SPEAKER ● RESEARCHER ● CONNECTION EXPERT

Hi, I’m Lakshmi
(Luck-Shmee)

It’s easy to meet, but harder to connect.

I've been speaking about this modern day shift for years, and have helped 20,000+ leaders bridge the gap between simply meeting and deeply connecting.

At conferences, retreats, workshops, and beyond, I explain why we feel disconnected in an ever-connected world, and share customized tools, frameworks, and strategies that can transform relationships in your office, home, and everywhere in between.

Tapping into my 15+ years of research and hands-on practice, these tools have changed how people approach their relationships at work, on screen, with the people they’ve known for years, and with the people they’ve just met.

My research and keynotes are inspired by my experiences as a:

  • Director of Workplace Connection at WeWork

    I pioneered, reimagined, and built new systems for work relationships in the modern era — first internally at WeWork and then for Fortune 500 clients.

  • Director of Event Design at Match.com

    I saw how technology was helping — and where it was hindering — people’s ability to connect.

  • Brand Strategist

    I uncovered motivations and moments that make up the building blocks of relationships. Spoiler alert: these often did not show up in surveys and data alone.

  • Bartender

    I bartended across 4 different decades, alongside and between my different roles, gaining a front row seat to changes in our 1:1 interactions.

  • Founder of Me So Far

    I launched a new way for single people to meet and connect IRL — leveraging the power of environment and story over profiles and devices.

  • Podcast Host & Researcher

    I hosted Paired By The People, Vox’s Land of The Giants: Dating Games, and most recently, The Later Dater Today podcast. Through these conversations and my research, I've gathered new insights on art of the set-up, the history of the dating industry, and people dating at midlife.

I’ve helped individuals, teams, and companies and go from simply meeting to actually connecting across their work and personal lives. Let’s work together and reimagine connection.

 I have helped people rethink the roles of technology and relationships at places like:

I have developed customized connective tools for remote and hybrid teams at:

You may have heard my voice:

  • Pivot Podcast | UFOs, The State of Tech, and Guest Lakshmi Rengarajan

    Voted top 5 guests of 2023

    Listen Here

  • The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway | Conversation with Lakshmi Rengarajan — Removing the Consumer Mindset from Dating

                                         

    Watch Here

  • Land of The Giants: Dating Games

    Season 6 Co-Host

    Listen here

  • Offline with Jon Favreau | Do Dating Apps Make it Harder to Find Love?

                                         

                                         

    Listen Here

What people have said:

  • “Four years later, I still think about the talk that Lakshmi presented at Casper during the early weeks of the pandemic. It helped us rethink what connection means."

    Morgan Williams | Co-Founder & CEO Peak HR

  • “There is no better speaker and expert on human connection than Lakshmi. She is uniquely able to draw across her experience in designing dating programs and workplaces to really get at insights that challenge our core thinking about how we build relationships. The combination makes for a highly entertaining, engaging and informative experience people will never forget.”

    Aaron Hurst | Bestselling Author of "The Purpose Driven Economy"

  • “It's no exaggeration that Lakshmi's talk on modern connection and community fundamentally shifted how I approach relationships."

    Zachary Holmquist | Co-Founder of Seer AI

  • “It was accessible, practical, and fun — certainly for everyone at the summit, but also during our preparation work. We partnered on ways to make it seamlessly integrate into our event and culture, without losing anything that made it unique and credible. I could go on and on, but will simply say I look forward to a future collaboration with Lakshmi and continue to recommend her to others focusing on a better workplace."

    Nathan Knight | Former Director of L&D at Casper

  • “I immediately started using the tools from Lakshmi's talk with colleagues on the plane ride home, and instantly noticed how I was connecting differently."

    Amanda Ricca | Director of Marketing Strategy at Nasdaq | Former Events Manager at WeWork

  • “Lakshmi is so human on stage. Her words resonated with me well beyond the workplace into so many other areas of my life."

    Jade Kim Monsen | Senior Product Manage at BILL

  • “Practical and Profound."

    Roee Adler | Former Head of Engineering WeWork, Software and Technology Entrepreneur

  • “Lakshmi is one of the most engaging and inspiring speakers I know. Her presentation on storytelling, human connection and community helped me discover new ways of communicating and connecting with individuals throughout my career."

    Marnie Williams Noble | Content Marketer at Greenhouse Software