14. Two emails. Same week. Completely different worlds.
A reminder of what’s rising — and what I’ve outgrown.
Email #1:
A podcast team sends me the edited episode of an interview they invited me onto.
They valued the conversation.
They respected my work.
They treated me like a partner.
Email #2:
A “ PEO partner” asks if I have any clients gearing up for 2026…
after giving zero support, zero reciprocity, and zero interest in my business.
Just a sales channel wearing the word partnership.
So I told them the truth:
**If it only benefits one side, it’s not a partnership — it’s extraction.
And I’m done participating in extraction.**
Here’s what clicked for me:
**When the right people start seeking you out,
you naturally stop tolerating the wrong ones.**
Your standards rise.
Your time gets more expensive.
Your focus sharpens.
Your energy stops leaking into dead ends.
Two emails.
One pointing forward.
One reminding me of what I’ve outgrown.
— Michael Doran @ Talent Grind ☕️
Hey, I’m Michael.
I’ve spent two decades building recruiting systems for fast-growing startups — Oyster, Bolt, Dropbox, and dozens more.
Now I’m building something bigger:
A user-owned data movement and a new way to manage your career that Big Tech can’t control.
Talent Grind is where I write about what’s actually happening inside hiring, AI, and the future of work — without the corporate spin.
If you care about your career, your data, and your autonomy, you’ll fit right in.
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