Transcript
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Kwame
Hey, everybody. Welcome to today's episode of Beyond Influence. I am very, very excited today. My name is Kwame Appiah. I am the Head of Influence Experience here at Later. I am one of your hosts, and I will pass it off to our other host.
Scott
Hey everyone. Scott Sutton, CEO of Later. Excited for the conversations. Let’s dive in.
Kwame
Awesome. So today we are very fortunate to be graced by a creator who is very passionate about freedom, someone who exhibits a lot of characteristics of somebody who is very determined based on what I've seen from her so far. So I'm very excited to dive in today. Someone who definitely is persistent in the way that we got in touch is funny because she reached out about a possible partnership, and here we are.
Kwame
This is the beginning step of a beautiful partnership. Everyone, welcome, Linda Le.
Linda
Thank you so much. It's such a pleasure for me and Scott. I love Later. Huge fan. Thank you so much.
Kwame
Awesome.
Scott
We love that you love Later. So glad to have you on the podcast. It's funny, Kwame and I were talking about your content. A lot of times we're talking to folks who have made their name on Instagram or TikTok and find their following. One thing that was just so special and unique about you is that you cultivated so much of your following and such a huge following on LinkedIn.
I'm curious, take us back to the very, you know, the inception of your LinkedIn journey. What got you started on wanting to produce content on LinkedIn?
Linda
Oh, yes. I definitely remember the roots. I'm a college dropout and, you know, then I became a nanny, which was stigmatized in the Asian community. It's just like you got into this amazing four-year university and you refused to go and you're going to be a nanny. Like, what are you going to do with, like, the rest of your life?
I was like, a shame. My parents were ashamed and somehow I got into, like, corporate banking by handing out my resume, like, door to door. And then obviously banking wasn't for me, so I quit for certain reasons.
And then I was unemployed for six months. Like, no one wanted to hire me because I was overqualified and underqualified, and hiring managers were so mean.
They're like, you have no experience. This is an entry-level role, but we don't trust you. Like any possible red flag you can think of. So I took a job at Whole Foods as a, like, cashier. And then I was like, okay, I'm 22. I really want to make something of my life. Like, what am I going to do?
Linda
And at the time, I went on LinkedIn and I just started networking with all of these recruiters, and I decided I wanted to be a recruiter, too, because of how I was treated. And LinkedIn gave me the opportunity to be able to get into recruiting. After constantly interviewing. And then when I finally landed my first recruiting job with like no experience, I was so grateful to the hiring manager.
I decided, okay if I'm ever laid off or fired, I need to set myself up and build a network and connections. So the goal was not to become like an influencer content creator. It was none of that. It was just a hey, like always, make sure you're employed. So then I set a goal. I'm like, okay, I'm going to write on LinkedIn, I'm going to grow my following.
And my therapist at the time was just like, you hate social media like you're so introverted that you don't take photos of yourself. You're not Instagram-like, you don't even watch the news, like, why are you on LinkedIn? So I wrote every single day for three months straight and I would get one like. The most likes I got was eight likes per post, and it was three months straight. I just kept going and honestly, I look back at my posts for like, nonsense, to be honest.
Then, for some reason, bam, like three months, one post just went viral, hit 30,000 likes and then 1 million views, and then my following just exploded. And then I realized, okay, I found my niche. My niche, I’m going to write about my experiences, what I've experienced from hiring managers, workplace culture, and mental health, like not having a college degree.
And I realized people want to follow people they don't want to follow, like advice, you know. And then my post after that just kept going viral, like 10,000 likes, 20,000 likes, and millions of impressions. And then I just, like, skyrocketed from there. and then what happened was like, I was in a really toxic job where, like, my director was just like, “Man, this girl is bigger than me online.”
I can't have that, you know? So it's just like micromanaging all of my posts, like, “You can't write this. You can't write that.” And I took a break for six months, so I was at 20,000 followers. And then I just stopped posting, like, I disappeared until I quit that job. And when I quit my job, I got my new job at 20,000. I was like 100K before the end of the year. And then I just went crazy. I started posting three times a day, wrote all my experiences about a toxic work environment, started growing like 20,000, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and then within like one year I hit half a million and then started doing influencer marketing.
So that's pretty much how I got started.
Scott
That's amazing.
Kwame
Yeah, yeah, what a story. I mean, it's funny, like in trolling you, I just, I was going based off of what I saw in your LinkedIn, you know, bio. And it really did feel to me like everything that you were speaking to was, your perseverance through things, you know, and I think I was just saying this to some of the other days that the number one most important characteristic in successful people is not intelligence.
Kwame
It's not, you know, your IQ or whatever the sake. It's your grit and your desire to persevere. And I think that you exhibit that in such a big way. And I think it's also funny that when you started doing this and this is when people become most successful at it, they just started doing it because it was something that you thought that you wanted to do.
You wanted to network. You know, you were like, I just want to write on LinkedIn. I want to meet people, I want to connect. And then all of a sudden, next thing you know, you're writing about these connections that you are making. You are trying to create deeper connections with the conversations that you're having, and then boom, it starts resonating and then you become kind of a big deal.
You know, it's funny, Scott and I have never really seen somebody with as large of a LinkedIn following as you have. So it's kind of a new thing, you know. When did you realize as you were going through that process that you were like, oh my gosh, I could do this full-time?
Linda
so funny. Honestly, not until six months ago, to be honest with you, for some reason, after six months ago, like, I was, like, leaving my corporate job, and I was just like, maybe it's just time to give this a shot to see what I could do. Because I don't have, like, responsibilities. I don't have, like, a mortgage to pay.
I don't have kids. I don't have debts. I'm very thankful. And like, I believe Steve Jobs was a person who said, like, “When you don't have any like liabilities or like any assets that you need to take care of, you can put yourself first and take those risks.” Like those are the moments where you want, because I'm 25 and it was just kind of like an hour and everything.
Like no regrets.
Scott
I love that it's funny, I even saw a post today and it was a guy who has like a couple of million followers on Instagram and he goes, “What's your dream? What's your passion?” You have a platform. Every one of my followers is going to see this. And it's a while ago because people wouldn't take their shot and they were too afraid or they didn't want to put themselves out there.
And I love your story because there's a combination of so many different things of, you know, exposing yourself to your community and being authentic. And it's interesting because I think for things to resonate and for the content to resonate, you have to expose pieces of yourself in that. And so it's that connection of exposing myself and then writing about it.
And then there's that resonance between that and then with the audience. And I'm just curious, what was that first, do you remember the first piece of content that really blew up? And, yeah, I'm curious. I'm curious what that piece of content was about.
Linda
Oh, I remember it. It's because I think the universe gave me a win because that was the day I found out how to put down my dog. So the day that I found out how to put it on my dog, my post went viral, which is waiting in the hospital room. And I was just like, it's like it's a good time to write.
While they gave me the news, you know, it was, I had a former coworker who decided to, what was it? He got a job somewhere else. And that was when the team was just like, oh, no, like, we'll pay you more just to stay. It was about counter offers, and that was the post that went viral for me.
And it wasn't so much like the context of the post that went viral. It was the way that I marketed it. It was a hook story. And then the lesson in that became very important to me to be able to write authentic stories because, based on the feedback that I get from a lot of people, they're just like everyone on LinkedIn just gives advice, you know, about sales, recruiting, influencer marketing, but you share stories.
It makes us not feel alone. And I think at that time, that trend, like quiet quitting, was so popular that people just wanted to ask, who else is going through this? Because I need to feel heard, too.
Scott
I think it's such a good lesson for folks who are trying to connect with the community. And it's funny because a lot of there's so many influencers who are talking about family life or certain experiences or certain niche sports or entertainment or whatever, and so much time of people's lives and, and maybe the most stress in their lives is around their work and, and being frustrated at work or they're relationships at work.
And so I do think there's this growing kind of group of creators who are really starting to, you know, strike a chord. I think whether we don't we look at like corp, bro, and corp not only who is making fun of sales and all the things that salespeople have to do. I think your story, it's talking about not feeling empowered or not feeling valued or not feeling like you have an opportunity.
And I think those feelings are super deep-seated and individual. And it's not a surprise that you were able to strike a chord. so really amazing. I'm curious how much you interact with your audience. Like are you commenting back? Have you tried to meet people in real life? Do you do events now and like how you have such a huge following?
You could, you know, fill five stadiums with your following.
Linda
Most definitely. I've honestly met some of my best friends and lifelong friends on LinkedIn, but if I'm being really honest with you, I probably talk to the same 5 or 10 people that I met last year when I was like a nobody too. Now, I'm very picky about who I allow in my life because I've noticed it's just like we want something like, can you engage with our post?
Can you give us this? Can you do that? And it's like they are just about LinkedIn. It's like LinkedIn is their life, which is totally fine. But when I build connections, I want someone to love me for me. Like I don't want it to be like, oh, I'm only her friend because she has this big following. And it's like if I lost that following, would you still be my friend?
So I'm very careful about who I allow in my life.
Kwame
Yeah. I think, as someone who's gone through this crazy fast journey from, you know, normal guy to not-so-normal guy, I feel like I definitely that sits with me. I think, like, even today, I had a number of people reach out to me and I saw I was from Philadelphia, and it was somebody that I used to talk to, I don't know, like eight years ago that I haven't talked to you.
And then they, like, left a message and said, hey, call me back. And I think about a couple of months ago, I got a random text from someone who was like, hey, man, my wedding is on this day, would you like to come? And I'm like, I haven't talked to this person in ten years. So it's like, it is really hard to decipher.
You know, like, initially when you get into this, like, do these people really just want a connection with me as a person, or is it because they want something from me or they want to associate themselves with, you know, the fame or the, the audience that I have or so, whatever that could be. But I do think it's really important to establish the people that you want to spend your energy on.
Right? It is really, really important. I think, at any degree, at any point in life for anyone, it is really important to understand what relationship you want to put your energy into. But it is funny because as your audience and your following and the people who know grow in volume, the people who want your attention grow and the volume as well, and it becomes deceptive, harder to know where to narrow your focus, you know.
So, I think that that sits with me as well. So, you know, as you're going through this and you, as you start getting a bit more, you know, virality and thinking about possibly doing this, as a full-time gig. What was the first brand you thought to reach out to and like, you know, if that didn't work out, what ended up being your first partnership?
Linda
Yes. So, the first partnership I got was actually pretty terrible. So I won't mention the name just to be classy, but I was at 400,000 followers before I started to monetize. And this brand reached out to me and they were like. And at the time, I was really naive and I was like, oh, I don't really know.
So it's just like, oh, like it's like a first shot. And they offered me $350 for 400,000 the following. And then I started to find out, they were offering like 515 hundred for people who had a quarter of my following. So they lied to me and they took advantage. But that post, I don't regret it.
That post that I did for them went viral. So I was able to leverage that and start reaching out to other brands. And it's just like, hey, I don't have a lot of life experience. But look, this brand gave me a shot. I made their post go viral. The ROI was insane. I would love to partner. And I started networking and reaching out.
I don't get a lot of inbound, which is really surprising when people are like, you can get inbound for your audience. Like, no, I make my own opportunities. So I took a really terrible brand, but it jump-started my career.
Scott
It's interesting. We talk with a lot of folks who want to try and navigate LinkedIn, and it's funny, even LinkedIn has reached out to later, and we're working actively to help try to figure out B2B influencers with them and how they can approach it because they traditionally not wanted to dive too deeply into that. It is a professional network, a recruiting tool, and a sales tool.
And so it is interesting to hear your experience because you have such a marketable audience and such an asset to brands and to LinkedIn for that matter. I think, you know, the engagement that you're driving helps foster what LinkedIn is trying to do. It's a dog community that connects to individuals and creates entertaining content. So, I'm curious, as you drove through more partnerships and now you're going, are there certain findings that if there's someone who's trying to approach this from LinkedIn, are there certain tips or tricks?
I think, you know, so many people know about Instagram and TikTok and how to navigate that world, but LinkedIn feels like this new frontier.
Linda
Yeah. Most definitely. It's different. I don't use Instagram or TikTok, so it's really hard for me to compare. But what I've noticed about LinkedIn is it's really how you come across authentically. Last week, I literally reached out to, I think, ten brands. They all got back to me and it took some time because usually I get ghosted, pretty frequently.
Even if I have a huge following, that doesn't mean anything. But for me, I had to learn, okay, what can I do to prove that, you know, for you to work with me? Look at it like a recruiter. You look at a resume for ten seconds and it's just like, either you got it or we're moving on.
And for me, like, I show them my analytics, I tell them, like, about their mission and why it aligns with me. And I make it really positive. Like I probably use like, like you saw when I reached out to your comment later is like, I use like 3 to 4, like smiley faces. I want to make it as personal as possible, like I want to give someone like, hey, like she's not coming on too strong, but she's teasing us a little bit to ask more.
Like, I don't send any of my analytics or any of my media kits. I make it as personal as possible and I give them room to work with me. It's like a mystery you don't want to go on a first date. You want to give everything to that person, you know.
Scott
I feel like it's like, goes without saying, but just being nice to people and being, like, genuinely a good person. And taking some interest in them and what they're trying to accomplish can go so far, so out there, if you're taking a different approach, maybe try being nice and enthusiastic and taking an interest in others.
Linda
I think just to add on to that really quick, I built community in a sense where like when I get partnerships, I'm really generous, like I give it out to people and I refer them and they're like, oh, how much do you want for it? I'm like, I don't need any referral fees from you. This is just for free.
Like I've had people who, like, wanted to refer someone to me and they're like, oh, we want like 50%. We want 60% in like for an email introduction. No way. so for me, I give it I give all my referrals, my connections, like to all of these creators who asked me. And I built a really substantial network where now, like, people come back tenfold.
It's like, hey, no, we're working with his partner. We want you to because of how nice you were to us. Remember when you helped us? When we want to refer you to, like, no transactional fees, nothing like we want to help you the way you helped us. So it goes a long way.
Kwame
Yeah. I want to echo everything that's just been said. be nice to people. I guarantee it'll change it so much. I'll go back to a moment really quick about this. So back in the day, I used to think I was a LinkedIn influencer right before. Before I was actually put on a big platform.
I remember, back when I lived in Portland a long time ago. I went on a date, and I remember, like, having a conversation and then asking me like, oh, what social networks are you really into? And I was like, yeah, I post on LinkedIn a lot. And I remember, the response being, oh, so you're a LinkedIn star.
And, I remember that conversation because at that point in time, I had 8000 followers on LinkedIn.
You know what I mean? Like, yeah, nothing at all. Right. But, seeing someone who has such a reach on LinkedIn, I noticed that the things that I would do to connect to people on LinkedIn were being genuine, being nice, being kind, and having conversations. Those things tend to hold a lot of value. And when you think about the entire creator economy, that holds value all across it, right?
Like you said at the beginning of it, people buy from people. People communicate with people, people work with people, and those same people are all across different networks, all across different platforms. And it may have a slight shift, right? Because on TikTok, you have people who can be a bit more aggressive in the way that they communicate. On Instagram.
You can have people who are a bit more, I don't know, reserved. And you get on LinkedIn, you can have people who are a lot more professional, but there are still people. And so I think being kind and showing who you are and how you relate to these people is really important. Have you had any partnership that really, really resonates with you that you connected with and was like, wow, I really loved everything they let me do, and like this was definitely my favorite partnership?
You can either call their name out or you don't have to do whatever works for you.
Linda
yeah. So I think honestly, it was a tie between notion and karma. They were phenomenal. You know, I love their product, but it was really their team that stood out for me. Like, they were like the two companies that stood out the most. That gave me total freedom, total creative control, and all of my posts for them, I think, went extremely viral.
Like I hit like half a million views, like 2 to 300,000 for each one. And it was because the team believed in the creators, because they are just like, hey, we're not influencers, it's why we're hiring you. So we're going to step back like we trust your judgment. And their products are phenomenal. Like, I would highly recommend them, but it wasn't even their product that stood out or what they paid me.
It was just the team and the communication and the freedom to create for them.
Scott
That's awesome. I love Notion, it's such a good product. It's amazing how much you can do in that single application. It's like how to do an embedded table on a task list inside this sheet connected to this thing. And it's it's, it's pretty awesome. So we always ask the question, I'm curious if there was one aspirational brand like the brand that you, you know, had your eye on your hopes and dreams, what would that partnership look like?
Kwame
Apart from Later, of course.
Linda
That's what makes me special. So I can name two. So honestly, it's a tie between Headspace and Hootsuite. like, those are my two dream brands. So hopefully someday.
Kwame
Yeah. You're really focused on the professional space. Do you create on any other platforms, like do you have a TikTok out there or a LinkedIn out there that you're pretty active on? I'm sorry. Yeah, an Instagram.
Linda
Honestly, just LinkedIn. I am so scared of TikTok and Instagram. They just read the comments off of like, YouTube shorts, which is like people are terrifying on those platforms. So I'm like, I don't know, maybe not today, maybe someday.
Kwame
Yeah, I can attest to that. for about one month out of 2022, I think I was the most hated man on TikTok. I would go on TikTok and type in my name. It got very violent very quickly, so I actually stayed off of TikTok, I think, for about six months. So I agree with you.
I think that the audience on LinkedIn is definitely one that I like to interact with more so than ever. Have you had any negative experiences yet on LinkedIn with anyone? And how did that go and how did you navigate that?
Linda
Oh, I get hate comments all the time. Like I remember when I first started, it was all of these middle-aged men attacking me. It's like you're a woman. You don't belong on this platform. Like, who are you to speak like you're like a child? You have no experience yet. And the sexual harassment of women was insane.
Like some of the comments that I got, I was just like, okay, I'm so thankful that no one knows where I live because I am, it was terrifying. And I remember, like, there were moments when I started, I was just like, I would cry all the time at people's comments and it's like, get off of here.
No one wants you here. But then over time, I was just like, do you pay my bills? You know, come tell that to my face. It's so easy for you to say that behind a screen. Like, I dare you, like, come off and say that to my face. And it just thought better. For me, believe it or not, I have never responded to a single hate comment.
I have never reacted. I have never engaged anyone who says anything hateful or demeaning. I block them immediately and I just move on. I just realized there's just no room for that. And the price of creation is criticism, so you can't get one without the other. So that's my mindset. But the person who keeps me going is the person who reaches out.
It's like, I got up today because of you. Like you make me feel not so alone. I feel supported by you. So I hang on to those people versus the ones that don't want me in their can.
Kwame
You, can you, can you repeat that one more time? I'm writing that down. The price of oh, alien.
Linda
The price of creation is criticism.
Kwame
Oh, wow. Look at that. Okay, cool.
Scott
I love it. It's wild to me. I, you know, I think about LinkedIn and I just can't imagine making comments like that or putting that out into the world. And, you know, I think LinkedIn is known as a more professional space. Like, things follow you. Your identity is fairly well known. and just wild, wild to me that, you know, people and even the public comments, not even in the like messages or whatever, are putting that out into the world.
I think it just shows you that, you know, those types of people exist in all parts. And, you know, I come back to this comment that you made in saying, you know, you get these comments that say you don't belong here or you're inexperienced or, you know, you're a woman, you're not on the platform. And I think the lesson or what I take away from that is you do belong, and it is exactly you and who you are, and it's the group that you represent that hasn't had a voice or, or is getting the same rhetoric in the office or in life on social network or social network.
And I think that's where you are able to tell that story and, you're a little bit of a shock absorber for the hate being so vocal and in public but I think there's a huge community that does identify with you and, and it's, it's awesome because more than just engaging with followers or creating income for yourself, I think you are empowering folks to feel heard, to feel seen, to feel validated in their experience.
And I think that's super important.
Kwame
Yeah, we love to see it and it shows as well that no matter where you are. It really, really, really speaks to what you said. Like the price of creation is criticism, no matter where you're coming from in the creator journey. Like for me, as someone who was granted, fortunately, a platform and had to navigate through that to figure out how I was going to in any way leverage that for, you know, my quality of life or my purpose, whatever that case may be, from coming from that angle, even though it was given to me, I got a significant amount of criticism in anything that I did.
Right. And for you who was building it up, you got a significant amount of criticism from where you're coming from. So from any angle as your audience and your voice become amplified, you are going to receive criticism. So just be aware and be ready for that. And if you are, if you aren't receiving hate, you're probably not doing it right.
Mean right. Like at the end of the day, yeah, I forget what movie it was that they said this, but, I believe it was. They hate us because they ain't us.
Simply put. So the more you lean into who you are, the more you gain a platform. The more you leverage that, the more you empower the people who listen to you or the people who are like you. Right? And the people who may not have a voice on their own. That's when you're going to receive a lot of the voice, a lot of the negativity because people just want something to say.
They want somebody to be mad at. They want somebody to give their negative energy and attention to. So I feel you keep doing what you're doing. You know, when we think about your growth and your journey, we think about some ups and some downs. Did you have a point in going through this where you almost decided to stop?
Linda
yes, a lot of times, honestly. March of this year, well, primarily this year, believe it or not, I took 3 to 4 months off this year. I went through a lot with, like, my family. what? There was, like, falling out with, like, another, like, close friend or just personal things where it was just like, I don't really want to do this anymore.
And it's crazy how people on social media idolize you for the partnerships you work with. the following. You have such accomplishments that they don't really see what people go through behind the scenes. And for me, I struggle a lot with mental health and I'm a huge advocate for that. And it took months of therapy to be like, they're like, you need to get back to work.
You need to get back to creating content. And I remember like, like speaking about this for the first time, like no one knows that I was triggered by LinkedIn. Like I would open the app and I would be like, I can't do it. I don't want to, like, I don't want to go back, like, but I'm just like, this is my stream of income.
This is my creation journey. Like, I worked so hard for it, and I had to work so hard in therapy to get back. And after months of, like, starving and seeing, I started writing again. At first, it was slow and I got insecure. I was just like, I'm not welcome here anymore because why can't I write like I used to?
But then after like a month of going back consistently having support, all my posts started hitting like half a million. 1 million, like all of these opportunities, doing speaking engagements, and brand deals. And that was after taking months off just to take care of myself. So yeah, I really didn't want to give up this year and I wasn't even sure if I wanted to come back.
I didn't like getting my stuff together until the beginning of this month. To be honest,
Scott
I think it's awesome that you, you know, persisted through that, that you navigated that challenging time. And I imagine you came back in a space where you felt reinvigorated, you felt more equipped, to take on the challenge. And, you know, I, I love this theme of, you know, creation and criticism. And it's funny because I think, you know, people can make a lot of assumptions about your motives.
And I think your motives come from a genuine place. And while you're ambitious and you want to grow your audience, there is an element I do think, you know, especially from talking to you, you have a genuine want and desire to connect with people and help them out. I was reflecting on the harshest criticism that I've gotten around, putting myself out on social media. Ironically, was a Glassdoor review that a former employee on the way out basically said that we tried to create a podcast so that we could be cool on the internet.
And when the internet points, and if we really were invested in growing the business, you know, I should be focused on, you know, what we're doing in the office. And, you know, I think when I reflect on that, I could have stood by and said, you know, woe is me. And, kind of succumbed to that, but instead chose to. I think if you actually know me, I don't like being on camera.
I don't want to be out in the public sphere. I want to go and I want to operate and do things. And, you know, we started off with the mission of wanting to support creators and help build the ecosystem that we're a part of with Later. And it's just I think you have to be reassured. And why are you doing this?
You know, is it for the right motive or are you trying to build people up and, you know, when you get those comments, I guess there is a perception that's out there. But at the same time, I think if you're short of what you're trying to do, then that's ultimately what matters. So I really commend you for going through that journey and coming back stronger.
And it sounds like, you know, it really helped you out.
Linda
You know, sometimes we need the break to make the breakthrough, you know.
Scott
100%. So I'm curious, as you, you know, you've gone through this whole journey, are you getting back involved with any of the companies you worked for? Are you thinking about doing any speaking or getting out and, you know, taking it offline, so to speak? And, I'm curious, like, what's on the horizon for you as you look to grow your following and you look to kind of grow the community that you've built.
Linda
Most definitely. August is honestly, not even here yet. And I have so many opportunities already lined up. It's insane to me. I just landed two of my dream brand partnerships and I can't announce who they are yet. for privacy reasons, but they're coming in August, and I never thought they would want to work with someone like me.
And when I got on the call, there's, like, are you kidding me? We never thought you would want to work with someone like us. And like, it was just surreal to me. And then, like, an Ivy League reached out to me yesterday and it's like, we want you to come speak on mental health. And I'm like, are you sure?
I'm like a college dropout. Like, I don't even know if I should step foot on your university. But, for me, it's just continuing to create authentically because I really believe that when you act in your integrity and authenticity and passion, all of these, like, opportunities just align for you. I had to say goodbye to, like, some partnerships because they no longer aligned with me internally.
And I was really scared like I was making thousands of dollars, like on a partnership. And I was just like, they disrespected me. And I went to therapy and I was just like, I'm really scared. Like, I've known this partnership for so long, can I do it? And they were just like, Linda, you were successful before, during and you will be after them.
And after I said goodbye to the wrong thing, bam! All of these right things started aligning and I'm just like, okay, you know, like when so much good happens, it's like, you're waiting for the shoe to drop. You don't want to talk about it. You're afraid. But I'm learning that I deserve these things because I acted with my integrity.
Scott
I love that, I think there are so many. It's so transferable to other situations. I had a friend who, you know, worked at a major company for ten years dedicated. And then on their earnings call, they announced you're cutting their entire division, laying off 1000 people. And it wasn't even a question of like, can we redeploy?
It was like, here's your package, you're out. And, you know, I was talking with him and I said, I think this is the moment. This is the inflection point for the next stage of your journey, and it's setting you up for what maybe you didn't want to do on your own or what you weren't ready to take the next step for.
And I think so many of those steps in life, you know, you have to take them. Some of them are given to you, via negative circumstances. but I think it's how we react in those moments and how we show up and what, where we go from there. And, you know, I mean, I've talked about it.
It's like the successful people are the ones who don't give up and they persist and they keep working hard. So I really like that part of your journey. And, yeah, just there's so many different ways that you've shown up and kept going and persisting. It's awesome.
Linda
Yeah. It only goes out.
Kwame
Of course, we love to hear that. And I think as we, you know, start to wrap up here, we'd love to kind of open up and figure out what's next for Linda, what's going on. Life. What's, what's on the horizon?
Linda
Yeah. Most definitely. So, I am in stealth mode right now, and it's really funny. I don't know if you guys knew me back then, but I had a former company in March, like it was for six months, and I. It was really successful, and I shut it down, because I was just like, I just was in that phase.
Depression is very interesting. It makes you want to just give up on everything in your life. And when I shut it down, I was just like, I don't know if I could ever build something that I love so much again. And somewhere along the way, I found this passion. It's just like, I want to give a platform for creators to have a voice.
So I'm going to open up a community where people are going to see what it's like to be able to be taught to be, to build and be empowered authentically and how like you can quit your job, how you can monetize, but doing it based on who you are, not who people want you to be. So it's coming in August.
That is my next big thing and I'm super excited about it. Scared but excited.
Scott
Awesome. Well, we're super excited for you. It's been amazing to hear about your journey. And, I think it's such an inspiration that you don't need to have the perfect, you know, college degree. You don't need to have the perfect background. And I think there's so much power in your story and how you're connecting and relating to people, so people want to find you.
Where's the best place to find you on social media? if they want to get in touch.
Linda
definitely. You can find me on LinkedIn. I post there 4 to 5 times a week.
Scott
So it's just, Linda Le on LinkedIn. So it's been an amazing conversation. We're so lucky to have you. Thank you for reaching out. Hopefully, this is the start of some awesome collaborations later as well. I'm really excited for your journey. And we're going to be watching out for, your stealth man to come off and the next phase of the journey.
So thanks everyone for tuning in to the episode, and for calling me. Have a great day and we'll see you on the next one.