"Networking Isn't Scary to Me Anymore"

Muriel Siebert (first woman member of the NYSE ) said, "When a door is hard to open and nothing else works, sometimes you just have to rear back and kick it open.”  After decades of sluggish progress, it’s time for us to kick the door open on women’s success.
 
If you're a woman in wealth management (or any male-dominated industry), this podcast is for you.  

The Kick It Open podcast starts with the topic of Networking -- because there's no better way to kick open a door than to let your network do it for you.  Listen to this episode to learn level-up strategies for replacing an instinctual competitive mindset with a mindset of abundance.  And, learn how practicing the art and skill of networking creates muscle memory, which in turn minimizes the "work" and scare factor. 
 
 You'll be entertained by:

·       Shelby Nicholl:  She's a 25-year corporate vet who rose to SVP at LPL Finanical and Director at Edward Jones.  She hosts the Kick It Open podcast.  She founded Muriel Network in 2023 and launched the Muriel Network community app in Feb. 2024.  If you're not part of the community yet, DM her on LinkedIn.  

·       Stephanie McCarthy:  Stephanie is a former broadcast journalist who became a marketing researcher and spent the last decade listening to investors and advisors about what they wanted in their financial services firms. She loves to talk about the future of the industry.  

·       Jana Gregorek:  Jana Gregorek is a mom, wife, book nerd, speaker and leader in financial services. She has spent her 18-year career in financial services and is now the Director of Talent Acquisition at Moneta, a financial services firm headquartered in Clayton, MO.  Prior to Moneta, she was a Leader and Limited Partner at Edward Jones and Chief Growth Office at Visionary Wealth Advisors.

Recorded and produced by Muriel Network.
Graphic Design by John Gallagher.
Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-roll License code: EV5ON7Y3CSESDSEU

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Transcript

Shelby Nicholl: 0:09

Hi, I'm Shelby Nicholl. Have you ever had a great conversation with a colleague or a girlfriend and you leave with an energy, boost of inspiration, ready to fight another day? I'm a 25 year corporate veteran who has had a career I couldn't have dreamt of as a child. I climbed to the corporate ladder to reach top levels at two broker-dealers and I often found myself as the only woman in the room. I saw how women were underappreciated and how the voices of women at financial advisors were drowned out, sometimes just because there's fewer of them. I felt and saw those around me feeling left out, burned out and ready to have more impact. And it's not just about us who work within the wealth management industry. It's about the untapped potential of women as investors. If you're a woman in wealth management, this podcast is for you. In this podcast, I'll tell the stories of women who are slaying it, doing things differently and bringing new energy to their work. Each episode, I'll be joined by a friend Some I'll have known for years and some will be brand new to me and sometimes I'll be joined by a guest co-host too. We'll have the conversations that you have with your girlfriends, the ones you have at those women's dinners when you've had too much wine. Or those women's conferences, the ones you have at those women's dinners when you've had too much wine, or those women's conferences, the conversations where we get real about how we can achieve our ambitions and how the industry needs to shift to accommodate more women and diverse populations within the ranks. There's a quote that inspires me by Muriel Siebert, the first woman member of the New York Stock Exchange. By Muriel Siebert, the first woman member of the New York Stock Exchange. She said when a door is hard to open and nothing else works, sometimes we just have to rear back and kick it open. After decades of sluggish progress, it's time for us to kick the door open on women's success. Welcome to the Kick it Open podcast.

Shelby Nicholl: 2:05

In this first episode of the Kick it Open podcast, I'm joined by guest co-host Stephanie McCarthy. Hi Shelby, Stephanie and I are former colleagues and, after a stint in broadcast journalism, Stephanie built her career in marketing research and spent more than a decade at a broker-dealer. She spent those years listening to clients and advisors and learning what they wanted in their investment firms, and she spent those years getting lots of ideas about how the industry could shift. In this episode, we're joined by Jana Gregorek. Jana is an expert networker and I'm excited to learn from her. Our first episode is all about networking, because we believe that we are stronger together. Before we jump in with Stephanie and Jana, I just want to say that this episode is the very first one that we've recorded and the audio quality is just not that great. I promise future episodes are better. Let's dive in. Future episodes are better, let's dive in. So we are joined, Stephanie Mccarthy and I are joined today by our very special guest, Jana Gregorek, and Jana is the Director of Talent Acquisition at Moneta.

Shelby Nicholl: 3:16

She is a mom, a wife, a book nerd, she's a speaker and she is a leader in financial services. She spent 18 years in financial services and really all in wealth management and is now that director of talent acquisition at Moneta. Prior to Moneta, she was a leader and a limited partner at Edward Jones and chief growth officer at Visionary Wealth Advisors. She has also spent her career and I think of her this way as a real advocate for women. Her true passion is mentoring and leading others to be the very best versions of themselves and to really break down any barriers for women across industries. She is married to Brian, who also works in financial services and they have two kids, Caroline and Douglas. Jana, welcome to the pod.

Jana Gregorek: 4:06

Thank you so much for having me. This is very exciting to be part of this podcast and, obviously, a topic I'm very passionate about.

Shelby Nicholl: 4:14

Yes, and we invited you here because you, to me, just personify this idea of a natural networker. You seem to know everyone, you go to events and you're just incredibly charming. Is the perception that we have of you of being a natural networker? Is that true?

Jana Gregorek: 4:35

I think it is Shelby. I think I've always been an extrovert. I've always enjoyed leading, leading others at a young age, I think, about making up clubs when I was a child and trying to get neighborhood kids to join those clubs. And what has excited me the most about my career is making those true connections with other people, specifically women, the more that I've grown in my role and in the industry. So, yes, I think so. However, that really solidified for me when I did an assessment. So I took an assessment called Strength Finders and one of my number one strengths was what's called a woo, which sounds kind of funny. You're a woo.

Jana Gregorek: 5:20

You like to meet people and woo them and get them to like you and just learn more about them and build true, authentic connections. So that really solidified for me. Wow, this isn't something I just like to do, it's something I'm really good at, and so I need to align the rest of my career with this strength.

Stephanie McCarthy: 5:39

Shelby, I have a question for you. Are you a woo?

Shelby Nicholl: 5:43

I am not a woo. No, I know Cause we've, we've, we've chatted about. Your perception of me is that I'm a really natural networker. But I am not. I have learned to be a networker and I put effort into it and schedule actually system. I was kind of systematize it because it's not, it's not natural. Like early in my career people thought I was distant and aloof.

Stephanie McCarthy: 6:09

So I'm sitting here thinking that, like our podcast is called kick it open and we really want to help women in wealth management who are coming up against barriers, like really fully make change in the industry, make it better for women, make it better for all investors. And so I'm sitting here thinking like how does networking fit into that? Right, like, what is networking if all of the women and people listening to this can become as good of networkers as Jana Gregoric? What, what would that do? Like, how, how is that like relevant? Because for me I need to like feel motivated by like OK, like yeah, maybe that'll get me my next career move. But, like, I'm also super busy. But like, what's the bigger picture here?

Shelby Nicholl: 7:06

also super busy, but like what's the bigger picture here? But the data says that women will make more and land the bigger roles if they have two kinds of networks. One is like the expansive one of you know, kind of just generally in the industry. And the second network that we all need is the narrower set of female friends and colleagues who will give us the real down low on things. They're going to be the ones that we can go and we can ask okay, how do I negotiate for this promotion or for this raise? Or they're the ones that can say here's how I can signal that I'm still committed to my career, even though I am now caregiving for my parent and or caregiving for my young children. So it's, the network is really, really important if we want to change the senior leadership gap and the wealth gap in general. But I think, especially for the senior leadership gap and especially for the female gap inside of the wealth management sort of the advisor and planner marketplace, that we just need more women in those races.

Stephanie McCarthy: 8:09

Well, we mentioned a little bit the event. We were all just out a networking event together the other day, and I don't want to pretend that we weren't. So you, jana, you started a club.

Jana Gregorek: 8:24

Yes, we started a club. Yes, we started a club, yeah we did.

Jana Gregorek: 8:27

It was a collective effort, which is exactly what it was, but it did. It feels like a gathering of friends and Shelby your point earlier about. We need that group of women that we can just be our real selves with, because you're right. When you're networking with someone at your firm, you're kind of on right, like you're okay, here's my pitch, here's what I do, here's what I'm good at, here's what you should keep me in mind. But you also need those people in your life that you can let your guard down and be like man, my leader is terrible.

Shelby Nicholl: 9:10

Here's some things that what should I be doing? Or, man, I think I'm underpaid, like, who are those people that you can lean on? I mean, I think the group is so interesting too, because what we also tried to do was connect women. You know, maybe that were in kind of mid-career points, it's also women across firms, because you know to the point earlier about, it's expected at senior leadership levels that you are kind of involved in the industry when you are sort of in the middle, the middle rungs, let's call it it. Your day-to-day work may not always connect you to people outside of your direct firm, but you know you also need to start to create those connections so that you can get the next, you can hit the next rung up.

Stephanie McCarthy: 9:44

You know the topic of networking as a financial advisor has to do with, you know, meeting other financial advisors at different firms and kind of learning how they're approaching things and meeting potential clients and anyway. So just like, what considerations like should financial advisors think about when thinking about networking?

Shelby Nicholl: 10:03

Oh gosh. So you know, I was in. I started my career in a captive firm and then moved to independent and I think that the captive firms are always really scared of advisors networking because you know they want to keep the advisor inside of their firm and, honestly, all the independents do too, right. But I think that the financial advisors in the independent space do a better job of networking with each other because they're always trying to learn. Again, it's all about learning.

Shelby Nicholl: 10:29

It's about how do you say this thing? How do you do follow-up with your clients without using the word follow-up? Or how do you scale your operations? Who was the first person that you hired for your team? Those kinds of things. If you're building an ensemble team, who's the first and second hires? There's so many things that they can learn from each other. What kind of seminars are you doing, et cetera. I think financial advisors always feel a little funny networking because they feel like they're in competition with one another, especially if they're in the same local area. I think what I hope to do with Muriel Network a bit is to enable financial advisors from across the country to network so that they don't feel that competition but where the women financial advisors can still share the stories and the experiences that have made them successful without feeling like they're giving away their secret in their local area.

Stephanie McCarthy: 11:24

Shelby, I'm so glad you brought up the idea of competition. I'm sorry, Jana, to jump in, but, like we said, we wanted this to be conversations that aren't just conversations that you know are normally broadcast and like I've been kind of thinking about this the whole time, right, Like you're going around and you're networking with people, I mean, and these are people if you're looking for another role, or these are people that might also be, you know, eventually looking for that role. How do you think about competition when you think about networking?

Shelby Nicholl: 11:59

It's natural to think about competition, right? I think we all as people can get caught up in scarcity mindset, and I personally. You have to put systems in your world that you stop thinking in scarcity mindset and you start thinking in abundance mindset and you look at it as connection and learning and you put your worries about competition to the side. And that is another muscle that you have to, that you have to exercise. I use an affirmation app where I record the affirmations in my own voice. It's called Think Up. It's really cool, and so you record the affirmation in your own voice. You can do three of them for free, and I think if I were struggling with feeling competition, I would put an affirmation in there to that effect so that I would hear my own voice and try to really get past that.

Jana Gregorek: 12:51

We have to get past competition.

Shelby Nicholl: 12:53

We have to get the affirmation would be something like I trust in my own value and I share my words of wisdom so that others can benefit also. Something like that.

Stephanie McCarthy: 13:10

Jana, what would your abundance mindset affirmation be if you had one?

Jana Gregorek: 13:13

Okay, I just. My affirmation comes back to actually a Bob Marley song, Three Little Birds, and it's the every little thing is going to be all right, and it's a song that was important to my father, who's passed away, and now I sing that to my kids at night because, you know, even as kids, you worry about little things, and we all do, and it's like, ok, at the end of the day, every little thing that's on your mind is going to be all right. And being more intentional with your thoughts and thinking positive and focusing on what you can control, that's what I say every day.

Stephanie McCarthy: 13:55

I guess, like the affirmation, how I'm thinking about forming this is like what is the thing that helped me overcome that thought when I was networking with people? And I think the thing that helped me overcome is just life is long and there's enough for everyone.

Stephanie McCarthy: 14:11

You know like enough for everyone. Everyone has had that moment in their career where they looked over and there's just moments where you are competing directly with people for a role and you're looking at it and you're thinking I'm the best one for this role and you're so excited about it and it's your next step. And then the other person gets it right. Like maybe not everyone has had that, but I've had that experience. And then you're so mad and you're pissed and you talk to your mentor and they say that wasn't the right role for you.

Stephanie McCarthy: 14:42

Everyone else thinks that's not the right role for you. Don't worry, something else is coming around and you're like you don't know me, that was the right role for me. And then, lo and behold, six months later, maybe a year later which feels hard, right, that's a hard year the right role for you really comes around and you are so excited you're not in this other role because if you had been, there's no way that this, the actual right role for you or project for you or whatever it is would be there. So that's not. That's like the experience that taught me, like there's enough for everyone and the right thing will find you.

Jana Gregorek: 15:21

When I left Edward Jones to come to Visionary Wealth Advisors, we were starting a business and it was a startup firm. It was only two years old and I started reaching out and learning from people in the industry about all the different ways there was to build a business. But what I found was people just want to connect, truly build those real connections. And I think Shelby to your point about if you're not a natural connector or networker. If you're not a natural connector or networker, that's okay. I think it's easier when you just take that perception down and view it as I just want to really get to know somebody, learn more about them, what makes them tick, and then come prepared with some questions. That always helps with a conversation lull and drive the conversation. But versus what am I going to get from this? Think about what can I learn from this person?

Shelby Nicholl: 16:15

Yeah, I think that's a really important point because I feel like networking, especially early in your career, is all about learning. You are learning what was their career journey? What can you take from their leadership philosophy that you can apply to your own team? Once I viewed networking as learning, it got a lot easier for me because I am a natural connector, in that I see connectors amongst people. But I wasn't a natural networker because I didn't always like to make the ask. I didn't want to impose on people and I had to get past that.

Jana Gregorek: 16:48

I've had people reach out to me for coffee and I'm always happy to meet with people virtually in person, because people have met with me when I'm trying to learn or give back. But you do have to be prepared when you meet with them, right? Everyone's busy and especially if you're reaching out to someone you want to learn from or aspire to be like, be prepared with those questions and what it is that you're looking to hope from the conversation. So I'll tell you one of my biggest pet peeves is when I meet with people and I'm like what you know, how can I help you? What can I do for?

Shelby Nicholl: 17:23

you.

Jana Gregorek: 17:23

And they're like well, I just wanted to chat, meet for coffee, like that's fine, but we're all so busy and you're thinking about all these other things that I could be doing. So I think, coming prepared with what is it that you're looking to gain from them and share that? And people are natural connectors and if I'm not the right person, I'm going to introduce you to someone else, maybe in another industry, another role that can help you, or maybe a potential mentor. So that preparation is definitely key.

Shelby Nicholl: 17:49

You or maybe a potential mentor, so that preparation is definitely key. The data even says that those who are helping doing the helping receive a bigger dopamine hit than the person making the ask right, because we all love to help others, and so I think that idea of keeping it natural and keeping that connection is really important. Do you feel like it's any different for us as women, versus the guys?

Jana Gregorek: 18:15

You know, I was just actually reading an article yesterday about this and there was this perception that, you know, men naturally connect, whether on the golf course or they're going out for drinks or having lunch. And there is this perception about ladies who lunch right, like well, they're just having a leisurely lunch, versus making that okay for us to go to the golf course too or go connect outside of the office, because that's when true relationships are formed. So I do think that we have some work to do to overcome stigmas and I also think that there's work to do to overcome women reaching out to men to network professionally, and the reason I say that I've had a man say that to me in the past. Like you know, I'm not really comfortable going to lunch with women and it's the perception and I pushed on that clearly and you know you, you that is part of the bias and you have to be open and treat it like a professional business lunch, but also relationship building, because that's just as important. So I'm so glad you brought some work to do.

Stephanie McCarthy: 19:26

I'm so glad you brought that up, jana, because, as when I think about networking and like good networking that's happened in my career, as well as difficult networking that's happened in my career I think the people I found it the easiest to network with are people that are outwardly like me, maybe have a similar role or similar background around the same place in their career, maybe have similar characteristics of you know we, you know to have a similar hobby or etc. Etc. And we all know that if you only are connecting with the people that are like you, your network isn't going to be as strong or as fruitful or as rewarding, really as connecting with lots of people, because you know that even if people don't outwardly seem like you, there's always a connection there that you can make. So can you tell us a story or tell us about a time, or how do you approach that when you're connecting with people that aren't like you?

Jana Gregorek: 20:28

Yeah, I think what you're doing, though, stephanie, and what you just explained is a great way to practice right.

Shelby Nicholl: 20:34

We all have to start somewhere.

Jana Gregorek: 20:36

So to think I'm going to reach out to the CEO of XYZ company to network is probably intimidating. So I actually think that strategy is really good. You know, reach out to a former colleague that has moved on and is at another firm just to learn more and reconnect. You already have that established relationship or someone you went to high school with and you see that they're working at a certain company that you're interested in learning more about. I think it's okay to practice there and then, as you build up more confidence, you're going to find that it's easier to then reach out to people you don't know.

Shelby Nicholl: 21:11

I think it's interesting that you mentioned, like the building your confidence. There's a lot of just muscle memory with it, right, and you have to get your body even kind of in practice of doing things that are new and outside of your comfort zone. So if you're not a natural networker, you know you have to make the ask. Well, you can start to make the ask in little tiny things and then over time you can make the bigger asks, right, but the little tiny thing might even be something like you're at the grocery store and something is damaged and you want to know if they have the replacement. That's perfect, right, you can make the ask. Get yourself comfortable in day-to-day life with making little asks so that you'll be ready for the big asks.

Jana Gregorek: 21:58

I love that, Shelby, and I think too I always have in the back of my mind what's the worst that could happen, right, I asked someone to meet and they say, no, well, I'm in the same place that I was today before I asked.

Jana Gregorek: 22:12

So that's okay and then you move on. I think, too, what I hear a lot when I network and I meet with people. I have people reaching out to me pretty often where they feel like I've been in a role, I've been in a firm for a long time. I just don't even know where to go or where to start and it's really hard because we're all very, very busy working. We have a lot of responsibilities, we have a lot of balls that we're juggling.

Jana Gregorek: 22:41

But I would always recommend repositioning and thinking about your day. So if you're spending a hundred percent of your day Monday through Friday at work heads down because you've got deadlines and whatever. Reposition five 10% of your day Monday through Friday at work Heads down because you've got deadlines and whatever. Reposition 5-10% of your morning on a Friday. Go to a coffee shop and use that as your dedicated networking preparation time Not networking time, but preparation time. Get a blank sheet of paper, write down a list of names of people that you're interested in learning more about, that you aspire to be like. Do some really thoughtful searching on LinkedIn and come up with your plan. Then, week by week, just reach out to one person a week and then you're scheduling out one coffee a week and it's just like an ongoing muscle memory, to your point where it just doesn't feel like this huge elephant, like that huge elephant that you don't even know where to start. So you're building a plan and you're doing it bite size at a time.

Shelby Nicholl: 23:39

I love that idea of going weekly to a coffee shop and having a little bit of time where you just think about your network and such. One of the things that we have on the Muriel Network website is a little guide for how to assess your network at your current firm, and I think it's really good for that internal network assessment because your internal network will eventually become your external network if you ever make a move. But also it has some principles that you can apply to the external network as well. But I think what I was really trying to get across with that guide was just this idea of being intentional. And you're bringing another layer of intention with your idea of spend 5% to 10% of your Friday to really focus on how are you showing up with your network, who are you building relationships with and what are you bringing to the table, what are you trying to learn from them, et cetera. I love that.

Stephanie McCarthy: 24:31

I just love the advice of going to a coffee shop. I love, like the, the point about, like you're in a different place and so it makes it okay maybe to like not answer email in that moment and, like you know, gives you that permission. What I'm wondering is is, like, is that something you used to do and like now it just is? So muscle memory that, like the network is just feeding on itself, or like what happens next?

Jana Gregorek: 24:56

I made this up because I was thinking about making a career change and what I did really well was internal networking at my current firm, trying to get the next opportunity, making sure my projects were being seen, making sure I had a voice. But when I took a step back I realized I don't know anybody outside of this firm because I've built my career and I started thinking what else is out? There Is the grass greener, so to speak. I see friends and colleagues changing jobs, changing industries.

Jana Gregorek: 25:28

So that's when I really intentionally changing industries, and so that's when I really intentionally this is the hard work.

Jana Gregorek: 25:33

Okay, like many of us know, you can get a job almost anywhere but being more intentional about what is it that I want to do and what I'm uniquely skilled at and where I'm going to be the happiest and make sure that I can, you know, utilize my skills at a place that's really going to value me.

Jana Gregorek: 25:50

And then, to answer your question, stephanie, it has evolved, where now, which is great, I probably have two or three people reach out to me a day asking to go to lunch, have coffee, or I was wondering if I could pick your brain about something. Could you take a look at my resume, which I absolutely love, something? Could you take a look at my resume, which I absolutely love and it aligns with my role now, but I'm also now finding myself spread a little too thin by doing that. So making sure that I'm more intentional about what I say yes to. What groups am I a part of? I also have a team of talent acquisition senior level people that are looking to build their networks, so it's okay to delegate to them, because they have the right tools to have these conversations too.

Shelby Nicholl: 26:38

I think many of us start to think about our networks when we are considering that next job change, and certainly especially today. Right, I think you know the data is really clear. I'd love to talk about data, you guys, but the data is really clear. There's like hundreds of applications for a single role right now, partially because of the market, partially because it's so easy to apply for roles as well, and so if you're going to stand out, probably a personal connection is the number one way.

Jana Gregorek: 27:09

Those candidates that get referrals automatically get a phone interview or a screen now. So those referrals go a very long way, because we have 3,500 applications a year and we hire 100 people. So I also recently just learned that LinkedIn put out a stat that 80 to 85% of jobs being hired now are through networks, and I also would add that you will always want to make sure you're building your external network should something change with your current role or your personal life that you're not anticipating.

Jana Gregorek: 27:47

So this actually happened to a dear friend of mine and we had lunch recently and he lost his job unexpectedly and he told me I wish that I would have done what you did, jana, five, six, seven years ago, because now he's starting over, he's without a job and trying to build a network now, while also job searching is very, very stressful, versus building that network now. And they know who you are, they know what you're good at, they know your skills. In the case something changes in your life and you're looking for a new opportunity, it's already established.

Shelby Nicholl: 28:21

Like you want to do the external networking, not just because you want to go look for a job, but also because it's better for your current role. There is a ton of sharing and sometimes I think as women we think, oh, especially early in our career, right, I thought it was disloyal to go kind of like shopping around at competitors and talking to people. But as you go up the ladder it's expected, it is part of your job to know what the industry is doing and you get to do that through networking. Like that is a different network. I have a set of folks in a certain line of business inside of wealth management that like I know they have the goods and like.

Stephanie McCarthy: 29:10

Can you think of your scariest networking story?

Shelby Nicholl: 29:20

Jana, I'll say that mine is coming up right now because yesterday, stephanie, I got the assignment for the, where Jana and I are working on with with a team to pull together the agenda for the WashU Wealth and Asset Management Conference that's in May and we were chatting with the team and we need someone to kind of like headline it, so to speak, and the idea was raised of Sally Krawcheck from Ellevest, and no one has a personal connection and so I now have it on my plate to reach out to her and create a connection. Now this is somebody I don't have any connection with and she is like a legend and, you know, just an icon to me. So I'm extremely nervous but obviously I will be making the ask and I will be doing the work of that and prepping for it too.

Stephanie McCarthy: 30:09

But yeah, that's it hasn't failed yet.

Shelby Nicholl: 30:12

So what are you going to do? I'm going to slide into some Instagram DMs.

Jana Gregorek: 30:18

Are you really? Yeah, that's the point Shelby is, and I'm trying to think, Stephanie, if something's, it's not as scary to me anymore. I'm more amazed with how many yeses that you get by just asking. So I'm so excited to find out how you do this and what she says. Well, you just just ask and see what happens, and if they say no, it's like sales 101. You have to be okay with that and then move on, because there are and I don't think I've ever had anyone tell me no to not meet.

Shelby Nicholl: 30:54

Virtual has, I think, made it easier. Honestly, it's fast the little scheduling icon that you can put on your email. It has really removed a lot of the friction that used to be in networking. It was like how are we going to get together, when are we going to meet, what time, All those things? Now we can just throw up a Zoom and it's 30 minutes and that's it at the most. It's really really frictionless.

Stephanie McCarthy: 31:18

When you just said that, I had a flashback. So, jana, I don't know if you know this and our listeners out there certainly don't know, but Shelby and I used to have desks right next to each other at Edward Jones. This was pre-open workspace where we had cubes and they were right next to each other. Memory of you and I feel like you were so good at this you would always be walking back from a meeting and you pick up the phone and calling, like an administrative assistant, like okay, I need to get on the phone, I need time with this person. When can you get me time with this? I just like had that picture in my head of like, okay, well, what about tomorrow? What about if I did this? Well, it really needs to be before this meeting and this meeting. And so when you said it has removed the friction, I had this vivid memory of the friction.

Shelby Nicholl: 32:11

It was part of my systematizing Is that a word, systematize? That was part of my system when I would leave a meeting and I was teaching myself to be a good networker when I would leave a meeting and if there was somebody in the meeting that I didn't know and and thought that I would be running into them, and even even if I wasn't, I would reach out to them afterwards and say we were just in this meeting together. I don't know you yet I'd love to sit down for coffee, or I'd love to sit down for lunch or whatever. It was so easy, but that became my system. It was who's in the room that I haven't had coffee with or I've haven't met with yet, and then I would reach out and do that meeting.

Jana Gregorek: 32:51

Yeah, you know, shelby too. I'll just say I think it's also important to keep up that habit when you join a new firm. So I've been at my new firm for a year now and I'm I'm balancing, continuing to keep my external network very strong, but also trying to meet 500 people at my new firm. I know I'm not going to meet all of them, but who are the partners, who are the key decision makers establishing that relationship first? So they understand me, my background, that when I come to a meeting we're just going to hit the ground running.

Shelby Nicholl: 33:22

Yeah, I think that when we're, when we kind of sum it up, I feel like we're talking a lot about systems and we're talking a lot about muscle memory and you have to have some intention in your network building. And the other thing I think that we're all rounding around is also this idea of diversifying your effort. It's like you're going to diversify and do some networking inside of your current firm. You're going to do some networking outside of your current firm with peers, like if you're a financial advisor, with other financial advisors, and then you're going to probably need to do some networking with people who are in different industries and that might be part of your friend group. But you should be thinking about, like, what can you learn from them? How can you help each other? So it's, the diversity aspect is really important too.

Jana Gregorek: 34:20

And don't overthink it, Just get started right Like think of one person as a follow-up to this podcast.

Jana Gregorek: 34:27

Think of one person that you've seen on social media or you run into at social events or you see on LinkedIn. Reach out to them. It'll take you two minutes to write a LinkedIn message or a text. Give them two dates for coffees and try it, and you're going to be amazed to see what you learn about yourself, what you learn about them. And then're going to be amazed to see what you learn about yourself, what you learn about them, and then from there, ask them who else should you be talking to? That's just get started.

Stephanie McCarthy: 34:53

Gina, what you just like inspired me with your don't overthink it was like it's okay to just reach out to someone that you just like want to reach out to as well. You know of like, oh my gosh, how cool would it be if I knew that person, whether they are in wealth management or they're anything. You know what I mean, because people's networks are big and so you never know that coffee that you had with someone just because you admired their Instagram posts could lead to who knows what.

Shelby Nicholl: 35:24

You mean like my sliding into Sally Krawcheck's DMs that I need to do?

Jana Gregorek: 35:30

I am so excited about this challenge that you have Like wow, sally is investing in the Muriel Network and the rest is history. I'm putting that affirmation out there.

Stephanie McCarthy: 35:47

All right. Well, that might be a good way to wrap up for today, Jana. It has been so lovely having you today.

Jana Gregorek: 35:55

Thank you so much for having me. This has been so much fun and the power of the network right here, knowing you both and saying yes to the opportunity to jump on your very first podcast, so I appreciate it very much.

Shelby Nicholl: 36:07

Thank you. We couldn't do it without you. Thank you so much. If you'd like this podcast, we have three quick things that you can do to support us. Number one please subscribe so you never miss an episode. Number two share this podcast with your contacts. And three go over to MurielNetworkcom M-U-R-I-E-L. Networkcom and sign up for our free newsletter. You might be wondering what Muriel Network is all about. Muriel Network is a modern digital community for women who work in wealth management, including those who are at the home offices and the broker-dealers, the asset management firms and those who are advisors and wealth planners working directly with clients. With 75% men at the top and over 75 percent men in the advisor and planner community, we women often find ourselves overspoken, underestimated and very burned out. Muriel Network is a refuge, a safe space where we can unite, support one another, inspire each other to take the big leaps and learn how to really break through. Learn more at Muriel Network M-U-R-I-E-L. Networkcom. If you and I both go, it will be incredible. See you there.