Evan Nierman

Red Banyan

Red Banyan is a strategic communications firm specializing in public relations, crisis management and marketing.  Red Banyan Group combines creative thinking, steady judgment shaped by experience and a relentless commitment to achieving results for its clients.  Red Banyan offers a wide array of services, including: media relations, crisis management, marketing, corporate communications, litigation support, social and digital media, copywriting and editing and media training.

Founder and CEO

Entrepreneurs'​ Organization

Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) Member 

Green Bullion Financial Services

Director of Public Relations

Saylor Company

Principal

AIPAC

Editorial Director and Executive Editor of Near East Report

Communications Associate and Managing Editor of Near East Report

Communications Assistant

Founder & CEO, Red Banyan PR | Author of Top-Rated Newsletter on Communications Best Practices

My team and I are focusing on STRATEGY and RESULTS. I lead an international PR and crisis management firm that exists to press the truth.  We empower clients to achieve business goals using strategic communications. We specialize in crisis management, high-stakes PR, and complex assignments requiring creative thinking, steady judgment shaped by experience and a relentless commitment to exceeding expectations.

Red Banyan Group is a strategic communications firm specializing in public relations, crisis management and marketing.  Red Banyan Group combines creative thinking, steady judgment shaped by experience and a relentless commitment to achieving results for its clients.  Red Banyan offers a wide array of services, including: media relations, crisis management, marketing, corporate communications, litigation support, social and digital media, copywriting and editing and media training.

Titles change. Companies reorganize. Projects end.
But your mission is what stays.

I see this every day in crisis PR.

People who attach themselves to roles, personalities, or status lose direction the moment pressure rises.

People who attach themselves to a mission stay steady even when the narrative falls apart.

In high-pressure situations the difference is striking:

a.) Leaders who cling to titles look for protection.
b.) Leaders who cling to purpose create solutions.

When a leader centers their compass on a goal instead of ego, the team immediately knows how to respond under pressure.

This shapes reputation from the inside long before the outside world sees it.

If you want stability in difficult moments, start here:

Anchor yourself to values, not positions.

Positions shift. Integrity remains.

Focus on mission, not personalities.

Preferences crack under pressure. 

Mission keeps direction.

Build a culture where purpose leads and titles follow.

This creates a team that holds together even when the silence gets uncomfortable.

In crisis PR, purpose is the most reliable navigation tool.

Reputation begins at the point where you choose to attach yourself.

Follow Evan Nierman for insights on crisis PR, leadership under pressure, and reputation management.

A reality check for any leader: 
Your crisis plan is only as strong as the person who goes first.

Most teams assume a crisis will activate responsibility automatically.

They think the plan will guide everyone.

They expect people to step in at the right moment.

But crises do not work that way.

The real breakdown happens when every person waits for a signal that never comes.

Hesitation does more damage than the crisis itself.

A crisis-ready team runs on four behaviors:

1. Awareness → People notice early signs instead of assuming “it will pass.”
Awareness stops problems before they spread.

2. Initiative → Someone steps forward even if it is not part of their role.
Initiative prevents escalation.

3. Communication → Information moves quickly and clearly.
No gaps, no guessing, no confusion.

4. Follow-through → What starts gets finished.
No loose ends for the public to fill with their own narrative.

Without these behaviors, plans stay on paper and the crisis gains control.

With them, the team acts with clarity and the situation stabilizes before it spirals.

Follow for weekly insights on crisis leadership and responsible communication.

In every crisis, the same problem appears:
everyone waits for someone else.

Most crises don’t escalate because of external pressure.

They escalate because of internal silence.

In organizations without a clear chain of responsibility, the same pattern emerges: everyone assumes it’s “someone else’s job.”

And while that pause drags on, the internet becomes the spokesperson.

A vacuum in a crisis never stays empty.

If you don’t fill it, the narrative will.

Leadership in a crisis isn’t delegation.

Leadership means the first sentence, the first move, and the first signal come from you not from the chaos around you.

The most dangerous phrase in crisis PR is: “I assumed.”

When a crisis hits, it must be unmistakably clear who speaks, who leads, and who owns the response because while the team hesitates, the reputation burns.

Follow for weekly insights on crisis PR and reputation management.

Reputation is what people believe about you. 
Character is who you are when no one is watching.

You can shape reputation.

You choose your message, control the narrative, and manage how you appear in public.

Character is different.

It is built in the unseen moments.

In choices that cost you something.

In how you treat people who cannot offer you anything in return.

Here is the truth many leaders learn late:

Reputation without character looks strong until pressure hits. 

Then it collapses.

Reputation is external. 

Character is internal.

When they do not align, that gap becomes the crisis.

You can polish reputation.

You cannot fake character.

People may believe the image for a while.

But character shows itself over time in patterns and consistency.

Character is what survives the crisis.

If it is real, you rebuild.

If it is not, everything falls apart.

Leaders who last are not the ones with the best PR.

They are the ones whose private behavior matches their public words.

Reputation may open the door.

Character is what keeps you in the room.

Follow Evan Nierman for weekly insights on leadership, integrity and what endures.

The way you treat people when no one’s watching
says more about your leadership than any title ever could.

I’ve seen this in boardrooms, startups, and crisis situations.

The leaders who earn trust under pressure are the ones who lead with respect, not authority.

Reputation doesn’t begin with public perception.

It begins in private moments how you speak to assistants, interns, or colleagues when stress peaks.

Those quiet interactions shape culture. 

And culture shapes how your organization responds when challenges appear.

If you want lasting trust, start here:

1.) Respect without hierarchy.
People notice how you treat those who can’t advance your career. Respect creates loyalty that outlasts titles.

2.) Listen before reacting.
When pressure rises, the instinct is to speak first. Listening shows discipline — and builds confidence in your judgment.

3.)Treat every role as essential.
No crisis is solved alone. When people feel valued, they take ownership — and that’s where real resilience begins.

Leading with title earns compliance.

Leading with respect earns commitment.

Reputation is built on how people feel in your presence, not on your résumé.

Follow for weekly insights on leadership, crisis PR, and reputation management.

A client once told me: "I don't want to apologize. I want to win."
That's when I knew we had a problem.

He was furious.

The media was running a story he believed was unfair.

The facts, in his view, were being twisted.

And his instinct was to fight back. Publicly. Loudly.

To "set the record straight."

To win.

I understood the impulse.

When you're being criticized—fairly or not—the natural reaction is to defend yourself.

To prove you're right.

To make everyone see your side.

But here's what I told him:
"You can win the argument and lose everything else."

Because in a crisis, winning isn't about being right.

It's about being trusted.

And trust doesn't come from fighting.

It comes from how you show up when things go wrong.

Here's what happens when ego drives crisis response:

You focus on being right instead of being heard. 

People don't care about your ten-point rebuttal. 

They care whether you understand their concern.

You turn critics into enemies. 

When you fight back, you escalate. 

And escalation rarely ends in your favor.

You lose the people in the middle. 

The ones who were willing to listen? 

They stop listening when you start swinging.

The conversation I had with that client wasn't easy.

But eventually, he understood:

The goal isn't to win.
It's to resolve.

To move through the crisis with your reputation intact.

To show humility when humility is called for—and strength when strength is needed.

We didn't issue a combative statement.

We acknowledged the concern. 

Clarified the facts calmly. 

Focused on what we were doing moving forward.

No victory lap. No "gotcha" moment.

Just accountability and action.

The story faded.

The relationship with his stakeholders held.

And he learned something more valuable than winning an argument:
In crisis, ego is a liability.

Strategy is what saves you.

Follow for weekly insights on strategy and leadership under pressure.

The verdict doesn't matter if you've already lost in the court of public opinion. Litigation PR has changed.

It used to be simple: Don't comment on pending litigation. 

Let the lawyers handle it. 

Stay quiet until the judge rules.

That strategy doesn't work anymore.

Because while your legal team is preparing motions, the other side is shaping the narrative on social media, cable news, and in the press.

And by the time the case settles or goes to trial, public perception is already locked in.

Here's what's different now:

The court of public opinion moves faster than the courtroom.

A lawsuit gets filed. 

Within hours, it's trending.

You can't wait 18 months for discovery to tell your side of the story.

The damage is happening now.

Silence reads as guilt.

"No comment" used to be safe.

Now it looks like evasion.

If you're not telling your story, someone else will and their version will stick.

Juries Google.

Even when judges instruct them not to, jurors search for information.

What they find online influences how they interpret the evidence in court.
Settlements don't erase headlines.

You can settle the case. 

You can't settle the reputation damage.

If the narrative is "they did something wrong and paid to make it go away," that story lives forever.

What effective litigation PR looks like today:

1. Legal and PR working together from day one. Not as adversaries. As partners with a shared goal: protect the client.

2. Proactive messaging that tells your side without compromising the case. You can communicate strategically while respecting legal boundaries.

3. Stakeholder management beyond the courtroom. Employees. Investors. Customers. They're making decisions now based on what they see—not waiting for a verdict.

4. Digital reputation management. Ensuring your narrative isn't buried by the opposition's spin.

The goal isn't to win the PR battle and lose the legal one.

It's to protect your reputation while you fight the case—so when it's over, you still have a business to run.

Litigation PR isn't optional anymore.

It's essential.

Because even if you win in court, losing in public can cost you everything.

Follow for weekly insights on litigation communications and reputation protection.

If you're delivering bad news over email, you've already lost the relationship.
I see it all the time.

The termination notice sent at 5 PM on a Friday.

The policy change buried in a mass email.

The apology that reads like it was drafted by legal and approved by no one with a pulse.

Leaders hide behind screens when things get hard.

And it always backfires.

Because bad news delivered without presence feels like cowardice.

And cowardice destroys trust faster than the bad news itself.

Here's why email fails in crisis:

1.) It removes accountability. You can't see the person's reaction. 

You can't answer their questions. 

You can't adjust based on how they're receiving it.

You just send it—and hope it lands okay.

2.) It feels transactional. Email says: "This is a task I needed to complete."

A conversation says: "This matters enough for me to show up."

3.) Tone gets lost. What you meant as direct reads as cold. 

What you meant as professional reads as detached.

And in a crisis, tone is everything.

4.) It invites misinterpretation. People fill in the gaps. 

They read between the lines. They assume the worst.

Because when you're not there to clarify, they're left to imagine your intent.

The hard conversations—the ones that matter most—deserve your presence.

Not your inbox.

That means:

→ A phone call when you can't be there in person.
→ A video meeting when you need to see their face.
→ A real conversation—not a one-way broadcast.

Yes, it's uncomfortable.

Yes, it takes more time.

Yes, it's harder than hitting "send."

But leadership isn't about efficiency.

It's about integrity.

And integrity shows up.

Even when—especially when—the news is bad.

Follow for weekly insights on communication, presence, and leadership.

Five words that never work in a crisis:
"It was just a joke."

I’ve heard this defense after an offensive tweet, a tone-deaf comment, or a video that “wasn’t meant seriously.”

Every time, it makes things worse.

Intent doesn't matter. Impact does.

You may have meant it as humor, but if it landed as hurtful or dismissive, that is what counts.

Explaining your intent doesn't erase the impact. 

It only sounds like avoiding accountability.

Humor doesn't land the same for everyone.

What is funny to you may be insulting to someone else.

Sarcasm gets lost. Tone gets misread.

And you do not get to control how people receive it.

"Just joking" sounds like minimizing.

People hear:

"You're overreacting."
"You're too sensitive."
"I'm not responsible."

That never ends well.

The internet doesn't care about your intentions.

A joke that fails in a room is awkward.

A joke that fails online is permanent.

Screenshots keep the words, not the tone.

What to do instead:

Own the impact.

"I meant it as humor, but I see how it landed, and I'm sorry."

Skip the justification.

Don't explain why they shouldn't be offended. 

Acknowledge that they are.

Know your audience.

Not every joke fits every context.

The best communicators understand this:

You don’t decide how your words are received.

You only decide whether you'll stand by them or own the mistake.

Follow for weekly insights on communication, accountability, and reputation.

Microsoft just bought a 27% stake in OpenAI.
On paper, it's a business deal. In reality,

it's a power shift that changes everything about who controls the future of AI.

And most people aren't paying attention.

Here's what just happened:

OpenAI—the company that gave us ChatGPT—was structured as a nonprofit with a mission: develop AI that benefits humanity, not shareholders.

Now it's becoming a public benefit corporation.

With Microsoft holding significant equity.

Translation: the guardrails just got weaker.

And the profit motive just got stronger.

This isn't just a tech story.

It's a reputation and accountability story.

Because when innovation moves faster than regulation, trust becomes the only thing holding the system together.

And trust is fragile.

Here's what this deal reveals:

Power and accountability are diverging.

Microsoft gains influence. OpenAI gains capital.

But who's accountable when something goes wrong?

When AI makes a harmful decision, who answers for it—the nonprofit mission or the corporate investor?

The structure just got more complicated. And complexity is where accountability dies.

The narrative is shifting before the public realizes it.

Most people still think of OpenAI as the "good guys" in AI development.

Independent. Mission-driven. Different from Big Tech.

But this deal quietly erodes that distinction.

And once the public catches on, the backlash will be swift.

Innovation is outpacing oversight.

AI development is moving at a pace regulators can't match.

New models. New capabilities. New risks.

And the companies building it are writing their own rules—because no one else can keep up.

That's a reputation time bomb.

Three lessons for communicators navigating the AI era:

1.) Transparency isn't optional anymore.
The days of "move fast and explain later" are over.

If your company is pushing boundaries in AI, you need to communicate what you're doing, why, and who's accountable—before someone else defines it for you.

2.) Mission statements won't protect you.

Saying you're committed to safety and ethics doesn't mean anything if your structure prioritizes profit.

The public is learning to look past the messaging and examine the incentives.

3.) One misstep reshapes trust overnight.

AI mistakes don't just hurt your brand. They reshape public perception of the entire industry.

When trust is the only thing preventing regulation or backlash, you can't afford to get it wrong.

This deal is a signal.

The AI race is accelerating.

And the companies that win won't just be the most innovative.

They'll be the ones who figured out how to build trust while everyone else was just building technology.

Follow for weekly insights on crisis management in the age of rapid innovation.

The video went viral within hours.



Erratic driving. Swerving across lanes. 

Tailgating. Confused explanations.

Britney Spears is struggling and the people who should be protecting her brand either can't reach her, or aren't there.

This is what happens when crisis management fails before the cameras start rolling.

Her family, once accused of micromanaging under conservatorship, is now reportedly uninvolved. She's entirely on her own.

That absence is a brand liability playing out in real time.

For public figures, a functioning support system is essential reputation management. Without close advisors and a competent crisis team, minor incidents escalate into viral PR disasters.

What every crisis team should learn:

1. Act before the cameras roll.

Warning signs were there—erratic posts, fractured relationships, behavioral shifts insiders likely noticed months ago.

Waiting until damage goes viral is a fatal mistake.

2. Build a network, not an audience.

Fans aren't advisors. Real stability comes from legal, emotional, and strategic professionals who can say "no."

If no one in the inner circle has that role, the inner circle is the problem.

3. Control the narrative—or be controlled by it.

Her Instagram follow-up was confusing, rambling, unsupervised. It made things worse.

Messaging needs to be intentional. Not every thought belongs online.

4. Understand the cost of visibility.

Britney Spears is a brand with cultural equity, legacy value, and commercial interest.

When celebrities become unstable in public, they jeopardize the long-term viability of their brand.

5. Have a comeback plan before the crisis hits.

Image rehabilitation must begin in calm moments, not after public collapse.

The Reality:

Once the video goes viral, you're not managing a crisis.

You're managing the aftermath of one that's been building for months.

When public figures lack a clear PR strategy, one misstep becomes an irreversible spiral.

Public life offers rewards, but also risk.

When the spotlight turns toxic, survival depends on having the right people, the right plan, and the ability to act fast.

Because if you don't manage your reputation, someone else will.

Follow for weekly insights on crisis intervention and reputation protection.

The House passing the Epstein files bill 427 to 1 is not the headline.
The real headline is what happens next.

Many people assume the release will simply reveal names and fuel public outrage.

They think the narrative will unfold on its own, driven by the documents alone.

It won’t.

The truth is that the decisive moments will unfold in the first 24 to 48 hours.
 
That is when teams move, stories shift and reputations are either protected or permanently damaged.

Here is the pattern that crisis professionals recognize immediately:

• rapid distancing from implicated networks
• controlled statements designed to anchor early perception
• coordinated messaging to shape how the public interprets new information
• quiet legal positioning before narratives harden

With preparation, reputations can be stabilized.
 
Without it, the public forms conclusions that become nearly impossible to reverse.

For a fuller breakdown of what the next phase will look like, see my crisis communications analysis on CBS LA:

https://lnkd.in/eNcjD88i

Excited to be a guest speaker at Broward College today. Sponsored by Kappa Delta Pi, the international honor society in education, this event highlights the importance of kindness in our lives and the impact each of us can make. #guestspeaker #browardcollege #education #kindnessmatters #leadership

Red Banyan has once again been named an Inc. Magazine Power Partner—recognized back-to-back as one of the top B2B firms in public relations. PROUD of the work we do, the IMPACT we create, and the TEAM that makes it happen. Grateful to the leaders who count on us when the stakes are highest. Recognition like this is earned by showing up, staying sharp, and delivering when it matters most.
#IncPowerPartners #RedBanyan #Leadership #CrisisPR #ReputationMatters

Open article: Red Banyan Named 2025 Inc. Power Partner | Red Banyan by redbanyan.com

Red Banyan Named 2025 Inc. Power Partner | Red Banyan

Even the most successful entrepreneurs have blind spots. 
I wrote this piece for Entrepreneurs'​ Organization's Inc. Magazine channel after seeing how often leaders overlook issues that quietly grow beneath the surface—especially when things are going well. Big takeaway? Success doesn’t erase your weaknesses. It often hides them. Staying aware is what separates leaders who grow from leaders who stall. 
Read the full article here:
https://lnkd.in/ei3ysW-x
#Leadership #Entrepreneurship #Growth #ReputationMatters

Open article: 5 Blind Spots That Sneak Up on Successful Entrepreneurs by inc.com

5 Blind Spots That Sneak Up on Successful Entrepreneurs

It’s not every day your work helps put a client in the dictionary. 
But that’s exactly what Red Banyan did.

Through focused media relations and strategic advocacy, our client’s insights were quoted by Merriam-Webster and cemented into the official definition of “radicalism.” A defining voice on a defining issue—with national impact.
This kind of influence doesn’t happen by chance. It’s the result of precision, consistency, and the right message delivered at the right time.

This is the power of strategic communications.
This is the power of Red Banyan.

See the dictionary citation: https://lnkd.in/eFzcmDE7
#StrategicComms #MediaRelations #ThoughtLeadership #CrisisPR #ReputationMatters #Authority

Glen Powell understands that reputation is the most valuable asset. He is smart and strategic about his every move, and it's paving the way to new levels of superstardom. My take in the Us Weekly cover story.#celebrity #publicrelatons #strategy

Open article: How Glen Powell Balances His Career, Dating and Life in Texas (Excl) by usmagazine.com

How Glen Powell Balances His Career, Dating and Life in Texas (Excl)

When a crisis occurs, customers shouldn’t be left to solve it themselves. 
As I shared with Business Insider, hospitality companies earn goodwill by removing the burden, not adding to it. Relocation, refunds, and clear guidance aren’t perks. They’re the basics. Read the full story:

Open article: Hilton's CEO says problem-solving keeps guests coming back by businessinsider.com

Hilton's CEO says problem-solving keeps guests coming back

Leadership means staying grounded when everything around you is uncertain.

I recently contributed this piece to EO on how today’s leaders can build resilience that actually lasts. Especially when times are turbulent, the habits you form before the crisis often define how you lead through it.
Grateful for the chance to share these ideas with the EO community—and would love to hear what’s worked for you. Read the full article here:
https://lnkd.in/eU_n8UCG
#Leadership #Resilience #Entrepreneurs #CrisisPR #StrategicComms

Open article: Developing Resilient Leadership Habits for Uncertain Times by eonetwork.org

Developing Resilient Leadership Habits for Uncertain Times

Learning about diplomacy, debate and ideally compromise, collaboration and problem-solving. Critically important business and life skills. Proud of my daughter Noa Nierman for participating in Model U.N. as a diplomat from Jordan!

Student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas | Teen Leader |

The past two days, I’ve been honored to participate in BULLSMUN 2025 as a delegate for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. This is a Model UN conference for high school students where we use parliamentary procedure, give speeches, and collaborate to solve current global diplomatic issues. I participated in the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) committee, where the bloc I led developed a logistical and fair economic and legal framework addressing climate change and managing the effects of global hunger. I was honored to be named Outstanding Delegate by the committee chair, as well as my school being named best large delegate with the most amount of wins! Grateful for this opportunity to collaborate with other students, practice my public speaking, and craft detailed resolutions to real life issues. I am also excited to announce that I have officially joined the MSD Model Un club officer team as the social media manager. Looking forward to the next conference already!

LinkedIn Top Voice & digital strategist - helping corporate leaders to become unforgettable via personal branding and storytelling.

Hi, I’m Kinga Bali, Strategic Digital Advisor, Visibility Architect, and LinkedIn Top Voice, working at the intersection of digital transformation, thought leadership, and sustainable innovation.

My work spans corporate ecosystems, personal brands, and digital education, with one throughline: building visibility systems that scale trust, traction, and transformation.

What I Do

🔹 Digital & Brand Transformation
Drive end-to-end marketing strategy, digital innovation, and go-to-market execution across global platforms and purpose-led businesses.

🔹 Thought Leadership & Executive Presence
Shape high-authority positioning for founders, executives, and scaling brands, backed by real traction—not just content noise.

🔹 Lecturing & Strategic Advisory
Teach digital trust and visibility at the university level; advise leadership teams on narrative risk, reputation, and influence.

🔹 Visibility Partnerships & Board Engagements
Collaborate with brands and boards on trust-rich positioning, audience strategy, and digital credibility systems that scale.

Why I’m Called In
✔ 20+ years in digital strategy, innovation & transformation across Nestlé, Reckitt & mission-led orgs
✔ MBA research in executive branding, focused on digital trust & influence
✔ Proven ability to align business, tech & content into scalable visibility frameworks
✔ Operational leadership across functions & C-suite enablement
✔ Led platform rollouts across 100+ markets incl. L&D & CRM
✔ Built content systems & product storytelling for global scale

Recent Milestones

• Rolled out global L&D and CRM platforms across 100+ markets
• Built scalable content architectures supporting multilingual delivery and automation
• Shaped high-conversion narratives for digital platforms and internal adoption campaigns
• Created go-to-market frameworks that bridge product, comms, and leadership strategy

I started posting on LinkedIn in 2023 as an MBA assignment. Eight months later, I earned a Top Voice badge with under 4,000 followers. 

Now? 17,000+ followers. Countless DMs. Deep conversations on tech, leadership, and influence.
I’m also open to a select number of board and advisory roles, especially where digital strategy, product storytelling, and culture design need to scale together.

Next Moves

I’m building a portfolio career, board-ready strategy meets product storytelling, executive visibility, and scalable systems. If you’re building something ambitious, transformative, or even a little messy, I’m all ears.

📌 All views are my own. But I speak for the quiet rebels building loud results.

Kinga Bali

Why low reach might be the best thing for you?
Yes, really. Hear me out.

LinkedIn reach is down. 
Everyone sees it.
Some blame the algorithm. 
Others blame soft content.
Most panic. Or chase trends. Or disappear.

But what if… it’s a gift?

Fewer impressions = less pressure to perform.
Fewer comments = more room for depth.
Less noise = clearer signal.

You get to post without the crowd.
You get to test ideas that aren’t optimized for hype.
You get to reconnect with why you’re writing.

It opens the door to:

• Sharper signal testing
• Longer-form storytelling
• Moving your IP beyond just posts
• Trying that new format you’ve held back

LinkedIn becomes your public gym.
Not a billboard. A lab.
You don’t need 100k views.
You need one real connection that leads to actual traction.

Daily writing still builds the rep.
Still fuels the assets.
Still creates the edge.

Traction never depended on reach.
It came from trust. 
From signal. From the real work.

The algorithm may recover.
But so can your attention span.

Would you keep writing if the views never came back?

LinkedIn changed. So did I.
Reach shifted. Vibes shifted. 
Dynamics shifted. 
So I adjusted.

What started as an MBA experiment
became a public lab.

I still share. I still build.
But here’s what I realised:

You’ve known me for tools, language, frameworks.
Now I’m building the next layer:
systems, toolkits, books,
things you can hold, use, and share.

Things snowballed.
I needed structure.
Infrastructure.

Posts became chapters.
I’m now writing three books in parallel.
Not chaos, design.

↳ Boost Her Voice
Not a feminist cryout. A visibility redesign.
↳ The Brilliant Glitch
Neurodivergence, performance, and voice.
↳ The Job Seeker’s Guide in the Age of AI.
Strategy, prompts, and tactics
 you didn’t know you needed.

Each comes with expenses:
Design. Editing. ISBNs. Tools.

Many pieces come from client work,
lecturing, and deep research.
The quality is levelling up.

But here’s the paradox:
Free = generous. 
But free isn’t taken seriously.
Not always.

So I’m shifting.
Some parts will be gated. Some priced.

Not a pivot. Not a pitch.
Just clarity.

No snake oil.
No fake urgency.
Just public building,
with better boundaries.

If you’ve used this work, forwarded it,
built on it, thank you.

You’ll start seeing where and how
to support it, too.

What would you actually pay for,
if it solved a real problem, fast?

Penny for your thoughts?
And maybe a glitch worth funding.

My first book, The Unforgettable You,
drops next week.

The next one?
It will be built in public.
With you.
One post. Every week.
For a year.

The Brilliant Glitch
A toolkit. A book. A system.

For people with ADHD, Autism, or Dyslexia.
Or those who lead, love, or raise them.

Why now?
Because masking is killing clarity.
Because misconceptions are harmful.
Because most parents are left guessing.
Because ND adults are burning out quietly.
And because no one gives us the right words.

This project will offer:

↳Real stories, failures, redesigns
↳Tools for ND teams and parenting
↳Language that explains, not excuses
↳Open-source rituals, prompts, and scripts

Most of it will be free.
But systems take time, care, design.

Want to support it?
You can drop some pennies here:
https://lnkd.in/eXdbhv_E

What do you wish someone told you
about leading, working, or parenting with a glitch?
Your answers may shape the next chapter.

The Brilliant Glitch

We believe in luck until we sober up.
(And this is what plays better with the odds.)

I still believe in luck.
Not the lottery kind.
The kind where you toss salt.
Touch the wood. Whisper a wish.
Just in case.

Not because it works.
Because it moves me.
Myth with momentum.
Ritual when routine crumbles.

Because luck fades.
Seasons shift.
Energy dips.
What stays?

The compound interest of motion.

The boring.
The unseen.
The reps no one claps for.

Not every pitch lands.
Not every post performs.
Not every effort echoes back.

But you know what guarantees nothing?

Stalling.
Waiting.
Holding out for January clarity.

Yes, you can get lucky.
Once. Maybe twice.

But the ones who stay?
They were showing up on tired Tuesdays
and flu-season Fridays.
Building while no one watched.

And when the light hits?
People will say, "It’s all happening for you."

You’ll sip something hot
over the ashes of unanswered emails
and smile. Because it wasn’t luck.

It was motion.
Relentless.
Compounding.

So… what will you do this week
that luck can take credit for next year?

After the AI gold rush.
What’s left is the hard part.

We use AI knowingly when we prompt, plan, or code.
We use it unknowingly when we swipe, scroll, or speak.
It's inside your maps, your inbox, your camera roll.
Invisible, silent, woven into everyday habits.
Now leaders must make it reliable, secure, human.
Here’s where the real work begins .

1️⃣ AI gets expensive fast to run
Running it means constant servers, updates, and storage.
The bill grows fast, often faster than expected.

2️⃣ Bad data creates unfair results
AI copies what it learns.
Bad inputs mean biased or broken outputs.

3️⃣ No training means no adoption
New tools confuse teams without support.
People won’t use what they don’t understand.

4️⃣ Weak setups invite security risks
New models open new doors for attacks.
Few firms are ready to defend all of them.

5️⃣ Talent gaps stall AI progress
The tools evolve fast.
Most teams don’t have the people to match.

6️⃣ AI needs fresh data to stay useful
Outdated data leads to wrong advice.
AI must learn constantly to stay sharp.

7️⃣ Old systems struggle with AI tools
Most setups were not built for AI loads.
Connections break. Costs rise. Teams get stuck.

8️⃣ If people don’t get it, they won’t trust it
If you can’t explain it, you can’t sell it.
Trust needs clarity, not just output.

Hype made the headlines.
Care builds the future.

Reliability scales what flash alone can't.
Steady beats shiny.

What seemed easy now gets real.
This is where the work begins.

What breaks first: trust, skill, or systems?

8 AI Growing Pains

The Brilliant Glitch 
Neurodiverse minds.

Some problems? 
Cannot be solved with the old ways. 
Non-linear brains to the rescue. 

📌 Dr. Camilla Pang
The computational biologist reverse-engineering humans.
Diagnosed autistic, with ADHD, as a child.
Treats social interaction like a dataset to decode.
Builds models that translate behavior into algorithms.

📌 Dr. Nancy Doyle
The psychologist designing systems for divergent minds.
Founded Genius Within to rewire workplace inclusion.
Links neurodivergent traits to executive-level strengths.
Builds tools where others build barriers.

📌 Dr. Donna Williams
The theorist who decoded autism from the inside out.
Author of foundational books on neurodivergent perception.
Framed autism as sensory architecture, not defect.
Mapped a new model of cognition, through lived data.

📌 Dr. Sue Black, OBE
The activist who hacked her way into history.
Saved Bletchley Park with sheer grit and code.
Built Techmums to upskill underserved communities.
Hyperfocus turned into her superpower at scale.

📌 Dr. Helen Taylor
The ecologist proving cognitive diversity is survival.
Researches how varied brains boost group resilience.
Links dyslexia to innovation in evolutionary systems.
Turns her own glitch into a scientific hypothesis.

📌 Dr. Mary-Anne Williams
The roboticist solving AI with a restless mind.
Leads research in human-robot collaboration and ethics.
ADHD drives her cross-disciplinary problem solving.
Builds machines that think—and rethink—like humans.

📌 Dr. Marcia Bjornerud
The geologist reading time in tectonic layers.
Dyslexia sharpened her spatial reasoning and pattern vision.
Explores Earth’s memory through rock and rupture.
Sees structure where others see stone.

📌 Prof. Lynn Murray
The mathematician modeling chaos with calm precision.
Solves fluid dynamics problems with applied intuition.
ADHD fuels her nonlinear leaps across equations.
Finds patterns where logic alone falls short.

📌 Dr. Joanne Wood
The neuropsychologist turning data into care systems.
Autistic precision drives her diagnostic expertise.
Translates brain science into real-world interventions.
Sees clarity in cognitive complexity.

📌 Daisy Shearer
The physicist building quantum tech from deep focus.
Autistic, with a special interest in quantum systems.
Works on semiconductors for next-gen computation.
Translates theory into tech, and shares as she builds.

📌 Dr. Maja Matarić
The roboticist designing empathy into machines.
Builds socially assistive robots for therapy and care.
Bridges neuroscience, AI, and behavioral science.
Systems thinking with a human core.

📌 Michelle Dawson
The researcher who challenged the autism playbook.
Redefined intelligence beyond clinical assumptions.
Co-led studies centering autistic cognitive strengths.
Turned lived experience into scientific disruption.

They don’t follow instructions.
They redesign the assignment.
What if the glitch was the upgrade all along?

Neurodiverse minds. Some problems? Cannot be solved with the old ways. Non-linear brains to the rescue.   📌 Dr. Camilla Pang: The computational biolo

Open article: The Brilliant Glitch  by Kinga Bali • 2 min read

You didn’t see this coming.
Or at least not yet.
APO is at the gates.

While everyone is optimizing for GEO...
APO walks in.
Another acronym? 
Yes. But worth remembering.

Agentic Product Optimization (APO) 
is how your product:

↳ stays visible inside platforms
↳ can be purchased by AI agents
↳ appeals to bots and humans alike

Here are the 7 must-knows for smart APO strategy.

1️⃣ Search terms → solved tasks
SEO brought people to your site.
APO helps agents finish the job.
You optimize for completions now.
Not traffic. Not clicks.
Outcomes.

2️⃣ Structure before style
AI agents need structured:
clean, real-time data.
Fix schema markup.
Check product feeds.
Expose availability and price via API.

3️⃣ Friction kills transactions
Can the agent complete the purchase?
They skip what adds steps.
Use delegated payments.
Remove cart friction.

4️⃣ Write for constraints, not impressions
SEO was keyword-driven.
APO is logic-driven.
Help agents choose.
Highlight budget, size, fit, value.
Stay clear.

5️⃣ Trust earns ranking
Agents reward reliability.
Boost verified reviews.
Speed up delivery.
Simplify returns.
Make trust visible.

6️⃣ SEO feeds APO
One builds on the other.
Strong content still matters.
But agent-friendly data wins the sale.
Prepare for both.

7️⃣ Timing is now
Gemini and ChatGPT support holiday shopping.
This is the first season with real APO impact.
You are either ready, or losing share.

Theory? Not anymore.
This is infrastructure.
Built now.
Paid off in Q4.
Expanded in 2026.

Are your systems agent-ready?

APO explained

7 ways AI quietly rewrites the job market.
The shift is not loud. 
It is silent, systemic, global.

Career mobility, formats, and access, 
redesigned without warning.
This is what changes. 
Whether you adapt or not.

1️⃣ Printed CVs still circulate. Most get ignored.
In South Africa, 25% apply after deadlines.
Printed and static CVs persist in hiring flows.
But ATS cannot scan paper.
No format fit means no shot.

2️⃣ AI-made CVs now flood the system.
61% of UK/US applicants use AI tools.
Many sound identical. Trust drops.
Recruiters push video prompts to cut through.
Originality is now infrastructure.

3️⃣ Video CVs rise. Static text reveals less.
Europe moves toward voice and visuals.
Soft skills beat sentence structures.
No energy, no edge.
Text-only is starting to feel flat.

4️⃣ Entry-level roles are vanishing.
AI erases admin, assistant, junior positions.
First jobs disappear fastest.
This breaks the leadership pipeline.
No start means no scale.

5️⃣ Application norms now split by region.
US resumes avoid age and photos.
Europe wants detail, images, soft skill cues.
Asia mixes old and AI-optimized styles.
Wrong format kills global fit.

6️⃣ ATS filters rewrite visibility.
If it cannot parse, it cannot pass.
Design CVs for the scan first.
Keywords are not enough.
Structure decides if humans ever see you.

7️⃣ AI risk is unequal by economy.
Manual work shields emerging markets, for now.
Digital tools lag behind in access.
White-collar roles vanish in the Global North.
The divide deepens without noise.

What breaks first: the tools, the trust, or the talent?

Job market and ai

You lie to you.
The worst? You don’t even notice.

There are 180 biases.
Most can be hacked.
Some? Trained out.
But deletion?
Takes design.
Meet the designers.

📌 Dr. Jessica Milli
The economist who made bias billable.
Quantified the cost of “prove-it-again” culture.
Drove $1.5M in reform-triggering grant shifts.
Turned gender bias into a budget line item.

📌 Dr. Joan C. Williams
The architect of the bias interrupter.
Decoded five patterns that sabotage women at work.
Built tools now reshaping corporate policy.
Showed how 5% bias breaks the pipeline.

📌 Dr. Sylvia Ann Hewlett
The voice that cracked the maternal wall.
Named the silent exit of women in power.
Exposed “creeping nonchoice” as a career design flaw.
Proved ambition is punished when it’s maternal.

📌 Dr. Erica L. Kirby
The analyst who turned microaggressions into macro data.
Mapped isolation bias for women of color in tech.
Proved race reshapes how bias shows up, and stacks.
Forced intersectionality into the metrics column.

📌 Dr. Dawn R. Post
The data scientist who exposed sponsorship gaps.
Measured a 78% promotion bias in STEM sectors.
Revealed equal performance, unequal reward structures.
Tracked where merit ends and exclusion begins.

📌 Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw
The theorist who named the glitch in the system.
Coined “intersectionality” and rewrote equity’s playbook.
Proved one-axis solutions fail overlapping realities.
Brought nuance into legal code and hiring reform.

📌 Dr. Leticia Márquez-Magaña
The disruptor who rigged the system in reverse.
Exposed how undervaluation blocks Black and Latina hires.
Advanced co-hire models to shift the gate.
Engineered policy from pressure and proof.

📌 Dr. Mary Murphy
The psychologist who mapped bias to brain chemistry.
Showed subtle signals trigger dropout behavior.
Designed fixes that cut threat response by 30%.
Built belonging into the architecture of ambition.

📌 Dr. Corinne Moss-Racusin
The researcher who ran the résumé trap.
Proved identical CVs sink when labeled female.
Sparked hiring reform across academic institutions.
Exposed bias before the interview even starts.

📌 Dr. Molly Carnes
The strategist who turned exit data into retention.
Created Sea Change to counter STEM attrition.
Bias training boosted lab retention by 25%.
Proved opt-outs are systemic, not personal.

📌 Dr. Virginia Valian
The mathematician who modeled bias to extinction.
Simulated 5% skew erasing women from leadership.
Exposed the “potential vs. proof” promotion gap.
Showed merit works, if you're already in.

📌 Dr. Nilanjana Dasgupta
The experimentalist who rewired bias with visibility.
Proved role models reduce implicit bias by 30%.
Built the evidence base for exposure theory.
Shifted outcomes by changing who’s in the room.

Are you fixing the system or formatting the bias?
Who broke bias for you?

The worst? You don’t even notice. There are 180 biases. Most can be hacked. Some? Trained out. But deletion? Takes design. Meet the designers. 📌 Dr. 

Open article: You lie to you. by Kinga Bali • 2 min read

Game on.
The hidden rules you already play.

Careers aren’t fair. They’re games.
Some rigged. Some strategic.
And most people?
Don’t even know the rules.
Game theory offers a map.
Not wishful thinking, real strategy.

Here are the rules not always see:

1️⃣ Asymmetric information:

Others know more. Or think they do.
In salary talks, this kills your leverage.
Reveal just enough to keep control.

2️⃣ Prisoner's dilemma

Defecting seems smart short term.
But trust beats ego over time.
High-trust teams out-earn lone wolves.

3️⃣ Nash equilibrium

Everyone acts based on others' moves.
You play safe, so do they.
Someone must break the pattern.

4️⃣ Repeated games

One-off wins don’t build careers.
Consistency builds your rep.
They watch how you play, not once, always.

5️⃣  Signaling

Your actions speak louder than words.
Credentials, posture, response time, all signals.
Make them count. Or others will.

Game theory runs the office.
Which rule are you breaking?

Game theory

7 Mistakes in building AI agents.
What slows teams down before they start.

Internal AI tools sound complex.
They don’t need to be.

Anyone can build an agent 
that finds, explains, and answers.
No PhD. No full-time prompt whisperer.

But a few common choices kill momentum fast.

1️⃣ Dumping files, calling it knowledge

Raw content lacks structure or signal.
Fix: Write with headers. Use plain formats. Stay clean.

2️⃣ Skipping use case mapping

Tools fail when shaped around files, not tasks.
Fix: Start with questions users ask often.

3️⃣ Relying on “close enough” answers

“Almost right” feels wrong in most real work.
Fix: Control what counts as a match.

4️⃣ Trusting messy inputs

Outdated, scattered data breaks answers fast.
Fix: Clean before connect. Curate what matters.

5️⃣ Leaving users alone

No guidance leads to silence or mistakes.
Fix: Teach by example. Repeat often.

6️⃣  Ignoring who sees what

Access without rules creates quiet risk.
Fix: Limit inputs. Tag clearly. Audit visibility.

7️⃣ Flying blind after launch

No feedback means no direction.
Fix: Track patterns. Tune inputs. Tighten scope.

Final thought
AI agents don’t need perfect data or expert builders.
They need clean inputs and clear intent.

Most teams stall from clutter, not complexity.
What could change if finding answers felt obvious?

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Kinga Bali

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