About The Livelihood

In The Livelihood, I'll be exploring ways of living and working differently, as if people mattered. The tagline is an homage to E. F. Schumacher's 1973 classic, Small is Beautiful: A Study of Economics as if People Mattered. If you read the book today, you'll be struck by at least two things: firstly, it doesn't feel dated, secondly very little has changed in over half a century.

I can't promise any answers, but I'll be researching and experimenting to see what's possible and encouraging you to share your thoughts. If you sign up to my fortnightly newsletter, you'll be able to comment on any of the content. You'll also get access to the full archive of everything that's been published. Admittedly, that's quite small right now. But I have plans.

The Livelihood will always be free to access. The only affiliate links are for Bookshop.org, an independent retailer that supports real bookshops. If you buy a book through my link, I receive a 10% commission that goes towards the costs of hosting this site. Any surplus will be spent on books. Isn't that better than funding a billionaire's Venetian wedding? You can find other independent businesses in The Directory.

The Livelihood is a supportive and inclusive space. Everyone is welcome, regardless of age, race, beliefs, sexuality, neurotype, or gender expression. Any comments that don't embrace that ethos will be removed.

About me

Hello 👋 I'm Catherine Pope, a 50-something who lives in Brighton. My own livelihood has spanned many areas, including academia, software engineering, web development, publishing, and finance. To find out more about the midlife crisis that inspired The Livelihood, take a look at my essay.

The Livelihood logo was designed by Jessie Wood.