that makes people most happy? And it’s having connections and having time.” Blaine Merker

This website which presents a new icebreaker question every time you refresh.

A collection of manifestos from activists and creatives (to inspire you create your own).

Thank you for your attention, please do get in touch with any ideas / comments / insights / suggestions / service inquiries etc. and please consider encouraging others who care about ‘unlocking creative productivity by gathering humans effectively’ to subscribe also:

Published

#0 Pre-launch | January 2026

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In preparation for sharing with the world.

Been busy tidying up the site, recording / editing the podcasts, continuing to shape up the service offerings and the research whilst embracing the wonderful emotions that go with releasing something to the wild…

…fireside.rs is a multi-year research project which is ready to exist beyond my brain.

The hope is to offer to communities a way to:

  • explore meaningful, diverse and impact-measurable approaches to solving creative problems; and
  • accelerate building trust and collaboration with individuals and within organisations / companies.

The world needs more reasons to come together, share space, uncover intentions with understanding and safety as frameworks, through raising the literacy of how / why to put people in places of positive interactions.

Until then, subscribe to the monthly newsletter & podcast:

Published