Growth @Rifa AI | Making AI work like your most reliable teammate | Previously @ Topmate | 30u30 IQ

AI isn’t replacing people. It’s replacing processes that slow them down.

At Rifa AI, we’re building intelligent agents that automate back-office conversations across chat, voice, email, and support without breaking ops.

The goal isn’t to sound human.
The goal is to get work done, with AI that can reason, act, and complete entire workflows across tools.

Our best users don’t even realize they’re talking to a bot.
That’s the point.

Before this, I led growth at Topmate and picked up a few hard truths:
 → Shiny doesn’t scale
 → Funnels lie
 → Speed breaks things, but it also builds them

Rifa is a tougher game. The stakes are higher.
You’re shipping into systems where mistakes cost trust, not just clicks.

That’s why I care about:
 → AI that’s functional, not performative
 → Growth that’s compound, not chaotic
 → Shipping like it’s a reflex, not an event

If you’re building at the intersection of AI, ops, and velocity, let’s chat.

Shubham Khoker

1 stage. 2 AI rivals. And the most awkward 5 seconds in tech this year.

Everyone smiling, hands up, except not holding hands.

And the internet is like: “𝘖𝘰𝘰 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢.”

But honestly? This is just how competition looks.
You can share a stage, but can’t share ambition.

Sam Altman and Dario Amodei don’t need to hold hands.
Because they’re building rival superintelligence labs.

AI in 2026 isn’t friendly hackathons.
It’s geopolitics, compute supply, distribution wars with polite panel discussions in between.

We’ll clap together, but won’t build together.

And that tension?
That’s exactly why the space is moving this fast.

Sam Altman called Anthropic “authoritarian” for mocking ads in AI.
Then rolled out ads in ChatGPT five days later.

So either the principle changed, or the pressure did.

And before anyone says “unit economics,”
Yes, I get it.

AI at scale is expensive, compute isn’t free, and monetization is inevitable.

But what’s interesting is how divided the reaction has been.

One side is saying:
“This is just evolution.”
“Search had ads. Social had ads. AI will too.”
“It’s innovation.”

The other side is deeply uncomfortable.
Because AI is not Instagram, where you scroll past sponsored posts.
It’s now an answer engine.

When you ask an LLM something, you’re not browsing ten links.
You’re taking the output seriously, and sometimes acting on it.

So the obvious question is:
If ads enter the system, what happens to outputs?

→ Will recommendations tilt toward whoever bids more?
→ Will citations prioritize partners?
→ Will “best tool” quietly mean “highest sponsor”?

However, OpenAI’s stance is that ads will be separate and transparent.
That they won’t distort core responses.

I hope that’s true.

But structurally, ads introduce a second incentive into the conversation.
And incentives shape systems over time.

Personally, I think sponsored results inside answer engines are a slippery slope.
Because they quietly change how much people trust the output.

And in AI, trust is the product. Isn’t it?

Perplexity built a $200 AI panel discussion room


I’m talking about their new “𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥” 
It lets you throw a single prompt at GPT-5, Claude 4.5, and Gemini 3 simultaneously. Then, a fourth model acts as a moderator to synthesize the debate into one final answer.

It’s basically hiring three genius interns to argue in a room while a tired chief of staff writes the final memo.

I think it’s the end of model loyalty.
Because up until now, most of us have been playing Model Roulette every morning.
→ Use Claude for writing
→ Use GPT for reasoning
→ Use Gemini for context

Perplexity just productized it.
Model Council bundles it all, catches hallucinations early, and shows exactly where they disagree.

As I build in healthcare, I need that transparency. One wrong protocol in healthcare ops leads to disaster. So, seeing the "gap" upfront saves headaches.

I love this direction because
→ It’s transparent
→ It admits no single model is perfect
→ It treats intelligence as debate

If I can have three models peer-review each other for the cost of a decent SaaS tool, why would I bet my workflow on just one?

So, will this kill single-model habits? Feels like it.

Having your front-desk team handle every call, billing query, and insurance check feels safer.
Until you lose three months of revenue over one small mistake.

For the past 1 year, I’ve been seeing how people trust manual work in healthcare ops simply because a human is involved at every step.

It feels controlled, familiar, and responsible.
But that sense of safety is FAKE and mostly emotional.

In reality, manual systems hide bigger risks right under your nose.

↳ You lose 5 follow-ups in a week because Sam was out sick, and no one noticed the callbacks sitting in his inbox. That’s 5 patients who never came back.

↳ A surgery gets pushed by 3 hours because Julian copied one insurance digit wrong in a rush. 

↳ A scheduling rule lives in John’s head, and when he leaves, nobody knows why certain slots were blocked.

These don’t look like trouble until you're stamped with a legal notice asking: 
→ Who touched this last?
→ Why wasn’t this caught earlier?
→ Where’s the record of what actually happened?

So, “Manual” isn’t always safe. It’s more dangerous, especially in healthcare. Because the stakes are liability, audits, patient trust, real outcomes.
And human lifes involved.

But A good automation? It reduces invisible risk with.
→ Consistency.
→ Decision logging.
→ Execution of every critical step.
EVERY SINGLE TIME.

Because, unlike everyone claims, safety doesn’t come from more humans in the loop.
Safety is built when fewer things rely on memory, heroics, and luck.

Don’t you feel so?

If you’re still debating whether AI will take your jobs, hold your horses.
Because now, AI agents are taking your body.

WHAT?

I’m not even kidding.

Last week, my wild goose chase took me to this platform—RentAHuman AI, where bots can literally "rent" humans to do the real-world stuff they can’t.

Oh, and it doesn’t stop there.
Their website copy and tagline are gold: 
"𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲. 
𝐀𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧."

This sounds like pure interstellar-level sci-fi.
Only until you realize it’s literally just AI playing the logical "Uno reverse" card 
And outsourcing physical labor because it has the brain but not the thumbs.

We’ve given AI the brain, the reasoning, and the bank account (via crypto wallets), but the ability to actually feel if the vibes are off in a room?

Nope!


That’s why these AI agents can hire us for the "meatspace" tasks:
→ Picking up a package because they don't have a photo ID.
→ Holding a sign at a protest or a conference.
→ Checking if a restaurant’s noise levels are actually okay for a family dinner.
→ The literal "touch, feel, and experience" layer that code simply cannot replicate.

I find this shift wild.

Because think of this…
We’re used to treating software as a tool we open. Now, software is the operator, and we are the "hardware" it calls via an API.

Is it a gimmick? Maybe.

But the reverse-hiring model is an incredibly sharp look at where the "human value" moat actually is.

So, would you work for an AI if the pay was good, or does that feel too weird?

I tracked 50 viral “10x growth hack” posts for AI startups last month on LinkedIn.
If they actually worked, I’d be a billionaire by now.

But what you don’t see in those viral hacks is:
→ The dip after launch.
→ The feature you were convinced would move the needle, but it didn’t.
→ The quiet moment staring at your roadmap, thinking, why did we prioritize this again?

Early on, I used to equate speed with strength.
Ship fast, iterate faster, and keep momentum at all costs.

But over time, I’ve realized speed by itself is overrated.
The real advantage is recovery.

→ Can you look at something that flopped, admit it quickly, and fix it without spiraling?
→ Can you absorb the hit without turning it into a dramatic pivot story?

That’s the metric we don’t talk about enough - 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞.

Not how fast you launch, but how fast you stabilize after reality disagrees with you.
That muscle has saved me more than any growth tactic ever did.

Have you shipped something with full confidence, and had to quietly rethink later?

I noticed something strange whenever my friends in the US got sick.
They were more afraid of the cure than the disease.

Yes, visiting a hospital in the US sucks.
You can do everything right - pay premiums, pick a plan and still hit a wall.

Because the workflow falls apart the moment you enter it.

→ You try to book an appointment, and the earliest slot is three weeks out.
→ You call to confirm coverage and get told to “check with your insurer.”
→ The insurer says the provider needs to submit something first.
→ The provider says they can’t verify until you’re in the system.

You’re insured, but you’re stuck.

The problem is that the "patient journey" is a chain of disconnected steps pretending to be one.

↳ Scheduling doesn’t talk cleanly to verification.
↳ Verification doesn’t sync cleanly with billing.
↳ Billing doesn’t align cleanly with what the payer sees.

Every handoff is a risk.

And when you’re healthy, you don’t notice the gaps.
But when you’re sick, every gap feels personal.

That’s why I don’t think fixing healthcare starts with better coverage or even better treatment.

It starts when you repair the invisible chain that connects booking to billing.

If information flowed cleanly without bouncing between systems, without relying on patients to coordinate the chaos, half the frustration would disappear.

You can mandate insurance but you can’t mandate coordination.

And until someone owns the full workflow, the patient ends up being the glue. Isn’t it?

You’ll lose a patient within 5 seconds doing this.
And most clinics do it every single day.


You send them a long intake form on their phone.
Especially when they’re not feeling well.

We assume forms are efficient because they’re structured, clean, and easy to store.
But think about the patient.

This person is not sitting at a desk with perfect WiFi and full attention.
↳ They’re in a cab
↳ At work
↳ At home with noise in the background
↳ Or a 68 years old, squinting at a tiny screen, trying to type their insurance ID correctly

This is why so many clinicians prefer voice for first touch.
Because voice feels natural.

→ An elderly patient can just speak.
→ Someone with an accent can clarify in real time.
→ A parent can answer while multitasking.
→ And if something sounds confused or anxious, you can respond to that tone.

Intake is the first moment of care.
And the smoother that moment feels, the less likely a patient is to drop off before they even walk in.

So, does your intake process feel easy for your team, or easy for your patients?

Only 1% of fast-scaling founders use AI the right way. Here’s why the rest are falling behind without realizing it.

Because they're using a Formula 1 engine to drive to the grocery store—unnecessary and ridiculous. 

They automate a few emails, generate some content, call it "AI-powered growth", and wonder why the results feel the same.

But AI should be plug-in to do things you never could before.

Like knowing exactly which user is 3 days away from churning and reaching them with the right message before they even think about leaving.

Or running 40 personalization experiments simultaneously, without a single extra hire.
That's a completely different game.

So, don’t ask "How do I automate what I already do?" 
Instead, ask "What became possible that wasn't possible before?"

That second question is where the real growth lives.

I've seen teams 3x their conversion velocity by finally having the bandwidth to focus on strategy, narrative, and the decisions only humans can make well.

AI handles the repetition while you handle the direction.

The founders who get this early are building a completely different kind of moat.

What's one thing AI made possible for your business that wasn't possible 2 years ago?

We could automate 100% of healthcare calls tomorrow.
But we don’t.


It’s because the moment you sit with real teams and listen to real calls, you realize that full automation feels impressive in a demo, but reckless in real life.

Most of the pain in frontline work comes from endurance.
↳ The same appointment reminder.
↳ The same eligibility check.
↳ The same “can you call us back later?” loop that eats an entire afternoon.
That’s the work AI should do.

So, voice AI should not be treated like a replacement for judgment.
It isn’t, and forcing it to be one is how trust breaks.

→ If a patient sounds confused, we don’t “power through” the call.
→ If something feels off, we escalate.
→ If the situation needs context, accountability, or empathy, it stays human.

That restraint is intentional.

Because automating everything is easy.
Knowing what not to automate is the hard part.
Isn’t it?

Your clinic is leaking 6 out of 10 potential appointments before a human ever says 'Hello.' And the culprit is a system we’ve normalized since 2003.

If you’ve ever called a hospital, you know the ritual.
“Press 1 for appointments.”
“Press 2 for lab reports.”
“Press 3 if you’re already confused.”
“Press 9 to go back to the previous menu that didn’t help.”

And then comes the robotic voice that sounds like it last felt emotion in 2003.

By the time you reach a human, you’ve explained your problem three times
and forgotten why you called in the first place.

Here’s the irony:
Healthcare is supposed to be about care.
But the systems around it feel anything but caring.
→ Long wait times.
→ Rigid IVR trees.
→ No context.
→ No memory.
→ No real listening.

And the patient is already stressed and anxious.

But what if the system actually listened?

→ Not just keyword matching.
→ Not “Sorry, I didn’t understand that.”
→ Not pushing you back into menu jail.

But listening with context.

Understanding:
– “I need to reschedule my MRI.”
– “My father’s report isn’t showing in the portal.”
– “I’ve been on hold for 12 minutes.”

And responding like a calm, efficient front desk person.

That’s where contextual Voice AI  with empathy comes into the picture.
It is your competent front desk staff member who never gets tired, never forgets, and never puts you on unnecessary hold.

Because in healthcare, being heard is the baseline. Isn’t it?

Lorraine K. Lee

Bestselling Author (Unforgettable Presence) | Corporate Keynote Speaker | Instructor: LinkedIn Learning & Stanford | Former Founding Editor at LinkedIn & Prezi

I help professionals build an unforgettable presence to increase their visibility, impact, and influence—so they’re no longer the best-kept secret at work.

For a long time, that wasn’t my experience.

I did strong work. 
I stayed prepared. 
I waited for my turn.

And I watched others move ahead while I stayed invisible.

The shift came when I stopped being a passive participant in my career and started taking ownership of how I showed up. 

Within a year, I stepped into a Director role, learned to speak publicly despite deep nerves and introversion, and built a side business alongside my full-time job.

Then, in late 2022, I was laid off.That side business became RISE Learning Solutions, built on more than a decade of experience as a founding editor at LinkedIn, Prezi, and other leading tech companies.

Today, I work with organizations like Amazon, Zoom, and Cisco as a keynote speaker, trainer, and content creator. I also partner with select executives, including Fortune 500 CEOs, to strengthen their presence and thought leadership on LinkedIn and beyond.

My #1 bestselling book, Unforgettable Presence, is the resource I wish I had when I felt overlooked. It’s written for ambitious professionals who want to show up with clarity, confidence, and intention without becoming louder, more performative, or someone they’re not.

WHAT I DO
Keynote Speaker & Trainer 
I speak on presence, communication, presentations, managing up, and modern workplace visibility. My sessions consistently receive 98–100% positive attendee ratings, with 200+ testimonials from teams and leaders.

(Scroll down to see them in my Recommendations.)

Instructor 
I’ve trained 250,000+ learners through 15+ LinkedIn Learning courses (all rated 4.7/5 and above) and teach public speaking at Stanford Continuing Studies.

Content Creator 
As a LinkedIn Top Voice with 330,000+ followers, I’ve partnered with brands including Robert Half, HubSpot, MERIT, Gusto, Notion, and Superhuman, sharing advice and frameworks on topics including presentations, communication, and practical career advice.

LEARN FROM ME:
Grab my bestseller Unforgettable Presence: https://amzn.to/3Hdv79r
Grab my FREE 5-day email course, Invisible to Influential: lorraineklee.com/free-course

🎓 BSJ, Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism
🍰 Outside of work, I’m usually exploring new restaurants, searching for my next favorite dessert, learning golf, or planning my next trip!
👉🏻 Want to work together? Reach out at lorraineklee.com/contact

Top-Rated Virtual Keynote Speaker and Trainer

🎙𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐊: 𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐊𝐋𝐄𝐄.𝐂𝐎𝐌/𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆

🏆 Named a Top Virtual Keynote Speaker - ReadWrite (2020)
🏆 Finalist: Global Conference Speaker of the Year - WomenTech (2022)
🏆 Survey results: Speaker rating: 4.8/5, 100% learned something new, 98% found the session valuable (2023)

𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐤𝐞𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫, with experience speaking to global audiences ranging from Fortune 100 companies to startups, including Zoom, Cisco, Atlassian, and GitLab. She’s also a 5x-LinkedIn Learning Instructor with more than 300,000 followers on LinkedIn. 

Lorraine speaks on a wide range of topics, and each of her talks receive rave reviews: In 2022, she was rated a 4.92/5 as a speaker with 100% of attendees saying they learned something new.

Popular talks:
➤ How to Have Better Meetings (#2 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘦-𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘵 𝘈𝘵𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘮 '22 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦)
➤ How to Build Your LinkedIn Presence
➤ How to Make a Memorable First Impression on Video
➤ How to Present Like a Pro
➤ How to Stand Out On Video and Beat Zoom Fatigue

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 (More at lorraineklee.com/testimonials)

✨ I [...] recently invited her to speak at Zoom as part of our internal speaker series. Lorraine led a masterclass in engaging an audience virtually, including using cutting-edge tools to elevate virtual storytelling. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐞'𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬. — 𝘈𝘙𝘜𝘕 𝘑, 𝘡𝘖𝘖𝘔

✨Her presentation was 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬 on how to improve our video communications. Her presentation encouraged engagement in an authentic way that made everyone enjoy the call. — 𝘚𝘈𝘔𝘈𝘕𝘛𝘏𝘈 𝘓𝘌𝘌, 𝘎𝘐𝘛𝘓𝘈𝘉

Last week I saw my face on a Times Square billboard! 🗽

(So cool to say it’s the 2nd time 👀)

I was in NYC as the opening keynote for the Elevate Her Summit at Nasdaq to talk about how to build an unforgettable presence.

The event was so well planned from start to finish: 

GLAMSQUAD did my hair and makeup beforehand (thank you Makenna and Simona for making it happen!). 

My moderator Tania came so prepared, she had read my book and brainstormed questions with me ahead of time. 

The topic resonated so much that we even had to cut off Q&A at 30 minutes!

The first person to ask a question said, "I felt like you were talking to me this whole time." 🥹

That's the kind of feedback that makes speaking worth it. 

Everyone also went home with a gift bag that included my bestselling book, Unforgettable Presence. 📘

I got to meet people I'd only known virtually, like Hazel and Pauline. 

Connect with incredible leaders like Alex, founder of Hulken bags, and Simona Gaudio, CMO of GLAMSQUAD.

And catch up with old friends like Tyrona.

There's something special about being in a room full of women who actually want to see each other win. 💙

Thank you Marilynn Joyner and Her Workplace for creating this very special space.

I'm already looking forward to the next one. ✨

PS. If we met and got a pic together, drop it in the comments! 📸 

PPS. I also tagged a few women in the comments who've already posted about the event – love seeing you build your LinkedIn presence!

Bestselling Author (Unforgettable Presence) | Corporate Keynote Speaker | Instructor: LinkedIn Learning & Stanford | Former Founding Editor at LinkedIn & Prezi | Making sure you’re no longer the best-kept secret at work

Amazon’s Editorial team just named 𝙐𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 a must-read! 📘

(alongside iconic books like Atomic Habits by James Clear and The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins 🥹)

In moments like these, I need to remind myself to stop and process.

Because in 2022, I wasn't writing a book.

I was sitting in my apartment after a layoff, wondering what would come next. Wondering what the future held for the career I put so much love into.

I didn't set out to become a bestselling author.

I set out to answer a question that had haunted me for most of my career:

Why do some people get seen, promoted, and remembered… while others do equally great work and stay invisible?

I spent years being the second person.

– The one who delivered results but got overlooked.
– The one who assumed hard work would speak for itself.

It didn't.

What I learned (and what became the heart of this book) is this:

Presence isn't about being the loudest voice in the room. 

→ It's about being intentional about how and where you are seen, especially in the small moments that you don’t think matter (but which actually make a huge difference).

It's learning to communicate your value in a way that feels authentic, not performative.

In a way that makes people remember you, not because you demanded attention, but because you made an impact.

That shift changed my career.

And now, seeing my book recognized… It's further proof that the message matters.

Not just for me. For everyone who's ever felt like the best-kept secret.

Thanks to Mimi Chan for your support! 💙

PS. Want to go deeper? I share more like this in my FREE 5-day email course, link in the comments 👇🏻 

PPS. Have you ever felt like the best-kept secret at work?

Layoffs will continue.

AI. Efficiency. Restructuring. You name it.

You can't control the cuts.
But you can control how clearly you communicate your impact.

Your best line of defense is a strong Value Narrative™.

👇🏻 Here's what I mean:

Most people wait until performance review season to think about their contributions. By then, it's often too late.

The professionals who stay protected are the ones who make their value impossible to ignore, long before any decisions are made.

Ask yourself:

→ Are you visible beyond your immediate team?
→ Can your manager explain the business value you drive?
→ Are you tying your work to revenue, cost savings, growth, or risk reduction?

If you hesitated on any of those, that's your signal.

Because when leadership is deciding who stays and who goes, they're not looking at effort.

They're looking at impacts they can clearly see and articulate.

Your Value Narrative™ is how you make that impact undeniable.

It's not bragging. It's not self-promotion for the sake of it.

It's making sure the right people understand what you bring to the table, before someone else decides for them.

If you're in a season of uncertainty, don't just keep your head down and hope for the best.

Start building your narrative now.

P.S. What's one way you've made your impact more visible at work?

I just wrapped my first-ever masterclass! 🥳

Two days. One founding cohort. And so many breakthroughs I lost count.

We went deeper into the questions that leave so many talented professionals feeling stuck:

🤷🏻‍♀️ Why does it feel so hard to talk about what I do?
🤷🏻‍♀️ Why do I feel like the "best kept secret" at work?
🤷🏻‍♀️ How do I communicate my value without feeling like I'm bragging?

These are the roadblocks that hold people back from promotions, opportunities, and the recognition they've earned.

We tackled how to articulate your impact, own your expertise, and finally feel confident when someone asks, "So, what do you do?"

The feedback made it all worth it:

★★★★★
"I’m definitely more confident in how I show up professionally.”

★★★★★
"I feel like I have the tools now to tell a story about what I work on."

★★★★★
"What struck me most was how you created space for honest reflection while giving us concrete frameworks to work with."

★★★★★
"It was genuinely one of the most enjoyable and valuable professional development experiences I’ve had, and your generous, thoughtful delivery made all the difference."

One person already asked to attend the next one. 🥹

This was just the beginning.

If you're tired of your hard work going unnoticed (or you struggle to put into words why what you do matters), this is for you!

📌 I’ll be announcing new sessions soon. Get early access here: lorraineklee.com/waitlist 💙

PS. What's the hardest part for you when it comes to talking about your work?

As an introvert, I always thought public speaking wasn’t for me.

(Now I’m a keynote speaker and have spoken at dozens of Fortune 500 companies)

For anyone wanting to grow this critical workplace skill, here’s the one thing I wish I had done earlier:

Talk out loud. Every day. Even when no one’s listening.

(Went to Union Square in SF today and there was a parade, cold brew, and “certified yapper” hats, all for the Wispr Flow Android launch. So apparently I’m not alone. 🎤)

It’s how I went from a nervous speaker to someone who actually feels confident being on stage, podcasts, and everyday meetings.

The catch is, typing on my phone never kept up with my brain. I’d lose the thought before I could finish the sentence. 😅

That’s why I’ve been using Wispr Flow on my desktop for a while now, and I’m so glad it finally launched on Android. 📲

I downloaded it first thing this morning and I’m already obsessed.

✨ Quick emails in Superhuman.
✨ Voice notes to clients in WhatsApp.
✨ Random ideas I don’t want to forget (yes, I often Slack myself 😂).

All captured at the speed I actually think.

If you’ve ever felt like your best ideas disappear before you can write them down, this might be your new favorite tool!

Congrats to the Wispr Flow team on the launch! 🎉
(Try it here for 1 month free: https://lnkd.in/gkEXQ2Yj)

PS. Are you a typer or a talker? 

📸 Me + Wispr Flow CEO Tanay Kothari 

#WisprFlowOnAndroid #WisprFlowPartner

"Let your work speak for itself."

(Advice that keeps high performers invisible.)

You can be the most reliable person on your team and still get overlooked when it matters most.

I've been that person. 😳

And for years, I believed that advice and waited for “my time.” It never came. 

Here's what I've learned: 

Work doesn't speak. People do.

My latest piece in Forbes explores why hard work alone doesn't lead to recognition — and what actually does.

I break down what I wish I'd known earlier, why recognition doesn't follow effort, and what to do instead.

If you've ever been the most reliable person on your team and still felt overlooked, this article is for you.

Your work doesn't travel on its own. It travels through how people talk about it.

And that starts with how 𝙮𝙤𝙪 talk about it.

📖 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gtMY8zVv 

PS. How long have you been waiting to be recognized instead of making your work visible?

Visit Salt Lake and Silicon Slopes Summit just gave me my biggest crowd yet, 2,500 attendees! 🎤

But the part I keep replaying in my head is what happened after I walked off stage.

A group of women were waiting for me. One of them was from Jasmin's community. We talked, took photos, and I could feel how much the message landed.

Then came the book signing.

All 50 copies of 𝙐𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚, gone. 📘

One man grabbed a copy for his daughter-in-law who just launched her own business.

Another bought one for each of his daughters. He told me he's always searching for female role models for them. 🥹

The topics that sparked the most conversation:

✨ How to make small talk feel natural (and strategic)
✨ Why working hard alone won't get you noticed
✨ Why showing up on LinkedIn matters more than you think

Oh, and I got to meet Kenny Ortega, the man behind High School Musical. Genuinely one of the kindest people I've ever encountered.

Huge thanks to Krista Parry, Mindy B. Young, Clint Betts, my session moderator Trina L., and many others, who made everything feel seamless. Warm, accommodating, and clearly passionate about what they built.

(Fun fact: the VIP lounge had a points system where you could redeem items. I walked away with a Minky Couture blanket that might be the softest thing I've ever touched. 😅)

Events like this remind me why I do what I do.

It's not the stage. It's the people who tell you your words meant something to them.

P.S. Does anyone else own a collection of swag from events? 😜

This is the #1 skill professionals need support with this year.

(based on a survey of 300 respondents)

Their focus is on communication, but not just 𝘢𝘯𝘺 communication.

They want to learn how to build their internal brand and communicate their impact clearly.

– AI is reshaping roles.
– Restructuring is constant.
– Visibility matters more than ever.

Your ability to articulate what you bring to the table is your career insurance.

I've seen brilliant professionals get passed over for promotions.

They had the talent. They delivered results.

But no one outside their immediate team knew what they actually did. 😔

Here's how to start building this skill:

𝟭) 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆.

Don't wait for performance review season. Keep a running list of projects, outcomes, and impact. (Revenue generated? Time saved? Problems solved?) 📝

𝟮) 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱.

Most professionals can write about their work but stumble when asked to explain it. Talk through your contributions, with a friend, a mentor, or even yourself. 🎤

𝟯) 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀.

Leaders don't just want to hear what you did. They want to know 𝘸𝘩𝘺 it mattered. Tie your contributions to growth, efficiency, or risk reduction. 📊

𝟰) 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗮 𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁.

Don't wait for your annual review to talk about your contributions. Weave it into your weekly updates, team meetings, and 1:1s. ✨

Technical skills will always matter.

But the people who advance are the ones who can clearly communicate the value they create.

That's the skill worth building this year. 💪🏻

PS. What skill are you focused on developing? 👇🏻

#SkillsOnTheRise 

PPS. Check out LinkedIn’s 2026 Skills on the Rise list for more insights: https://lnkd.in/gp45Zemn 💙

In a world racing toward automation, there's one thing that can't be replicated: You.

– The way people trust you with hard conversations.
– The way you sense when something is off and step in. 
– The way you defuse tension in meetings without making anyone feel small.

I call this the Human Premium™ 💙

It's the collection of skills that makes people want to work with you, recommend you, and remember you long after the project ends.

And here's what I've learned after years of studying what makes professionals unforgettable:

The professionals who get promoted aren't always the most skilled. They're the ones who make others feel seen.

Your Human Premium™ is made up of:

✨ Making people feel heard, even when you disagree
✨ Navigating hard conversations without burning bridges
✨ Communicating in a way that's clear, confident, and human
✨ Reading the room, and knowing when to speak up vs. hold back

These aren't "nice to have" skills.

They're the reason some people get tapped for opportunities while others (equally talented) get overlooked.

I spent years being overlooked. Doing great work. Staying invisible.

What changed? I stopped waiting to be noticed and started being intentional about how I showed up.

That's the Human Premium™ in action.

What's one human skill that's helped you most in your career? 👇🏻

PS. I created a FREE 5-day email course to help you build presence and influence – in just 20 minutes a day.

Start with Lesson 1 here → https://lnkd.in/gP5urJWE 💙

If you’ve ever left a networking event thinking,
“Did I talk too much?”
“Did I not say enough?”
“Did I sound awkward?”

I’ve been there. 😖

I used to assume I was just “bad at networking” because I was too quiet, too awkward, or too in my head.

What I didn’t realize was that I was focusing on the wrong thing.

In this week’s newsletter, I share 3 of my top networking tips that make small talk and networking feel less stressful.

My first Unforgettable Presence™ Masterclass was a huge success! Professionals across industries are already using what they learned to communicate mo

Open article: 3 tips that make networking feel less awful by Lorraine K. Lee • 2 min read

3 tips that make networking feel less awful

I froze on stage in front of the exact people I was trying to impress. 😰

In those 4 seconds, I was convinced everyone could tell I’d messed up, and that maybe I wasn’t cut out for speaking after all.

But what happened when I stepped offstage surprised me.

That moment changed everything I thought I knew about presence, nerves, and what it actually takes to open bigger doors.

👇 I share the full story (plus what to do when your brain goes offline mid-sentence) in this week's newsletter.

Did I ever tell you about the time I was on stage at a speaker bootcamp and my mind went completely blank, Reader? Speaker agents and bureaus were in 

Open article: I froze on stage. (here’s what happened next) by Lorraine K. Lee • 3 min read

I froze on stage. (here’s what happened next)

More than 250 people have signed up for the FREE 30-minute lesson I'm teaching next Monday, March 9th on Maven! 🤯 

We'll be discussing something most high performers were never taught:

How to clearly articulate their impact. 🎯

Because most people describe their work like this:

❌ “I led the project.”
❌ “I supported the launch.”
❌ “I managed the client relationship.”

That’s activity, not impact.

Impact answers a different question:

What changed because you were there?

✅  “The project launched two weeks early.”
✅  “The new process reduced errors by 30%.”
✅  “Client retention increased quarter over quarter.”

High performers don’t struggle because they lack results.

They struggle because they describe effort instead of outcomes.

That shift alone changes how you’re perceived in reviews, interviews, and promotion conversations.

We’ll break this down live on March 9.

📅 Register here: https://lnkd.in/g2W9T7hF 

If you’ve ever walked out of a review thinking, “I did more than that sounded like” — this session is for you.

100% of attendees said they learned something new! ★★★★★

That was the feedback from my fireside chat with Microsoft, part of their Quarterly Career Catalyst Speaker Series.

(Special shoutout to Sarah-Ann Yong for organizing and moderating such a thoughtful conversation.) 

But that was just the afternoon.

The day started with the Alumni Learning Consortium webinar, 2,800 registrations.

Some of the feedback that came in:

→ "This was the BEST session I've joined so far. Usually, I keep a session on in the background while I multitask. This time, I maximized you on my main screen and took it all in."

→ "I actually learned something from your lecture. I'm so tired of speakers that promise a great lecture but deliver something very elementary."

→ "The content was exactly what I needed. I'm at the stage of my career where I'm trying to get into managerial/leadership roles."

→ "One of the best webinars I have EVER attended."

And someone said they're picking up my book to read on their flight next week. 🥹

Two very different rooms.

One message that kept landing:
Your presence is your power.

It's not about the stage or the size of the room. 

It's about the person who walks away thinking:
"I’m excited to take control of my career."

Grateful for both of these opportunities. ♥️

PS. What's one thing you've learned recently that shifted how you show up at work?

Most high performers were never taught how to talk about their work.

Are you one of them? 👀 

You were taught to do it well.
Stay humble.
Trust that the right people would notice.

So you focused on being competent.

But then, performance review season came around.
You were asked to describe your impact. 

And your answer felt smaller than the work you actually did. 

That old advice doesn’t hold up anymore.

On March 9th, I’m hosting a FREE 30-minute lesson ⚡: Great Work Isn’t Enough: How to Get Recognized 

I’ll walk you through:
• Why (and how) strong performers still get overlooked
• Ways to uncover the impact hiding in your everyday work
• Simple frameworks to turn tasks into clear, compelling impact statements

Because if your results aren’t visible, they don’t compound.

📅 Join me live on March 9th: https://lnkd.in/g2W9T7hF

Open article: Great Work Isn't Enough: How to Get Recognized by maven.com

Great Work Isn't Enough: How to Get Recognized

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