The [Tuesday] Media Diet with Waverly Middleton

On Wally Lamb, Useful Fictions, and La Première

Waverly Middleton (WM) runs Waverly Station and runs a boutique travel agency.

Tell us about yourself.

Hi! I’m Waverly. I was born in Houston, raised in Connecticut, and currently live in Los Angeles with my fiancé and our dog, Azi. I’m the oldest of three girls.

I like having different projects that feed different parts of my brain. Currently:

• I write Waverly Station, a newsletter about places I’ve been, hotels I love, and designing a life with more travel in it

• I run a boutique travel agency for people with great taste and limited time who want planning taken off their plate

• I invest at an early-stage VC firm in LA

I started my career at an investment bank and had no days off for six months. Everyone I worked with made insane amounts of money and had absolutely no ability to enjoy it. They didn’t take time off and were total workaholics. It was a very strange, depressing dynamic—being around people who had all the financial means to take these luxurious, once-in-a-lifetime trips, but who were, in my opinion, wasting their lives behind a desk away from their families. My colleagues would “joke” that they spent more time with each other than with their own families. I couldn’t imagine or accept that being my life.

Because I had so little vacation time, I became maniacal about optimization—every trip had to be perfect because I wouldn’t get another chance for several months.

What I love about designing trips for others is that I’m removing the friction around travel. Yes, there’s the mental barrier of taking time off, but there’s also the logistical barrier—where to go, where to stay, what to do. Planning a great trip can feel like a full-time job, and it’s time that busy people frankly don’t have. By making travel easier, my hope is that my clients will travel more often, spend time with the people they care about, and rediscover what’s actually important in their lives.

My long-term dream is to own a bunch of land somewhere—a garden, animals, maybe a vineyard—and run a bed and breakfast where people can experience quiet, beauty and leave feeling more grounded.

Describe your media diet.

I love listening to stories and conversations, so podcasts are my go-to for drives to the office, outdoor walks, or treadmill time. I’m a huuuuge fan of Emma Grede and love watching her podcast episodes on Youtube. I’ll usually put it up on my TV while I’m cleaning my home, cooking dinner, or folding laundry.

I recently discovered the Behind the Stays podcast, and I’ve been loving their interviews with hoteliers. Generally, I consume a lot of newsletters, articles, and podcasts about travel.

I read a lot, mostly fiction, and my Kindle is probably my most cherished possession. Reading before bed instead of scrolling has drastically improved my sleep.

Possibly a cardinal sin, but I love watching TV. Real Housewives of Salt Lake City has been getting me through this busy season, and I’m very excited for Beverly Hills, which is back in a few weeks. When I was traveling for Thanksgiving, I saw Kathy Hilton at LAX (shocked she was flying commercial) heading to Honolulu. And my god SLOMW has been insane. I really tried to not watch this show, but I got sucked in with all the dysfunction on social media.

I recently got Apple TV and have been making my way through their content library. It’s the supreme streaming platform, every show is so good. I’m slowly working through Ted Lasso, savoring every episode and trying to make it last as long as I can. I started Shrinking a couple of weeks ago and that’s definitely my favorite right now. And I love The Morning Show and Chief of War.

Like everyone I’m addicted to TikTok, but have had to drastically cut down my screen time. There are times I really enjoy scrolling through it—every video has me laughing out loud—but I need it in small doses. Instagram I mostly hate at this point.

I’m careful about what news I read or watch these days. My mom and sister are very politically active, so I get the TLDR from them every day in our family group chat.

What’s the last great book you read?

I recently read The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb. Unbelievable read. The central premise of the book is how do you go on living when you’ve done something truly unforgivable? How do you live with yourself after doing the worst thing you can imagine?

I also loved this quote from the author at the end: “What readers take away from the novel is up to them, not me. I only hope the story is useful and perhaps applicable to their own lives.”

What are you reading now?

The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali, which explores a decades-long friendship of two Iranian women.

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

Please don’t judge me, but I really don’t read in print anymore! The closest I get is frantically flipping through National Geographic in the checkout line at Whole Foods.

That said, my family just bought a home on a small island on the East Coast, and we read all of the local newspapers and magazines there. It’s the only way to stay up to date on what’s happening.

Otherwise, I love looking at travel magazines for the photography.

Who should everyone be reading that they’re not?

We all need to read more fiction. I’m begging!!

Everyone defaults to non-fiction (business books, self-help, productivity stuff), but reading fiction is essential for creativity, imagination, and empathy. Also, kids don’t read these days! Not to get on a soapbox, but Illiteracy is actually a big problem that impacts on health, crime, employment, etc. First and foremost, reading should be fun, and business, self-improvement can all come secondary. If someone tells me they hate reading fiction I literally gag.

On Substack, I love Useful Fictions by Cate Hall. She’s been on hiatus the past few months (I think she’s writing a book), but her essays are incredible. Hopefully she’ll be back soon. Her husband Sasha’s newsletter is brilliant as well.

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

I’m currently loving Brick. It might seem a bit silly to pay $60 for an app and a physical block simply to restrict certain apps on your phone, but it’s given me so much freedom and time back. Because unfortunately, I have no self control. I love it and wholeheartedly recommend it.

I use it primarily for social media, but also for restricting my email app—I have a nasty habit of opening my inbox as soon as I wake up, and that’s just not a great way to start the day.

Plane or train?

I’m writing this at an airport after my flight has been delayed for four hours and we had to deplane, so forgive me if I’m a bit crankier than usual but, I think I actually hate flying.

I’m super claustrophobic and kind of a germaphobe, so being stuck in close quarters with random people is genuinely my nightmare. The air is so dry, and I’ve realized that if I eat anything on a plane, I feel awful. Most people have terrible plane etiquette. Airports are a miserable experience overall.

With planes, I’m usually just focused on getting to the destination as quickly as possible. With trains, the journey tends to be part of the experience. I’m also loving the new luxury trains from Belmond.

Edit: So, I was upgraded to Delta One on my subsequent flight home, and I have to say, it was a magical experience (lol). I also spent a lot of time on Metro North (not magical). So, I’m amending my answer.

Trains seems like the obvious right answer here. Public transportation in the US in general is an experience I prefer to avoid (for the reasons listed in my mini rant above). The exception is business or first class. With that parameter, for me, flying absolutely takes the cake.

Flying economy during the holidays is the WORST experience ever, but the super-luxurious flight options are kind of surreal.

The Delta One lounge at JFK is incredible - private entrance, private security line, massage chairs, beauty treatments. The staff is so welcoming and attentive. The space is huge with a full restaurant, sushi bar and alcohol bar, with everything included. I was upset I had to board for my flight. It feels like a private members club (and I guess it kind of is).

Plus, landing feeling rested and ready for the day instead of like my body is destroyed is a gamechanger (being crammed upright for hours isn’t something our bodies are supposed to do).

Also, there are some insane first class experiences: Air France’s La Premiere, the Singapore Airlines Suites, Emirates, Etihad. So, if I had the option to fly first/ business for the rest of my life, I’d definitely choose that. I can only imagine how delightful it is to fly private.

What is one place everyone should visit?

I’d say everyone needs to visit a truly nature-centered destination at least once. We spend so much of our lives behind computers and in cities, and I think we’ve forgotten what it feels like to be somewhere that hasn’t been over-developed.

My personal favorite was South Island, New Zealand. I went about ten years ago when I was studying abroad in Australia, and it genuinely felt like being at the edge of the world. There are no big cities on the South Island, it’s so peaceful and stunning.

I find a lot of new development quite ugly and uninspiring. So it’s rare and special to visit a place that still resembles how it looked before humans built on top of it. New Zealand has done a pretty remarkable job of preserving that.

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

I love learning about myself. If there’s a quiz I can take that will provide clarity or validation about how I move through the world, I’ll gladly take it and devour the analysis.

My current obsession is Human Design. I was first introduced to it during a trip to Civana, a wellness resort in Arizona.

The core principle is that there are five human archetypes:

• Manifestors - people who initiate and lead

• Generators - people who build and sustain

• Manifesting Generators - fast-paced multi-taskers

• Projectors - people who guide and observe

• Reflectors - people who reflect their environment

Generators and Manifesting Generators make up 70% of the population, and the world is built for them.

I’m a Projector so my energy isn’t built for nonstop output. I work best when I’m in an advisory role rather than execution mode. It explained a lot about why I burn out when I try to operate like people who thrive on constant motion.

I recently made my fiancé, my parents, and my sisters all get their charts done. It’s very easy to do online—you just need your birth date, time, and location. You can download your chart and put it into ChatGPT to analyze it. Of course, nothing is ever 100% accurate, and these are just tools we use to better understand ourselves, but everyone’s chart was like 90% spot on and totally unique. My fiancé Nnamdi’s chart was completely different from mine. My mom’s was almost a combination of me and my sister’s charts, which was wild.

Right now, I’m using it to structure my day around my energy so I don’t completely crash. Most of my work involves being on calls, which can be super draining, so I’m trying to schedule the most important things during the times when I have the most energy. While I love building a portfolio career, balancing everything can be a challenge—it often feels like I don’t have enough energy to sustain it all in one day. Human Design has helped me figure out how to break things up and plan better. (WM)