Welcome to (R) emote brief where we highlight the best moments from the (R) Generation community that you won't want to miss - Monthly in your inbox 💌

This month, we’re diving into what it really means to thrive remotely, whether you’re building AI-powered products, navigating your next career move, or learning how to stay resilient when the grid goes down.

From Lisbon blackouts to behavioral design frameworks and community-powered job opportunities, one thing is clear: remote isn’t just a work format, it’s a way of life. And we’re here to help you lead it with intention, clarity and community.

In this issue, you’ll discover :

• 💥 The Zero Day Experience : what a total blackout taught us about remote resilience.

• 🎯 Meet Eduardo Ordax : how to cut through the AI noise and actually use GenAI.

• 🧠 Designing for Behavior with Matt Wallaert : inside our latest We’re the (R)emotes session.

✨ This issue is about readiness, resilience and designing your work & life with purpose.

⚡️ ZERO DAY FOR A (R)EMOTE

Sometimes, remote life gives you sunsets, flow states, and serene focus. And sometimes, it gives you a full-blown blackout. On April 28th, at exactly 12:23 am Lisbon time, millions of people across Portugal, Spain and southern France found themselves suddenly off the grid.

• No lights.

• No internet.

• No 5G.

• No payment terminals.

• No fuel.

• No way in, no way out.

As everything froze, I realized just how thin the digital thread of our daily lives really is. In those moments, I wasn’t a remote professional : I was a father with $30 in cash and just enough gas to get out of town.

 🔦 WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT

The Iberian blackout wasn’t just a power outage : it was a systemic failure, the kind that reboots your perspective. Within seconds, Spain lost 15 GWh of energy. The grid collapsed like a domino chain, and the infrastructures that sustain modern life fell quiet.

In the first hours, everything felt almost normal, until the realization crept in : no mobile signal, no cards, no digital safety net. Supermarkets closed. People started looking for bottled water. Traffic turned chaotic. Airports were paralyzed.

These moments remind us that while our work is remote, our lives are very much grounded. Electricity, water, mobility, communication : these aren’t luxuries.

They’re invisible essentials.

🛜 WHEN THE WIFI IS GONE, WHAT REMAINS ?

As remote workers, we tend to optimize for focus, creativity and autonomy. But we rarely prepare for collapse. This blackout flipped that script.

What if readiness meant more than backups and cloud syncs ?

What if resilience was a fuel tank that’s never below half, a few hundred euros in a safe, a satellite modem that kicks in when 5G dies, or a stack of analog tools that still get the job done ?

At R GENERATION, we’re not doomsayers—we’re realists. We believe in building systems that work in daylight and darkness. Tools are great. But mindset is better.

We’re now integrating resilience prompts into our onboarding, and inviting members to co-create a “Zero Day Readiness” checklist—because preparation is not paranoia. It’s care.

🚪 READY FOR THE UNPLANNED ?

We’re now integrating resilience prompts into our community onboarding, and co-creating the Zero Day Readiness Checklist, a practical toolkit to help remote workers stay grounded when everything else goes dark.

Because let’s be honest : preparation isn’t paranoia. So, how ready are you really ?

Here’s a starting point from the community:

• 🛰️ Satellite internet subscription like Starlink to stay connected when mobile networks drop.

• 🔋 Battery packs fully charged, always—because power banks are the new productivity hacks.

• 💶 A sealed envelope of emergency cash, for the moments when cards fail and ATMs go dark.

• 🚗 A fuel tank never below half, because mobility is freedom—and sometimes, survival.

• 🧃 Water and dry food reserves—just enough to help, to wait, to breathe.

• 📓 Offline-first tools : notebooks, physical calendars, printed checklists, emergency contacts on paper.

• 👥 A community you can check in with, online or off—because connection doesn’t stop at the signal.

When the lights go out, it’s not your title, your tools, or your tech stack that shows up—it’s your ability to adapt.

So let’s design not just for flow, but for failure. Let’s make “ready” our new normal.

✨ Remote isn’t just freedom. It’s responsibility.

🚀 This month, we’re putting the spotlight on Eduardo Ordax, a leader who sits at the intersection of deep tech and human clarity. As Principal Generative AI Go-to-Market Lead at Amazon Web Services (AWS), Eduardo isn’t just riding the AI wave—he’s helping organizations across EMEA turn ambition into real strategy.

Previously, Eduardo held senior roles at Vodafone and Vodacom, where he led major data and AI transformations. Today, he advises startups, scale-ups, enterprises, and public sector leaders on how to implement, scale, and actually use Generative AI—without getting lost in the noise

He’s not just a strategist—he’s a speaker, a startup mentor, and a deeply practical thinker who believes you don’t need a PhD to make AI useful. In fact, his approach is refreshingly human: equal parts analytical clarity and grounded optimism. Oh, and he starts every day with a sunrise run—because mindset matters.

✨ NEXT EVENT : THERE IS AN AI FOR THAT

Overwhelmed by AI buzzwords ? Not sure where to start ?

This beginner-friendly workshop is your fast-track into practical, applied Generative AI. Eduardo will take you behind the scenes of AWS’ AI innovation playbook—showing how companies of all sizes are using GenAI to unlock real business value.

Whether you’re in design, product, tech, or marketing, you’ll walk away with clarity, confidence, and a new mindset for navigating the AI-powered future. Build real skills to future-proof your role (no code, no jargon required)

What you’ll leave with:

🧠 How leading organizations are using GenAI right now

🔍 How to evaluate which AI tools are actually useful

⚠️ What common traps and hype cycles to avoid

⚡ How to shift from reactive to AI-ready

🎟️ Join the Session, spots are limited, so save yours now !

In our latest We Are the (R)emotes session, we had the pleasure of welcoming Matt Wallaert, behavioral scientist, author of Start at the End, and founder of BeSci.io. From his early career in academia to leadership roles at Microsoft and startups alike, Matt has spent the past 20 years applying behavioral science to products, services, and workplaces—not to make things fancier, but to make them work.

Key highlights included

1. Start at the End

   Matt introduced the SIDE method—Strategy, Insights, Design, and Evaluation—as a structured way to build behavior-driven products. The secret? Start by defining exactly who needs to do what to call the project a success.

2. Pressure Mapping as a Design Tool

   Forget abstract goals—Matt walked participants through a live pressure-mapping workshop using M&Ms as a playful metaphor. By identifying promoting vs. inhibiting pressures, participants could clearly see what drives behavior and what blocks it.

3. From Intuition to Evidence

   The most powerful part of Matt’s method? It removes ego from decision-making. No more “highest-paid person’s opinion.” Instead, we build with data, insight, and experimentation—aligning design with real-world outcomes.

4. Remote = Global Opportunity

   Beyond frameworks, Matt shared a human insight: remote work is more than a format—it’s a tool for inclusion. From rural Oregon to global boardrooms, remote careers allow talents to thrive without needing to relocate or compromise.

Missed the webinar ? The replay is now available - don’t miss the chance to learn from Caterina’s expertise and refine your own strategic planning process!

🤯 The Pressure Map

Expect to look at behavior through a new lens. By the end, you’ll have a clearer understanding of why people act the way they do right now, and where there may be opportunities to shift the balance.

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🌎 Nature: online activity

⭐️ Difficulty: classic

⏰ Duration: 30 minutes

👨‍💻 Big Desk Energy : Our biggest startup insights & stories

🦾 EverydAI : AI news for Founders & C-Suite Executives

🌎 Thrive Remotely : Lifestyle and Wellness for Remote Workers

👩‍🎤 Customer Success Jobs : Our remote high-paying jobs for you

🔴 Creator Spotlight : Our favorite inspiration for world class creators journeys

R GENERATION is a dynamic global community where remote professionals, creators, and digital nomads come together to reimagine the future of work. We bridge cultures, time zones, and creative frontiers, uniting around a shared passion for innovation and meaningful connection.

Through engaging events, hands-on workshops, and exclusive access to cutting-edge AI tools, we’re transforming remote work into a space for bold experimentation, open knowledge-sharing, and limitless growth.

Join us in a collaborative and empowering environment where your ideas spark innovation, your curiosity fuels lifelong learning, and your ambition shapes the future of remote collaboration.

Don’t have a good day, have a great day 😀