burst your bubble
At Lunch: Edition #16 — 12/19/2025
Over a couple of pastas, a hanger steak and a chilled red…
The Smoke
Holidays are here, take some time to recharge. I definitely will be.
See you in 2026.
The Bite
Burst your bubble.
Job market woes are, by now, something people are very familiar with. Most people are aware how difficult it is out there for people across many sectors—regardless of the fact that the traditional data sources we use to judge the market only just now have waived some warning flags. I read an article this week in the WSJ that now white collar workers are worrying about job security. Makes sense.
There was one quote that really stopped me in my tracks. A woman who had been looking for work (along with her husband) said “…if the economy isn’t working for us, who is it working for?”
It felt so untethered to reality. Of course we all don’t experience the same things and we all have our own news cycles, but it takes work to ignore what so many people have been screaming about for so long. (An unfortunately common phenomenon these days.)
We all need to acknowledge reality on a grand scale. Corporate workers thinking of “the economy” as only the stock market and GDP continually puts everyone in danger. Relying entirely on the data or systems that have historically measured economic health isn’t enough.
Something you learn as a strategist is that without understanding all the information (relevant in your world or not,) you’re leaving yourself vulnerable to risk.
Don’t be self absorbed, it’s not cute and it will be your downfall.
Find the bigger picture.
The Apéritif
The Meritocracy Trap. This is on my winter break reading list. An argument you can use for any ridiculous things your older family says at dinner.
Play chess, that’s all.