It Wasn't Because I Said F*ck

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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.

Episode Transcript

Unknown (00:00):
Yeah, so I want to be clear. I didn't go viral because
I said fuck. I went viralbecause I said something that
people are scared to say, and Isaid it without flinching.
If you've ever felt like you'rewalking a tightrope between
being visible and beingyourself, or if you've ever

(00:22):
wondered if saying the honestthing is really worth the risk,
this episode is for you, welcomeback to get unruly. Today we're
talking about what reallyhappened when I launched Friday
fuck ups, and what it hasdemonstrated about clarity,
conviction and the rules we'vebeen trained to follow. So

(00:42):
here's what happened. Two weeksago, I decided to try something
new on LinkedIn. It's a platformfull of wins and wisdom and
polished advice, and I wanted tocreate a space for the other
side, the human side, the messyside, so I launched a series
called Friday fuck ups, lessonsfrom things that didn't go
smoothly, not performativefailure, not a humble brag

(01:06):
dressed up as vulnerability,just honesty, real time,
reflection, no filter, noapology. And it's not an
understatement to say LinkedIndid not like it that first post
absolutely bombed. The algorithmdidn't just bury it. It buried
me all week long. Every postthat I made, even solid,

(01:28):
valuable stuff, tanked. And infact, it was the worst
visibility I'd had since Istarted on the platform. So when
Friday rolled around again, Ihad to make a choice, change the
name and play it safe to keepthe algorithm happy, or double
down, stay in integrity and riskstaying buried. And

(01:48):
I want to pause here for aminute, because this is the part
no one talks about. I knew thatif I doubled down, it might cost
me something that mattered, notmy job, not my livelihood, but
something sneakier and a littlebit harder to name, the reach,
the traction, the quiet,algorithmic nod that says, hey,
you're doing it right. And all Ihad to do to keep it play nice,

(02:14):
soften the edges, swap fuck upfor fail, make it cleaner,
easier to digest, easier toignore. In fact, people told me,
Kim, seriously, just call itFriday, fail and you'll be fine.
But here's the thing, I'm nothere to be fine. I'm here to be
real, aligned, strategic andunruly. So I said no,

(02:41):
I made a joke to Ray as I wasgetting ready to publish it, I
said, you know, here I go. I'mgoing to be in LinkedIn jail for
another week or so. And I madeup my mind to not care if they
buried me. I knew I would stillbe standing in my full clarity
and conviction. Now, just to putthis in perspective, okay, the

(03:02):
first Friday fuck up post,which, by the way, was a really
solid post. It was reallyvulnerable. I took a lot of time
to post it. The content wasreally good. So the objection
was definitely the fact that ithad fuck up in the title. It had
less than 200 views. No one sawit. It was the worst performing

(03:22):
post I've ever done. The nextone, the second Friday fuck up
post when I doubled down over40,000 views in two days, same
voice, same format. The onlydifference, I didn't back down.
I stayed aligned, and itresonated. Because apparently
when people respond strongly. Itoverrides the algorithm. Not
because this post was engineeredfor virality. The truth is I

(03:46):
fully expected that no one wouldsee it, but because it hit
something real. It wasn'tperformative. It was resonant,
and that resonance, that's whatmade 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 somegeneric AI written bullshit, the

(04:07):
generic version designed not tooffend anyone, it has the nasty
side effect of not connectingwith 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?

(04:28):
someone else said, this isLinkedIn living room, and
apparently they'd like us tokeep it clean. Okay, whatever.
But here's what clicked for me.
It wasn't about the word. It wasabout the rule.
I didn't go viral because Iswore. I went viral because I
spoke to something that peoplefeel every single day, that

(04:49):
these invisible rules areholding us back, that we're
constantly calculating how tosay the right thing, in the
right way, in the right tone,just to stay acceptable. And I
chose.
Is not to play that game. Andlook, I got punished for it at
first, but I stayed with it, andwhen people saw that, it gave
them courage, not because I wastrying to be rebellious, but

(05:12):
because I was willing to bereal. And this is the hard part
when we break a rule, evenpurposefully, even
strategically. There's alwaysthat moment where you get the
pushback, where you get the getback in line message, and you
have to make the choice, right?
It's so much easier to get backin line. That's where everybody
is comfortable, or you decide tostay true to the reason you

(05:36):
decided to break it in the firstplace and keep going. Now this
didn't teach me something new.
It confirmed what I already knowand what I teach every single
day, and that is this, when youstop shaping your words, your
presence and your leadershipjust to be approved of, and you

(05:57):
start showing up real withclarity and conviction,
something shifts. The rightpeople show up, not because you
followed the script, not becauseyou're playing by all the rules,
the rules that other people madeand just said you needed to
follow, but because you stoppedpretending that you needed to do

(06:18):
that. So I want to ask you,where are you still holding
back? Where are you trying tobe? Just brave enough, but not
too much. What's the thing youreally want to say, the thing
that feels honest necessary, butyou've been trained to edit it?
Maybe it's not a post. Maybe youdon't give a shit about social

(06:39):
media. Maybe it's a truth inyour business. Maybe it's a
boundary in your leadership orin a relationship. Maybe it's a
dream. You've been quietlyhiding whatever it is. I hope
you say it. I hope you stopnegotiating your conviction, and
I hope that you give yourselfpermission to say the fucking

(06:59):
thing, not for the algorithm,for yourself for the future,
you're here to lead, becausewhen you do, you don't just get
heard, you get free. That's itfor today's get unruly. Short
and sweet, if this landed, sendit to someone who might need to
hear this. And if you're readyto lead with radical clarity,

(07:20):
you know where to find me. Let'sget unruly. This is Kim B Thank
you for joining me. Kim.