Alina Vandenberghe didn’t set out to build a LinkedIn presence. She was a technical founder, a product builder, and (in her own words) “the geek with no friends.” But today, she’s one of the most recognizable and unfiltered founder voices on the platform—and her content has helped grow Chili Piper into a category-defining company.

In this episode, Alina joins host Brad Zomick to unpack the emotional, messy, and surprisingly strategic reality of building a personal brand on LinkedIn. From posting through grief during the Ukraine war to tracking revenue tied directly to her posts, Alina shares how honesty—not optimization—became her growth engine.

Whether you’re a founder afraid to show up online or a marketing leader trying to get your execs to post, this episode is your blueprint for cutting through the noise with content that actually connects.

📚 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• How a global crisis launched Alina’s LinkedIn journey overnight
• Why “writing to your past self” is the ultimate content strategy
• The surprising ROI of being raw, emotional, and imperfect online
• Why she rejects batching, ghostwriting, and over-polished content
• How she built a demand gen flywheel through founder-led content
• What happened when her political posts sparked internal pushback
• The moment LinkedIn stopped being scary—and started feeling like home
• How she connects engagement data to open pipeline in Salesforce
• Why she only spends 30 minutes a day on the platform
• The reason she believes silence can be more damaging than posting
  
  

💬 Memorable Quotes:

“I post to learn. Not to teach. Not to perform. To learn with my audience.”

“My team tracked it—49% of open opportunities had someone who engaged with my LinkedIn.”

“I felt guilty when I stayed silent. If I only post about wins, I’m doing my audience an injustice.”

“It started with rage. I didn’t care if it was strategic. I needed to be useful.”

“If I don’t post what’s alive inside of me, I lose my edge. That’s what makes me, me.”

🔧 Tactical Takeaways You Can Apply Today:

✅ Start posting before you feel ready—your fear fades after your first few reps
✅ Don’t plan to go viral. Post what’s emotionally real right now
✅ Write to a past version of yourself—it keeps your voice focused and human
✅ Track who’s engaging with your posts—and map it to pipeline
✅ Don’t worry about perfection. Imperfect posts often perform better
✅ Post even when it feels raw, controversial, or unpolished
✅ Limit your LinkedIn time to 30 minutes/day to stay consistent
✅ Use comment sections to deepen relationships and create community
✅ Own your voice—even if people inside your company disagree with it
✅ See LinkedIn as an emotional outlet, not just a marketing tool

🧰 People, Tools & Resources Mentioned:

• Chili Piper – Alina’s company
• Notes app – Her go-to content capture tool
• Salesforce – Where Chili Piper tracks influence from LinkedIn engagement.

Follow Guest:

• Alina Vandenberghe on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/alinav/
• Chili Piper Website → https://www.chilipiper.com/

Stay Connected.

Want to connect or share feedback? Brad welcomes connection requests from listeners—reach out on LinkedIn and share your thoughts!

• Brad Zomick’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bzomick
• Spectamur website: https://spectamur.com
• LinkedIn Famous LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/linkedinfamous<