The Monday Media Diet with Chris Danton

On LinkinBio, Not Boring, and FOUND

I recently discovered Chris Danton’s newsletter GOOD THINKING and I dig it. Happy to have her with us this week. -Colin (CJN)

Tell us about yourself.

Hi, I’m Chris. I live in Italy, at the base of the Dolomites with my husband, my 5-year-old Harriet, and our 14-year-old dog Bella. Most people are desperate to know how I found myself here, and I’m still wondering that myself. The short answer is my husband is a mathematician and works here doing super theoretical research.

But the move is very much in keeping with my personality. I’ve moved just about every 3 years for most of my life. I was born in the UK, then went to Singapore, France, NYC, Rhode Island, a brief little stint in Cincinnati, LA, Zurich, and now I’m here in Italy, with several moves between. A typical third culture kid—if such a thing exists.

Professionally, as of the last year and a half, most people know me as the author of GOOD THINKING on Substack. I write about trends, culture, and marketing across categories. I’m still adjusting to meeting people who know me but don’t ‘know me’, but it’s been a fun year plus.

I wouldn’t call GT a side hustle as it’s very much an extension of the work I do with my biz partner (and podcast partner), Kirsten, at our consultancy IN GOOD CO. I’ve been in marketing for 15+ years. Before, I dabbled in architecture but the pace was much too slow for me.

Describe your media diet.

How much real estate can I have for this? I started the Substack after a therapy session where I was having a crisis about how much content I was consuming. My therapist asked what I wanted to do, and I joked (but she knew I was serious) that I should just start my own letter. The next day, GT was born. Message: find a therapist that pushes you when you need it.

I don’t have any particular routine for my consumption habit. I ping pong between email, Substack, Instagram (my algorithm is fine-tuned to work), a little TikTok (I try to limit it as it’s a dangerous hole to get in), and LinkedIn.

I’ve broken things down by how my brain works: the structure of every Sunday letter.

CULTURE

-> The Hustle — One of the first newsletters I ever subscribed to. Still solid.

-> The Information — I do read the NYT, but for business news, this is my go-to.

-> LinkInBio — Rachel needs no intro. Every social you need.

-> Feed Me — The gateway drug to Substack for very good reason.

-> Cultural Currents — Deep dives on cultural shifts.

-> As Seen On — One of the best in the Substack biz. A must-read.

-> Culture Study — A fascinating place for the comments.

-> Zoe Scaman, also on Substack, great for thought-provoking posts.

-> 8Ball — You have to get used to Sean’s brain and style, but he’s got a real eye.

-> Dao Insights — Great for Chinese / Asian cultural and brand news.

-> Following The Yuan — Yaling writes about Chinese brands and culture with a great lens.

-> UserMag — A classic source, I’m sure

-> TappedIn — Lovely person and fantastic follow for social media and culture.

-> Concept Bureau — Jasmine’s brain is amazing. She’ll get you thinking.

-> In Bed With Social — The title is misleading, I consider Marie Dollé the philosopher we need interpreting tech today.

F&B

-> Snaxshot — The OG and best for emerging CPG brands.

-> Fred Hart — The best follow for what’s happening in CPG, big picture, and just a lovely person with a lot of talent.

DRUGS & BOOZE

-> I don’t have a go-to source for this, I find stuff on Instagram or LinkedIn mostly. There should be some category leaders here.

SILVERS, ALPHAS & ZS

I rely on my friends for boots on the ground Alpha intel. Most of what the media writes about is too narrow.

-> AfterSchool — One of the OGs and elites of the Substack world on all things Gen-Z (and Alphas, occasionally)

-> Einat Israeli — Posts a lot about Silvers. It’s refreshing.

RETAIL

Since a lot of my background is retail, my Instagram is very heavy in this world. But for things more on my fringe:

-> Magasin — The best place to find emerging and luxury brands

-> HURS — Always interesting profiles

-> Snobette — Great for sneaker / adjacent retail culture

-> Puck — Reliably great retail reporting (this is hard to come by)

TECH

-> Digital Native — Love Rex’s mind, he focuses on venture and he goes down fun rabbit holes.

-> Newcomer — Great follow for where tech and money in that world is going.

-> Not Boring — Very emerging tech, often medical or infrastructure focused.

-> The CQ — VC group with a good round-up email.

-> Brxnd — Fun AI-focused interviews.

SPORT

-> Offball — My go-to for what’s happening in sport.

-> Profluence — Sports with a finance lens.

-> BrandStrat — Sports meets fashion.

WELLNESS & BEAUTY

-> The Review Of Beauty — The counter voice to the mainstream. Aka essential reading.

-> Plant Based — The go-to for learning what’s in everyone’s fridges and cabinet.

-> Lit From Within — Jenny Evans is a friend and hands down the person who has the best finger on the pulse of wellness and skincare.

-> Fitt — Great for finding what’s emerging in wellness and sports.

-> Office of The Surface — Fantastic for finding cool, more niche beauty brands. Well written.

-> Gloria — Lots on perimenopause and women here.

TRAVEL

-> FOUND LA / NY — Great for finding good restaurants and fun travel recs.

-> The Stanza — The hospitality sector expert.

-> Window Seat — Great for finding travel brands/news.

-> Bellini — Niche to Italy, but I am mildly obsessed with this travel agency.

FUN FOR THE WEEK

Most of what I find for this section comes through too much reading and late-night scrolling but:

-> Stratscraps — Hard to describe except it’s in the name.

-> SatPost — Very very deep dives.

-> Wishlist — For fun finds.

-> Chips & Dip — More fun finds.

-> Ideas We Love — Fun dives into campaigns.

-> FOR SCALE - The world of furniture and design in an entertaining way

-> Brandiose — Great for brands and campaigns.

-> Brand Baby — Another great source of brands and campaign happenings.

-> The Brand Builder’s Blueprint — Henry is a new friend and follow, but his notes game is very strong and he has great interviews.

I’m sure I forgot some. The therapy need is perhaps clear though.

When I’m falling asleep I listen to food or chill history podcasts. Milk Street, Good Food, and Short History Of are in my current queue. I like the Slow Burn series too. I used to listen to the BBC but that’s not on the good-for-bed list lately. When we travel by car I listen to Pivot or Andrew Huberman with the hubs while Harry sleeps—always entertaining.

When I travel with Kirsten, we love a good documentary. We watched Bryan Johnson’s on our latest trip.

What’s the last great book you read?

I’m part of a book club, but also probably the most delinquent member. I loved Solito by Javier Zamora. The way Javier writes is just stunning. And a delightful contrast to the majority of what I read for work.

The book, which is a memoir, tells the story of Javier coming across the border as a child. If you want to humanize what’s happening currently, give it a read. Yes, you’ll cry. You’ll also be on the edge of your seat (or bed) the whole way through. Heart wrenching and worth it.

What are you reading now?

The book club is reading Dream Count, and while I’ve purchased it I haven’t read a page. See above comment on delinquency. To be totally honest, I need a lighter read for hot AF days. The heat makes my brain not want to work. I also

love reading for work (maybe that’s evident) and it’s a major distraction from relaxed reading activities.

I do read an enormous number of children’s books. Does that count? Current faves: Iguana Be a Dragon (self-worth), Mr Postmouse’s Rounds (hands down the best illustrations ever), Dragon’s Love Tacos (funny), Buffalo Fluffalo (even funnier. My daughter’s laugh fixes most things for me), Welcome to the Symphony (we have all the ones in this series, I get dance performances when I read it.10/10), Fish and Crab (trying to instill a love of dry, British humor). Kids’ books: a highly underrated source of wisdom and fun—a phase I’m thoroughly enjoying.

What’s your reading strategy when you pick up a print copy of your favorite publication?

This is a rare privilege these days, but I’m a read-front-to-back type of person.

Who should everyone be reading that they’re not?

An omnivore’s diet. In your Monday Media Diet with Michael Lorentz, he echoed some of my own thoughts. Not enough people listen to or read voices outside of their own realm. I take issue with the term ‘generalist’ and all the negativity around it. We need to be looking outside of our own bubbles, sectors etc. If you're in marketing or brand, consumers don’t think or live in silos. If you’re in CPG and are only reading CPG news all day, you’ve missed the entire exercise. Same for AI. Etc.

What is the best non-famous app you love on your phone?

I’m obsessed with AmiGo. I’ve built my life around maximizing travel. I use Google Maps to religiously record anything I randomly read about by city (my saved maps would give most a seizure) but AmiGo is where go if I need something reliable wherever I am. I also store my favorites there to share in the letter and with my friends. I love a good ol’ emailed ‘these are my fave places in X’ list, but this is easier. If you want to try it, you can use my code GOOD THINKING to pass the waitlist (not paid, I just asked for a code because I use it and recommend it so often.)

Plane or train?

Ohhh, tough!!!! I’ll go plane because I need to be able to get to all the places I want to visit, but it’s not because the experience is great. I train travel a lot living in Europe. It’s an excellent place to work, and you really can’t beat it for traveling with kids. It’s fractionally extra to go business (a huge contrast to plane travel) and you can’t beat the views.

What is one place everyone should visit?

Oh god, this is one of my most feared questions. But, if I only had to pick one place, it would be Naoshima, Japan. It’s more on the radar than it was when we went 6 years ago, but it’s just the most glorious place. Ride your bike around the island (get an electric bike, the hills aren’t funny), visit all the museums (I’m not a big museums-while-travel person because many are so similar but these are truly unique), and, if you can, splurge and book early to stay a night. Don’t miss Teshima either. But, truly, I could wax poetic about the whole of Japan.

Stateside, I truly love the desert. Palm Springs and Joshua are happy places. Very local to LA, my fave spot is Crystal Cove. Local to NY, I have a soft spot for Rhode Island (I went to RISD).

In Europe, Menorca is a fave and the Dolomites are pretty glorious. But the most special place is the Therme Vals spa by Peter Zumthor in Switzerland. You must stay in the hotel. Every level is designed by a different architect—real life choose your own adventure. The bathhouse is spectacular. It’s one of those places you talk about for years.

If you ever have a chance to go on safari, say yes.

The BVI is ridiculously beautiful and fun. You can’t beat a place where you jump off a boat and they have a clothes line for drying your money.

Laos is the most serene place I’ve ever been. I’d happily be transported any day.

And anywhere near a body of water gets a vote. Lake, river, canal, sea, ocean, pond.

Tell us the story of a rabbit hole you fell deep into.

This is a weekly problem and delight. It’s also what makes me good at what I do. I can get obsessed about everything. Menswear, American football, tween beauty, Silver travel, the future of luxury, the modern sexual wellness sector. I could go on.

This week, my high school bestie, who happens to also be an incredibly brilliant and inspiring person who runs an AI consultancy, helped me build a few AI tools for several clients. It was pretty shocking how leveled up things became from a standard GPT query in the space of 3-4 hours. I don’t use AI for my writing as I like to have the perspective but for rote tasks—just wow.

I’m planning a vacation and I’ve been deep into lesser known European islands. Right now the obsession has landed on Formentera.

For work, I’m diving into the luxury sector a lot lately, hard goods and wellness products. It’s a market that’s going through it but there’s also a lot shifting in its favor long term, I believe. I spend a lot of time in retail rabbit holes generally.

And a semi-permanent obsession is how to get brands to appreciate the Silver market. I’m typically found collapsed under the weight of the overlooked potential.