25: Mark Freeman - Career Success Powered by Community

Mark Freeman (data scientist, entrepreneur, and LinkedIn celebrity) joins us in the studio! We can all admire his unrelenting fixation on solving large-scale societal problems and his deep understanding of how to nurture an online community. He goes behind the scenes on his career, as we discuss his navigation into various high-impact communities (startup, data science, Web3).

Tired of feeling "caged" at work? Here's your key to freedom.

***

TAKEAWAYS

On social media, think of every follower as a mentor — make sure you're finding ways to learn from them.

Apply the "dead flip" approach (pinball) in career and life: understand when to pause, reset, and validate your target.

Breaking into data science doesn't necessarily require deep technical skills. Start by understanding how you can provide unique business value, and craft your role from there.

Side hustles can be useful beyond their monetary value. Think of them as testbeds to prove hypotheses, test your interests, and continually validate your passions.

Use your online interactions to increase the odds of serendipity in your life (plant many seeds, and see which ones sprout over time).

***

TIMESTAMPS

[2:00] The dead flip

[5:02] How chess played a pivotal role

[5:50] Mark’s professional journey

[10:28] Driven by meaning, open to pivoting

[11:48] Diverse inroads into data science

[18:14] TRIBE framework — move forward together

[20:00] Community & two-way value exchange

[23:12] Operating a job creation “funnel”

[26:21] Mark’s entrepreneurial ventures