You're so fake.
Online presence is a show.
Published Aug 7, 2025 · Around 1 minute to read
Someone told me that my writing on LinkedIn doesn’t match my personality irl.
I agreed.
People who know me know that I’m less charismatic than a wet napkin. Some nicer ways others have described me are are “stoic” or “zen.” In fact, during a performance review, I got feedback that I was too zen, and that I needed to bring more fire into design conversations.
It took a few years of practice, but I can now turn up the heat at will.
I turn up my energy level when I’m in a public forum or when I’m leading: running a meeting, facilitating a workshop, moderating game night, or coaching my kids’ soccer teams. People are attracted to energy. And that bit of theater can sometimes be the difference between success and failure.
So I turn up the energy for my writing as well. It’s a show.
Turn up for what.
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