New here? Start with this.
Welcome to Daring Next. You've found the crew.
What this is
A weekly newsletter for people navigating career pivots, learning to work with AI, and figuring things out in the messy middle.
Just honest documentation from someone maybe three steps ahead, with a crew brave enough to learn in public.
Who this is for
The unsure-but-curious. The “I have no idea what I’m doing but I’m doing it anyway” crowd. For those discovering their skills translate to AI work. Anyone building something new without a roadmap. People who keep picking their laptop back up even when they want to throw it. We’re refusing to stay stuck.
If you’re occasionally terrified but doing it anyway, you’re my people!
What you’ll get
Every Tuesday straight to your inbox:
Honest experiments with AI tools - what worked, what broke spectacularly, and what I’m still figuring out
Career pivot insights - navigating change without pretending to have it all sorted
Meta-cognitive reflections - not just what we’re learning, but what we’re discovering about HOW we learn
The wins that surprise me. The failures I’m sitting with. The questions that don’t have tidy answers yet.
What makes this different
This is reciprocal bravery in action.
Your mistakes matter here. Your questions shape what I explore next. Your courage fuels the rest of us. When you hit reply (and I hope you do), you’re not just consuming content - you’re contributing to what we’re all learning together.
This isn’t a front-row seat to watch me figure things out. This is us, learning together.
What changes when you join
You’ll stop feeling alone in the confusion. That “am I the only one who doesn’t get this?” feeling disappears when you realise you’re surrounded by people asking the same questions.
You’ll start seeing your “I have no idea what I’m doing” moments as evidence you’re growing, not failing. The messy middle isn’t something to hide - it’s proof you’re brave enough to start before you’re ready.
You’ll give yourself permission to learn in public. To share what broke. To ask questions that feel basic. To celebrate tiny wins. To admit when you’re stuck.
Most importantly: You’ll realise you’re not behind. You’re exactly where you need to be, learning exactly what you need to learn, with a crew who gets it.
This isn’t about becoming an expert. It’s about becoming someone who keeps going anyway.
Start here
Read a few recent posts to see if this resonates:
Career pivot at 43: what AI learning taught me about unlearning perfectionism
Weekly honest experiments, meta-cognitive insights, and proof you’re not doing this alone. Every Tuesday 🤩
Hit reply to any newsletter
I read every single response. Your questions, stories, and “me too” moments help shape what I write next. Seriously, hit reply. Even if it’s just “this resonated” or “I’m confused about X.” The crew learns from each other.
Follow along on Notes
Daily thoughts, behind-the-scenes moments, and the stuff that doesn’t quite fit in a full newsletter. Think of it as our ongoing conversation: Notes
A bit about me
Kia ora! I’m Dallas, writing from a tiny rural town in Aotearoa New Zealand where my best ideas arrive somewhere between muddy farm paddocks and two very happy dogs.
I spent 20 years in administration roles - making systems hum, finding missing files, teaching spreadsheets to behave and coordinating mayhem. Turns out, those years of anticipating needs and creating clarity from chaos are exactly what makes you effective with AI tools.
So, I pivoted. Not because I had it all figured out, but because staying stuck felt worse than trying something new.
Now I’m learning to vibe code with AI, building things I don’t know how to build yet, and documenting every uncomfortable bit. I’m just figuring out the how as I go along.
I’m not a developer. I’m not a tech guru. I’m three steps ahead of where you might be, thirty steps behind the experts, and honest about both.
What I’m building
Daring Next is a crew of people brave enough to learn in the messy middle, make mistakes, and keep moving forward anyway. We’re career pivoters, AI experimenters, and professional uncertainty navigators who refuse to stay stuck.
We share what’s working, what broke, and what we’re sitting with. We celebrate progress without pretending we’ve arrived. We ask questions that don’t have tidy answers. We make our mistakes visible so others can learn from them.
If you’re ready to figure out what’s next, pull up a chair.
Ready to join?
Subscribe to get weekly honest experiments, meta-cognitive insights, and a reminder that you’re not alone in this. Every Tuesday in your inbox.
Read a few posts, lurk in the Notes, see if this feels like your kind of crew. We’ll be here when you’re ready.
Let’s grow tall together.
Dallas
You had me at meta-cognitive 😎👍