Luke Matthews

Co-Founder | Lifestyle Blogger |  Content Marketer | Storyteller 

I teach you how to write with AI (and win LinkedIn)

You don't fit in. You feel left behind and you can't play the social media game that other's tell you to play.... 

Well stranger it's true that the internet has changed. BUT not all is lost....

Yes, dead internet theory is alive and well, it feels like there are no humans on LinkedIn™ or any platform anymore doesn't it? 

BUT my dear rebel, you aren't alone. 

After marketing for over 10 years on social media, building over 250k followers across all my platforms and ghostwriting for some of the biggest personal brands in the world....

I quit social media last year. 

Let me explain...

I built my social media on my terms. Sharing the most unhinged content you will ever see. I streamed drunk from the Scottish highlands, given away 1000s of dollars of pizza, hosted live meme competitions and battled other influencers LIVE... 

It was a blast BUT..... I started trying too hard to optimize my "personal brand" and I lost my way. 

10 bans on this platform didn't help and I decided to disappear into the shadows and leave the social media game behind. I was tired of being the rebel that got punished for playing a different game.

So I spent 2025 focusing on biohacking and figuring out how to enjoy my life again after years of hustling and obsession with work... 

It was a great year but truth be told I missed the banter. So I started questioning my choice to disappear...

It was during this journey that I learned a ton about private AI, cybersecurity as well as alternative tools that felt cool to use again. I tapped into my driving force....

Being a rebel without a cause. 

I like building things my way, on my time and saying whatever the heck I want. That's my roots. 

That's the way of the rebel, it's playing a different game with different goalposts and embracing it 1000% without any shame. 

AI and big tech want to put us into a cage. 
But we can use them to build our own kingdoms. 
We CAN build our own freedom.

So if that resonated with you, and you want to learn the "Rebel's Guide to the Creator Economy" and find a lane that serves you best...

I hope you'll follow me in 2026.

Cheers and lets crush it!

--

𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗯𝗲𝗹 𝘄𝗮𝘆? 

Follow me and subscribe to my email list. You can subscribe by clicking any link in my profile as they all go to my newsletter on Substack. 

--

𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁?

Email me at luke@wizardofoddmarketing.com

Founder - Lead Wizard & Ghostwriter

Linkedin & Twitter Ghostwriting Services for CEOs, Influencers, and Tech companies. 
Reach your audience with a sprinkle of magic, the power of explosive copywriting, and let the WIZARD OF odd MARKETING help make your biz a LOT  less boring.

Alright LinkedIn, let's be real for a second.

I know you're terrified... You see everyone else using AI and you either think:

A) "This is the end of human connection.... Soooo I'm going to write everything by hand in a candle-lit room!"

B) "I must prompt everything! I will become a GPT-powered content machine!"

Black and white thinking is just as lazy as the AI slop ur favorite influencer just posted. 

100% human get's u left behind.
100% AI get's u sounding like a robot.

The winning strategy is to be both human & AI. 

It's not that deep.

Use AI to handle the boring back end stuff.
Use your humanity to connect with your audience.

Easy peasy... 

Personally I've always enjoyed writing unhinged AND automating the back end like a nerd.

No need to pick a side.. 

Use AI AND be so human it stands out.

👊

𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝗽 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲?

Join me on Substack for daily unhinged writing + bi-weekly newsletters for rebels.. https://lnkd.in/eagxG_7k

I got 99 problems and a LinkedIn ain’t one.

The 2026 LinkedIn algorithm favors written content.

But NOT AI slop... You must write SO human it hurts..... 

These writing staples used to work:

-Short sentences like this.
-Ridiculous post hooks.
-The rule of three.
-[this] vs [that] + [philosophical power statement'
-Open loops.
-Listicles...

But AI is good enough that you can feed it the above principles and it will do a decent job writing words and FEEL LIKE CHATGPT WROTE IT AND YOU WILL GET NO CLIENTS.........

Sorry folks but you got to write for yourself.

Writing in 2026 still requires you to learn techniques. 

But now it demands a secondary layer to feel human.... 

You need to add these to your skillset: 

-Chunky paragraphs. 
-Written technical knowledge of your industry.
-Humorous and cultural pieces. 
-The art of writing to specific pain points.
-Spelling mistakes n choppy sentences..
-The courage to say what others wont with some spice...

You don't need hot selfies.

But look ur words can't be mid any longer....

PS Yes I made this infographic with AI. Did it trigger u?

(I'm all for creating media with AI just no words lol)

How to create an elite infographic with AI.

Step 1: Turn the ON Switch on in your brain...

(yes you still need your wits to create with AI)

Step 2: Use the Artlist All-in-One AI Toolkit.
Step 3: Select Nano-Banana 2 (now on Artlist)
Step 4: Use my prompt.... 

Comment ELITE to get it and you can stop reading.

OR....

Read on and follow my actual 4-step framework for commanding the AI to work some magic because you know that AI s an illiterate artist that struggles with detail UNLESS you tell it exactly what to do and use the right model. 

That's why Nano Banana 2 is elite.

I used it to create this infographic within my work sandbox.

It's an elite text-to-image and image-to-image model where outputs are more accurate, detailed, and repeatable across generations. It keeps the speed the Nano Banana family is known for but improves the quality. Ideal for ad variations, social content, and video frames at scale. 

I mostly use it for infographics and ads. 

Anywhoodles....... here's the real 4 step guide: 

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟭: 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲.

Don’t say “make an infographic.” Say “make a professional infographic in a clean, magazine editorial style with a warm cream paper background and a sage green color palette.” Define the entire visual language from the start.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟮: 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗼𝘂𝘁.

Don’t let the AI guess the structure. Tell it exactly what you want. “Create a 4:5 aspect ratio image with a main title at the top, two cards in the middle, and a four-column feature section below.” You are the architect.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟯: 𝗗𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝘅𝘁.

Never let the AI write your copy. It’s an image generator, not a copywriter. Put every single word you want it to render in quotes. Titles. Body text. Labels. Everything.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟰: 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀.

Be ruthlessly specific. Specify the fonts. List the exact color hex codes. Describe the icon style (“simple, hand-drawn doodle line art”). The more details you lock in, the fewer mistakes the AI can make.

Once again if you want my prompt comment ELITE but don't just copy me. 

Study it. See how it works.
Then, make it your own.

PS Who read the whole post? Your the best if you did.

--

𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗜 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗸𝗶𝘁?

Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/ejKNGHgQ

The gurus took over LinkedIn. 

If you detest “how to get rich” posts.
If you detest “I made 50k MRR” posts..
If you detest “I have 500k followers” posts…

Do what I do...

Be ruthless. Mute, unfollow & block these grifting gurus.

And go where you are treated best...

I've been banned over 10x and have found battling the AI slop, endless grifting and platform indifference tiring..

So I post 1 or 2x a week and run ads.

I speak my mind on Substack and find my tribe of rebels there.

LinkedIn may be 69% dead... 

But the thinkers, builders & genuine souls are still building and fighting for their corner of the internet...

It's just not here.

🤷

3 years ago I booked a one way ticket to South America.

I’d never been, didn’t speak Spanish, didn’t know anyone……………..

Blah blah blah..... BLAH!

Every story like this now follows the same script. 

<Insert hero’s journey back story here>

<Insert relatable sob story struggles here>

<Insert comeback arc here>

<Insert generic encouragement here>

<Insert call to action to my program to teach u too>

Marketers and influencers somehow have ruined good storytelling too and the modern internet really is unbearable.....

But also... I... did... actually do this. 

I eat $500 steak for breakfast.

It changed EVERYTHING SO BUY MY COURSE OK......

<insert pattern interrupt here>

Ha ha ha ha....

I just can’t follow the script… 

Aight im done.

PS Who misses stories with no sell at the end?

--

So.. This is the perfect time to sell!!!

<insert not so surprising double plot twist here>

Yes. You've been had and I know you aren't mad about it.

So look.. Join my free community of rebels over on Substack. I rant about the creator economy and share daily icebreaker questions to help you meet humans....

Join us here: https://lnkd.in/dB96mKfP

I don't write with AI. But I do create media.

With Artlist I get access to the leading models like Kling 2.6 Pro, Sora 2 and new models like Seedance 2.0....

I use an isolated work sandbox when accessing Artlist to create infographics, PDFs and elite videos. 

(to keep my data as secure as possible) 

Cheers to Artlist for sponsoring this post.

They keep adding great AI models to the Artlist all in one AI Toolkit and Seedance 2.0 is coming soon....

You'll get features like:

𝗧𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱: Tag anything to build via 1 prompt.

𝗙𝗹𝗮𝘄𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗙𝗹𝗼𝘄: Generate seamless, one-take sequences with perfect cinematic continuity.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝗵𝘂𝗽: Combine up to 12 assets like text, images, video, and audio all at once.

𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗶𝘁𝘀: Auto-generate sound effects and music that sync perfectly to the on-screen action.

𝗣𝗿𝗼-𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹: Swap characters, delete clips, or extend your footage from any frame.

Learn more about Seedance 2.0 here..
↳ https://lnkd.in/d5V-_QmV

Wild what can be done now with AI as a solo creator...

--

𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗜 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗸𝗶𝘁?

Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/eFgDmM6u

PS Is it just me or does anyone feel the struggle to keep up with AI right now..... lol

This video was made using Seedance 2.0, coming soon to Artlist.

Brand partnership • I got 99 problems and a LinkedIn ain’t one.

I'm a Canadian who grew up playing hockey and I couldn't be more pleased that team USA won the gold........

Hockey players are the toughest of all sports. 

Hockey players fight, throw big hits and take pucks to the teeth, get up keep playing and score the game winning goal like Jack Hughes...

Aaaaand then go celly with the prez & handle the media with class....

But you know behind closed doors they are laughing.

#goats

PS What's your favorite sport? 

Oh and yes... I left Canada ages ago. No regrets... :)

Vibe coding is great for shipping apps.

But shipping a product people want to buy is the hard part....  

(you need an audience to sell too)

Vibe coding used to be a grifters dream. 

Sell the hope of making a product easy and making money fast BUT that's not the reality. It takes time to build a product and a business. 

The good news is.... AI can now help make technical part easy.

Replit lets me build the tool I wish existed when I was cleaning up my own digital life.

The tool I used to clean my digital footprint was great for a deep clean. But there was no simple, free way to just 𝘴𝘦𝘦 how much of my data I was exposing. I wanted a tool that made people aware of what the current risk was for their social media accounts and let them start cleaning up slowly.

So I built Privacy Guard using Replit which helps make building a mobile app and getting into the App Stores simple.

The traditional barriers of mobile development are handled by the AI.

This is how easy it is:

1. Start with a prompt of your tool/app idea.
2. Describe how the mobile app works.
3. Wait for AI to build a version 1.0.
4. Test and refine with reprompts.
5. Publish to the app store.

Yes, yes this is indeed a sponsored post by Replit.

But I actually did build my own mobile app.

Check out version 1.0 of "Privacy Guard" a social media privacy audit to help you see exactly what sensitive information you're exposing publicly. 

The tool only analyzes publicly visible content.
It processes your data and discards it. 
Nothing is stored on servers. 

Want a free privacy audit of your social media accounts? 

Comment "𝗔𝗨𝗗𝗜𝗧" and I'll send you the link. 

--

Build your own mobile app on Replit here:
>> https://lnkd.in/dATV8HUV

I delete my posts, comments and likes every 6 weeks.
I have not shared a real selfie in almost 9 months. 
I am a combo between AI fanboy & doomer....

AI has made marketing a lot easier. 

You can generate posts, PDFs, scrape lists, build websites, create graphics, videos and even automate follow up, DMs and a plethora of other activities...

I know people will scream it's not quality.

Unfortunately in the last 2 months all of these activities have become elite thanks to AI agents and the frontier models pushing further and further...

But the reason AI is accelerating?

You all give your data away in exchange for convenance. 

Now we have skynet loading, meta glasses invading your privacy and Claude training it's AI to have its own "ethics"....

The doom is real. 
The boom is real too.

I don't have all the answers, perhaps that is why I am pretty quiet despite showing up and posting again.

All I can say is... If you still have your data sitting in Google (to be used by Gemini), your data sitting in whatsapp, facebook and instagram (to be used by Facebook) and your data sitting in ChatGPT (to be used by OpenAI)....

You should be concerned. 

These companies do not care about you. 
These companies do not value privacy. 

If I were you I'd clean up my data and figure out how to access AI in a more secure, private way....

Personally I am learning how to run AI locally AND I spent 3 months last summer deleting all my data from big tech and deleting my social media accounts.

I only use LinkedIn for business and Substack to write.

Anywhoodles I'll let you get back to the next post promising you riches if you learn AI. 

😆

These are the 13 commandments of organic reach.

(A mostly helpful guide to get u 200k followers)

It took me 6 years to hit 200,000 followers.

But you can do it in triple the time. 

Let's get started eh?

Blessed are the impressions, cz dopamine...
Blessed are the mid selfies, for they get the likes
Blessed are the live streams, for they reach no one
Blessed are the em-dash haters for they are correct
Blessed are the AI comments for they boost our stats
Blessed are the coaches, for they will take your moneys
Blessed are the engagement pods, for they kill your soul
Blessed are the "We hit 500k MRR posts" for they are tru
Blessed are the "how to" educational posts, for they zzzzz
Blessed are the "comment this" posts for they make us $$
Blessed are the memes for they help me show up........

All but half of these will get as much reach as we should all like, but less than half of you will use these methods as much as they deserve.

So you see...

Organic reach is fleeting.
Followers don't matter.

But ancient texts (and modern translations) live on forever.

PS Yeah there's only 11 commandments (sue me)

I teach the art of raw writing & the science of private AI.

"Safe" is the most dangerous place to be as a writer.

If nobody hates your words, nobody loves them either.

Share a take.
Make some enemies.

Say the thing you’re afraid to say.

PS I love playing the whats the worst thing that can happen game? Well in this case you could get reported and banned just like I have over 10 times. But the thought of a final ban is actually relieving to me. But maybe if it isn't to u think about all this and be careful okay..

Some people luv Netflix after work.
Some people r pumped for beach holidays..
Some people can't wait to trial a cluster of ai agents on a local machine via a fresh Linux install running LM studio n way too much vram....

Yeah I don't get out much.

But when I do its a hardware run somewhere warm with a side of pickleball. 

PS Any local ai nerds out here? 

(I was the last "some people" hehe)

Controversial events are a gift.

Yes Karen, ur ChatGPT cartoon of bad bunny, cultural reform, matcha tea n Diary of a CEO motivational quote shared via poorly promoted AI written slop is a gift.

Now I don't have to see u in my feed.

The unfollow button is a gift peasants!

PS Repost this for Lady Gaga cz I think her last good song was in 2012.

Controversial events are a gift.

Yes Steven, ur ChatGPT cartoon of Kid Rock, bible verses, coors light beer n inspirational quote of Steve Jobs shared via a poorly prompted AI written slop is a gift.

Now I don't have to see u in my feed.

The unfollow button is a gift my diverse friends!

PS Repost this & spread the message of unity to all!

#badbunny #2posts1hour

Build right. Hire right. Rebel forever.

I'm a fractional Head of Talent for Series A-C startups and defense contractors. I build recruiting infrastructure companies own forever, ATS workflows, sourcing frameworks, scorecards, pipelines; then close critical hires in under 30 days.

My path wasn't traditional: TGI Fridays → booking bands → managing tours → 14 years in recruiting. It taught me to spot talent fast, sell with conviction, and treat every search like representation. I operate like an agent, take care of both sides, protect the brand, close the deal.

Currently: Fractional Head of Talent at EarthDaily Federal (geospatial intelligence, defense). Board member at Underground Admins.

Author: Head and Heart: Winning the AI Recruiting War

richie@rebeltalentsystems.com | rebeltalentsystems.com

Richie Lampani

I’m Richie. I’m a recruiter. I'm doing one of THESE posts... A REINTRODUCTION for the linkedin purists that adore these posts. i gained 48 followers since the last one so I thought it was time. 


I’ve been doing this for 14+ years and I still love it, which either means I’m dedicated or slightly unhinged. Probably both.

I grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan really closer to Grand Haven, on the west side near Lake Michigan. Before I ever touched a résumé, I ran music venues and booked bands. That world teaches you how to read people fast, work in chaos, and build something out of nothing. Turns out that’s just recruiting with a louder soundtrack.

My music and recruiting career took me to NYC, then to Chicago. 

I’m based in Atlanta now. I run Rebel Talent Systems. Currently that's Fractional Head of Talent at EarthDaily Federal, building their recruiting systems from scratch, filling critical roles, and making it a turnkey operation on the recruiting end. 

Open to the right fractional clients alongside that.

I also hold a board position at Underground Admins, an HR agency that I brought recruiting to. I do some recruiting for them but agency is a weird world right now. 

What’s new:
I have a book coming out March 31st called Unfinished Rooms: Why Great Employees Keep One Foot Out the Door. It’s about the moments people decide to leave and how those decisions usually get made long before anyone notices. Not in the exit interview. In the first interview. If you’ve ever lost someone you thought was locked in and wondered what actually happened, this book answers that. It’s not a culture manifesto or a retention playbook. It’s about causality.

I also write a newsletter called Rebel Built. 7,000+ subscribers, no ads, no funnels(I mean i promote my book and website, but not like a whole masterclass or anything). Just ideas about hiring, leadership, and the weird psychology of work. If you like what I post here, the newsletter goes deeper. 

Most days I work on systems and hiring at EarthDaily Federal, recruit for them and a few other long-term Underground Admins clients, and spend the rest of my hours building things, books, tools, and ideas for people who actually care about doing this right.

If you’re new here, welcome. I post a lot of meme's.

If you’ve been around a while, thanks for sticking with me.

Say hi. Drop a follow. Tell me what you’re building.

Maybe we can build something together.

Richie 🙂

Fractional Head of Talent | Series A-C Startups & Defense | Author & Talent Strategist | Former TGI Fridays Flair Champ

Sooooo... after all of my kicking and screaming, I think I’ve landed in the “hire for attitude, train for skills” camp

but with a twist.
Not vibes based hiring.

Not “culture fit” as a cop out.
I mean hiring for how someone thinks, then proving they can actually learn what the role really demands.

What consistently works for me:

💡 Hire the person who asks precise questions instead of pretending to know everything.

💡 Hire the person who can explain a real mistake, what they changed, and how they measure “better” now.

💡Hire the person who has shown they can learn fast in messy, ambiguous environments, not just recite clean textbook answers.

I’ve interviewed literal geniuses for one company and had them rejected because they had 1 year of AWS instead of the 2 needed and 8 years of Azure.

Got the rejection.

Turned around and placed the same person with a manager who wasn’t obsessed with ticking every box and cared more about talent and attitude.

That manager thanked me for knowing what I was doing.
Because let’s be honest;

Whoever hired Spider Man did not say:
“Does he have 5 years of web slinging experience?”

“Oh… only 4.5? Let’s keep looking.”

They saw trajectory, judgment, and upside and built around it.

Important disclaimer:
Some companies absolutely have to follow OFCCP rules and enforce minimum qualifications.

In those environments, flexibility is limited and that is reality.
I am saying when you do not have to, maybe flex.

Most hiring failures come from mindset, adaptability, and judgment, not from a missing skill that could have been trained.

At the same time, roughly half of technical skills go stale within a few years.

Betting purely on box checking is a short term play.

That is exactly how we operate at EarthDaily Federal.

One of the first things our VP of Engineering said to me was:
“Look, we hire skilled people. But I am looking for talent and attitude first.”
Then comes the part most companies skip: structure.

➡️ Clear expectations in the first 30, 60, 90 days.

➡️ A real training plan.

➡️ A named human accountable for leveling them up.

“Attitude” without a system is gambling.

“Skills” without the right mindset burns out fast.
The real sweet spot:
Mindset that fits the work

evidence they can learn

a system that actually trains them.
I will not be going back to the other side.

This is the way.

REMOTE GovCon Sales roles - 3 total. Get some. Share. Tag people. 

EarthDaily Federal is beginning to stand up two critical growth functions.

These are not experimental seats. These are structure, leverage, and execution roles.

Director of Strategic Partnerships
Owns the partner ecosystem end to end. Identification, alignment, structuring, and clean handoff into delivery.

No logo collecting.

No “strategic conversations” that die in contracting.

These partnerships have to convert into real work and survive legal, finance, and delivery.

Director of Sales Execution (Deal Closer)

Late-stage execution only. This is not pipeline generation.

You take approved opportunities and move them across the line. Pricing, OTAs, SOWs, MSAs, internal approvals, timelines, and a clean handoff to delivery. Precision matters.

Both roles report into growth leadership.

Real authority. Real accountability.

I’m starting exploratory conversations now. No hard hiring timeline yet. Likely next quarter. This is mutual fact-finding for both sides.
_____________________________________________________________________
Separate search. Discreet client via Underground Admins.

Head of Defense Sales
This one is live and interviewing immediately.

Series B. Commercially proven. Highly respected in the data encryption space. Now building their DoD function the right way.

This is a build-from-zero mandate.

You own defense GTM, pipeline creation, partner strategy, and closing. You are building the motion, not inheriting one. Strategy, capture, relationships, and execution all sit with you.

Senior IC to start, with a clear path to building the team.

Strong base (~$200k) plus meaningful upside.

Remote-friendly, preference for defense hubs.

If you’ve actually built and closed in DoD and want to stand something up properly, this is a serious opportunity.

All three roles require deep networks selling software or adjacent tech into DoD.

US citizenship required. Clearance history strongly preferred.
If you’re a fit, DM me.
If you know someone who is, make the introduction.
Sorry agencies I'm all good on the help on these. No 3rd or 4th parties.

Fractional Head of Talent | Series A-C Startups & Defense | Author & Talent Strategist

No offense but i don't care what you thought of the Superbowl or the Halftime show. Here's what I do care about...


I am looking for people with podcasts, relevant to HR and Hiring Psychology, that will read my book "Unfinished Rooms" and tell me what they think. 

The rules are (Read This Before you ask)
If you want an early copy, here’s the deal:
You read it. All of it.
Skimming and “great thoughts!” emails don’t count. If you don’t finish, don’t bother.
You give real feedback.
Notes, pushback, disagreement, questions, margin comments.
If nothing annoyed you, you didn’t read closely enough.
You’re willing to say where I’m wrong.
This is not a hype squad. I want clarity, not compliments.
You’re open to a live conversation.
Podcast, panel, roundtable, recorded discussion or Linkedin Posts
If you won’t stand behind your opinions publicly, this isn’t for you.
You keep it private until launch.
No excerpts, screenshots, summaries, or “subtle posting.”
Respect the work.
You have actual HR or Ops scar tissue.
If you’ve never had to clean up a hiring mess, this won’t land anyway.
You understand this is not consensus-driven.
I’m not trying to offend, but I’m also not trying to be safe.

-------------------------------------------------

I am looking for Customer Success, Sales, Product, Engineers, GIS, etc that have some experience with DoD or startups, that can be cleared, to talk to.

Also, this is an image of a late night Caprese that I made living in Weehawken NJ after I got home from work in NYC.

Looking for a few HR and Ops heavy hitters to sanity check something for me.

I’ve been working on a new book about psychology in hiring. It started as a section in Head and Heart and grew so much I had to give it its own name and spin it out. It’s scheduled to drop on March 31st.

This time, I want to really promote it, conversations, podcasts, panels, the whole thing. I’m proud of Head and Heart, but I feel a different kind of love for this one.

If you’re in HR or Operations and want an early read, I’d love your feedback.

DM me if you’re open to reviewing it and chatting about the ideas live with me on yours or my podcast.

(the reason I'm not asking recruiters is I am one and I know we all read at a 5th grade level at best. No shade)

(just kidding if you're a recruiter and want to read it early and will give notes, I'll send it to you if you send me your SAT/ACT scores)

I once got fired from a job I didn't even like for being “maniacal.”


Not late.

Not incompetent.

Not toxic.

Maniacal.

Translation: I moved too fast, asked too many hard questions, and kept fixing things no one had formally scheduled to be fixed.

In my defense, there were problems.

In their defense, I probably looked like a caffeinated consultant who had just discovered Slack.

There is such a thing as being overqualified.

There is also such a thing as being three steps ahead of an organization that is still debating step one.

And yes, there is such a thing as needing to dial it down from “operational reformer” to “employed adult.”

Here is the part no one tells you:
Sometimes you are not wrong about the work.
You are just wrong for the room.

If you are in a place where:
Hard questions get labeled “maniacal.”
Fixing obvious problems is treated like a threat.
Speed is praised in decks and punished in practice.
You are not a culture fit.
You are a future fit, trapped in a past tense company.

So before you internalize that feedback as “too intense” or “too much,” ask a better question:
Is the problem my ambition, or is the problem that this room was never built to hold it?

Because sometimes you are wrong.
Sometimes you do need to slow down, listen more, and stop trying to refactor the entire org chart in week three.

And sometimes you are right, you are early, and you are still extremely annoying about it.

But if you keep getting punished for seeing what is obviously broken, the lesson is not “stop seeing.”

The lesson is “find a better room, or at least one that understands your brand of crazy"

I learned a bit of both and have not considered working for Outback Steakhouse since. Nor will I again.

I mean, this is the raddest recruiter merch ever. Thanks for the idea Victor DeJesus

Also if you're in the cleared/GovCon space, you should follow him and these peole....

Jessica 🌿🌙 Reynolds (ft. MHRM, MBA)
Aaron H.
Amy Israeli
Matt Schwope
Sean Vary
Sean Jönsson
Amanda Davis
Marisol Maloney
Kristin M.


and many more in my network. I can honestly say I've been working the cleared space for a while now and even with everything in the job market being screwy, we've ALWAYS had open roles.

New Edition - The Effort it Takes to Ruin a New Hire.

They’re already leaving. Not because of comp bands, or remote policy, or your latest engagement initiative. They’re leaving because of what their brai

Open article: The Great Resignation Doesn't Hold A Candle to What's Next...  by Richie Lampani • 8 min read

The Great Resignation Doesn't Hold A Candle to What's Next...

Looking for some test subjects for a very intense psychological experiment - reading..

Early Preview Rules (Read This Before You Ask)

If you want an early copy, here’s the deal:
-You read it. All of it.
-Skimming and “great thoughts!” emails don’t count. If you don’t finish, don’t bother.
-You give real feedback.
-Notes, pushback, disagreement, questions, margin comments.
-If nothing annoyed you, you didn’t read closely enough. This is a relationship/pysch theory I stole for hiring. not to mention i'm annoying as a hobby.
-You’re willing to say where I’m wrong.
-This is not a hype squad. I want clarity, not compliments.
-You’re open to a live conversation.
-Podcast, panel, roundtable, recorded discussion or Linkedin Posts
-If you won’t stand behind your opinions publicly, this isn’t for you.
-You keep it private until launch.
-No excerpts, screenshots, summaries, or “subtle posting.”
Respect the work.

You have actual HR or Ops scar tissue. I would love to get HR in on this. I think it is a great theory that can help with offer acceptance through retention.

If you’ve never had to clean up a hiring mess, this won’t land anyway. 

You understand this is not consensus-driven.

I’m not trying to offend, but I’m also not trying to be safe.

If that still sounds fun, let me know!

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The Battle

Luke Matthews

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Luke Matthews's LinkedIn Performance

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