You can't automate authentic human connection

AI is changing so much. I'm paying attention, experimenting, and finding helpful (and not-at-all-helpful) use cases almost weekly. But before I hear you groan, oh no, another AI newsletter...

This isn't an AI newsletter. Instead, I'm focusing on what AI can't replicate: the art of human connection. I’m interested in high-touch personal outreach, what it takes to grow genuine relationships in 2026 (and beyond), and how this can actually move your work forward in a way that's sustainable, not soul-crushing.

We've seen this movie before. When the internet went mainstream, first movers had an advantage. Same with social media in the 2010s. Now everyone's scrambling to be first in AI — even when it makes no sense for their actual business. Vibe coding doesn't suddenly position you to launch an AI product.

Meanwhile, something else is happening: old-school marketing tactics are outperforming digital. Direct mail gets higher response rates than email. Print magazines are having a moment. Truly personal touch — not digital "personalization" — has become the new commodity in short supply.

Here's what I've learned from a career that has spanned newsrooms, nonprofits and entrepreneurship: the biggest innovations rarely start from zero. They come from taking what works in one field and applying it to another with a different spin.

That's what this newsletter, Small Batch, is about. I'm finding people who've built remarkable careers and businesses through intentional relationships, not algorithms. People who understand that connection isn't a growth hack. Then I'm pulling out the transferable principles that work regardless of your industry.

This isn't about rejecting AI or efficiency. It is about recognizing that your human approach is becoming your biggest differentiator, especially if you're a small business owner, consultant, solopreneur, or freelancer. While everyone else is automating their outreach, you're showing up with something that can’t be replicated.

That's why it's called Small Batch. Small batch means limited quantities, higher quality control, artisanal methods. It's the counter to mass production. And it's how I'm approaching this newsletter — and how the people I feature approach their work. Not scaling for scale's sake.

See you next week!

— Jacci

P.S. You're getting this because you signed up for updates from me at some point. If Small Batch isn't for you, no hard feelings, you unsubscribe (link in email footer).

Meet someone I’ve long admired professionally and personally: Rebecca Leder, a relationship-based career coach and founder of Opportunities Knock. Think career and talent management, leadership development training, and HR strategy — Rebecca has built her entire career on a straight-forward premise: opportunities don't come from your resume — they come from the relationships you cultivate, and from “knocking”, or taking intentional action to open doors.

Jacci: Networking can feel transactional, but you're constantly building relationships without knowing where they'll lead. Can you share an example about a relationship that unexpectedly paid off?

Rebecca: I joined my local Chamber of Commerce and got invited to a focus group where I met a woman — let’s call her Sarah — who leads Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) at a financial institution. We connected over that shared interest.

Months later, I attended a workforce development lunch. I almost left early, but decided to stay for one more conversation. I ended up chatting with someone who asked if I knew Sarah from the focus group. I said I'd met her once and would welcome a reintroduction.

Turns out, Sarah had started a community for women ERG leaders in Denver and invited me to their first meeting, and then the second a few months later. At the end of the second meeting, she approached me and said, "We didn't have budget before, but now we do. Let's talk about bringing you in to deliver learning programs for our ERGs in honor of International Women's Day."

From first meeting to becoming a paid client took about two years. It took effort, a consistent message about the services I could offer, and for a specific audience (ERG leaders) and being in the right spaces, but I wasn't chasing it the whole time.

How do you think about where to invest your relationship-building energy?

Rebecca: I ask myself: Where can I contribute something meaningful? And what will I learn?Let me share an example. I took on a new client: the Denver Chapter of the CFO Leadership Council. Even though on paper, it seemed like a bit of an outlier — since I don’t work in finance, and the role includes event and community management, rather than learning design and training facilitation — it made sense to me.  I took the role because it was about the contribution I could have: helping people build meaningful relationships in a leadership setting. It also gives me insight into what leaders are thinking about, which I can take to inform my training programs and curriculum design. One topic that's been consistent over the last two years is the importance of high quality relationships at all levels of the organization. At the root, it's the same problem I'm solving, just in different capacities.

But I've stripped way back on general networking. I don't go to networking happy hours unless it's a community I really want to connect with or a topic I want to learn about. I've gotten hyper focused since becoming a mom. When I have to arrange childcare to attend an event, I have to ask myself, is it really worth it? I can always set up a 1:1 coffee meeting or virtual coffee if there are specific people I want to connect with, rather than spending dinner, bed, and bath time getting to and from, and attending an event. I realized I was spending time in hopeful places, but being more focused has really paid off in my business. I still like the excitement and mystery of who I might meet at networking events, but I’ve gotten better about knowing which spaces are likely to have more quality connection.

You've trained 4,500+ people in the KNOCK Method since 2018. How did you turn this into a teachable system?

Rebecca: I started with a question: What if some of what comes naturally to me could help other people? I began documenting what seemed to create more connection and open doors. But I knew that wasn't enough. I felt like I needed research behind it. That was the hardest part for me. Do I need to be an academic? A professor doing this research? I don't have access to all of that like some prominent non-fiction authors do. I was most insecure about that.

When I interviewed the renowned scholar and thought leader, Adam Grant (reaching him through applying my framework, The Knock Method®), he reassured me that I could lean on existing research and that the way I assembled information in a thoughtful format would still have the impact I was aiming for.

But it was important to have data behind why this works — like when we're isolated and not building relationships, this can result in health risks equal to smoking packs of cigarettes a day. That gives buy-in for people wondering why this framework isn't just about getting career opportunities that we want — it's good for our health, longevity, and for our community.

So the steps were: documenting my process, interviewing people to find stories that matched where they were doing the same things with great results, and backing it up with data. Then I tested it out with my first workshop in 2018. It told me there was interest, and years later, with many workshops and training programs behind me, I'm still learning the impact that this work is having on those who use the framework. I recently released an audiobook version too, available on Apple Books and Spotify if people prefer listening to reading.

⦿When you can’t be everywhere all at once: Nicole Vasquez, one of the most thoughtful networking thinkers I know, outlined how she decided which events were most worth her time during Art Basel Miami. She used 3 questions to determine which private event invitations to accept — and which to reject — to determine which gatherings were likely to feel like time well spent:

⦿Don't sleep on (workplace) alumni networks: The World Economic Forum announced plans for its own corporate alumni program, highlighting a strategic asset many overlook — staying connected to former employers. Your former colleagues are moving into new roles where they can identify partnership opportunities, unlock conversations with potential clients, and refer business your way. They already know your work and trust your capabilities, making them natural advocates as they advance in their careers. The data backs this up: 83% of alumni would do business with their former employer and 79% would refer business to them.

⦿Research-backed way for deepening friendships: If you’d like to expand your friend circle and aren’t finding success, you might be in a weak "friendship market," writes Janice McCabe, an associate professor of sociology at Dartmouth College. Starting an activity or joining a club can help but the key is to align it with an identity you’re looking to deepen.

⭐I'm a strategic marketing communications consultant. My non-linear career path has taught me to see opportunities others miss and approach problems from unexpected angles. I bring 20 years across journalism, professional services, nonprofits, and tech — most recently as Head of Marketing Communications for a venture-backed company and founder of a B2B content agency I built and sold.

✅I'm taking on select projects. Email me if you're grappling with a communications challenge that needs fresh thinking.

✨Thanks for reading the debut issue of Small Batch! If you have a minute, let me know if you found it helpful.