A weekly newsletter that makes you stop and think

Val Thinks is the beloved brainchild of myself, a 30-something Thai whose outlook on life was shaped by my years studying in the UK in the noughties.

Upon experiencing (in this order) a summa cum laude from Sciences Po Paris, a first-class honours degree from UCL, competing first job offers, a few exhilarating months, a full-blown manic episode, a month and a half in a mental hospital, and a complete and utter collapse of identity and self-esteem, I turned to my childhood love—writing—in 2013 as a creative and therapeutic outlet.

After a somewhat unsuccessful years-long attempt at blogging consistently in too many corners of the Internet, I launched Val Thinks in May 2021, hoping that the weekly publishing cadence would keep me writing and connecting with my audience on a regular basis.

I want to connect.

What is Val Thinks?

Back in university, when I was far more passionate and idealistic, I wrote an essay titled “What Is Development: Thailand’s ‘Age of Enlightenment’,” which argued that a missing link in Thailand’s development is “an environment which
enables Thais to freely and autonomously exercise their critical faculties.”

As the years went by and I expanded my horizon, I came to see that this lack of critical thinking is endemic not only among Thais, but among the general global public. The “unthinking multitude” is strong in numbers and indiscriminate in origin.

Val Thinks is my attempt to reduce the strength of that unthinking multitude, one subscription at a time. Each Friday, I send my reflections on one of life’s many curiosities and leave my readers with a question or two to think about. So that all of us (myself included) can lead more thoughtful lives.

I think you’ve just called me “unthinking,” but I’m going to let it slide and sign up.

Why subscribe?

We could always use a little more thinking in the world, not of the “I’m the centre of the universe” or “I worry all the time” kind, but of the “let me be more aware and ask more questions about the world” kind.

Each Val Thinks post is on a topic that’s made me stop and think. Thinking about these topics has helped me not only live with more self-awareness, but also gain a more nuanced understanding of the world.

Sounds good to me. Sign me up.

If you’re not yet convinced, let’s also hear from my early readers who were kind enough to describe Val Thinks for me:

  • “short and fun nuggets of wisdom,”

  • “a bit funny and quirky with a slice of intelligent introspection and self-awareness,”

  • “interesting and well-written,”

  • “fun and casual yet informative with an element of humour”.

And this reader summarised my newsletter better than I ever could:

Val writes with insight and wit about topics light and deep with a unique voice.

Well if you insist. I guess I’m curious enough to sign up now.

Join the community

Join hundreds of other readers around the world who receive an issue of Val Thinks in their inbox every Friday.

Let’s do this.

I look forward to hearing what you think each week.

Until Friday… Stay thoughtful,

Val

Subscribe to Val Thinks

A weekly newsletter that makes you stop and think

People

A native Thai, I fell in love with English and it loved me back. As Content Manager for #1 NY Times bestselling author Mark Manson, I get to write for one of my favourite authors every day. It's a dream come true.