Notes From the New World

Hosted by Chelsea Riffe

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Episodes

343

Latest episode

Oct 2026

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EN-US

About the show

The old world is crumbling. The new one is being built in real time... what are you building? Notes from the New World is a podcast for world builders: the deep thinkers, visionaries, philosophers and creators who ready to imagine something different, energizing and unconventional. We need new ways of operating now more than ever. Hosted by Chelsea Riffe, Internet Philosopher and Visibility Strategist, each episode explores how people are building new ways of living, working, and connecting, from unconventional business models to radically different ways of thinking about time, money, and relationships. What does it take to build a world you actually want to live in?

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60 recent

October 20, 202640 min

Friendship Is NOT Inconvenient, Working to Live Is with Edila Smith of The Link-Up

We'll spend thousands on business coaching without batting an eyelash, but the moment a friend asks us to join her big birthday party over a weekend, "we have to check the budget"... We fly across oceans for conferences, but hesitate when it comes to weddings, celebrations, or any other friendship focused event... Why is this? How did "friendship is inconvenient" become such a tagline this year? You know what's ACTUALLY inconvenient? Working to live! It's INSANE. This whole mindset of moving mountains for our business, but not our friends, is the reason loneliness is on the rise, isolation is more prevalent than ever, and why we keep joining Circle memberships instead of making plans IRL. How did we get here? And how can we turn this narrative around? It's something Edila Smith, the mastermind behind The Link-Up , is hellbent on changing, one gathering at a time. Edila and I BOTH believe friendship is truly the connective tissue of our society, and how we'll get through this capitalist hellscape together. We talk about: how to make plans even when you're exhausted (and investigating why we're so exhausted in the first place...) why getting groceries together "counts" and why we need to stop trying to be the most high energy friend every day how to be more community-minded vs. business-minded cool ways to center friendship and connection (including ideas for a Friendship Fund!) Edila's genius creation - The Link-Up - and why she believes gathering IRL is the lifeline we've all been looking for What if friendship came first, and business second? That's the world we want to live in. 🌴 Come join us at The Link-Up in Baja, Mexico Nov 1st - 5th! 🇲🇽 ⛵️ THE LINK-UP DEETS: 5 days/4 nights in a stunning boutique villa nestled between palm trees and the ocean A short distance from the ocean and minutes from Todos Santos Curated to support (re) connection, frienship-making and having big fun Equal parts "let's go for a swim" and "I didn't know I needed this conversation until now" Long table dinners with candles melting down and glasses clinking Afternoons by the pool with a DJ setting the perfect vibe Nourished with farm-to-table meals prepared by our private chef Built around full body aliveness and presence Made for the ones who want to step through a portal and leave their bags at the door The Link-Up is where you'll experience a renewed desire to L I V E your life, not just exist inside it. Apply right here , and mention my name in the app! DM Edi here with any questions :) Connect with Chelsea: 🌊 Audacity Waitlist - the pitching and visibility immersion for creative business owners 🪄 Ultimate Pitch Kit waitlist ☄️ SUPERNOVA waitlist 💻 Website 📜 Footnotes newsletter filled with rabbit holes, zeitgeist synthesis and more 📱 Instagram 🧵 Threads Help run NFNTW: Your donations help cover costs of running the show; you can help fund NFTNW right HERE. If you're unable to donate financially, share it. It all adds up! Want to sponsor NFTNW? Email team@chelseariffe.com to discuss partnership packages!

October 13, 202645 min

Off the Grid October - A Life Without Social Media Experiment

For YEARS, I've wanted to see what living and operating my business without social media would look like. October presented the perfect opportunity. From comparing social media scrolling to an addiction, realizing I extract the most from MYSELF when I'm on it, and the withdrawals and "phantom limb" energy of not sharing my entire day from my matcha to my observations on life, I cover it all. Tune in to hear a full report on the first few weeks of testing out an algorithm-free life, and what's to come. Connect with Chelsea: 🌊 Audacity Waitlist - the pitching and visibility immersion for creative business owners 🪄 Ultimate Pitch Kit waitlist ☄️ SUPERNOVA waitlist 💻 Website 📜 Footnotes newsletter filled with rabbit holes, zeitgeist synthesis and more 📱 Instagram 🧵 Threads Help run NFNTW: Your donations help cover costs of running the show; you can help fund NFTNW right HERE. If you're unable to donate financially, share it. It all adds up! Want to sponsor NFTNW? Email team@chelseariffe.com to discuss partnership packages!

October 6, 20261 hr 12 min

The Imagination Gap, Regenerative Business, and What Is Enough? with Ximena Servin

When we're firehosed with dystopian headlines like "AI will kill the human race within ten years" or "prepare for the largest economic downturn we've ever seen!", it's pretty fkn hard to IMAGINE a better future. But what if the problem isn't the news cycle... it's our imagination? What if we've been so conditioned by capitalism to not get a lil magical widdit, that we literally cannot picture a different way of operating? Ximena Servin , Mexican environmental internationalist, ocean lover, and regenerative business educator, is on today's ep to break down the "Imagination Gap", why most of us are stuck in "reflective impotence" (we know everything's wrong but can't figure out what to do), and how "cathedral thinking" — building something you'll never see completed — might be the only way forward. The main questions we explore: how to make flourishing more important than growth, what it takes to build a regenerative business, and how can we get comfortable with the concept of "enough"? We get into: What the imagination gap actually is and why capitalism makes it feel like we can never access this magical part of our brains Cathedral thinking and why the online coaching industry is structurally the opposite of this The solo founder obsession vs. collective, ecosystem-based business... and why Chelsea might need to de-center her own personal brand soon Why you can't be the next Elon Musk AND run a regenerative business (and why the "go to space" tech bro mentality has become so popular) Why infinite growth requires infinite extraction, and what "flourishing" actually looks like as a success metric Why the word "enough" triggers people into scarcity spirals Sacred economics, and how the story of scarcity is a self-fulfilling prophecy we keep agreeing to Storytelling as the tool for collective reimagination Practical imagination exercises, like giraffes riding bikes...seriously If you've been feeling stuck in short-term survival mode, questioning whether your business actually matters in what seems like a modern day apocalypse, or wondering if there's a way to build something that gives more than it takes, this episode is your invitation to stop optimizing for infinite growth and start building the cathedral you want to last for generations beyond you. Connect with Ximena: The Field - Regenerative Business Course Natipical Instagram Ximena's Instagram Connect with Chelsea: 🌊 Audacity Waitlist - the pitching and visibility immersion for creative business owners 🪄 Ultimate Pitch Kit waitlist ☄️ SUPERNOVA waitlist 💻 Website 📜 Footnotes newsletter filled with rabbit holes, zeitgeist synthesis and more 📱 Instagram 🧵 Threads Help run NFNTW: Your donations help cover costs of running the show; you can help fund NFTNW right HERE. If you're unable to donate financially, share it. It all adds up! Want to sponsor NFTNW? Email team@chelseariffe.com to discuss partnership packages!

September 29, 20261 hr 12 min

Building a Media Presence Worth Paying For, Escaping Substack, and Selling Your Business Without Selling Out with Lex Roman

Modern media is the connective tissue of our online society. Where we consume content, what we read, share, and save directly reflects our values, impacts behavior, and shifts culture. RIP Buzzfeed listicles :( Do you pay attention to the platforms you use? Who funds the media companies you publish on? Or why you're using them, and what for? Lex Roman, founder of Revenue Rulebreaker , a community-fueled small business media backed by over 400 paid subscribers, is on today's ep to break down the misunderstood world of indie (independent) media, paid subscriptions and other revenue models, and why Substack might be the absolute worst place to build your writing career. Seriously. The main question we explore: what if your audience was your investor — and that was enough? We get into: What indie media actually means and why it's so important in today's fragmented landscape Why Lex hates Substack with the fire of a thousand suns and thinks everyone needs to get off... yesterday (including specific examples of how they steal your audience and revenue ) The difference between a newsletter, an email list, and email marketing — and why we may be overcomplicating things Paid subscriptions vs. sponsorships vs. advertising: which revenue model fits your personality and daily workflow? How Lex sold her local politics newsletter, expanding our minds to what's possible when you have strong, valuable IP Subscription fatigue, the paywall police, and why patronage is not Netflix. The "dance for me because I paid you" mentality is tireddd How to stay hopeful in the media biz when tech CEOs are devolving into oligarchy and software prices are spiking 200% If you've been questioning your presence on Substack, wondering whether anyone would actually pay for your writing, or assuming funding only happens to the Call Her Daddy's of the world — this episode is your invitation to look at the media landscape differently and build using your own playbook (and how to break a rule or two 😉). Connect with Lex: Grab 20% off your first year of Lex's Legends subscription right HERE ! Revenue Rulebreaker Threads Connect with Chelsea: 🌊 Audacity Waitlist - the pitching and visibility immersion for creative business owners 🪄 Ultimate Pitch Kit waitlist ☄️ SUPERNOVA waitlist 💻 Website 📜 Footnotes newsletter filled with rabbit holes, zeitgeist synthesis and more 📱 Instagram 🧵 Threads Help run NFNTW: Your donations help cover costs of running the show; you can help fund NFTNW right HERE. If you're unable to donate financially, share it. It all adds up! Want to sponsor NFTNW? Email team@chelseariffe.com to discuss partnership packages!

September 15, 202656 min

The Art and Power of Reaching Out with Carly Valancy

What would happen if you reached out to one person every day for 100 days? What if reaching out was a part of your daily practice, just like meditation or hitting the gym? And WHAT IF doors you couldn't even imagine opening flung open for you, all from ONE reach out? Carly Valancy, the QUEEN of reaching out, and is on today's ep to share all about the art of this powerful, life-changing practice. We get into: How technically we could be classified as competitors, but consider each other Power Rangers: part of the same squad, focused on similar missions, and going about it different ways Why "if they wanted to, they would" is a phrase that needs to go in the trashcan ASAP The real difference between pitching, reaching out, and clout chasing... and how to tell which one you're doing Treating your scariest asks like experiments Rejection as data, not a verdict... and how Carly turned a "no" from a bestselling author into a "yes" just by getting clearer (SO inspired by this story!) What happens if everyone says yes and you don't know what to do with yourself? Why "out of your league" is a story you're telling yourself, and how pedestalizing people actually dehumanizes them Collaboration > competition If you've been overthinking your website, your follower count, or your "readiness" before reaching out to someone, this episode is an invitation to stop preparing and just hit send. Life is about who you know, after all. Connect with Carly: Reach Out Party Website Substack Instagram LinkedIn Tether Tool Connect with Chelsea: 🌊 Audacity Waitlist - the pitching and visibility immersion for creative business owners 🪄 Ultimate Pitch Kit waitlist ☄️ SUPERNOVA waitlist 💻 Website 📜 Footnotes newsletter filled with rabbit holes, zeitgeist synthesis and more 📱 Instagram 🧵 Threads Help run NFNTW: Your donations help cover costs of running the show; you can help fund NFTNW right HERE. If you're unable to donate financially, share it. It all adds up! Want to sponsor NFTNW? Email team@chelseariffe.com to discuss partnership packages!

September 8, 20261 hr 40 min

August State of the Internet with Xanthe Appleyard: Celeb News, Online Business Landscape Evolution, Weirdness is the Move, and Alix vs Alex (Again)

Xanthe Appleyard and I are BACK ON THE MIC breaking down August's biggest cultural headlines and zeitgeist moments... PLUS, we share 2 huge announcements up top! 👀 August's topics ran the gamit: From Hayden Panettiere's passing, Ariana Grande and Alysa Liu stepping back from the spotlight, and more celebs taking mental health breaks, we have to wonder: what do celebs owe us? Why do we feel entitled to know everything about public figures? And where can we learn to set, enforce, and not cross boundaries, especially in the online space? Patronage vs. transactional support – from Diabolical Lies' maternity leave subscription controversy to reframing paid memberships as investment rather than instant-gratification transactions, it's time to talk about new ways to support creators! "More is more" posting mentality – Debunking the idea that posting 10x more = success; using data to find what actually drives revenue, and growing followers through podcasts/pitching instead of just posting more Defining "enough" – Enough revenue, enough output, and prioritizing LIFE BUILDING over grinding it out at the content factory. Business model instability – Chasing followers as false security amid shifting launch models and buying habits. Imagination and dialing up the weirdness – period. Influencer industry news – Alix Earle's Netflix reality show, Alex Cooper shutting down Unwell Drinks, looking at their brand archetypes and what they represent, their media strategy, and what this all means at a macro level. We discuss everything through the lens of online leadership, digital behavior, and modern philosophy. You’ll leave with clear takeaways to move forward with, as well as a deeper understanding of how these topics are already impacting the conversations you’re leading, online and off. The internet is chaos — we'll help you make sense of it from our corner of it all ;) Connect with Xanthe: Instagram NEW Lifestyle Instagram Social Life Website Connect with Chelsea: 🌊 Audacity Waitlist - the pitching and visibility immersion for creative business owners 🪄 Ultimate Pitch Kit waitlist ☄️ SUPERNOVA waitlist 💻 Website 📜 Footnotes newsletter filled with rabbit holes, zeitgeist synthesis and more 📱 Instagram 🧵 Threads Help run NFNTW: Your donations help cover costs of running the show; you can help fund NFTNW right HERE. If you're unable to donate financially, share it. It all adds up! Want to sponsor NFTNW? Email team@chelseariffe.com to discuss partnership packages!

September 2, 20261 hr 2 min

Gremlin Mode, Side Quests as Strategy, and Leading a Soft Rebellion with Alicia Koo

What if instead of booking a 90 min strategy intensive, $5000 VIP Day, or joining yet another mastermind on top of the four you've taken in the last two years... you went GREMLIN MODE?! What if going on side quests was the missing piece all along?! In today's episode, I chat with Alicia Koo of The Daily Atelier all about: Using silly goose energy as a strategic tool to sustain energy while carrying a heavy load... and where a stuffed frog comes into play (yes, really) Anger as a creative force vs. destruction. What's the difference between repression and diplomacy btw? How to stop the slam-dunk energy rampant on Threads and channel frustration into solutions FAFO aka f*cking around and finding out... why is low-stakes exploratory research only for freshman in college? Let's reclaim that energy plzzz. Giving "branding" a rebrand. Put down the logos, fonts, and colors, and pick up a convicted opinion and a plan! What Japan's food-waste stickers or cheeky zines about AI use disarm people and drive real change Audacity as boldness, not recklessness If you've been lost in the sauce, spiraling about how everything LOOKS, this episode is an invitation to shake up that energy and try a totally new approach focused on fun, play, and jester-like energy! Connect with Alicia: Find Your Brand's Soft Rebellion Free Resource Website Instagram Threads Connect with Chelsea: 🌊 Audacity Waitlist - the pitching and visibility immersion for creative business owners 🪄 Ultimate Pitch Kit waitlist ☄️ SUPERNOVA waitlist 💻 Website 📜 Footnotes newsletter filled with rabbit holes, zeitgeist synthesis and more 📱 Instagram 🧵 Threads Help run NFNTW: Your donations help cover costs of running the show; you can help fund NFTNW right HERE. If you're unable to donate financially, share it. It all adds up! Want to sponsor NFTNW? Email team@chelseariffe.com to discuss partnership packages!

August 25, 20261 hr 1 min

How to Stop Waiting for The Invitation, Build Audacity in Baby Steps & Gamify Visibility with Agata Serocka

If you're an introvert, Projector in Human Design, or subscribe to the "if they wanted to, they would" line of thinking, this episode is for you. Agata Serocka comes on the show today as a spokesperson for Projectors, who think reaching out, pitching, and asking for what they want isn't part of their strategy. We get into how to build a signal, BECOME the invitation, and not miss out on life's biggest opportunities by sitting in the passenger seat. We talk about: Reframing "waiting for the invitation" and how to move beyond the LITERAL interpretation to actively create conditions (podcasting, writing, showing up) that invite opportunities. Making outreach and pitching feel warm and not annoying AF. Building genuine rapport, finding connections, and doing research before reaching out vs. cold-pitching someone "hey girl haven't talked since we were 16 but would love for you to join my course! Link in bio!" Reframing labels (Projector, HSP, ADHD, rejection-sensitive) as data points to design a personalized, sustainable approach to visibility and business. Discernment over volume. How to say no to opportunities that don't fit, and trusting what's meant to work out, will! Making pitching fun and creative again. Gamify audacity by using playful approaches like quests, small asks, and outlandish ideas to build confidence and make outreach sustainable vs. another "ugh, I have to do that?" chore Connect with Agata: The Culture of Unrushing Podcast on Spotify and Apple Substack Waitlist to Agata's mastermind Experience Audit Freebie Connect with Chelsea: 🌊 Audacity Waitlist - the pitching and visibility immersion for creative business owners 🪄 Ultimate Pitch Kit waitlist ☄️ SUPERNOVA waitlist 💻 Website 📜 Footnotes newsletter filled with rabbit holes, zeitgeist synthesis and more 📱 Instagram 🧵 Threads Help run NFNTW: Your donations help cover costs of running the show; you can help fund NFTNW right HERE. If you're unable to donate financially, share it. It all adds up! Want to sponsor NFTNW? Email team@chelseariffe.com to discuss partnership packages!

August 17, 202629 min

How to Shoot Your Shot to Skyrocket Visibility, Develop Confidence and Magnetize Cold Hard Cash

If I had to change my title, it would be Professional Shot Shooter. It's how I came up with the concept of Orbit Jumping . It's why I'm bullish on partnerships and collabs, it's why my business is running, profitable and energizing to this day, it's why I believe with every fiber of my being this is the answer to push back against Tech CEO Psychosis. We're in an era where we need humans banding together more than ever. You know this. I know this. We all do!!! And it all starts with moves being made. One shot. One ask. One request. This episode dives into nearly 20 ways to shoot your shot, ranging from asking your credit card to lower your interest rate to doing astrology readings at the local farmer's market to landing a byline in an indie magazine. The options are truly endless when you think outside the box! I've helped over 100+ clients realize the world is their oyster when they understand the art of shooting their shot. We'll be discussing alllllll the above inside the Shoot Your Shot Challenge going down August 25th - 27th (or 28th if you go VIP for more direct hot seat coaching!) The details: Runs August 25th - 27th (or 28th if you jump into the VIP Bonus Hot Seat Coaching Sesh!) $99 for VIP | $33 for the 3 day experience All calls recorded and sent as a replay if you can't make it live Mix of lessons + Q&A SHOTS WILL BE SHOT ;) Grab your spot RIGHT HERE Connect with Chelsea: 🌊 Audacity Waitlist - the pitching and visibility immersion for creative business owners 🪄 Ultimate Pitch Kit waitlist ☄️ SUPERNOVA waitlist 💻 Website 📜 Footnotes newsletter filled with rabbit holes, zeitgeist synthesis and more 📱 Instagram 🧵 Threads Help run NFNTW: Your donations help cover costs of running the show; you can help fund NFTNW right HERE. If you're unable to donate financially, share it. It all adds up! Want to sponsor NFTNW? Email team@chelseariffe.com to discuss partnership packages!

August 11, 20261 hr 4 min

Your Legacy is a Life Well Lived with Sienna J. Brown

The word "legacy" often triggers images of plaques, awards, or conversations people have when you're no longer in the room. It's thought of as something you leave behind. But Sienna J. Brown also believes it's a life well lived. In this episode, Sienna and I talk about: The Corporate America-to-entrepreneurship pipeline and why "take the leap and never looking back!!!" can actually be terrible advice (and how to build sustainably instead) Why the "Rags to Riches" narrative gets glamorized and why stability should actually be the Main Character instead Legacy as a live well lived, not just the impact you make in your lifetime, and how the way you show up for your neighbor, grandma, and community matters just as much as professional milestones Sienna's "Life First Philosophy" and the life audit framework to design a business that actually matches how you feel AND what you want Intentional time design and how to release the soul-sucking corporate conditioning of self-surveillance This episode was such an energizing reminder that the way your life FEELS is much more important than how it looks. And that's exactly what Sienna helps you do ;) Connect with Sienna: Join The Legacy Lab Foundations for the Future Podcast on Spotify & Apple Resources Instagram Connect with Chelsea: 🌊 Audacity Waitlist - the pitching and visibility immersion for creative business owners 🪄 Ultimate Pitch Kit waitlist ☄️ SUPERNOVA waitlist 💻 Website 📜 Footnotes newsletter filled with rabbit holes, zeitgeist synthesis and more 📱 Instagram 🧵 Threads Help run NFNTW: Your donations help cover costs of running the show; you can help fund NFTNW right HERE. If you're unable to donate financially, share it. It all adds up! Want to sponsor NFTNW? Email team@chelseariffe.com to discuss partnership packages!