SPEAKER

Hi, I’m Lakshmi
(Luck-Shmee)

I’m a connection expert who wants to make you an expert in how you connect.

I’m on a mission to help people rethink human connection; not as something that we are losing but as something that is evolving.

As a Global Speaker with 15 years of experience covering topics ranging from modern dating culture, to workplace connection and relationships. I write about the changing mix of technology and in-person moments for how we start, build, grow, pivot, rethink (and even resurrect) relationships today. 

My interactive talks and workshops including “The Future of Workplace Connection”, “How To Date Humans” and “Your Modern Connection Diet” have impacted over 20,000 people; helping them take ownership and build their connective muscles. My practical tools, frameworks and insights have changed how people approach their relationships at work and at home; on screen and in real life — with the people they’ve known for years and the people they’ve just met.

My talks and workshops draw
from and tap into my experience
and work as a:

  • Workplace Connection at WeWork

    Where I was tapped to pioneer, reimagine and build work relationships in the modern era — first internally at WeWork and then for Fortune 500 clients.

  • Director | Event Design | Match.com

    Where I saw how technology was helping, and where it was hindering,people’s ability to connect and led research on video-based profiles.

  • Brand Strategist

    Where I learned how thoughtful qualitative research could uncover motivations and moments that didn’t always show up in surveys and data.

  • Bartender

    Where I bartended across four different decades; working and training with people who valued the craft of conversation as much as the craft of cocktail.

  • Founder of 'Me So Far'

    Where I launched a new way for single people to meet that leveraged the power of environment and story over profiles and devices.

  • Podcast Host & Researcher

    Where I hosted Paired By The People, Vox’s Land of The Giants: Dating Games ,and now The Later Dater Today podcast. I studied the art of the set-up, the history of the dating industry and people dating at midlife today.

I’ve helped teams, companies and yes, single folks, go from simply meeting to actually connecting.

My Insights and frameworks have helped people reset and
rethink the role of technology in their relationships at places like:

I have developed connective practices for
remote and distributed teams at:

You may have heard my voice:

  • TOP 5 GUESTS OF 2023 | The Pivot Podcast With Kara Swisher & Scott Galloway

  • CO-Host Season 6 | Vox Media's "Land of The Giants" : DATING GAMES

  • Slack | Future forum Featured Panelist on Work relationships

  • offline with jon favreau | valentine's 2023

  • Vanity fair / Aug 2021

  • Prof G with Scott Galloway/Feb 2024

  • Top Relationship Podcast: Cosmopolitan

From big stages, to niche conferences and key moments, I aim to offer surprising and practical approaches for how you can connect today.

  • WeWork Employee Global Summit | Mainstage Keynote

  • PSFK | Future of Retail Relationships

  • CASPER: Retail Relationships

  • WBEZ MEMBER MEETUP

  • COMPASS: Reimagining Work Relationships Today

  • Eventbrite Employee All Hands

What people have said

  • "I immediately started using the tools from Lakshmi's talk with colleagues on the plane ride home and instantly noticed how I was connecting differently."

    Amanda Ricca, Fmr Events Manager at WeWork | Director of Marketing Strategy at Nasdaq

  • "It's no exaggeration that Lakshmi's talk on modern connection and community fundamentally shifted how I approach relationships."

    Zachary Holmquist | Co-Founder Seer AI

  • "Four years later, I still think about the talk that Lakshmi presented at Casper during the early weeks of the pandemic. It helped us rethink what connection means."

    Morgan Williams | Co-Founder & CEO Peak HR

  • "Lakshmi is so human on stage. Her words resonated with me well beyond the workplace into so many other areas of my life."

    Jade Kim Monsen |
    Senior Product Manage at BILL

  • "Practical & Profound"

    Roee Adler, Fm Head of Engineering WeWork, Software and Technology Entrprenuer

  • "Lakshmi is one of the most engaging and inspiring speakers I know. Her presentation on storytelling, human connection and community helped me discover new ways of communicating and connecting with individuals throughout my career.

    Marnie Williams Noble, Content Marketer at Greenhouse Software

Aaron Hurst, Best-Selling Author of The Purpose Driven Economy

“There is no better speaker and expert on human connection than Lakshmi. She is uniquely able to draw across her experience in designing dating programs and workplaces to really get at insights that challenge our core thinking about how we build relationships. The combination makes for a highly entertaining, engaging and informative experience people will never forget.”