It Wasn't Because I Said F*ck

What happens when you drop the filter and say exactly what you're thinking? 

In this explosive episode of Get Unruly, I reveal how a single post with an F-bomb turned into a viral sensation - not because of the swearing, but because of the raw, unfiltered truth. 

Learn how breaking the rules can set you free, why playing it safe is killing your authenticity, and how one moment of radical honesty can change everything. 

Warning: Contains strategic profanity and zero apologies.

Transcript

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Yeah, so I want to be clear. I didn't go viral because I said fuck. I went viral because I said something that people are scared to say, and I said it without flinching. If you've ever felt like you're walking a tightrope between being visible and being yourself, or if you've ever wondered if saying the honest thing is really worth the risk, this episode is for you, welcome back to get unruly. Today we're talking about what really happened when I launched Friday fuck ups, and what it has demonstrated about clarity, conviction and the rules we've been trained to follow. So here's what happened. Two weeks ago, I decided to try something new on LinkedIn. It's a platform full of wins and wisdom and polished advice, and I wanted to create a space for the other side, the human side, the messy side, so I launched a series called Friday fuck ups, lessons from things that didn't go smoothly, not performative failure, not a humble brag dressed up as vulnerability, just honesty, real time, reflection, no filter, no apology. And it's not an understatement to say LinkedIn did not like it that first post absolutely bombed. The algorithm didn't just bury it. It buried me all week long. Every post that I made, even solid, valuable stuff, tanked. And in fact, it was the worst visibility I'd had since I started on the platform. So when Friday rolled around again, I had to make a choice, change the name and play it safe to keep the algorithm happy, or double down, stay in integrity and risk staying buried. And I want to pause here for a minute, because this is the part no one talks about. I knew that if I doubled down, it might cost me something that mattered, not my job, not my livelihood, but something sneakier and a little bit harder to name, the reach, the traction, the quiet, algorithmic nod that says, hey, you're doing it right. And all I had to do to keep it play nice, soften the edges, swap fuck up for fail, make it cleaner, easier to digest, easier to ignore. In fact, people told me, Kim, seriously, just call it Friday, fail and you'll be fine. But here's the thing, I'm not here to be fine. I'm here to be real, aligned, strategic and unruly. So I said no, I made a joke to Ray as I was getting ready to publish it, I said, you know, here I go. I'm going to be in LinkedIn jail for another week or so. And I made up my mind to not care if they buried me. I knew I would still be standing in my full clarity and conviction. Now, just to put this in perspective, okay, the first Friday fuck up post, which, by the way, was a really solid post. It was really vulnerable. I took a lot of time to post it. The content was really good. So the objection was definitely the fact that it had fuck up in the title. It had less than 200 views. No one saw it. It was the worst performing post I've ever done. The next one, the second Friday fuck up post when I doubled down over 40,000 views in two days, same voice, same format. The only difference, I didn't back down. I stayed aligned, and it resonated. Because apparently when people respond strongly. It overrides the algorithm. Not because this post was engineered for virality. The truth is I fully expected that no one would see it, but because it hit something real. It wasn't performative. It was resonant, and that resonance, that's what made it spread. And the comments that I received reflected this. People came out of the woodwork, and I got messages like, give me F' bomb or two any day over some generic AI written bullshit, the generic version designed not to offend anyone, it has the nasty side effect of not connecting with anyone. Unfiltered is the only way to roll rock on sister. Like people were about this, right? And listen, not everyone loved it. Some said, you know, is cussing your Hill to die on? someone else said, this is LinkedIn living room, and apparently they'd like us to keep it clean. Okay, whatever. But here's what clicked for me. It wasn't about the word. It was about the rule. I didn't go viral because I swore. I went viral because I spoke to something that people feel every single day, that these invisible rules are holding us back, that we're constantly calculating how to say the right thing, in the right way, in the right tone, just to stay acceptable. And I chose. Is not to play that game. And look, I got punished for it at first, but I stayed with it, and when people saw that, it gave them courage, not because I was trying to be rebellious, but because I was willing to be real. And this is the hard part when we break a rule, even purposefully, even strategically. There's always that moment where you get the pushback, where you get the get back in line message, and you have to make the choice, right? It's so much easier to get back in line. That's where everybody is comfortable, or you decide to stay true to the reason you decided to break it in the first place and keep going. Now this didn't teach me something new. It confirmed what I already know and what I teach every single day, and that is this, when you stop shaping your words, your presence and your leadership just to be approved of, and you start showing up real with clarity and conviction, something shifts. The right people show up, not because you followed the script, not because you're playing by all the rules, the rules that other people made and just said you needed to follow, but because you stopped pretending that you needed to do that. So I want to ask you, where are you still holding back? Where are you trying to be? Just brave enough, but not too much. What's the thing you really want to say, the thing that feels honest necessary, but you've been trained to edit it? Maybe it's not a post. Maybe you don't give a shit about social media. Maybe it's a truth in your business. Maybe it's a boundary in your leadership or in a relationship. Maybe it's a dream. You've been quietly hiding whatever it is. I hope you say it. I hope you stop negotiating your conviction, and I hope that you give yourself permission to say the fucking thing, not for the algorithm, for yourself for the future, you're here to lead, because when you do, you don't just get heard, you get free. That's it for today's get unruly. Short and sweet, if this landed, send it to someone who might need to hear this. And if you're ready to lead with radical clarity, you know where to find me. Let's get unruly. This is Kim B Thank you for joining me. Kim.