What does it mean to have SOUL on Linkedin? · AI for LinkedIn

What does it mean to have SOUL on Linkedin?

Here's what each person shared about what having soul or being soulful means to them, in the order they spoke:

— Soul is mind, will, and emotions. The community stimulates his mind, makes him want to be better, and touches him emotionally. Real, authentic connections and building real relationships are what make this soulful — as opposed to the transactional world of followers, impressions, and likes.

Marlene Sidon — Making a difference in the lives of others and connecting with them. She also added that meeting in person and the physical energy of giving someone a hug can't be compared to anything else.

@Penny McNerney

— Building long-term relationships rather than transactional ones. She mentioned she was sitting with three girlfriends she's been friends with since junior high as a living example.

Tina Larsson — Said talking about soul was "way beyond" her and "too deep." She loves the community and loves love, but as someone who is Swedish and Germanic, she found it hard to define and prefers being literal.

@Evan Mestman

— The opposite of having soul is being slick. Soul is being deep, being connected, being unmistakably and unforgivingly yourself. It's more than a brand — it's a deep connection to your being, who you truly are.

@Jane Lehman

— Soul has to do with everyone being connected. We all know we should be honest and have integrity, but having soul means you actually are those things — it doesn't work any other way.

Susan Tyson — There's a different depth of relationship in this community than in any other group she belongs to. There's a genuineness, and she credited Joe as the source of it.

@Alan LeClair

— Shared a story about a Starbucks interaction where he looked the employee, Rob, in the eye, said his name, and thanked him sincerely — feeling the man warm up. To Alan, soul is that kind of small, intentional moment where you let someone know you see them and appreciate them.

@Mindy Stern

— Giving without expecting anything in return. She said she'd never experienced a community like this one where everyone is a giver, and miraculously things come back to you anyway.

@B Randall Willis

— Authentic energy from the heart. Living life in a pure, honest, open, engaging way — accepting life, giving to life, adding to life, and being in tune with the reality of life.

Doug Watson — Didn't define it directly, but said it's very rare for people to interact at this level, especially on social media. Later added that the personal, one-on-one, in-person connection is going to become more important as AI takes over more transactional interactions.

@Mosongo Moukwa

("Man sago") — Told a story about casually telling an employee "I haven't forgotten you" in the corridor — and learning months later that it had made the man's day because he felt acknowledged and valued. To Mosongo, soul is about that emotional connection at the foundation, not transaction.

@Arleen Torgersen

— Living and operating from the heart with joy, embracing each day, acknowledging people so they feel seen. Knowing life is abundant and an adventure. It's about connection, gratitude, and love — "everything's about love. It's universal."

@Mordy Spero

— His whole life is about soul. Everything he does, he does for the next person, because it all comes back to you. He told the story of organizing a WhatsApp group during COVID to find jobs for hundreds of out-of-work chefs, and another about a rabbi whose habit of saying hello to a security guard every day saved his life when he got locked in a freezer.

@Eugene Maresh

— Look inside. Knowing deep down that you care. You can make referrals without caring, but when the other person knows you actually care — that's power.

@Philip Griffith

— Soul makes him think of someone's eyes — the windows to the soul. It's about seeing someone for who they are in all their dimensions, seeing their light reflected in every aspect of who they are.

@Barbara Harrington

— Soul is about being deeply human. Seeing people in the good times, bad times, and in-between times. Caring, connection, giving, bringing meaning and purpose into the spaces you enter. It's the heart of people behind it — and that's why she loves this community: it's all heart.

@Mike Larkin

— We have a limited amount of time in this world. Everyone has a unique set of skills, and our job is to use them to teach and help others become better. His philosophy is "love, lead, and teach."

@Alicia Farman

— Soulful is when you connect your brain and your heart, and the whole thing is vibing together and pulsating out to other people, bringing energy and helping them elevate their lives.

Dave Gansfuss — Two aspects: giving love in everything you do (kind acts, doing the highest good for whoever you connect with), and being connected to your guides so synchronicities and little miracles happen throughout your day.

@Anshuma Arora Mukkamala

— Echoed Dave — being a conduit to the source, sharing love, finding your purpose, and helping others reach their purpose. (This ties to her brand as "your purposeful coach.")

Joe Apfelbaum's own thread throughout — In an AI world, you either have soul or you become a bot.

AI can sound human and pattern-match, but it can't witness you, create meaning in your life, or understand your purpose.

Real soul is presence and experience — what the community does together.

I also reframed his mission: bringing together engaged LinkedIn users who are soulful, not just engaged.

BOOM 🚀 — quite a different vibe from a standard posting party.

12 comments