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The Friendships Were the Real Return

The Story

Eighteen months after her layoff, Mischa Collins published a milestone post that named what the platform had actually given her. It wasn’t the growth.

“I say LinkedIn changed my life. But really it was the friendships I made here. It’s the people on this platform. They believe in me when I don’t. They challenge me to always do better. They make my delulu dreams feel doable.”

She listed the people directly: ”💙 Charlie Hills 💙 Anisha Jain 💙 Lara Acosta 💙 Harry Phokou 💙 Ethan Golding 💙 Joe M-C.”

The same group later showed up in person. The podcast covering her trajectory references “the LinkedIn Influencer House in Mexico with Corey Blumenfeld and Charlie Hills” as part of her current life.

Her advice to anyone in the spiral she was once in: “1. Say yes to a virtual coffee / 2. DM that person you admire / 3. Go to that networking event / 4. Look for those building like you / 5. Hop on more calls to find your people / 6. Challenge ‘strangers’ to grow with you. Because being around winners… Makes you feel like one too.”

In a separate post recommending whom to learn from on LinkedIn, she names many of the same people: “Lara Acosta, Charlie Hills, Fatima Khan, Jasmin Alić, MJ Jaindl, Matt Barker.”

Her direct comparison: “Not because of the likes. Not because of the growth. Not even the new opportunities. But because of the PEOPLE.”

Lesson for Creators

The transactional read of LinkedIn (“inbound leads, brand deals, agency clients”) understates the asset class that actually changed her life: a peer group of creators at a similar stage. Public-by-default platforms are awkward for vulnerability, which makes the vulnerability rare, which is exactly why it builds friendships fast. The income made the business work. The friendships made the business worth doing.

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