I remember walking in and the room going silent; every eye turning on me. I felt so out of place, I knew no one, and I was just about to pull myself up by my bootstraps and push through the discomfort, the way I always do... and then I did not have to because then I met her.

I had spent over 14 years working in Pharma in several different roles when, story for another day, I had a crisis of conscience. I left Pharma and the allopathic model that was everything I had learned and held dear, and went back to school to learn about HOLISTIC Patient Care. Excited to dive into my new career, I was soon rudely awakened by the reality of what was happening around us.

There is always going to be something. For the last few years, we faced a pandemic and the different effects of that on our businesses, but back then, for me it was the housing crisis. During this time in our private practice it was truly a time of uncertainty. Patients were loosing their jobs, health insurances and in some really sad cases folx were even losing their homes. Our busy practice seemed to grind to a halt, and as the newest doctor in the practice, to say filling my schedule was a challenge, was the decade's understatement.

So I was advised, as I'm sure so many of you have been advised in the past at some time: Get out there and start networking. And so I did. My first networking event that I ever attended in life was nerve racking. Even for me who was accustomed to standing on stages in front of hundreds of people. But this was different. I remember pushing the door open and watching every eye in the place turn towards me. I knew absolutely no one, I'd never been to a networking event before and I was about to do my usual: Push through, make the best of it, smile through it... You know what I'm talking about, we have all done it at one time or another. Fortunately, on this occasion, I didn't have to.

A wonderful older woman who I later learned was an elder care attorney, came over to me, linked arms with me, introduced herself and then proceeded to introduce me to every single person that she knew at the networking event, and she knew just about everyone! She immediately started to think of ways that she could support me, other folx she could introduce me to, people she thought I might get along with even if they might not be driving business to my door. She was the most compassionate networker that I have ever met to date. She was also my first teacher about how I want to feel and how I want everyone to feel when they are out networking, whether it is online or in person: I want them to feel Supported, Welcome and At Ease AND I want them to get the resources they need to grow their businesses and personal development, since that's why we all left our homes and came out to network in the first place!!! :)