I spent the last month away from the office. I do this every year in an effort to keep my European clients from dumping all of their work in my lap while they log off and relax. (Hi, European clients! I love you. Truly, I do.) I had the intention of taking time to do additional days of volunteer work, spend time with my son during his brief summer break, and generally get some mental distance from everything. I'd come back refreshed and ready to go!

Eh, one out of three isn't bad, right?

While spending time with my kid was definitely a delight, there was also an onslaught of extended family stuff that weighed heavily. I found myself thinking a lot about my time, my work, and where I wanted to focus my attentions.

And then Dolly Parton died.

(Bear with me, this will come full circle.)

​Dolly was obviously a very successful singer, writer, and performer. But what became clear in the days after her death was the fact that almost no one was talking about her career as an artist. They were talking about who she was as a person.* Her philanthropy. Her $1 million support of research into the development of the Moderna Covid vaccine. Her support of the LGBTQ+ community even back at a time when such things were generally not done publicly by celebrities.

I found myself asking: how do I want to be remembered?

Do I want people to stand up at my funeral and talk about my work? Do I want them to say, wow, she was a really great content strategist? Do I want them to say hey, remember that she won an award, or wrote a book, or spoke at a conference?

Or do I want them to remember my actions? That I was the friendly face at the food pantry? The one who fought for them against unnecessary data collection in order to receive services? The neighbor who was always there to help out if your washer died, or you needed meal delivery after surgery, or a pet sitter when you traveled?

I realized that I wanted to be more like Dolly.

But I also realized that I wanted to surround myself with people like Dolly. Am I working with good people? Am I working with people who want to make a difference, or am I working with people who want to cash a paycheck? (No shame in the paycheck. We all have to eat. But there also has to be more than the paycheck at play.)

I think that the next few months are going to involve some planning, goal setting, and seeking like-minded Dollies. Because life is short, y'all. And I want to do some good.

If you have any suggestions for where I should consider directing my efforts in 2027, do reply to this email and let me know. I am open to ideas.

* An amazing side note: I remember when I was a kid, Dolly was kind of a punchline: talented, sure, but more known for her boobs and her wigs. When I asked my 20yo what he knew about Dolly Parton, he talked about her philanthropy and not her appearance. That is an impressive life arc in the span of a single generation.

The public sector is grappling with how to handle AI implementation and use. This handbook is a good starting point for these discussions.

​Have you considered a fellowship focusing on AI safety?

​Will and Holly Alpine guest authored the Connecting the Dots newsletter about the impacts of AI. "[The] 'AI and climate' story most people know – the one about data center power and water use – leaves out AI’s biggest climate impact: its role in expanding fossil fuel production." A new peer-reviewed study Will and Holly co-authored puts a number on that impact for the first time.

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​Reduce your Scope 3 emissions​

Alisa Bonsignore

Founder, Strategist, and Author