u/MentalMentalino

Long-time growth marketer and marketing generalist with 13+ years of experience across paid media, user acquisition, and growth strategy. I've worked across health-tech, fintech, and consumer brands managing significant paid media budgets. I also run a small AI consulting practice on the side.

I'm currently exploring what's next and would love to connect with others in the space. Whether that's swapping notes on the current job market, discussing growth strategy, or if you happen to know of any senior growth or marketing leadership roles that might be a fit.

A bit about my background:

• Experience in growth marketing, performance marketing, and AI-assisted automation
• Managed up to $2M monthly marketing budgets
• Led other channels such as SEO, partnership, lifecycle, and others

Not looking for anything transactional as I genuinely enjoy connecting with other marketers and would love to expand my network here.

Feel free to DM or drop a comment. Happy to share more about my background or just connect.

Much appreciated.

I'm a mid 30s guy who works from home and I've realized my social skills have gotten very rusty. I'm looking to get better at connecting with people in real life settings like sporting club events, coffee shops, yoga classes, bars, and just general day to day situations.

Right now I'd rate myself 1/10 on this scale. That said, I've always been a 1/10 – just the anxiety around it is amplified because I work from home.

I have a core group of friends but things are changing as we get older and I need to adapt myself. I signed up for yoga recently (completed 1 class) and will join a sports club. I've done a sports thing in the past but didn't develop relationships. I'm willing to try. I need to try.

I'm naturally quiet and reserved. I'm not looking to become the loudest guy in the room. I just want to be able to hold engaging conversations, make genuine connections, and not feel like every interaction is an awkward interview or small talk only.

Specific things I'm hoping to get feedback on:

How do you start conversations naturally without it feeling forced or like you have an agenda?

What do you actually talk about beyond the surface level stuff like what do you do and where are you from?

How do you keep a conversation going when the other person gives short answers?

How do you transition from a good conversation to actually staying in touch without it being weird?

Any specific mindsets, habits, or practices that actually moved the needle for you?

I'm not socially anxious exactly. I just feel like I've been in my own world too long and want to reconnect with how to be present and genuine with new people.

Thank you!

I (35 m) met someone off the apps (31 f) that I really liked but just got a text that confused me.

We initially chatted for 4-5 days and finally met for dinner. Had a great first date where we ended up going somewhere else after and kept chatting. Light flirting, heavy touching actually lol but never kissed and I didn‘t pursue it because I liked easing into it to build it naturally.

That tension got me a 2nd date 3 days later. We did a movie and ended up at my place after. Lots of personal discussions sort of fast tracking getting to know each other.

Two days later she wanted to see me after work before I left for town 4 days. Mostly to hookup and chat a but after.

Throughout all of this and while I was gone 4 days lots of texting about being glad to have met, wanting to do a concert date at the end of the month, excited for potential summer travel/dates, looking forward to the next date, etc. all of it.

Then I come back from my trip and ask if she is free this week to see me before another trip I had scheduled (which she’s known about). And out the blue she sent:

I don’t think I’m in a good mental place to date at this moment. I enjoyed my time with you and wish you the best. I’m sorry if this feels abrupt I’ve just been having a hard time with some things personally and don’t have the capacity for anything more. 

A complete shock to me considering what we’ve said to each other. I was respectful and just said thanks for telling me, etc.

I know I should move on but also the unresolved/abrupt nature has me wanting to “try” or text her again in like a month or so..idk..thoughts?

I (35 m) met someone off the apps (31 f) that I really liked but just got a text that confused me.

We initially chatted for 4-5 days and finally met for dinner. Had a great first date where we ended up going somewhere else after and kept chatting. Light flirting, heavy touching actually lol but never kissed and I didn‘t pursue it because I liked easing into it to build it naturally.

That tension got me a 2nd date 3 days later. We did a movie and ended up at my place after. Lots of personal discussions sort of fast tracking getting to know each other.

Two days later she wanted to see me after work before I left for town 4 days. Mostly to hookup and chat a but after.

Throughout all of this and while I was gone 4 days lots of texting about being glad to have met, wanting to do a concert date at the end of the month, excited for potential summer travel/dates, looking forward to the next date, etc. all of it.

Then I come back from my trip and ask if she is free this week to see me before another trip I had scheduled (which she’s known about). And out the blue she sent:

I don’t think I’m in a good mental place to date at this moment. I enjoyed my time with you and wish you the best. I’m sorry if this feels abrupt I’ve just been having a hard time with some things personally and don’t have the capacity for anything more. 

A complete shock to me considering what we’ve said to each other. I was respectful and just said thanks for telling me, etc.

I know I should move on but also the unresolved/abrupt nature has me wanting to “try” or text her again in like a month or so..idk..thoughts?

I've been in marketing for 13+ years, mostly in growth and performance marketing. I've managed large paid media budgets, built channels from scratch, managed small teams, and been promoted at every company I've worked at.

On paper it's a strong career. In practice, I'm starting to feel like I'm running the same playbook over and over.

The problem is growth marketing pays well and I'm decent at it. But I'm not sure I want to be optimizing Meta campaigns and staring at CAC targets when I'm 40, 50, etc. I don't hate the work but I don't love it either. It's becoming purely transactional for me.

For context I also spent 4 years in the music industry doing artist management before pivoting into marketing. That pivot worked out financially but I sometimes wonder if I traded fulfillment for stability.

I'm curious what people in similar positions have done. A few questions:

- For those who left growth marketing, what did you pivot to and do you regret it?

- Are there adjacent roles (strategy, ops, product, rev ops, consulting) that pay comparably without the same burnout cycle?

- Has anyone successfully transitioned out of marketing entirely into something completely different? What did that look like?

I'm mid 30s, based in USA, open to remote. No kids, no mortgage, so I have some flexibility. I just don't have a clear picture of what the next 10 years looks like and I'd rather figure it out now than at 40.

Appreciate any real talk. Not looking for "follow your passion" advice. Looking for practical paths from people who've actually made a move.

I'm struggling to find a new job, hence this post. I know the market is shit right now but it's starting to make me wonder about things longer-term too.