CYB #72: Records, Reflections, and Reads

—From Weightlifting to AI Insights

May 17th, my first competition.

With everything else going on, getting this newsletter out slipped down my list.

First of all, my weightlifting competition took place on May 17th. I made all my lifts, had a great time once I got past the initial terror, and set eight state records for my age category (Master’s 4) and weight class (82.5 kg). Two and a half weeks out from the meet, I feel proud of myself, glad it’s over, and ready to establish some new focus areas for lifting and other aspects of my life.

Toddler Time and Total Immersion

I also spent nearly a week solo with my toddler grandkiddo. We get along great, but it was like getting on a theme park ride with no exit—-intensely immersive, requiring you to relax and lean into the experience. We read books, played endlessly, and shared a love of French fries, cucumbers, and Gummy Bears. It was joyful—-and exhausting. The day I got home, I needed a two-and-a-half-hour nap.

That time together also helped me reflect. The nonprofit fundraising and development coaching I do—-and the AI Acceptable Use work and skills workshops—-feel deeply worthwhile. I’m pretty booked through summer, but if you want to collaborate this fall, let’s talk.

WEIGHTLIFTING

Some reads on weightlifting:

• On being an older woman lifting weights, my recent personal essay

• "It's okay to want it,” food writer and community-maker Julia Turshen says on lifting (I love this piece!).

• Everything by Casey Johnston, whose newsletter, She’s A Beast, has been my constant go-to since I first picked up a heavy weight, and whose new book, A Physical Education: How I Escaped Diet Culture and Gained the Power of Lifting, is next on my must-read list. (I got to attend a reading she did in Berkeley at Mrs Dalloway’s, which was so great.)

• Zen and the art of powerlifting: A reflection on finding the strength to make peace with my body and spirit, by Micco Caporale.

THE AI WORK

I’ve been on a kick of reading research reports and papers, sharing their insights with the broader non-profit community. We’re all so busy that it feels like I'm reading documents that no one else has time to review. Here’s a recap of recent reading:

• Beyond Good Intentions: MIT Research Reveals Hard Limits on AI Oversight. MIT’s new research highlights the challenges of managing advanced AI systems in assessing their honesty and focus on tasks; what does this mean for all of us non-profit folks? Perhaps more than you think.

• The Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence 2025 AI Index Report: What Nonprofits Should Know(May 4). The Stanford HAI 2025 AI Index provides an essential overview of how artificial intelligence transforms systems and lives. This summary examines the AI trends that will influence our missions and communities, ranging from workforce upheaval to unequal access in education and medicine.

Also:

• Demystifying AI: Understanding ‘On the Biology of a Large Language Model’

• Strategic Intelligence: Assessing OpenAI’s Deep Research for Nonprofit Leaders

• Beyond the Algorithm: What Humanities Scholars Can Teach Us About AI

BOOKS AND MEDIA

Yeah, I never stop reading. Reading is such a big part of my life. Here are some recent reads that have stayed with me:

The Golden Hour: A Story of Family and Power in Hollywood, by Matthew Specktor

This fascinating memoir about an insider Hollywood family is imaginative, expansive, and creative. It has detailed stories, poetic musings, and enough of a GenX vibe to feel very current.

Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators, by Ronan Farrow

Farrow’s account addresses his involvement in the #MeToo movement, but what struck me most was his unwavering documentation of NBC’s reluctance and resistance to allowing him to share this story on their network.

Dinner in French: My Recipes by Way of France, by Melissa Clark

Raised in Brooklyn and able to spend a month in France every summer (her dad was a shrink), Clark weaves her family’s passion for French food and her meticulous approach to cooking into a memoir/cookbook that I had to purchase immediately. There were so many good recipes (and stories about them).

Alligator Tears: A Memoir in Essays, by Edgar Gomez

Gomez’s first memoir, High Risk Homosexual, grabbed me, so of course, I had to read this second book. It tells the story of Gomez’s coming of age in Florida within a struggling immigrant family and his determination to support them at any cost. The hustle is real, and the writing is so good.

That’s it for this week. I’ll share another CYB within two weeks; no more long pauses. Meanwhile, I’d love to hear what you are doing right now, and what you are learning that feels interesting.

Best, Susan