Doors, Deepfakes, and the Algorithm I Built | Voice Notes

Doors, Deepfakes, and the Algorithm I Built | Voice Notes

Three things are capturing my attention in pop culture this week, and they have almost nothing to do with each other — which is exactly why I can't stop thinking about them. First: Threads. I was never a Twitter person, I deleted TikTok to be less distracted, and lately Instagram just feels like too much. But Threads has become one of the happiest, most affirming, genuinely funny places I land — people writing mini novels in the comments, telling wild stories, all of it. I built an algorithm that actually feels like me, and the funny part is it's a Meta platform. So now I've got a full-blown love-hate relationship with Meta, all because of Threads. Second: the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. A little over a year ago I saw this strange building going up by the lake and had no idea what it was. Now that it's done, it makes complete sense — the speech carved as lattice into the windows, the door-of-no-return symbolism, and the fact that it's not just a presidential library but a community center with basketball courts, a sledding hill, and a Chicago public library. What moved me most was who showed up: the Obamas, the Clintons, and the Bushes, genuinely respecting each other across the aisle. That, and a Michelle Obama speech that was epic, funny, and authentic. Third: The Capture (on Peacock in the US). A British thriller that was years ahead of its time on AI, video, and surveillance — back for a third season and more relevant than ever. The whole premise turns on "Correction," where live video gets edited in real time using AI. It's a complicated, genuinely entertaining look at technology we haven't figured out how to live with yet. Holliday Grainger is captivating, and fun fact: season one starred Callum Turner — now Dua Lipa's husband and rumored next James Bond. What are you watching, reading, or listening to right now? Tell me — your recommendations keep showing up in these episodes.

Voice Notes: Three Yeses and a Disappointment

This week's Voice Notes: three things I can't stop recommending, and one celebrity who lost me. Brené Brown and Adam Grant's new podcast The Curiosity Shop, the tradwife thriller Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke, and season two of The Four Seasons on Netflix — plus why Gwyneth Paltrow disappointed me this week. They looked like four unrelated things. They turned out to be the same conversation: the difference between real intellectual curiosity and the performance of it.

Where I've Been (Spoiler: I Wrote a Book)

It's been a minute. If you've noticed, the podcast has been sporadic at best for the first part of this year — and I want to explain what's been happening. The short version: I was writing a book. Not the one I told you about last year, but a completely different one that grew out of my Word of the Year workbook and turned into fifty thousand words in about two months. You'll have to wait for the title — that's for another episode — but the cover is designed, the name is locked, and it's coming November 11th. I also get into the plot twist of my word of the year: Amplify didn't mean getting louder. It meant amplifying my ideas internally before I could put them out into the world. Key Takeaways • Amplify didn't mean "post more" — it meant amplifying my ideas internally before I could put them out into the world. • My Word of the Year workbook spiraled into a complete book — fifty thousand words in about two months. • I wrote it by using my own methodology on myself: assemble, refine, try. • Coming Soon! — November 11. • A word I choose to design my life always surprises me. The disconnect between the dictionary definition and how I live it is the most interesting part. In This Episode (Timestamps) • 0:00 — The cold open: Amplify did the opposite of what I expected • 0:40 — It's been a minute: where the podcast went • 1:30 — Bigger ideas percolating: the mastermind and the "messy middle" • 3:00 — Debuting the ART framework through the Word of the Year workbook • 4:30 — The realization: I was writing a completely different book • 6:00 — 50,000 words, and using my own methodology on myself • 7:30 — What the book actually is: memoir, self-help, how-to • 8:45 — The withhold: cover designed, name locked, November 11 • 10:00 — Back to Amplify: amplifying internally before externally • 12:00 — Why a word, not a resolution — and how it surprises you • 13:30 — Why I wrote it: the prescription I needed for the transition • 15:00 — What's next: more episodes, the reveal, save the date

She Nearly Died in a Houston ER. Now, Rayna Reid Rayford Is Building the App Every Black Mother Needs

At 30 weeks pregnant, Rayna Reid Rayford walked into a Houston ER in excruciating pain. They sent her home. Dehydration, they said. She came back a week later, still in agony. Same diagnosis. Same dismissal. What changed everything? Five physician family members in town for her baby shower. They asked the questions. They demanded the MRI. They found the acute necrotizing appendicitis that would have killed her if she'd been sent home again. She's one of the lucky ones. And she couldn't stop thinking about the ones who aren't. Pregnant and Black launches April 11th during Black Maternal Health Week — a free app connecting Black expectant mothers with culturally competent healthcare advocates who can be virtually present during appointments or emergencies. No insurance required. In this conversation, we cover: * Why Harris County is the deadliest place in America for Black women to give birth * What it felt like to be a lawyer with a family of doctors and still not be believed * The Serena and Beyoncé parallel: money doesn't protect you * How the app handles privacy in post-Roe Texas * Why joy — not just safety — is the right word for what Black maternal health should look like * And what it costs to build something on top of a trauma App launches April 11th at the Advocacy and Action Benefit Brunch, Westin Houston Downtown. Honoree: LeToya Luckett, founding member of Destiny's Child and maternal health advocate. pregnantandblack.com [https://pregnantandblack.com] @pregnantnblack [https://instagram.com/pregnantnblack] @raynareidrayford [https://instagram.com/raynareidrayford] davidpeck.co [https://davidpeck.co] @itsdavidpeck [https://instagram.com/itsdavidpeck] 00:00 — Harris County is the deadliest place in America for Black women to give birth 01:09 — Introducing Rayna Reid Rayford and Pregnant and Black 02:32 — Appendixgate: dismissed twice, saved by a family of doctors 04:21 — What it felt like to be educated, supported, and still not believed 06:47 — The Serena and Beyoncé parallel: money doesn't protect you 07:23 — Is this systemic or regional? (The answer is both) 08:34 — Why pregnancy feels like a silo now — and how the app rebuilds community 09:07 — Legislating against women and the crisis of not being believed 11:31 — From trauma to tech: how she connected the dots 12:54 — Walk-through: what the app experience actually looks like 14:26 — Privacy in post-Roe Texas — how PAB handles your data 15:20 — Launching an app with "Black" in the name right now 17:29 — The Lion King, the circle of life, and why men need to be in this conversation 18:55 — Why joy is the right word — not dignity, not equity 20:07 — If you could change one thing about ER physician training 21:53 — Why representation inside the medical system literally saves lives 23:05 — The personal cost of building on top of a trauma 24:51 — The 22 Questions Lightning Round 28:43 — Where to find the app and how to support Pregnant and Black

Find Your Word: The Practice That's Kept Me Grounded for a Decade

For nearly a decade, I've used one word to guide my year. Not as a resolution. As a practice. And it's changed how I make decisions, navigate transitions, and design a life that actually fits. Most "word of the year" practices are aspirational—you pick a word that sounds good, make it your screensaver, and hope it sticks. But by March, you've forgotten about it because it never meant anything real in the first place. This practice is different. It's evidence-based, not aspirational. You're not picking a word you wish you were. You're naming what's already in motion. In this episode, I walk through: * Why most word-of-the-year practices don't work * How to find a word that's actually yours (built from evidence, not expectation) * The ART method: Assemble evidence, Refine the pattern, Try it out * How this practice has helped me navigate reinvention after reinvention If you want to do this practice yourself, I created a free guide: Go to davidpeck.co/yourword and you'll get: * A beautifully designed 11-page guide that walks you through the ART method * A 7-day email series teaching you how to use it * Monthly check-ins for a year to help you live with your word This is for you if you're navigating a transition, tired of following frameworks that don't fit, or ready to design a year around who you actually are. Links: * Get the free guide: davidpeck.co/yourword [https://www.davidpeck.co/yourword] * Watch on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ItsDavidPeck] * Follow on Instagram: @itsdavidpeck [https://instagram.com/itsdavidpeck] * More episodes: davidpeck.co/podcast [https://davidpeck.co/podcast] Chapters 0:00 - Intro: The one thing that's kept me grounded through every reinvention 0:45 - Why most word-of-the-year practices don't work 2:15 - What makes this practice different (evidence vs. aspiration) 3:30 - How to get started: The free guide 4:15 - The ART framework: Assemble, Refine, Try 5:15 - What you get: 7-day series + monthly check-ins for a year 6:30 - Who this is for + final call to action