Life lessons from Lulu

I’m listening to a podcast interview with Lulu Cheng Meservey right now. It’s her recent conversation with David Senra. It’s great. Highly recommend.

But the thing that most stands out, especially given how much I hold Lulu up as the epitome of startup comms expertise, is her origin story of working with Anduril, and how she felt wildly underqualified for the role at the time. She says that she knew nothing about comms or PR when she first started working in these fields, and that she was still new to the game when Anduril brought her in. She also expresses deep gratitude for that leap of faith from Trey and Matt and Palmer, because it launched her into what she did for Substack and then subsequently Rostra.

This stands out so much to me because I am perpetually holding myself back from opportunities to learn and grow and earn a living, all because I feel wildly underqualified and incompetent, especially when it comes to startup storytelling. My perfectionism and insecurity and imposter syndrome keep me hiding in the shadows, overthinking how I’m going to serve the world of tech, rather than just… fuckin doing it. Instead of jumping in and being humble and learning as I go. Intellectually, I know that’s the right approach, but some deep, dark subconscious part of me is absolutely terrified.

So yeah, I need these little nudges and reminders. I’m on the verge of re-emerging and taking some big swings with my work. I’m genuinely scared and facing all manner of resistance. But hearing Lulu share her story, much as is the case in recovery meetings, fills me with strength and hope. She’s doing the work she was born to do, and I can too, provided I put my trust in God, and in future Rob, to be able to figure things out. Onwards.