Welcome to Snafu, a newsletter about authentic influence in a chaotic world.

This week, instead of a new article, I’m highlighting a few recent podcast episodes. Each one explores a different angle on influence, relationships, and the way we work.

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​Building Community that Drives Business with Joshua Zerkel

Joshua Zerkel is a community strategist, former Evernote ambassador turned community leader, and author of The Community Code.

He started as a power user and advocate, writing productivity books about Evernote before eventually joining the company and helping scale its community as it grew from 100M to 200M users. He went on to build and lead community at Asana, turning Asana’s community into a global program spanning forums, ambassadors, experts, and hundreds of events.

His work centers on a simple but often misunderstood idea: community is just relationships at scale. We talk about why community is so often undervalued inside organizations, how to translate its impact to business leaders, and the constant tradeoffs between depth and reach.

​How to Move People with Lindsey Caplan​

Lindsey Caplan is an organizational psychologist, former Hollywood screenwriter, and upcoming author.

She started her career on TV and film sets in Los Angeles, working on shows like Malcolm in the Middle, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and The Amazing Race. She then transitioned into learning and development at companies like DreamWorks Animation, Zendesk, and Credit Karma.

Her new book, Moved, coming out in March 2027, explores the forces that shape human behavior: what moves us, how we can move others, and why pull, not push, is the most sustainable path to influence.

​Your Best Meeting Ever with Rebecca Hinds​

Rebecca Hinds, PhD, is an organizational behavior expert and founder of the Work AI Institute at Glean.

Her new book, Your Best Meeting Ever, was a USA Today bestseller – and I’m pleased to share that she is speaking at Responsive Conference 2026.

Rebecca argues that bad meetings aren't a people problem — they're a systems problem. We also discuss how to maintain high standards without being unkind, and the role of AI in the future of work.

​Corporating with Mandy Mooney​

I sat down for a conversation with my friend Mandy Mooney about her new book, Corporating.

We discussed her path from performing arts to corporate communications, and how those early experiences shaped the way she approaches relationships, leadership, and personal authenticity.

We explore the three pillars of career success Mandy highlights in her book — relationships, reputation, and resilience — and how they guide her approach to scaling mentorship and helping others grow.

3 Things I’ve Loved This Week

Quote I’m Pondering:

“There are two kinds of growth. One where you grow stronger, and one where you grow fat.” –Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia

Article I’m Re-Reading: How to Fast​

I did a lot of fasting in 2022-2023, including multiple 5+ day fasts. But I've fallen out of the habit and just did my first 36-hour fast in a year.

To prepare for the 36-hour fast, I referenced my own How-To article.

See also: I Didn’t Eat for 5 Days.

Essay That Made Me Think: How to Build a Human​

I just stumbled across this Twitter/X article called “How to Build a Human.”

It’s an in-depth look at how one couple navigated pregnancy and birth by questioning the traditional system and doing their own research.

Want more?

Until next week,
Robin