Conduit

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Conduit episodes

May 21128: Ways of Working
Jay and Kathy have worked together on conduit for years but how do they work with others. The gang does a “ways of working” exercise to find out.
Visit YouConduitLive.com to get info on the live show in Toronto in July!
Links and Show Notes: Checked Connections
- Jay ✅ - Context switch by taking a walk
- Kathy ✅ - Get better and rest AND schedule the ENT
Keep sending those MyConduit Connections to us on Discord and through Feedback!
New Connections
- Jay - Be more concise
- Kathy - Put the clothes away
For Our Super Conductors:
Pre-Show: Sickness, Losing Things, and Water bills
Post-Show: Cleaning up
Credits
Music: When You Smile
Executive Producers: Relay FM Discord Community
Support Conduit with a Relay Membership Submit Feedback Constructive Criticism: How to Give and Take at Work [2025] • Asana
1 hr 16 min
May 07127: Different Browser, Different Brain
Two distractions, one focus, and a brain that's barely keeping up. Kathy and Jay get into context switching and why AI is making it harder instead of easier. Also, why a fake commute home might save your evenings, and how something as small as a different
Links and Show Notes: Checked Connections
- Kathy ✅ - Slow Down and take moments
- Jay ❌ - Check the Soil - Maybe water a tea pet to avoid the overwatering desire
Keep sending those MyConduit Connections to us on Discord and through Feedback!
New Connections
- Kathy - Get better and rest AND schedule the ENT
- Jay - context switch by taking a walk
For Our Super Conductors:
Pre-Show: You do you. What content do you consume and why
Post-Show: Wrapping up and Resting
Credits
Music: When You Smile
Executive Producers: Relay FM Discord Community
Support Conduit with a Relay Membership Submit Feedback Chill Music Lab - YouTube Conduit Live Show - July 18th, 2026
52 min
April 23126: Precision and Pruning
This week, Jay and Kathy explore the power of scaling down, from mini watering cans and finding your own pond, they discuss why narrowing your scope and your tools can help you find better focus in the moment.
Links and Show Notes: Checked Connections
- Jay ❌ - Work on Render Engine
- Kathy ✅ - Go to the hotel gym once
Keep sending those MyConduit Connections to us on Discord and through Feedback!
New Connections
- Jay - Check the Soil - Maybe water a tea pet to avoid the overwatering desire
- Kathy - Slow Down and take moments, ENT followup
For Our Super Conductors:
Pre-Show: Kathy at JordanCon and hotel eating
Post-Show: Homelabbing Errors
Credits
Music: When You Smile
Executive Producers: Relay FM Discord Community
Support Conduit with a Relay Membership Submit Feedback Home - JordanCon Conduit Live Show - Toronto on July 18th
56 min
April 09125: Systems Check Spring 2026
Subtitle: We Love Happier
Permission to get out of bed denied! Kathy talks about how gym life has got her feeling confident and energized. Jay has declared bankruptcy and is letting AI do more and more.
Also: Live Show Info Announced!
Links and Show Notes: Checked Connections
- Kathy ✅ - Consistently use my paper planner
- Jay ❌ - IDK but Manila was amazing
Keep sending those MyConduit Connections to us on Discord and through Feedback!
New Connections
- Kathy - Visit a hotel gym at least once
- Jay - Work to complete one issue on my website building tool
For Our Super Conductors:
Pre-Show: Burn Out and conversations about AI
Post-Show: Kathy playing Red Dead Redemption II and Jay is watching Anime
Credits
Music: When You Smile
Executive Producers: Relay FM Discord Community
Support Conduit with a Relay Membership Submit Feedback Conduit Live Show - July 18th, 2026 in Toronto
1 hr 19 min
March 26124: I’m a Failing Nuclear Power Plant with James Thomson
James joins Kathy again to give an update on the past years since he's last been on Conduit, and it's a lot. Warning: there is a lot of talk about serious medical conditions, death, dying, and burnout. It's okay to skip if you can't handle that.
This episode of Conduit is sponsored by:
Vitally: Your Copilot for AI-Powered Customer Success. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when you book a qualified meeting.
Guest Starring:
James Thomson
Links and Show Notes: Checked Connections
- James ✅ - Without sounding too Catholic about it, it has been two years since my last connection. I had to go and search the podcast transcripts for panda references. I said then that I was taking a break for family health reasons, and I guess I get to give myself a green checkmark for successfully taking the time and saying no to lots of things. But I could never say no to you, Kathy, and so I’m back.
- Kathy ✅🟨❌ - complete projects for state
Keep sending those MyConduit Connections to us on Discord and through Feedback!
New Connections
- James - Continue to say no to things, and try to work within my capabilities, both emotionally and physically.
- Kathy - Consistently use my paper planner
For Our Super Conductors:
Pre-Show: Being tiredness
Post-Show: Acknowledging the heaviness of life and getting through it
Credits
Music: When You Smile
Executive Producers: Relay FM Discord Community
Support Conduit with a Relay Membership Submit Feedback Carisa Hendrix aka Lucy Darling
1 hr 9 min
March 12123: The Art of Giving Feedback
Subtitle: Never Assign to Malice What you Can to Stupidity
Jay and Kathy tackle how to give constructive feedback at work and interviews and peer reviews. They discussed assuming positive intent, cultural dynamics, power dynamics, and making criticism actionable.
Links and Show Notes: Checked Connections
- Kathy ✅ - Take things to the post office
- Jay ❌ - Work on slides
Keep sending those MyConduit Connections to us on Discord and through Feedback!
New Connections
- Kathy - complete projects for state
- Jay - Make one new friend
For Our Super Conductors:
Pre-Show: Spicy Unicorn Soup, all the travel for Jay, and flying like a gremlin
Post-Show: Homelabbing again, and traveling again, plus burnout
Credits
Music: When You Smile
Executive Producers: Relay FM Discord Community
Support Conduit with a Relay Membership Submit Feedback
58 min
February 26122: There is No One True Anything with Merlin Mann
Jay is gone again, so Kathy brings back Merlin Mann to discuss productivity porn as well as a ton of other topics of import.
Guest Starring:
Merlin Mann
Links and Show Notes: Checked Connections
- Merlin ✅ - Working on collecting the old sites and Fives list
- Kathy ✅ - Get ready for unicorning cowork
Keep sending those MyConduit Connections to us on Discord and through Feedback!
New Connections
- Merlin - Keep working on the site thing
- Kathy - Take things to the post office
For Our Super Conductors:
Pre-Show: LIDar on iOS. How do you know if you’re ladder is against the right wall?
Post-Show: Embracing the chaos
Credits
Music: When You Smile
Executive Producers: Relay FM Discord Community
Conduit e122 Links
Merlin's One Good Things
Where Everybody Knows Your Name: Judy Greer (Ted Danson, Conan O'Brien Network) -- "I went in thinking, oh, this looks really good, and I ended up liking it probably twice as much as I expected."
Judy Greer -- Cheryl/Carol on Archer, Kitty Sanchez on Arrested Development. "It was neat to hear her talk about how important it was for her to get better at acting."
Typora -- WYSIWYG Markdown editor ($15). "A really nice balance of what I'm looking for" -- discovered through the 5ives redesign work with Claude.
Judi Dench speech on The Graham Norton Show -- "Made me cry."
Kathy's One Good Thing
Flavor Flav sponsoring the US women's hockey team -- Vegas celebration for the gold-medal team. Merlin responded by rapping "Bring the Noise" from memory.
Merlin's Shows
Do By Friday (with Alex Cox)
Reconcilable Differences (with John Siracusa)
Roderick on the Line (with John Roderick)
Productivity / Publishing
Inbox Zero -- "I'm the inbox zero guy." Merlin originated the concept; the world turned it into a marketing term.
43folders.com -- "In 2004, there were not a lot of websites about how to deal with your productivity problems as a Mac user."
Back to Work (5by5) -- former podcast
David Allen / Getting Things Done -- "He claims he's the laziest man in the world, and I've always admired that he says that."
Danny O'Brien and the 2005 ETech "Life Hacks" talk -- "Danny and I are both so addled and odd and different... his energy was just incandescent to be around." The conference where Merlin's laptop had Wi-Fi for the first time.
Site Meter -- "There's your life before site meter and your life after site meter." The little GIF badge that counted page loads and launched a million blog vanity spirals.
5ives & Typography
5ives -- Merlin's list site (2002), 450 lists, being revived. "I'm pleased with myself. I like that I made four hundred and fifty lists that some people thought were funny in the 2000s."
Matthew Butterick -- fonts, Practical Typography. "One of those people where I'm just interested in your deal," like Simon Willison or Edgar Wright. Merlin bought the entire font set during a bout of situational depression and is finally using them for the 5ives redesign.
Movies & TV
The Hollow Crown (BBC) -- Trailer. "Look at that stacked cast." Ben Whishaw, Tom Hiddleston, Sophie Okonedo, Rory Kinnear. Merlin told Kathy to buy it on Apple TV "or I can pirate it for you."
Kenneth Branagh's Henry V (1989) -- "My number one movie that I recommend." "You don't even need to understand what they're saying. It'll still give you shivers."
Mark Rylance: St. Crispin's Day speech at the Globe -- "It gives you a different kind of shivers, like a different part of your neck and your back." Merlin recited part of the speech from memory.
The Death of Stalin (2017) -- "A very dark, very funny film" by Armando Iannucci.
Veep / The Thick of It -- "It's gonna be difficult difficult lemon difficult." Both Iannucci. Led to Merlin imagining Matthew Butterick as a Veep restaurant reservation alias.
Women Talking (2022) / Men (2022) -- Merlin's suggested double feature for mom's night. "Start with Women Talking, back with Men." Jessie Buckley, Rory Kinnear.
Our Flag Means Death -- Merlin named his Mac Studio "Buttons" after Ewen Bremner's Mr. Buttons ("the guy from Trainspotting"). Rhys Darby, Kristian Nairn ("Hodor's on there. He's a big fella.").
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) -- "Just to be available." Merlin's favorite line, from Mr. Kylie the possum wanting to know his job in the big plan.
Music
Vikingur Olafsson: Goldberg Variations (Deutsche Grammophon, 2023) -- Merlin's current obsession. "I care so intensely about that." Discovered after years of only knowing Glenn Gould.
Glenn Gould: 1955 vs. 1981 Goldberg Variations -- The famous pair: 38 minutes of youthful showmanship vs. 51 minutes of deliberate structure.
Public Enemy -- "Bring the Noise" -- Merlin rapped the full opening verse from memory when Kathy mentioned Flavor Flav. "Bass, how low can you go?"
Poetry
Gwendolyn Brooks -- "We Real Cool" (video of her 1983 Guggenheim reading) -- "We real cool. We jazz June. We die soon." Merlin on hearing poetry "in the air" vs. on the page.
Sylvia Plath -- "Daddy" (her 1962 BBC recording) -- "You do not do, you do not do... you really hear something you didn't see on the page."
Books & Podcasts
Bessel van der Kolk on The Ezra Klein Show -- "One of my all-time favorite podcast episodes. It changed my life. Everything you know about trauma is screwing you up."
Off Menu -- celebrities describe their dream meal. The Amanda Seyfried episode taught Merlin about a kind of olive he now puts on Brussels sprouts.
Mr. Show with Bob and David -- source of the "hey everybody" drum bit Merlin does throughout. "I'm very, very, very specifically stealing it from a bit about the new Ku Klux Klan."
Blank Check (Griffin Newman) -- source of "the great ___" bit. "I'll credit Griffin Newman for that bit."
People
James Thompson (PCalc, Dice by PCalc) -- "What if twenty-sided dice fell on your head?" Merlin on how James finds delight in close-to-the-metal Apple tech.
Armando Iannucci -- "If you like English nerd comedy, he's really something."
Simon Willison, Matt Webb, danah boyd -- people Merlin follows because "I'm just interested in your deal."
Edgar Wright -- "I will just show up because I'm interested in what he's up to. I don't even care if I like his movie."
Ecamm Live -- streaming app Kathy uses for her unicorn co-working sessions.
Pre-Show (Superconductors only)
LiDAR accessibility features on iPhone -- Merlin fiddled with it on the street, "pointing his phone at people for a very long time."
Apple's breathing sleep LED -- the MacBook pulsing light. Kathy: "So relaxing, so unnecessary and delightful." Apple researched sleeping respiratory rates and chose the calmest end of the spectrum.
Erich Brenn, plate spinner, on The Ed Sullivan Show -- the origin of "spinning plates" as a metaphor. 8 appearances in the 1950s-60s.
Support Conduit with a Relay Membership Submit Feedback
1 hr 34 min
February 12121: A Tie-Dye of Work Being Done
Subtitle: What we ACTUALLY do: Jay, the Staff Developer Advocate
Conduit is two people that AREN’T productivity pros giving you messy real world advice for messy real world lives. We haven’t spent much time talk about what we ACTUALLY DO! This episode is about Jay, the Staff Developer Advocate.
This episode of Conduit is sponsored by:
Ecamm: Powerful live streaming platform for Mac.
Links and Show Notes: Checked Connections
- Jay ❌ - Review Slides
- Kathy ✅ - Work on List
Keep sending those MyConduit Connections to us on Discord and through Feedback!
New Connections
- Kathy - Get ready to unicorning cowork
- Jay - Do work preparation for Germany trip
For Our Super Conductors:
Pre-Show: Adding Whimsy to things
Post-Show: Jay reviews Copilot Money (not sponsored)
Credits
Music: When You Smile
Executive Producers: Relay FM Discord Community
Support Conduit with a Relay Membership Submit Feedback KJayMiller - Flamethrowers Shouldn't Be Controlled by Those with Mental Health Issues Black Python Devs
1 hr 6 min
January 29120: Sometimes, you're not ready for me. 💅🏻
Subtitle: What we ACTUALLY do: Kathy, the business unicorn.
Conduit is two people that AREN’T productivity pros giving you messy real world advice for messy real world lives. We haven’t spent much time talk about what we ACTUALLY DO! This episode is about Kathy, your business unicorn!
Links and Show Notes: Checked Connections
- Kathy ✅🟨❌ - Record a video
- Jay ✅🟨❌ - write the blog post
Keep sending those MyConduit Connections to us on Discord and through Feedback!
New Connections
- Kathy - Work on List
- Jay - Review Presentation
For Our Super Conductors:
Pre-Show: Setup, signing contracts, and legality of certain things
Post-Show: Superb Owls and sports talk
Credits
Music: When You Smile
Executive Producers: Relay FM Discord Community
Support Conduit with a Relay Membership Submit Feedback 7 Rules for Authentic Networking The Unicorn Sidekick Dragonmount Why Time Blocking Doesn't Work For ADHD & What To Do Instead - YouTube
1 hr 9 min
January 15119: The "Jerk-Free" Guide to Networking
"Networking" is a dirty word. Jay and Kathy break down how to build professional relationships without feeling slimy. From Jay’s strict rules to Kathy’s "vibes-based" approach, learn how to be authentic, add value, and network without being a jerk.
Links and Show Notes: Checked Connections
- Jay ✅ - Post Jaysies Winners on Jaysies.com, Post Black Python Devs Year in Review
- Kathy ❌ - Clean out half of the kitchen drawers
Keep sending those MyConduit Connections to us on Discord and through Feedback!
New Connections
- Jay - Networking Blog Post
- Kathy - Film one video
For Our Super Conductors:
Pre-Show: Jay is using AI with Things and we discuss how we feel about it
Post-Show: More AI discussions and how to work through your own feelings.
Credits
Music: When You Smile
Executive Producers: Relay FM Discord Community
Support Conduit with a Relay Membership Submit Feedback NotebookTherapy - Japanese + Korean Stationery Shipped Free Worldwide Bullet Planners & Dot Grid Journals 160gsm pages | Paint Pens – Archer and Olive 2025 Jaysies Timing Automatic Mac Time Tracker – Manual Timers Optional We Contain Multitudes - a podcast from The Incomparable
1 hr 11 min

About Conduit

From the publisher's feed

Conduit is providing the connection between what we should be doing and what ultimately gets done. Our hosts celebrate that they "Can" do it and explore the unique ways others do it as well. Hosted by…