And now for something completely different! Happy to share that my new course, Relatable Foundations, is now live. This will teach you everything I’ve learned about cultivating the relationships that matter to your business, your career, and your life. Why now?

It feels righteous in the moment. It feels safe. But professionally? It's one of the most expensive relationship mistakes you can make — and most people don't realize they're doing it.

The people using AI to get smarter vs. the people letting it think for them. One group is showing up to every conversation with something interesting to say. The other is slowly becoming the person at the table who sounds like everyone else. Which one are you becoming? 👇 Full newsletter in bio — this week's read is worth 3 minutes of your time.

Most people hide their weaknesses at work. The best networkers do the opposite. Admitting where you're still learning, asking the right people for advice, and reporting back when you act on it — that's how surface-level connections become real relationships.

Most conversations start the same way. Same small talk. Same script. But one simple question — asked the right way — flips the whole dynamic. And the best part? When they don't know how to answer, you get to go first.

"let's pick your brain sometime" is not a networking strategy.Vague asks don't feel safer — they just read as unprepared. A real ask tells the person what you need, how long it'll take, and why them specifically. That last part matters more than most people think.Do the work before you hit send. Make it a yes or no question. That's not demanding — that's respectful. 📩 Full breakdown in the newsletter — link in bio.

Not a question. Not an ask. Just three words that said "I'm thinking of you." I've seen a single text message do things that years of silence couldn't. Don't underestimate it.

You know who your most important relationships are. You just don't always know which ones you're accidentally ghosting. We just launched the Relatable Radar — a live visualization of your entire network that shows you, at a glance, who's active, who's fading, and who's at risk of slipping away entirely. The people in the center? You're doing great. The ones on the outer rings? They noticed. Log in, click Radar on the left side, and take an honest look. Relatable.one

Your CRM tells you who's in your network. But it doesn't tell you who's draining you. There's a stupidly simple framework called Plus 2 — and after I tried it, I couldn't unsee my own patterns.Rate every interaction from -2 to 2. That's it. After a few weeks, the picture gets uncomfortable. Full breakdown in this week's newsletter. Link in bio.

"How are you?" "Good, you?" "Good." Awkward silence. I started keeping 5-10 real questions for networking events. "What's been exciting you lately?" completely flips the conversation. People light up talking about side projects, wins, or challenges they're wrestling with. The trick? Match depth to relationship. Surface conversations create surface connections. Real questions create real relationships. What's one question YOU ask that gets people talking? 👇

Most pipelines track deals. Relatable Pipelines tracks the person behind the deal. We just shipped full pipeline management — stages, values, probabilities, reminders — inside the CRM that's actually about relationships. One tool. No more second tab. Try: relatable.one

The networking advice you've been following might actually be working against you. "Always remember birthdays." "Track people's kids' names." The instinct makes sense — but in practice? It can feel mechanical to them and exhausting to you. Real relationship-building reflects who you actually are. That means you get to decide what details matter — and ignore the rest. This week's newsletter breaks down how to build a contact system that's actually sustainable (and that makes people feel like they genuinely know you). Link in bio.

What if they say "I don't really know"? You can say: "Listen, while you're thinking, I'm happy to share mine." This gives you the opportunity to be a little more vulnerable, which gets them to mirror that appropriately. Or they'll jump right into it. Here's what I've found happens: They may share, as is commonplace, something professional: "Got a lot of great work done today" "Had a great project" "Had a closing yesterday" Great. But remember: We don't always have to stay with the script. The simplest change—just a question you ask—can make all the difference. So as you think about it: What are the questions YOU can ask? What is the way YOU can start off a conversation that will completely flip the script? The vulnerability mirror works. When you go first, they follow.

You just left a conference with 30 business cards. Old way: Type each one into your CRM manually. (You won't.) New way: Snap a photo → drop it into Whiz → contacts created, follow-ups drafted, database updated. Done. Works with business cards, handwritten notes, spreadsheets, screenshots — anything. Data entry is dead. Your relationships aren't. Try it now at Relatable.one

He left the group expecting to keep the friendships. What he got was complete silence. It turns out some relationships only exist inside the container — the group chat, the weekly meeting, the annual retreat. Take those away, and there's nothing left. But some people? They were the real thing. And those deserve more than a "we should grab lunch sometime." This week's newsletter is about how to tell the difference — and what to actually do before it's too late. Link for the full story yournetworkstartswithyou.sub…

Want someone to like you more? Ask them for a favor. Sounds backwards. But it works. When you ask someone for their specific expertise — not generic help, their knowledge — it tells them you see them. That you pay attention. People don't bond by receiving. They bond by giving. Try it this week: ask one person for advice only they could give you.

Your CRM is probably wrong Most people treat relationships like a funnel - once someone becomes a customer, CHECK, done But it should be a WHIRLPOOL Past clients become repeat buyers, refer you business, send opportunities When you meet someone, they may not buy NOW or EVER They might give you advice, send referrals, or you might HIRE them A CRM for RELATIONSHIPS works differently than one for TRANSACTIONS Stop checking boxes. Start building whirlpools Save this if you need the reminder

You've been trained to talk to machines. And it's quietly making you worse at talking to people. Not dramatically. Just slowly. Sloppier texts. Fewer pleases. Faster replies. Commands instead of conversation. If you've ever caught yourself typing to a human the same way you type to ChatGPT, you need to read my latest piece. Link to the full newsletter: yournetworkstartswithyou.sub…

Nobody cares about my gardening slash cooking slash running Well, that's TRUE Probably most people DON'T But you can FIND the people who DO And for those who don't? It's UNLIKELY they're going to JUDGE you Like 'Oh, that person gardens' No, they just have their OWN interests they know aren't relevant to everyone else But that's really COOL that you do I've connected with great people who absolutely LOVE sailing Honestly, I could not care about sailing WHATSOEVER But it's INTERESTING to learn a little bit more about that person Your weird interest is someone's connection point What's YOUR thing that most people don't care about? Drop it below - let's find your people

🌍 The Medici Effect is real. It's not about how many people you know. It's about who you bring together. Intentionally connect with people outside your bubble—different industries, backgrounds, experiences. Then introduce them. Ask new connections "Who's the most interesting person you know?" Magic happens at the intersections. 🤝The best ideas don't come from staying in your lane—they come from cross-pollinating circles. Who are you bringing together this week? 👇 #medicieffect #innovations #ɢʀᴏᴡᴛʜᴍɪɴᴅsᴇᴛ #crossindustry #relationshipbuilding

The dirty secret of every CRM ever built: People update them at their desk. Nobody updates them in the moment relationships actually happen — between meetings, in the parking lot, on the walk to the next thing. So 60% of what should be captured... never is.