Kel Rakowski, Work Unseen

💭 Thoughts on people leaving social media, downhill skiing, and the power of a library card.

Kel Rakowski is a founder and former CEO who built Lex, a pioneering LGBTQIA+ app that reached 1 million downloads and was recognized as the App Store’s Top App for Pride before its acquisition. With over 20 years of experience at the intersection of creative direction and tech entrepreneurship, Kel now guides founders, creatives, and non-tech professionals in turning their ideas into impactful projects through intentional community-building and strategic growth. She’s also the creator of Work Unseen, a newsletter focused on reinvention and unconventional paths in life and work. It’s designed for late bloomers and unconventional thinkers navigating mid-career pivots, personal reinventions (like post-coming out), and fresh starts after breakups or breakdowns. Outside of Brooklyn, Kel spends her time in the Hudson Valley with her partner, Marina, and their two dogs in a cozy yellow house.

🎯 Current focus

I recently launched "30 Days to Launch Your Side Project (and Maybe Your Next Company)"—a practical, no-fluff guide to turn your ideas into reality. My goal is to show that it’s possible to build out an early idea with little to no resources.

When I started, I had no team, no funding, and no tech skills. Using nothing but Google Docs and Instagram, I hacked together a dating app that grew into a VC-backed startup, which was successfully acquired this year. This guide is like a tell-all of how I started during Lex’s earliest days. At the time, I was working purely on instinct—I wasn’t following a playbook.

Now, I want to encourage more creative people to launch products or experiences, break down barriers to entry in tech, and show that the entrepreneurial lifestyle is more accessible than it seems.

👋 The trend of people leaving social media

I didn’t even realize it was a trend until I got on Substack, where people talk about it a lot. Recently, I quit the Instagram account I ran for 10 years. It was verified and had 136K followers, but I needed to tie a bow on that era of my life, and I did. I’m not swearing off social media entirely, though. I still have fun on TikTok — I make friends there. It’s a silly little account that I don’t take seriously; I use it as an outlet to play around.

I’m also on LinkedIn, but my content there? I’d categorize it as bombing. And it does. I don’t play the LinkedIn game of staying on for 30 minutes, liking, commenting, and “building a community.” I’ll only play the game if I actually want to be there; otherwise, social media will end up controlling my life.

I need to think more about this. I might actually write about it for my Friday newsletter.

📺 Somebody Somewhere

Somebody Somewhere is a soft, beautiful show set in Kansas that highlights the importance of friendship and self-discovery in midlife. It’s deeply moving without being overly tender. At the heart of it is Bridget Everett’s voice and personality—raw, funny, and full of life—which I can’t get enough of.

As someone in their 40s, I feel particularly attached to its exploration of growing friendships into adulthood. I also appreciate the show’s bawdiness—it strikes a perfect balance of heart and humor.

⛷️ Downhill skiing

This Saturday, I’m going downhill skiing for the first time in 20 years. I started skiing at 5, then switched to snowboarding at 15. Being on the mountain and moving at speed is where I feel most like myself—completely in my flow. I’m just hoping my body can handle it!

I rented skis for the season, so I’m committed to making this happen. I was talking to my dad, who now lives with me in Upstate NY, and I told him I’m jealous of my brother, who’s always on the slopes. My dad encouraged me to get back into it. Better late than ever later, he said. So here I go.

📚 The power of a library card

My favorite way to consume content these days has to be going to the public library, roaming the stacks, pulling out books on random topics that catch my interest. Bringing them home, sitting on the sofa wrapped in a blanket, opening the books on my lap. Reading the introductions, flipping through the pages, and leaving behind the ones that don’t suit me in the moment. Returning them and moving on to the next.

Listening to books via Libby (which is a free app that allows users to access digital media from their public library) while cleaning, doing chores, walking, or running also rules.

⭐️ Perfectly Imperfect

I’m really into what Perfectly Imperfect is doing — Tyler Bainbridge and Alex Cushings’ project. It’s stripped-down, raw, and feels like a throwback to ’90s social media. The aesthetic is vibrant and brash—like, let’s go party, but also, hang out right here.

It started as a Substack (it’s still there) before evolving into its own platform. No VC funding, anti-algorithm. Tyler and Alex, describe it as an anthropology project. I want to see more platforms like this in the world. I think the future of social media—if that’s even a thing—isn’t about giant platforms with billions of users. It’s about corner markets and cozier spaces for like-minded people who don’t troll one another.

Perfectly Imperfect is also a marketing genius. The way they interview celebs brings fresh eyes to the platform. As someone from the MySpace era, I feel a real kinship with what PI is doing.

🧴 Aquaphor

The one thing I can't live without has to be Aquaphor—it’s winter in NY State, and it’s the only thing that saves my skin from crack-down and flake-town. I’m kind of over the skincare craze. The real ones just use straight-up Vaseline and baby butt cream. That, and tretinoin.

Follow Kel on Linkedin & Substack and check out her website here.

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