Three Things I’ve Learned from My Garden

I have a lot of hobbies; gardening is the most serious. I was introduced to the wonders of plants as a child. Like all hobbies, my garden has grown along with my knowledge and income.

There are few things in life more satisfying than your own garden. The never-ending metaphor for life – a garden offers more than beauty – it offers insight. Here’s a few things I’ve learned from mine:

Anyone Can Change the World

When I was a kid, we lived in a very small apartment. The path from the alley to the back porch was filled with rocks and gravel. It was litter-free, and most renters would have left it alone, but not my Mom and Grandmother. We bought seeds and as soon as Spring would allow, we filled discarded egg cartons with dirt and germinated our crops in the sunny basement windows. Once hardened, my brothers and I dutifully transplanted our seedlings into their assigned places. Over the summer, the Marigolds grew, the Sunflowers blossomed, the Morning Glories climbed through the chain link. We learned to weed and mulch and water. It didn’t matter that I was five, and poor, and lived in a horrible place in a sketch area of town: We made the world a better place, and everyone around us knew it, too.

Gardening is the most egalitarian of hobbies, which is why I love it so. Gardening taught me not to accept my circumstance: I could always make things better for me and for others. Rich or poor, young or old, gifted or dull: Anyone can grow a beautiful sunflower.

Life is Filled With Death and Failure

Over my lifetime, I’ve spent thousands and thousands of dollars on all kinds of (expensive) plants that — despite my best efforts — have died. Even more annoying are those that linger and never thrive. Despite 50 years of gardening and my amazing green thumb, I am not immune from disappointment and failure. Not everyone can grow everything well.

Talking about death and failure is something we just don’t do anymore, and I wish we would. Whether painful or shameful, it’s these dark moments that make us change our course. Only from death and failure do we learn and grow.

Don’t envy beautiful gardens. Gardens aren’t born, they evolve. Failure is part of the evolution. The garden has taught me to accept it, learn from it, even plan for it, but most importantly, to let it go. Failure forces you to look for causes, patterns, alternatives. If it weren’t for those dead petunias, I would have never found succulents. Today, I have a collection that horticulturalists envy.

Laziness is Sweet; but it’s Consequences are Cruel

Voltaire (also a fan of the garden), is correct in his observation. Mother nature is an impatient mistress, and she’s not going to wait around for you to “feel” motivated.

Consistent effort is required to achieve anything in life of real value: Good relationships, successful careers, continued health. They all require consistent effort.

My garden has taught me that procrastinating unpleasant tasks can make them more daunting than they really are. By using the one-hour rule, which is do <whatever work you’re avoiding> for just one hour, I’ve found I almost always able to accomplish more than I originally thought.

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Like affection, effort is never wasted. An hour to till even the smallest garden can lift and inspire others. And, isn’t that what life is all about?

Recruiters: Clean Up After Yourselves!!!

The world is full of tips and tricks for the job seeker. No shortage of self-proclaimed coaches, HR Professionals, and any number of “leaders” who’ve got something to say about the way applicants need to change, mold, and brand themselves. But, when it comes to recruiters (outside of the ubiquitous complaints about ghosting), there’s not much out there. Let me change that…

If your goal is to attract top tier talent to your organization, note the following behaviors:

You Don’t Pull Your Posts

Pink Pill Alert: Not pulling your posts is akin to leaving your dishes in the sink because someone else will (eventually) put them into the dishwasher or wash them for you. How’s that helping your marriage?

The constant complaints by recruiters of how many applications they received, how difficult it is to review them all, how they must have AI/ATS systems to help them, how their world is full of woe. A lot of this could be avoided if your JD was posted and pulled quickly. “No Longer Accepting Applications” is an option USE IT!!

I advise everyone not to apply to “reposts,” and not to apply to anything more than three (3) days old. If you’re leaving your posts up longer than that, you are doing a disservice to job applicants AND yourself.

You Lie about Hybrid/Remote

Please stop lying!! Stop posting the role as remote “for visibility.” Stop posting the role as remote, but you need to live within 30 miles of Philly. Stop posting the role as remote, but “you might have to come in a few days a week as needed.” Stop posting the role as hybrid when you need to be on-site Monday-Thursday. Just stop!

Lying about on-site time has become commonplace. Why: Because people who are employed in either on-site, hybrid or remote roles are seeking remote-only work. Everyone knows that if you can support remote workers, you’re going to have more and better-quality talent from which to choose. If you want someone on-site, you’re going to have fewer options. And, if the role could be hybrid or remote, know the person you hire will be short term, even if they live fairly close.

The days of employees subsidizing their employers’ “culture” with commuting costs and travel time is ending. If someone is seeking a remote role, s/he will find one. On-site will ALWAYS be a temporary option for high-end talent.

You Post State Information at the Bottom of the JD

“This job is available to applicants located in the following states: NY, NJ and CT… ” is at the very bottom of the JD, but you posted the JD as remote USA, ya know, for “visibility” and didn’t bother to move that requirement to the top of the post.

Only thing worse is finding this at the end of a JD is finding it at the end of a Workday application!! Ugh!

Your Parsing Is Horrific

There’s no shortage of companies that offer parsing services, but you’ve chosen the cheap, shitty option, or better yet, your “leader” decided to save the cost, and he had Dinesh write a few parsing scripts (I mean, how hard could it be?). As a result, your resume parsing sucks, and your “leadership” thinks that filling out a form is the “first test” for your principal architect applicants. Second test: Ask them to breakfast and see if they pepper their eggs before tasting them.

SMH. Sadly, these dinosaurs still exist…

On the bright side, MANY companies have gotten better with their on-line application. I see customized Workday instances to remove form fields. Greenhouse is a breath of fresh air. And everyone loves of good Easy Apply.

Your application process tells me a LOT about you – bad parsing (bad UI), tells me that your living room and dining room is dirty. As an technologist, I know that the back of the house is even worse. I will exit out of these applications, and I encourage others to do so as well. Nothing good is coming from cheap and shitty companies like this.

You’re Too Lazy to Customize the Post with Salary

I mean, lazy is lazy. It’s all about you! So, you either leave salary out (even though you’re required by law in the majority of states to post it), or you put your 30% under market salary at the very bottom of the JD because you’re sure your JD will be sooooo compelling, we’ll forget about the shitty pay and apply anyway???

Don’t tell me that you pay differently for different markets. That’s why you post a RANGE. I routinely see comments from applicants who say that absolutely will not waste their time applying to jobs that don’t post a range. I’m inclined to agree…

You Lie about Compensation

This is very, very common. Posted range 100-140K. When you pull up the corporate site to apply, the JD clearly states Salary Range 75-110K DOE. Stop, stop, STOP!!!!

You Bury the REAL Requirement

Must speak Mandarin. Top Secret Clearance. Only able to hire in seven states. Must be available for after-hours phone calls. Must have some specific, microscopic domain experience (very popular in public sector posts), ex: ” Five years experience supervising the reproductive cycles of green slider frogs….” All buried at the bottom, when it should be the first line or in the title…

The specific domain experience is usually listed as “preferred” but it’s a clear tell that they have an internal candidate identified, and are only interviewing because they’re required to do so. While recruiters can’t do much about this (except please spare anyone who is already employed), for applicants, I advise not to waste time applying to these custom JDs that were clearly tailored to an internal applicant.

You Expect Essays, Videos, and Love Letters

I’ve grown weary of lazy Mean Girl recruiters who expect applicants to provide them essays and love letters. Ya know, so they can “make the funnel stickier” or “separate signal from noise.” These are the same recruiters who are just too busy to read my resume, haven’t looked at my website, haven’t looked at my blog, my book, my white papers, my reels, or my publications. But, I’m going to write an essay for you about my last team’s Agile transformation, the roadblocks, challenges I encountered, and how I was able to overcome them and drive the team and project to a successful outcome.

F-off.

Even more entitled, are those who request you provide them a MP3 video explaining “Why Should You Hire Me?” Short format, of course, and try to be original and compelling.

Stop trying to make “Fetch” happen….You are NOT special! For applicants, there’s absolutely nothing to be gained by participating in these recruiter auditions. Be assured that your intellect is funneled into an LLM. Your words, thoughts, image are shared with “partners.” You have zero rights to the data, cannot delete it, and any good ideas you have WILL be given to another (cheaper, younger, better looking, or off-shore) candidate.

Recruiters Aren’t the Problem; They’re at the Door

Recruiters aren’t the problem in the Talent Acquisition (TA) process, but they are standing at the front door of the club deciding whether or not you are good looking enough to get in. Unfortunately, many don’t fully understand their actions negatively effect the supply chain, and are shocked to see that people are simply skipping the audition and hitting the sports bar down the street for the $5 buck wine and beer specials.

If you’re guilty of any of the above behaviors, reconsider if your actions are helping or hindering the flow of talent into your organization. It’s not about what’s easiest for you – it’s about finding the best and brightest for your organization.

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July 1, 2026 0

AI Leadership Assessments – They’re Finally Here!

As more and more corporations find success using AI assessment tools and virtual assistants for talent acquisition, it’s only natural to want to leverage this success throughout the organization. AI Assessments are innovating the way we evaluate job applicants as potential employees. But, what about the employees you already have?

If companies are going to meet the challenges of our new AI age, they need to right-size, and nowhere is that more important than in the executive and leadership ranks. Too many companies are still relying on legacy processes, like individual opinion, when it comes to determining which skills stay, and which need to go. Talent decisions are too important to leave to individuals; they are prone to self-interest, bias or favoritism. This is where our AI Leadership Assessment helps you to separate signal from noise…

As companies move away from large scale lay-offs, rolling layoffs become the norm, our AI Leadership assessment tool provide a consistent, impartial, low-stress way to evaluate your organization’s leaders. AI doesn’t replace humans, rather, it leverages the power of AI to allow you to make better decisions. Our tools produce an easy-to-use stack rank of your current leadership team, which helps to inform decisions about which underperforming executives should be cut.

How it Works

After taking our on-line game-a-fide assessment, each leader participates in an 30-minute interview with our virtual AI evaluator. Here they have the opportunity to create a video to highlight their skills and accomplishments. Those data are processed by our non-biased algorithms, combined with internal HR records, and a social media score to determine a Leadership Competency range. Once calculated, the range and stack ranking of all resources is available to CEOs and BODs via our proprietary dashboard.

These data are highly secure, and the results of these assessments are never shared with the employee. This makes it impossible for them to challenge the findings or claim bias or discrimination as too often happens when humans are involved in these evaluations.

AI assessment tools are being used in 90% of Fortune 500 companies to help identify skills and culture fit.

Too many organizations are struggling with the toxic culture created by their current leadership teams. Too often, a “few bad apples” are the root cause of these toxic environments. These individuals often result in EEOC claims, class action lawsuits, and costly turnover for many companies. Our AI leadership assessment identifies potential bad actors with clear, unbiased evaluations based on proven scientific methods and practices. You can feel confident about your decision to eliminate and consolidate your executive ranks without harming the corporate culture you worked so hard to create.

Its finally here!! AI screening and assessment that takes the risk out of corporate layoffs! Contact me for a demo.

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June 14, 2026 0

AI Recruiting Bots – Real Use Cases

No shortage of complaints about AI recruiting bots. Raise your hand if you think bots are bringing in top talent for ya? (Ohhh, I don’t see your hand up??!!)

If you want to use a bot (and there are times when the use case is strong), here’s a few suggestions:

~ Don’t Call Me, Text First

Should seem obvious, but I’m absolutely NOT speaking to a bot who calls me without my giving prior permission.

~ No Narratives

Sorry buddy – not going to train the LLMachine for you. Stop asking me to describe my last project, or compare and contrast methods and practices. That’s my IP, and I’m not handing out free samples. This isn’t CostCo – I’m not a cheese wedge.

~ Ask Yes/No, Integer, or Specific Data Points

If you configure the bot to ask questions that require a yes/no, integer, or short response, I’m more likely to participate. Tip: Disclose the parameters of your query when you ask for permission (Ex: “This interview requires yes/no or numerical answers only).

~ Provide an on-line form to ingest via email instead of the bot

I don’t want to talk to your bot, but I’d like to be considered for the job. Don’t think I’m going to click on some rando hyperlink. The technology exists to automate this workflow. Do it. Stop with the excuses of how the applicant needs to do all your work for you. Do you want to find talent, or do you want to “make the tunnel sticky”?

Lastly:

These are the bot use cases job applicants can participate in safely. Never, ever allow yourself to be recorded. Never participate in AI interviews. Never sign over your voice, words, image and likeness. The potential to damage you, your reputation, and your career is huge.

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May 28, 2026 0

Do NOT Submit to AI Interviews!

If you’ve received an “invitation” to interview with a Bot, hit delete. If your interviewer is recording you, end the interview.

NEVER allow your interview to be recorded by these LLMs….

The potential for damage to you, your career and your reputation via these LLMs is HUGE. You turn over your words, image, voice, experience, education to an AI data brokers. It’s parsed, scraped “evaluated” and that AI slop follows you around FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!

You have NO access to the recording or data. No ability to delete it, no ability to challenge the findings, no insight into the algorithm being used to “evaluate” you. You have NO RIGHTS. You don’t know with whom or for what purposes your voice, words, and likeness is shared.

Here’s my point:

Do not trifle these one-way video interviews. These companies are harvesting YOU. They are building dossiers on YOU. Every single frame is associated with you for the rest of your life, and you cannot do anything about it.

If there even is a job there (and most of the time there is NOT as most of these jobs are fake) the AI bot is designed to lure unsuspecting applicants into their data trap.

Be assured that every insight, every “right” answer, every bit of wisdom you possess is going to another candidate – one who is likely less qualified, less expensive – and once it’s out there, you cannot do a single thing about it except opt out.

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May 26, 2026 0

Four Ways Your Hiring Manager is Killing Your Company

Ask any recruiter what the issue is in Talent Acquisition, and they’re not going to say a lack of qualified applicants.

The issue is the “hiring manager.”

Who is the hiring manager? Generally it’s some mid white guy who doesn’t have the authority to pick up the tab for the pizza party without prior auth, but for some reason, the company has giving him carte blanche to 1) represent your company and brand to prospective talent with zero training, oversight, for feedback and 2) spend hundreds of thousands of company dollars to hire talent for your organization with zero training, oversight, or feedback.

If your hiring managers utter any of these statements, fire ’em…….

“We can’t find anyone with the skill (combo) we need…”

Clear sign of a red-pill bro who feels deserving of talent that he cannot afford or, worse, talent that simply doesn’t exist.

In tech, it’s the principal architect/project manager combo, closely followed by the architect/Biz Dev combo, or the developer/SE combo. In other words, you want two (or more roles) for one, but can only pay for one at 30% below market.

Truth: I’m 5’6, 30 lbs overweight, and have a credit score of 615, but I’m going to keep insisting I can pull a supermodel rather than face reality that some girls are simply out of my league….

#redpillcorp #alphadog #unicornhunter #notlonelyenough

“I need someone who can get along with <well-known PITA>

Clear sign of a manager who will NOT manage (which calls into question why TF they’re even there).

I see this scenario repeated again and again and again and again and again…… Talent, integrity, and hard work are irrelevant. The only skill being sought is low self- esteem, aka, the ability to put up with an irrational, abusive bully.

Yeah, so this is the third <decentperson> who’s quit in the last 6 months, but you don’t have time to replace the real problem (plus, you’d have to do ALL the work to replace him, and then you’d have to admit to YOUR boss that you fd-up this hire, so that’s a hard No..)

Easiest solution for lazy managers: Find someone with so little self-respect, or so little cash in their bank account that they’ll take this shit job and be abused for rent, food, and health insurance. (Hint: Look for single mothers, or men with young families. They’re the most easily exploited.) After we hire that sucker, it’ll get about six months-to-a-year of peace before the complaints start again. But, whateverrrrr – at least it’s not MY problem….

#doormatsonly #sychophants

“We don’t need someone that Senior”

The greatest annoyance of every single recruiter out there. They bring in great people, only to get push back from a 32 year old crony hiring manager with nepo-baby credentials.

An organization that values sycophants more than innovators is headed down the road to perdition.

Quick way to tell if your mid-hiring manager is gate keeping. Pull the LinkedIns of your last six hires. If none of them possess a single credential that is better or deeper than the hiring manager, you know gatekeeping is a problem. For him, compliance is more important than competence. For you, be assured that competence isn’t always compliant…

#BankruptcyCameOuttaNowhere #fearbasedleadership

“We need someone who will do what they’re told….”

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard this statement uttered behind closed doors. Usually it’s about confident women (“They seem difficult to manage.”) or young men (“They seem a bit cocky, and have their own ideas.”)

These comments surface in HR discussions where there’s been issues and complaints about the current hiring manager. These companies are constantly dealing with lawsuits, worker complaints, and have a long history of PIPing out strong performer for calling out organizational issues, compliance issues or just outshining the master.

If you’re hearing your hiring manager kick out competence, it’s time to find someone who can manage talent.

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Your job isn’t going to be replaced by AI, your job is going to be replaced by someone who can hire and manage a team. If you’re struggling to find talent (and you’re 100% sure it’s not a compensation or RTO ), replace your hiring manager with an unbiased, cross-functional hiring team. You’ll be stunned by how quickly things turn around…

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May 5, 2026 0

The Most Important Comment in the CA Governor Debate Didn’t Come from the Candidates

The first California governor “debate” was held last night, and the most important comment was from the final audience questioner. After introducing himself, he looked at the panel of contestants and said simply, “Well, that was kinda a mess….”

Not surprisingly, he was referring to the rude shouting match amongst several of the male candidates. (And, of course, “not all men…” There were a few who didn’t engage.) But, I don’t think anyone is surprised to learn a policy “debate” deteriorated into a frat-boy mud slinging competition about who was the “stronger” leader. Ugh….

Katie Porter, the lone woman on stage – even in California in 2026 – knew better than to get involved, or god forbid, interrupt. (We all know women are not permitted to interrupt men for any reason whatsoever.) However, Katie was keen to read her GenZ audience when she turned to them and said, “I feel like I’m at home with my teenagers…” There was enough laughter to overtake the sound of ruckus, but not enough to quell it. And, like the young man who followed, she was also right: Their behavior was juvenile, it’s a mess, and we’re collectively sick of it.

Being called out by a 20-something GenZer (who was better dressed and better mannered than the majority of these “leaders”) in front of millions isn’t just embarrassing, it’s a harbinger of things to come.

What GenZ is saying is clear: We want good. We’ve been raised with good parents, good teachers, good coaches. We want good food, a good education, and good jobs. We want a government of good ethics, good manners, good behavior. We’re tired of entitled old men behaving badly. We’re tired of bad bosses, bad companies, and bad political policy. Your bad behavior tells me everything I need to know about you. It tells me that you’re not good.

California has always been on the bleeding edge of American culture. Pay attention: You’re either going to bring good, or you’re going to be left behind.

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April 30, 2026 0

Five Signs You’re NOT Getting that Job

(and they have nothing to do with you!)

There’s no worse feeling than realizing that you’re wasting time at an interview. Here’s five ways to tell (early on) you’re not getting the job:

Your Interviewer is Late and/or Distracted

Yeah, I get it. I’ve been on the other side. You’re short staffed, overworked, AND trying to backfill. It’s tuff to come to an interview with full focus on the candidate…

Anyone interviewing you in this frame of mind is never going to choose you – why? Because they’re not really listening, they’re not engaged. They’re not confident in their choice because (in their mind), you’re a distraction, not the main event.

When I’m confronted with these types of interviews (and sadly, there are far too many of them), I’ll acknowledge the distractedness with an “I’m happy to reschedule this….” I’ve had a few people respond with a “Whew, yes! That would be wonderful…!” (My kinda people). Others who choose to power through? I know that absolutely nothing will come of it, so I see them as batting practice….

You’re More Qualified than Your Prospective Boss

Earlier in my career, this wasn’t a problem. As I’ve grown and sharpened over the past decades, it’s become a much bigger problem in getting hired – especially as an FTE – because there are few people who are able (and willing) to manage talent greater than their own.

There is no one “type” of boss who purposely hires less-than talent, but if I were to cast a big net, I’d say you’re going to encounter this with any person who is a single parent, and definitely any man with kids and a trad wife. They’re not going to do anything to jeopardize that meal ticket, and you showing up with your Master’s degree, industry certifications and “great ideas” is never going to get you hired.

The Place is a Dumpster Fire, and You Have FU Money

Similar to the above, there’s no shortage of interviewers who know the turnover is horrendous, so they’re sniffing around for signs of financial distress because slaves are less likely to leave. Be careful how you answer seemingly innocent questions, “Did you do anything fun this weekend?” “Do you have any vacations planned?” or even questions about “gaps” in your resume. You may think it makes you more desirable to tell you recruiter that you spent three months in France cultivating your Pino pallet, but what he’s going to hear is “He’s not ‘hungry’ enough…” and isn’t going to hang around for very long (and maybe they’re right).

You are V-E-R-Y Employable

Falling under the “more qualified” and “over qualified,” low-tier employers seem to fret constantly about being left at the alter. It’s interesting how small shops are the ones who complain the most about “spending all my time” hiring and then training someone only to have them leave in a year or two for $2-3 dollars an hour more. Oh, the ingratitude!

The majority of employers I speak with are happy to consider applicants with strong software skills, communication, organization abilities and the like, but like marrying a beautiful women or a very handsome man, there are those whose egos and insecurities simply cannot manage those relationships – so they choose (consciously or not), the C+ student who doesn’t have as many options…

They’re Only Window Shopping – Wow Me.

Whether the result of our swipe-left culture or just the old-fashioned hubris of “I’m PAYING you…” there’s no shortage of folks who just like to interview – sorta like those folks who just l-o-v-e shopping for cars – just in case they find something they might want to buy.

These folks are easy to spot because they have done zero real work to actually hire someone. There’s no JD, only a working title, and a Frankenstein wish-list of skills cobbled together by the “team.” The answer to the question of what they’re looking for is an arrogant, “I’ll know it when I see it…” because, of course, everyone and everything has its price, and everyone and everything is for sale (should they choose to purchase it).

Window shoppers are the most entitled of all interviewers. These narcissists use these interactions (steepled hands, 1:1, behind closed doors, no notes required), as their “feed.” They get off on watching people sweat, squirm, prostrate. They’re often rude, dismissive, and enjoy watching nervous applicants stumble to “Wow Me” while they interupt you with comments like, “I don’t care about that…” or “Your education mean nothing to me because your degree is in <humanities> (eye roll)…”

When you encounter a window shopper, don’t despair – step back, understand you’re only there for them to F with, and then use these interviews as practice F-ing with them. Lean in. Answer their “Wow me,” questions irreverently. Note how far you can push them – note their facial expressions, criticisms, and behavior. Store this experience for a time when you really do want to wow someone …..

Final pointer: When the Wow interviewer gives you the obligatory, “We have a minute or two left, do you have any question for me?” (Note: They don’t GAF about you or your questions – your questions are only for them to evaluate how “good” your questions are) smile, and politely say no – no questions – this isn’t a fit for me, thank you for the time, and my best wishes to you in your search. They’ll choke, and look on their face will make all the BS condescension worth it, I promise.

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March 19, 2026 0

GLP-1 Advice from a Real Person

TROLLS: Comments from cross-fits and fast-food / pharm bots will be immediately deleted.

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Anyone struggling with weight is surely considering one of the GLP-1s. Below is a no bullshit look at what it takes to succeed with this hormone.

You Absolutely, Positively CANNOT Eat Any Chemical Foods

A large percentage of people who start with a GLP-1 quit after the first 30 days. The complaint, “It made me sick.” Nope. The food you’re eating is making you sick; the drug has simply done a factory re-set on your digestive system.

The idea that you can continue to consume the same type of food that you have (only smaller portions), is only half true. The true part is those who are already eating “clean.” But, even if you’re not at a drive-thru window, processed food is everywhere, and you’re not going to be able to tolerate any of it. It will make you sick; it doesn’t taste good, and it’s going to effect you immediately.

You’re not going to go from a Whopper to a Whopper Jr. You’re going to go from the Whopper to a half an apple and some peanut butter. Are you ready for that?

One of the great things about the GLP-1’s is that many people (including myself) are finally able to achieve satiety. When your metabolism is being altered by these chemical foods, your satiety response is blocked. As a result, you continue to eat (sometimes to the point of wanting to vomit), but yet you are still not “satisfied.” You keep looking, nibbling, hoping the next bite, the next food type will provide you that “click” and you’ll be done eating. That feeling never comes when eating chemical foods because they are designed to block the satiety response. As a result, you keep eating….

After you get off the chemicals and your system cleans out, you’ll very quickly note that instead of feeling “sick” after eating, you’ll now feel “full” and satisfied. Satisfied in that you’ll look at additional food and think, “Naah, I’m good.” An amazing feeling.

Food Stops Providing that Dopamine Response

As part of that “Naah, I’m good…” is a change in the dopamine response. You’ll enjoy food, but it’s not going to give you that high. Part of it is the change in your metabolism; the other part is that you cannot consume those chemicals that give you that high without feeling sick.

That “ahhh” isn’t food – it’s drugs.

Spend a little time watching “My 600 Pound Life,” and you’ll note a common theme of all the participants: They’re addicted to fast food, processed food, and every single one talks about eating, especially the “first bite of the day,” as an orgasmic experience. Ex: “When I take that first bite, I just feel all my stress and worries melt away…I just don’t want it to stop.” They’re talking about food like it’s a drug because it IS a drug. The crap they’re eating is filled with chemicals, and those chemicals are eliciting a heightened dopamine response.

Eating Becomes More Functional, Less Event Driven

We have a culture that tells us to eat multiple times a day, and that really isn’t necessary nor practical. And, while I agree that having a decent amount of protein, especially for your first meal, is good advice, there’s nothing wrong with simply not eating because (get this) you’re NOT hungry. Ohh, you didn’t get lunch today? Dinner is only in a few hours. You’re not feeling hungry in the evening? You don’t have to eat dinner…you’re not going to fade away.

Doctors call this “mindful” eating. It’s really just normal eating for the human animal.

If you’re taking the GLP-1 pill, you need to take it first thing in the AM, on an empty stomach (taking it with food renders it completely ineffective), and it’s recommend to try to fast for as long as possible afterwards. I find this to be good advise in general. You don’t need three meals. You need one meal, and maybe few small high-protein snacks. That’s it.

Your Friends, Family, and Social Life Are Going to Change – Big Time

Here’s a terrible truth: Your friends and family want to keep you fat. While men have it much easier in this realm, women will very quickly see that many of her friends and even family are not going to be loving the new you. The snide comments will come out, the attempts to get you to overeat with them, following by accusation that because you’re losing weight you “think you’re better than we are…” Get ready for it….it’s coming, and it’s ugly.

Food is part of our social events, but you can still be social without stuffing your face. Anyone who is shaming you for NOT eating, anyone jealous of your healthy life is NOT your friend.

Nothing will show you faster who your real advocates are than losing weight. And, you’re going to be surprised by who turns out to be a hater. If you’re not prepared to let friends and family fall by the wayside in your journey, you’re not going to succeed.

People Treat You Differently

Part of this is that you treat yourself differently, but we all know that pretty privilege exists. If you’re wrestling with trauma, especially if it’s related to SA, you’re going to need a skilled therapist to help you on this journey. You’re going to get hit on a lot more when you’re of average weight – every loser will feel the need to take his shot – and if you’re dealing with trauma responses, you’re going to need to do the work.

Hobbies, Interests, and Goals

Do you have any? Or has most of your life been consumed with going from one meal to another, and then hiding in your house or cubical? How will you fill your time when your life isn’t filled with food? Video games?

This is where people start to incorporate that daily walk or gym time, and that’s great. But, it’s more than that. You’re not constantly thinking about food anymore. What occupies your thoughts now? You’re not spending the entire evening grazing on chips and snacks. What, exactly, are you doing with those hours?

Food will become functional (I’m hungry. I eat a small amount. I’m full. Now what?) and less “event driven.” What will you do with this time? If you have no hobbies, interests or goals, you’re going to drift back into eating out of boredom. You’re losing weight for a new life, or even to save your life. What are you going to do with the life you’re taking back?

Finally, if you’re considering a GLP-1, I’d recommend that you NOT talk to anyone about it except a licensed physician who has a background in nutrition or obesity. There’s too much judgement and mis-information out there. Weight Watchers is an excellent option, especially if you’ve never tracked food before or are struggling with making good food choices. The tele-meds also do a good job with hooking you up with a doctor and nutritionist who can help you on this journey. Keep in mind that if you have private insurance and are obese (BMI 30+) many insurance companies will cover your meds (provided you’re actively working with a doctor/nutritionist), so don’t be afraid to investigate those options.

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February 20, 2026 0

Job Applicants: Do NOT Permit Yourself to Be Recorded!

My recent LinkedIn post cautioned applicants to NOT permit themselves to be recorded during interviews. The post drew the expected responses (80%=Yes, I agree, it’s a gross invasion of privacy, I’m not feeding an LLM, and 20% = Dance little monkey! You WILL do whatever the “company” tells you. That’s what I did, and that’s what I expect everyone to do, you’re just spoiled :).

(I’ll let you guess at the demographic breakdown of these responses).

Consider the following:

You are a hiring manager, and you are meeting a job applicant IRL. Perhaps at your office, maybe at a coffee shop or other public place. You sit down, introduce yourself, and then the applicant pulls out a tri-pod, sets up the camera phone, and says, “I hope you don’t mind if I record this…..”

What would you say?

I’m sure you would be shocked by the audacity.

You might respond with something like, “Ohh, err, I’m not comfortable with that….” or even “I don’t consent to being recorded,” to which the applicant responds…

“Ohhh, this is my policy to record all interviews. It’s used for training purposes. This is very common now. And, it’s really for YOUR benefit. In this way, I can focus on you, and our discussion, and not on taking notes! Plus, I’ll be able to review your questions and answers later, at my leisure, and I’ll be able to share the video with my advisors, so that we can all better understand the role, you, and your company.”

Would you shrug, agree, and continue? I don’t think so…..

Stop asking job applicants for one-way video interviews. Stop recording them. Stop bullying them into surrendering their words, image, and ideas for the privilege of applying for a job, stop shaming people for wanting to protect their privacy, and their IP from being consumed by an LLM, and stop pretending that your company isn’t complicit in this surreptitious LLM training when you’re insisting on recordings and “personality assessments.”

If you found yourself offended by the audacity of an applicant taping you and your interview, and the idea that the video would be circulated, distributed, and stored without your knowledge and consent, be assured the applicant feels EXACTLY the same way!

If you’re serious about bringing talent into your organization, this is NOT the way to do it!

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February 18, 2026 0

How to Spot a Fake Job

They’re everywhere, and their purpose is to collect your Personal Information (PI) and and Intellectual Property (IP).

Here’s how to tell:

I Have to Accept your Cookies

Being able to opt-out of cookies is a legal requirement, but like most legal things these days is ignored because there’s no one actually enforcing civil law (happy to collect a list of these sites for any interested attorney).

You Ask for PI, like SSI or DOB to Apply

Amazing to me how many people simply offer this up. Note: If you feel you just cannot say no to the webpage, for God’s sake, please input some phoney numbers!

Essay Questions

Clearly data scraping. Nope.

Bots and More Bots

Oh, they “prefer” to be called “Virtual Recruiting Assistants.” IDGAF what the Bot prefers! I’m not permitting my voice to be recorded by some “spam” number that comes into my phone. Click.

Same Bat-Job, Same Bat-Time

If you’re looking at the boards, you can clearly see the same “companies” advertising the same BS jobs every day. You know these jobs: general JD, above average salary, need immediately. Fake, Fake, Fake.

Reposted

Don’t bother…

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February 13, 2026 0