May Favorites


Hey there, This week, I'm sharing a quick recap of my favorite lessons, reads, and shares of the month. We'll be back to the usual articles next week.

If you came across anything great this month (whether it’s a book, podcast, or insight) I’d love to hear about it! Just hit reply and share what you loved.

May 2025 Recap

Read this on the web | Subscribe


Reads

Recently, I did something I don’t usually do: a tandem read. I picked up Co-Intelligence by Ethan Mollick and Remember Love by Cleo Wade around the same time, and surprisingly, they paired beautifully.

Co-Intelligence explores our future with AI and offers one of the clearest, most human-centered frameworks I’ve seen for how to think about this tech. It’s different from most AI books because it’s short, practical, and skips the hype and fear-mongering.

Remember Love is a poetic collection of essays on navigating change. It’s the kind of book that reminds you to breathe. The pairing worked unexpectedly well: one helped me think more clearly about what’s coming, the other was a reminder in staying grounded.

The Good: Both are quick reads with big impact. Co-Intelligence is hands down the best AI book I’ve read so far. I loved how it focused on real-life applications (chapters like “AI as a Creative” and “AI as a Coworker”). His philosophy felt especially aligned with the approach I take with Idea Kitchen.

Meanwhile, Remember Love was great because it was raw and brought up topics most people never say aloud.

The Bad: Only that tandem reads usually don’t work this well, so now my bar is high.

Highly recommend either on their own. But if you’re feeling both curious and a little overwhelmed by all the change lately, read them together.

Some Highlights:

Co-intelligence perfectly describing where I think most companies are going wrong with their approach to AI integration -

Remember Love on self care during unstable times -

(Side note: I have a Telegram group chat for people who like reading non-fiction books to share highlights and current reads. If you'd like an invite, reply to this email with the best nonfiction book you read last year and what you're reading next.)


Listens

I’ve been absolutely hooked on a new podcast called Meme Team by my friends Sonia and Amanda. If traditional marketing gives you the ick (think car salesman energy), this show is the antidote. It’s perfect for anyone trying to grow something without selling their soul.

Also, Freakonomics has been on fire lately. Their series, How to Succeed at Failing, is a must-listen. It’s not your typical fail-fast fluff. Part 2 hit me hard as a new parent, and I loved the failure stories in Part 3.

When you say, “fail fast,” “fail often,” “big smile on your face” — you know, most people, “Oh, yeah, I get it. I see, innovation, blah, blah, blah.” But, at a deeper level, wait a minute. Failure’s not good, right? I don’t want a failure and I don’t want to fail, so I’ll pretend I agree with that, but in reality, no way. It’s just wrong. Failure is bad.

And if you’re in the mood for something a little more unexpected, their recent episode The Most Powerful People You’ve Never Heard Of is wild. It pulls back the curtain on commodity traders (people who profit off war, sanctions, and supply chain chaos). It sounds dry, but trust me, it’s fascinating. Feels especially relevant right now.


Shares

In case you missed it, I shared three new articles this month:

What the Best Remote Teams Do Differently

Before remote work went mainstream, a few teams were already thriving. Here are the four strategies they’ve stuck with for over a decade.

→ Read it

The Goldilocks Guide to Leadership

Too much control stifles progress. Too little creates chaos. Here's how to find the “just right” leadership style your remote team actually needs.

​→ Read it

Your Remote Team Cheat Sheet

Personal ReadMe 101: What it is, why it matters, and how to write your own (including examples)

​→ Read it


Work Forward Society

Want to meet others who do work differently?

Join us in making 2025 your year of less meetings and more real work!

What did you think of this issue? What do you hope to see in the next one? Hit reply and let me know. I read every response.

I truly appreciate you taking the time to read this. Hope you have a lovely day!

Marissa
​Founder, Remote Work Prep

P.S.

  • Did you enjoy this issue? Share the article with a friend.
  • Struggling with a remote work problem? Book a coaching call.
  • If you liked this, consider supporting this free newsletter by leaving a testimonial.

Remotely Interesting

9-5, Monday-Friday, in-person office work are all relics of the past. Let's revolutionize how you live by changing how you work.

Read more from Remotely Interesting

Read this on the web | Subscribe Too hot. Too cold. Just right. This classic framework from Goldilocks and the Three Bears mirrors one of the biggest struggles I see in remote team leadership: finding the right balance in how you manage. When it comes to leading distributed teams, most people fall into one of two extremes. There’s the micromanager: constantly checking in, obsessing over activity, piling on meetings and processes that disrupt more than they help. Then there’s the hands-off...

Hey there, Quick update: I’m hosting Cooking with AI (Live!) tomorrow — a walkthrough of four easy recipes to get started using AI: ✅ Shopping smarter with Perplexity✅ Turning experts into mentors using NotebookLM✅ Personalized recommendations using image analysis from ChatGPT✅ Building your first AI assistant bot (no code required) with a custom GPT Come see how each one works in practice and get ideas for how to fit them into your own workflow. Anyone can attend live for free, and paid...

Read this on the web | Subscribe Imagine joining a team and instantly knowing how to work well with your manager or colleague. No awkward guesswork, no stumbling through miscommunications. That’s what a Personal ReadMe unlocks. It’s a short, thoughtful document that outlines how to work with you effectively. Think of it as your professional user manual, a quick-start guide that answers questions like: How do you work best? What’s your preferred communication style? What are the values and...