Have you ever felt like a wallflower at a networking event, awkwardly clutching your business card and wondering how to make the first move? My guest in this episode understands. Teresa Thomas is a connector by nature, but she hasn't always been one. Teresa shares her transformation from shy introvert to the networking guru she is today.
In our conversation, Teresa divulges her top strategies for intentional networking that have reshaped not just her career but her entire approach to building relationships. She peels back the layers to reveal how authenticity and alignment with your goals can lead to profound personal and professional growth.
We'll talk about...
We'll also chat a bit about Teresa's latest venture, called "50 Fun Things", and how a germ of an idea has turned into a movement.
If you're ready to revolutionize your networking and infuse more fun into your life, this episode is your invitation to start!
Apply to be featured on My Weekly Marketing!
Have you ever felt like a wallflower at a networking event, awkwardly clutching your business card and wondering how to make the first move? My guest in this episode understands. Teresa Thomas is a connector by nature, but she hasn't always been one. Teresa shares her transformation from shy introvert to the networking guru she is today.
In our conversation, Teresa divulges her top strategies for intentional networking that have reshaped not just her career but her entire approach to building relationships. She peels back the layers to reveal how authenticity and alignment with your goals can lead to profound personal and professional growth.
We'll talk about...
We'll also chat a bit about Teresa's latest venture, called "50 Fun Things", and how a germ of an idea has turned into a movement.
If you're ready to revolutionize your networking and infuse more fun into your life, this episode is your invitation to start!
Apply to be featured on My Weekly Marketing!
I'm Janice Hostager. After three decades in the marketing business and many years of being an entrepreneur, I've learned a thing or two about marketing. Join me as we talk about marketing, small business, and life in between. Welcome My Weekly Marketing.
Janice Hostager:Networking isn't something that I've always loved or that's really come naturally, but after I moved back to my hometown of Minneapolis after being gone for nearly 20 years, it became a way for me to meet new people and build my business in a different city. One of the first new people I met was Teresa Thomas. Teresa ran a paid women's networking group in the Twin Cities and she made networking look so easy. You see, Teresa is a master connector. Do you know what I mean by that? She was great at finding people with like interest or people who could potentially work together, and she introduced them. What I learned in the three years that I was in her group was that networking is so powerful if you do it right. Teresa connected a lot of people.
Janice Hostager:With more than 25 years experience as a connector, Teresa has helped thousands to connect to her groups, programs, presentations and her books. She's the Networking: of Win Networking: Networking Networking your Guidebook for Confident and Effective Connections, and Things- Fun. Enjoy the Small Things. So I wanted Teresa on my podcast for a while now to talk about how to network the right way, because we've all gone to networking events and left feeling like it was a little bit of a waste of time,? right. So here's Teresa to talk about the power of networking and how you can do it too. Hey, welcome Teresa. How are you today?
Teresa Thomas:I'm fantastic. You can tell it's sunny where I am, and sunny day is a good day.
Janice Hostager:Absolutely. It makes a big difference in my mood too, for sure. So tell us a little bit about your story Now. In the intro, we talked about your background and what you do, but how did you arrive where you are right now? Because it's an interesting story.
Teresa Thomas:It is a journey and, in a nutshell, it's not something that people would expect. So if I were to run into somebody that I knew in elementary school, they'd be really surprised at what I do for a living. But everything I do is about connecting really great people together to pursue the lives they want, professionally or personally and a big part of that has been through networking and speaking about networking and facilitating connection. But that comes from somebody that used to be painfully shy, would feel more comfortable just observing and not participating in conversations or avoiding them all together. And when I got older, life-changing experience happened where I realized, okay, I want to be more a part of life and want to be more connected with people, and so I started observing what people, how people, do that. And then I do love connecting people and a little secret is that when I focus on other people and connecting them, it takes the spotlight off of me, which is a tip, and when somebody feels a little nervous with their networking is think about how can I be a good resource, and it brings that level of confidence up so fast forward.
Teresa Thomas:Somebody who is born a natural networker and feelings are outgoing. But I did care about meaningful connections and conversations. So I'm an Ambervert, so I like meaningful connection. I do get energized by the people, but I need any downtime between and because I really liked that bringing great people together for good things to happen I started getting asked to lead events and present events where I was connecting people, and then that led to being asked to run a group called Minnesota Women in Networking and that grew and I started getting known for how I was connecting people in refreshing ways and meaningful ways.
Teresa Thomas:And now I'm training others to use the tools and methods I've developed to inspire and encourage meaningful connection to happen and not just the typical transactional model of this is who I am, this is my role, this is what I need. But really seeing the big picture of networking including, you know, yes, people do network to make a sale or to find a job, but also including all the other things that networking does to add value to our lives by connecting with other resources and colleagues and collaborations and ideas, and it's so much more and so that's that's where I'm at now is a lot of mission to help people connect in ways where everybody gains and is lifted up through their connection with each other.
Janice Hostager:Oh, I love that. I think, especially since the pandemic, I think we all kind of crave being in person and meeting real people. You know it just not. I mean, zoom has its place and I think it was an amazing gift during the pandemic, of course, but now you know, just to be at an event and get to, you know, meet people or give people you know a hug or any of that I think is so important.
Teresa Thomas:Now I think maybe we all realized that when we were so isolated for so long, yeah, the other thing I noticed is, over the pandemic, people have talked, been talking to, said that they've come to a point now that where they are much more intentional about the ways they connect, who they connect with why, and not just falling into patterns of ways they used to connect which maybe wasn't in alignment with their goals or their values or where they wanted to go. And so I'm finding it really refreshing to be connected with people now, because because it's not just like a habit of, oh, I'm supposed to network Now, it's more of a decision and a choice of yes, I'm going to network and this is why and these are the types of people I want in my circle. So I'm really liking that shift that I've been seeing.
Janice Hostager:Interesting. I think that's true about myself too. Yeah, I mean I think you discover it allows you to back up and look at the bigger picture of networking, and I certainly consider networking to be marketing Straight up you can. When you're in a room full of people, you can move from the awareness stage to consideration stage and compare them to other people that you've met in the same industry.
Janice Hostager:You know we can communicate with somebody in so many different ways, but when we're in person there are connections that are made in our brain that are not there in other methods. You know, I think just being able to pick up nonverbals, I don't know, it's just a way of connection that is just not available, even by zoom for sure. But when you meet somebody, there's so much more to it than an introduction in the handshake and getting a maybe a stack of business cards or a LinkedIn connection. What is it that you feel? Or how can small businesses leverage those kind of connections and do their marketing when they're together? I know it seems like kind of a basic question, but I think sometimes it's easy just to meet somebody, say hi, how are you, and then kind of walk away or get their business card and just kind of walk away.
Teresa Thomas:Well, it does all come back to intention. So when you have an intention of what you want, it doesn't mean you have to stay exactly in line with that intention, because sometimes something shows up that's even better than you intended. So to have that intention along with flexibility, I always recommend that people do a regular assessment about where they're at with their goals and how their networking is supporting their goals. And for most people, our goals change over time not for everybody, but if you are somebody who your goals are constantly shifting, then also be thinking about okay, so what is the method of networking that is going to help me move forward on that goal? It may be networking in ways that you hadn't even thought about.
Teresa Thomas:Networking, for example, one of the things that I am really motivated by for networking is when I'm going to learn something that I need to know to move forward, and so if I sign up for a training or workshop, I'm motivated by what I'll learn, but what happens is other people who want to learn that same topic were pulled together. Then we automatically have a common baseline of interest, and oftentimes we are potential collaborators or become colleagues in the future. So that's a way of thinking about what is your intention? What is it that you are moving forward on your goals and then thinking about, okay, where could I fulfill that goal and make those connections that move me forward in a way that is effective and even energizing? Because, really, when you choose networking events that you can see like, okay, you get energized by the people or the content. Then you're going to have a much better experience with networking, you'll be more confident, you'll be more motivated to follow up. So that intention just sets the stage for everything.
Janice Hostager:Yeah, and you brought up a really important thing too. It's not necessarily just who you meet straight up, it's about that relationship and who they may know Like. Oftentimes I'll be looking for maybe a copywriter, and the one I like isn't available, or something like that. I may reach out to a colleague that I know has worked with copywriters and asked them. So it's that networking. I guess it's called networking for a reason, right, yeah, you connect to others in, I think, authentic ways oftentimes.
Janice Hostager:Sometimes, you know, I've never been a real fan of speed networking because I felt like you don't really get a chance to get to know that person. But if you develop a relationship with them by going to the same event over and over again, I think that really makes a difference and can really connect you probably deeper and better with people, which is kind of how we met right, Because I was going to the networking events that you were hosting and you are a great connector, you know, and I met a lot of great people in that group. So are there specific events or platforms that you recommend specifically for small business owners? Do you feel like now I touched on speed networking and my personal dislike for it, but is there a place for that and do you feel like all networking events are created equal, or what are your thoughts on that?
Teresa Thomas:My thoughts are that there are so many ways to network and there is no cookie cutter approach that works for everybody, so it really comes down to what works best for you in moving you forward and what even fits your personality type. So you mentioned like oh, I don't really like speed networking and I'll tell you that I don't like a lot of speed networking, but I love the speed networking that I facilitate Because, well, you and I were talking earlier that everything I develop is what I would want.
Teresa Thomas:And so it's encouraging that meaningful connection and then to follow up on those sparks that happen from the speed networking.
Teresa Thomas:So for people that are, I will say, for speed networking, a way to maybe shift some perceptions on what that can be like is I encourage people. Well, the extraverts, they love it Because they get to meet a lot of people and feel energized. And then they're like, okay, I'm going to follow up these people. But then the introverts appreciate that they have an intro and an exit planned out for them. They don't have to exit a conversation. They can get right to the point about why they're there, what their goal is, what they're hoping for and have that meaningful connection. And then people like me who are an ambivert, we like all of that. So that speed networking does, if you approach it with intention, then it can be a really positive experience. Then I will say that I like networking where people are actually talking to each other but what they really want to talk about, versus when it's just a straightforward everybody go around the room, say your name, and there's a place for that, because you don't want to know who's there. But I want to know what motivates someone, what excites you, know what they're proud of in their work. I want to get a sense they care about what they do, and the last time you and I talked you were sharing about how word of mouth marketing is really, really powerful, and that can happen when you network. So one strategy you can do is, as opposed to, you could call it buddy networking, where you go with someone to an event and you share with each other what your intention is for this event and you're not glued at the hip. You both are meeting people and then when you find somebody that looks like there would be a great connection for the person you know like, oh, I know exactly who you should. You should know. Do you know this person? She's really great at this. I've worked with her in this way and so then this web of connections it's like the word of mouth is happening right away. The people that you're meeting are excited because you're helping them to meet someone else that could be useful to your network. A friend or colleague who you've invited to come with you is grateful because they are having a warm introduction to someone. So I really encourage buddy networking, as long as you aren't glued at the hip. That's an issue, because if you are, then you're less approachable.
Teresa Thomas:So if you have a strategy, let's go. This is our plan. If we sit at the same table, sit across the table or maybe better yet, if there's a table, sit at different tables. I could go on and on about that. But whether it's online, in-person networking, it all comes down to trying different things and seeing what works for you. And I'm kind of weird because I even think people's energy comes into play when they do networking. So I am not the brightest bulb super early in the morning and if I'm getting paid to give a presentation, I will turn that bulb on and that's no problem. But if I'm going to a networking event that starts super early, I can hardly remember my name, so I'm not showing up as my best, and so I choose things that work for when I am at that energy level, the time of day that works for me. And yeah, I get flustered if I get stuck in rush hour traffic and that sort of thing.
Teresa Thomas:Again if I'm getting paid to be there. That's a whole different thing. It's being a participant and thinking about how you're affected. So that's another thing I encourage people to think of is when will you, how will you show up at your best? It could be Tadeh, it could be type of group, it could be that it's size of the group, all of those kinds of things. And some people like to be in a group that you get to know people really well and you see each other constantly. Other people like to meet lots of different people and then decide which people they're meeting are the ones they want to invite into their network.
Janice Hostager:That's a good take on it because, you're right, we all have our preferences in terms of size and time of day, absolutely, and for really super busy too. Sometimes you go to a networking event and it's just another thing on the calendar and we don't really bring in that intention and bring in, like you said, our best self. Do you feel like there's a learning curve to doing networking well, I mean other than just going and meeting people? I feel like over the years I've gotten better at networking and I'm less intimidated. I'd like you on kind of an omnibird, but I do get really energized. So when I can meet a group of people assuming at all it's a good group of people and they are able to connect with me, I guess I feel like sometimes we can feel a little awkward when we enter a big room, and especially if people know each other already. So do you have some tips for people that don't necessarily feel comfortable when they walk into a room and do feel a little awkward?
Teresa Thomas:Yeah Well even though I coach people on the networking and I do a lot of networking, I will say that there are a lot of networking opportunities that do feel awkward to me, and so some of the tips that I use is I like having a role in my networking.
Teresa Thomas:It helps me feel more confident. But if I'm going to somebody else's event, what I do is I just dub myself the Goodwill Ambassador. Nobody else has to know that I'm doing that. But when I decided I am a Goodwill Ambassador at this event, my awkwardness dissolves and I become more of an active participant because I see myself as okay. I'm going to add value to everybody I meet In some way. I will be a resource when I can be or suggest a resource, for example, and I will make the event planners have a better experience because they're seeing me as an attendee being engaged and other people being engaged. So it's a little mental trick that I do for myself is, when I go to something and I'm feeling like I don't know what's going on I don't know anyone here I just appoint myself that role and again, it's a secret role. I don't tell anybody that because I'm like it's strange, it's not now.
Teresa Thomas:Yeah, so if you're listening you know that I've got my little Goodwill Ambassador K-Bot, but yeah good help.
Janice Hostager:I love that because and that just reminded me of something I heard on a podcast a couple years ago actually about and I can't remember who it was, but whoever this podcast guest was they said that they approach a networking event and talk and think about what they can give people, that they are there to add value to people's lives, and that's basically what you just said too. It's like how can I give to these people, how can I help these people? How can I pass on goodness or things?
Janice Hostager:that will help them, and I think that is such a powerful thing because not only does that help you by overcoming your inhibitions, but also it helps how other people see you, because you are somebody that gives value and shares freely. I absolutely love that. I may steal that.
Teresa Thomas:Definitely, oh yeah, definitely. That's the whole point, right, we can all help each other get better at this, and I will say there's also something that I learned which is the shadow side of that is especially well, I shouldn't generalize, but I hear from a lot of women that we focus so much on the people we're meeting that we don't necessarily say why we're there and what we're looking for. And I had been called out on that many years ago with somebody on the networking group that I lead at Chisa. Chisa, you're really good at encouraging us and helping us move forward on our goals, but you don't say what you need, and that doesn't feel fair.
Teresa Thomas:And it made me realize that part of a reciprocal relationship is both of you helping each other out, and I had thought like, oh, I don't want to bother, I don't want to, you know, but like, no, no, that's part of a relationship is also saying asking and being a resource for somebody, but also asking for what you need, and sometimes that doesn't happen right during the event. So, for example, oftentimes I'll be at an event and it's common, whether it's nerves or personality where somebody talks mainly about themselves and you don't get a chance to share about yourself. But if you feel like it's a good fit, that's where follow-up comes into play. You don't have to share everything you want that person to know, beginning the more you listen and find out what their needs are and see how you may be a solution for them or a resource, then when you follow up you can be really relevant to what they've shared with you and shared that way.
Teresa Thomas:So a lot of times people feel like they have to squeeze everything they want to say, everything they want to be known for in an event, but really you're just creating the baseline of conversation and connection and then identifying if you want it to go, if you want to stay in touch and, if so, what direction you'd like that to go. And then that's where the follow-up comes in, which is the really important part that, like you said, a lot of people just like okay, I got it, this is something I'm going to do. I check it off my list. They don't show up with intention and how they want to be known and they don't follow up, and then it just ended up being something that was a memory that they go anywhere.
Janice Hostager:So put a pin in that follow-up, because I want to talk about that for sure too.
Janice Hostager:But one thing that occurred to me when you were talking is that years ago I read a book, when I was in college even. I read a book about basically how to make friends, because it was the first time where I was with a group of people that I didn't grow up with, so I didn't know them and I was really kind of awkward and shy about going out and getting to meet people. But one of the things that I really remember from that book is that I talked about transparency and how I think sometimes when we are presenting ourselves in front of a group of people or just people we've never known or never met before, we want to appear as perfect, and that's really not at all what we connect with when we're meeting somebody. We connect with their imperfections, because in their imperfections they're just like us. We all know that we're imperfect. But when we can meet somebody with that same struggle, that same imperfection, and can commiserate with them, then that deepens that relationship so much faster than if we just go there and become you know, oh, yes.
Janice Hostager:Just the perfect Barbie doll or whatever, I don't know.
Teresa Thomas:Perfect is boring.
Teresa Thomas:I mean there are places for perfect. Like you know, if you're in an event and you meet a heart surgeon, you want them to be a perfect heart surgeon yes, but they don't have to be perfect. With their networking they can say, oh, do these things make you feel as awkward as they do me? Yes, so we connect on that human level and if we get caught up in perfection and how we present ourselves, we're kind of giving off a sense to the other person that we might not be listening or in tune to what they're hearing, or maybe judgmental. Even so, perfection can not only keep us from making a deeper connection.
Teresa Thomas:A lot of times people procrastinate and don't do things because like, why don't have the perfect elevator pitch yet and I don't have? It's like you need to just have these conversations and nobody knows what you are going to say. So the better you can, more that you can be a listener and ask good questions, questions that you actually want to know the answers for. You know not how is your drive here today? You probably don't actually care. So by focusing on that, you'll be taking your connections to a deeper level and in the direction that you want to go, and that's relevant for what the other person is seeking and their connections as well.
Janice Hostager:Yes, yeah, and even heart surgeons. I've known a lot of physicians, and they're not perfect either, you know. So they also want them to be perfect in their craft, but not necessarily as a human being Exactly, yeah, totally.
Teresa Thomas:Oh, that's true, because so much has to be said for a betside manner, really right.
Janice Hostager:Yeah, for sure.
Teresa Thomas:That comes down to it too. You can be perfect at something, but if you don't feel cared about, or that person cares about, what they do, yes, so that's a great example. Thanks for showing us.
Janice Hostager:Oh, it's a give and take. So what about after the event? So, okay, you've gone to an event, you may be connected and scanned your code, your LinkedIn code, or you've got their business card. What is the best way to follow up or to stay in touch with them, because you know that maybe down the road, you want to interact with them. What do you have? What recommendations do you have for that?
Teresa Thomas:Sure, yeah, when I was young and I first started networking, I thought that I was supposed to follow up with every single person that I met and that was overwhelming.
Teresa Thomas:And then, as I matured and realized, oh wait, this actually you know you don't have to stay connected with everyone, and if somebody really wanted to be connected with you, they could follow up with you. But I will say that when you are scheduling yourself to participate in something that will involve networking and connect with others, the first thing you should do is schedule that time for follow up, preferably the same day, when everything's fresh, or the next day, because that is well many things happen. One you are still in that frame of mind, you remember what you talked about, you have that excitement, same thing on there, and they're feeling that as well. And so that's that's what I suggest, and you know what I'll do is I'll share what works best for me and then other people I'll touch upon what can work best for other people. So, for me, because I do so much networking, I meet more than the average person of people, and my capacity is to follow up with a LinkedIn request that's personalized and says what I appreciated about knowing them or getting to know them. And that's easy because if they accept that, we're in a loose network where, over time, we see each other's posts. And I mean I've had clients who say, oh, we can do LinkedIn 10 years ago and I've been following what you do. Well, wow, that's amazing, and for me that works.
Teresa Thomas:Other people are more systematic and are great at using CRMs. You know, like this person expressed interest in this schedule follow up. I wish I was better at that. I'm working on being better at that, but that that's being very strategic, and the reason I want to work on that is I also feel like that's respectful for the people that are expressed interest, right? So if somebody expresses interest and you don't, you don't follow up. It doesn't help either either one of you and so, yeah, so for me, linkedin is an easy way.
Teresa Thomas:And then there are connections that I need that are, oh my gosh, like we, I really want to know more about your work. Or, and then and then it's really clear to me what the I get to call it call to action would be oh, I'd love to invite you to this particular event, or I introduce you to this person or have a conversation with you, and I personally am not able to do a lot of one on one. Those are reserved for people that have developed some level of connection with, and we both know you know what will be helpful. But some people really love the one on ones and that's how they build their strongest relationship. So it really goes back to what works for what works for you and your capacity and even your, your working style, and I could go on and on.
Teresa Thomas:But there are other things I do for networking that aren't considered networking. But, for example, if I post something on LinkedIn, then it's it's one sided, but it's providing a resource for people that are connected and then those people that are interested in what I shared then they connect with me and then that restarts the connections. So I'm starting to talk about like a higher level of networking and how that all works. But I think you get what I'm saying is it starts with the intention and creating a baseline for connection and conversation and then identifying what works best for you to take those connections, those best connections, to the next level in a way that is well. I like mutually beneficial connections. I know that's not a value that everyone holds, but for me that that's what drives me is how can we help each other out?
Janice Hostager:Yeah, yeah, and I think sometimes it just may benefit one of the two people. But you know, certainly, yeah, I love that tip and I think strategy is is really my favorite thing about marketing. You know, I always start with a strategy before implementing any kind of tactic, and I would say that that I do the same about networking. For some people, networking isn't going to be relevant to their business at all. It may be that they have a strictly digital business or strictly online, where I mean I wouldn't say wouldn't be relevant at all, but I would say that it may be a lower priority for them based on the type of business they run. Right, yeah, but I love that you're talking about strategy and I love the CRM idea really too, because you're right, there's some people that you might just follow up with them and ask them, if you mind, if you put them on their email list or your or connect with them in some other way. For sure Love it.
Janice Hostager:And I want to mention too, that you have a book out called Win Win Networking and I bought this book years ago and I still. There's some checklists in here that I absolutely love and just you kind of go through all the steps and there's. I remember when I first got it I thought I don't know if there's anything I need to know about networking. And then I read it and I was like, oh, there's a lot I didn't know about networking. So, and that's available on Amazon, right yeah?
Teresa Thomas:Yeah.
Janice Hostager:So I'll put a link in the show.
Teresa Thomas:And it said that and I'll show you like I, when we were talking about I, create tools that I use. I use this all the time myself. So, yeah, this is because you know no matter how much you know about networking or anything in life, it helps revisit and refine and like, ok, how can I now get better at this or have better results? Yeah, I think that's the shift, my approach.
Janice Hostager:Yeah, for sure, and I want to talk to a little bit about what you, your new project which isn't really all that new anymore called 50 fun things. Tell us how that gets started, because I think that's fascinating.
Teresa Thomas:Oh, I would love to. So several years ago I was looking at my life and thinking, ok, I don't know if it's really going the direction that I say I wanted it to go, I'll just say it. I was, I was about to turn 50 and I was having a midlife awareness I guess you'd call it and I thought, ok, there's 52 weeks in a year. I could feasibly do 50 fun things in a year small, big, mindset stuff and I put together a list and I brought to my birthday party and because I used to love being when I was a kid, I loved to play teacher. I guess I still do and so I made little worksheets like here are things I want to do. You put your names or what you'd like to do with me.
Teresa Thomas:And then my life completely changed and I learned so much and I had coaches and others say ask you know, could we use this tool with our clients? And could you do a workshop, can you write about this, can you do a workbook? And of course, I love all those things. So I started putting that out there and what I learned was why I learned so much. But what I thought was a gift just to give myself, about getting excited about life and what I wanted from it and have things to look forward to and fun things to do with my connections turned out to also be a resiliency tool, especially, you know, with the pandemic and everything happening in the world. This, like you know, really those smallest of joys help us to stay hopeful, to keep going, and that joy is the bridge builder. So people with very different perspectives on in the world or maybe your coworker who used to annoy you, maybe you do a team building with 50 fun things and once you learn what lights somebody up, what they get excited about, those barriers start to melt and you see each other as more as humans and care about each other more. And so I. The lessons keep unfolding, but I am, I'm learning that it the joy is and fun and I tell people fun feels like it's too too much of a word. To reframe it. It could be joy fulfillment. That's a really critical thing. It's not something to leave until the work is done. It's something to integrate into your life fully. So I love it and I've been integrating aspects of it into the way that I lead networking, but I also do it for retreats and teams and individuals and it's amazing to just see the shifts that happen when people start thinking about what it is that they, how they want to feel, what they want to experience, how they shift things in and having it be 50.
Teresa Thomas:Thank you, actually lighten the load. They put people first here like, oh my gosh, we do that so much, but what they find is you start becoming lighter and playful because like, oh, why not? Oh, maybe let's try it, let's see where, if you're like the top three, like oh my gosh, that got a lot of weight involved. There is a lot to be said for having your top goals, but this is just like, oh, yeah, that would be a fun way to make my work day smoother, or this would be a great way to connect with a new colleague that I'd like to get to know, or this would be a way that I could feel more energized in my days. And so each person walks away with something different, which is part of what I love about it as well. It's just really taking that time to open up and see what would feel good and try it out.
Janice Hostager:And so it really can be a networking tool as well. When I first heard about it I was thinking it was more of like a bucket list, which it kind of is right.
Teresa Thomas:Or similar. It's similar but different. It's also similar but different from a vision board. So when we do 50 fun things, we also incorporate mindset and we incorporate gratitude and noticing things that we maybe haven't taken for granted. We talk about comfort zones, ways we want to push ourselves, challenge ourselves in new ways. We talk about the big things that we maybe have secretly wanted to do and moving forward with them. When other people, it doesn't need to be the big things, but it's the little day-to-day things that they want to shift to have a higher quality of life.
Teresa Thomas:Many people come because they've forgotten what feel joyful and good for them.
Teresa Thomas:They know what it is for their colleagues, their family, their friend, but if you ask them what they want to do or how they want their life to feel, they're kind of at a loss and so reconnecting with that. And people use it for imagining the next chapter of their life, their next career, the next place they want to live, deepening the relationship they have with their family or their partner. For teams to have that authentic sense of team building where the ideas and the motivation come from, with the end versus top down, like hey, this is how you are all going to get along. It's like, ok, this is what matters to us and this is how we connect and this is how we can encourage each other in a way that supports the organization. So I'm having a lot of fun with it, because there's so much you can do with it. And I'm really having fun with it now that I'm beginning to train other facilitators, because then they can tailor it for their audiences and clients and their niche, and that feels really exciting to me.
Janice Hostager:Oh, I love, love that, like you said, there are so many possibilities and I feel, especially as entrepreneurs and maybe as parents, we're always so focused on making everybody else happy that we kind of lose ourselves, especially as women, I think Oftentimes we lose ourselves and what lights us up during that process of taking care of everybody else all the time? And even I went through a phase a few years ago where I decided I needed a hobby, because my hobby is always for the work, which is terrible, right, and I do run and I hide now, but I remember trying to learn how to knit and just thinking this is the most frustrating thing I've ever done. I just don't know how people do this. First, real taxation, things like that, where I think it took me a while. And I think you kind of inspired that I would see your Facebook posts and whatever, and I think you kind of inspired in me to say what would I like to do?
Janice Hostager:My days on Earth are limited. I had this idea up in Dallas. I live in Austin. Up in Dallas they have a trapeze. I don't stand in a museum, it's a place where you can go and do trapeze, right, oh, wow, I know right. So I just thought I want to do that. Unfortunately, I've not been able to find yet anybody that wants to do it with me, and I feel like I probably break the process. But think like that where you could just use your imagination and say wouldn't it be cool if yeah, and just take off with it. So I just love that you're doing this.
Teresa Thomas:Yeah, and also just to try it. And you might love it and you might not, but you'll always have that memory and that story and you're like, wow, I actually try trapeze. That's pretty cool.
Teresa Thomas:And yeah it's just yeah, I can't say enough about what happens when people start focusing on joy and even in their networking. There's a presentation and an interactive presentation. I give on the job of connecting and I share three joyful conversation starters and the energy in the room is amazing and their conversation starters. They can be used anywhere and the feedback I get is wow. When I focus on what I'm excited about my work or my favorite clients, or what I'm looking forward to or something I'm proud of, my energy level increases. That person who's sharing what they feel joyful about in their profession or their work. I care more, I'm more interested. It just it brings our thing to a higher level when we focus on. Basically it comes down to why do you do what you do, and not everybody has a joyful profession. There was somebody who participated who worked with Palliative Care, but it's really about cutting people to connect with what they care about, what matters, what their aspirations are.
Teresa Thomas:In her case what difference in the world do you want to make for others? And so it's, yeah, I always thought that fun and joy were kind of like oh yeah, I'm going to be a good person, so oh yeah, when it can happen. And now I see that it's just, it's so powerful.
Janice Hostager:Yeah, oh, this is just it. You're absolutely right. Powerful is the perfect word for it. So I love that you're doing that and I'll put the link to that in the show notes as well. So I'll put all the links to all all that you've got going on, and you've got a lot, a lot of going on right now. So thank you, teresa. I really, really enjoyed our conversation today and I appreciate all the tips you have given me for networking in the future. Thank you, janice. It was a lot of fun. So what do you think? Did you learn a few things about what makes a successful networking event? I know I will certainly be applying a few of her tips to my own networking. Also, I want to encourage you to pick up her book or look into 50 fun things. I'll put the links to those in our show notes for today at my weekly marketing. com / 50. That's episode 50. How appropriate is that? Thanks for joining me today. I'll see you next time. Bye for now, music.