In the episode I highlight why saying and learning to say NO can offer you growth in your business and professional career.

Takeaways:

1. Why boundaries are essential to sustainable growth

2. The 4 types of boundaries every professional needs:

TERV - Time, Energy, Relationship and Value

3. How to say NO without burning bridges: Framework: Compliment, Decline, Redirect

4. Why NO is one of the most powerful leadership tools in your toolbox.

Here’s my challenge to you this week:

👉 Identify one area where you need to say no. Maybe it’s an obligation, a client, a task, or even a mindset.

Say no — kindly, clearly, and confidently — and notice what saying yes to yourself makes possible.

And if this episode resonated, share it with a fellow entrepreneur or professional who could use a boundary breakthrough. You never know who needs this permission today.

Thanks for listening, and until next time — protect your YES by honoring your NO.

In this episode I explore, "The Art of Giving Feedback" and why it is important to know what feedback is.

Areas covered:

1. What feedback really is

2. The Art of Giving Feedback

3. How to Receive Feedback like a PRO

4. Feedback vs Commentary

5. When Criticism pretends to be Feedback

6. Personal Stories

7. Closing Challenge

If this episode helped you, share it with a friend, a colleague, or someone who could use a little feedback. And if you haven't already subscribe, leave a review, and keep coming back for m ore real talk that helps you lead and live with intention.

In this episode, we’re diving into the power of a well-crafted elevator pitch with career coach, resume writer, and job search strategist Jasmine-Briggs Rogers. Whether you're networking, interviewing, or pitching yourself for new opportunities, how you introduce yourself can make all the difference. Jasmine shares expert insights on crafting a pitch that is clear, compelling, and designed to get results.

Tune in to learn:

✅ The key elements of a winning elevator pitch

✅ How to tailor your pitch for different audiences

✅ Common mistakes to avoid when selling yourself

✅ Strategies to boost confidence and make a lasting impression

If you’ve ever struggled to articulate your value in 30 seconds or less, this episode is for you! 🚀

Listen now and start pitching yourself like a pro!

Welcome to today's episode discussing the topic of First Impression with my special guest Claudia Martell.

Today we address a crucial topic that can sometimes be overlooked, however whether your in business, walking to a meeting, attending a networking event or connective virtually the way you present yourself can set the tone for success or hold you back.

We hope you enjoy the podcast. Please download and share and subscribe.

We had a great time on Saturday, October 12th at LIU Brooklyn, networking and talking about the Topic: "A Seat at the Table". This was the beginning of our Standing In the Gap, fire side chat series and it was transformational. We gained so many insights and was empowered to take up our seat at the table, pull up a chair or even build your own table.

Some of the key takeaways:

1. You do not have to be in the room to have a seat at the table.

2. Elevate your voice. Your voice is powerful.

3. Safeguard your table by having the right people around you and legally guarding your intellectual properties.

4. Are you seated at a particular table for too long and blocking your blessing from an even bigger table?

5. How are you creating change and influencing others to pull up a chair?6. Are you preparing the other person to take your seat when you move on.

A special thank you to professor @joan Pierre for securing the space for the event, for hosting and for her continued support.

Thanks to our amazing speakers, ⁠Shauna-Kaye Brown LEC, LLB.⁠ Daphnee Sanon and ⁠Josephine McFarlane, LMSW⁠ for such great insights.

Thanks to the We Women Elevate team: ⁠Molly Creese, MBA⁠ ⁠Tynesha N. Frazier, MBA⁠ Nadia K. Raphael, MBA

In this episode we talk about how we are living in a society where everything seems to be microwaved or expected to be.

Engaging in professional networking with the intention to get results fast can be counterproductive and can lead to disappointment.

Here is why you should avoid using a microwave approach to networking:

1. Relationships takes time and are more valuable when you take time to get to know the person and build rapport. Quick transactional interactions fail to establish the trust and people can sense when you are fake.

2. Insincerity - People can smell bull a mile away. They appreciate the genuine interest and value in connections. A rushed approach shows your interest in self serving endeavours.

3. Missed Opportunities for True Collaboration - Relationship that are build on trust, authenticity and good rapport leads to valuable opportunities such as mentorship, collaboration and long-term partnerships. Your microwave approach will surely hinder these opportunities.

4. Do you want to be know as the selfish networker? Reputation is everything. No one will want to engage with you if your only purpose is for numero uno

5. Limited Network Growth: Quick approach might lead to a lot of networkers added to your network in the beginning but these connections are less likely to be maintained or grow over time. Deep relationship naturally expand your network as trust and mutual support develops.

To foster effective professional networking, focus on building genuine relationships by showing interest in others, offering help, and maintaining regular, meaningful interactions. Remember you have to invest the time and effort to get your ROI. If looking for a job make sure to do your research, develop your brand, and adopt a networking strategy that is well thought out and not engaging in quick superficial tactics.

In today's episode we discuss some stories written by Reddit users asking for career advice. I found the story about the exit interview particularly interesting because it was relatable and something that I know a lot of people have experienced or are experiencing currently. Navigating a toxic work environment can be difficult. It's important to know when to leave and how to leave. I hope that my advice in this episode will help someone who is struggling in their approach.

Happy Listening!

Please share and download the episode.

For career advice book a consultation with me on my website at https://wenetworkservices.com

Why is developing a Career Plan important? Well A career plan list your short term and long term goals and the steps you take to achieve those goals. A career plan can help to give you clarity, uniformity and organization in planning your goals and developing strategies to meet them.

In this episode I share 8 effective steps to take when developing your career plan.

1. Identify Your Career Options

2. Prioritize

3. Make Comparisons

4. Consider Other Factors

5. Make a Choice

6. Set SMART Goals

7. Create Your Career Action Plan

8. Meet with a Career Advisor/Coach

For more information on what I share in this episode you can visit: cap.mit.edu/resources/make-a-career-plan/

And for more resources and coaching please visit www.wenetworkservices.com and book a consultation.

Please share and download this episode for your reference.

Todays episode is based on a LinkedIn News article talking about career breaks. Reshma Saujani, the founder and CEO of Moms First spoke about how to navigate and talk about their career break.

See link to the article: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7168991768435183616/?commentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Acomment%3A(ugcPost%3A7168991571017711617%2C7168999518267514881)&dashCommentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afsd_comment%3A(7168999518267514881%2Curn%3Ali%3AugcPost%3A7168991571017711617)

In this episode, I expound not that article and give my own perspective and thoughts on taking a career break or even explaining a gap on your resume and career.

I hope you enjoy the episode. Feel free to share your own experience on this topic.

Download and share this episode with a friend and have the conversation.

In this episode we outline the meaning of value and worth and how sometimes they are used together and also at times used to mean the same thing. We also, discuss how both words have two different meanings, however knowing one helps you to know the other.

What do you think about both words? How do you use them in your everyday talk? Let's discuss

Please download and share this episode and have the discussion with your colleagues and friends.

Are Genzers speaking up more and elevating their voice in the workplace more than Millenials? It seems as though Genz mantra is we are not working for free and our work-life-balance is important. What can Millenials learn from Genz and what can Genz learn from Millenials?

We discuss a few in this episode.

Please share, download this episode and subscribe to the podcast to hear more discussions like this one.

AI is here and it's here to stay. Employers are now using AI with platforms such as Sparkhire and Hirevue to sift through applicants for the jobs they are offering.

Is this a good thing? Like I said in this episode I think it's one more thing that job seekers have to be prepared to overcome in their process.

According to Voomer (source) questions are pre-recorded and you are allowed a certain amount of time to prepared and answer these questions. The AI tracks everything from your eye contact to your facial expression and more.

How can jobseekers prepare for this kind of interview?

1. practice

2. Use sites like tryvoomer.com to get you prepare with simulations and practice questions

3. Record yourself using laptop or phone and watch it back

4. Seek help from professional like coaches, hr personnel, your network

5. Network, Network, Network - Put yourself in face to face situations where you can share your personality and value giving you a leg up and positioning this AI interview as just a formality.

I wish all you job seekers the best in your job search.

For more advice and tips visit my website wenetworkservices.com and book a session with me.

Please like, share, subscribe and download this video. Your support is appreciated.

In today's episode we explore the pressing topics that are in the headlines from a professional perspective and in true Network Hour fashion.

We break down:

1. Hunter Biden and Congress

2. Trump Rhetoric

3. Johnathan Majors and Coretta comment

4. Taraji P Henson and Value/Worth

5. Harvard President resigns - Claudine Gay

We hope you enjoy the episode.

Share and Subscribe.

Looking back at 2023 and really understanding the challenges and learning from the mistakes. Looking forward into 2024 and setting some new goals and adopting a new attitude and mindset to foster growth.

Welcome to episode 1 of our new series workplace interactions. In this letter we react to a problem the writer is having with her co-worker.

We spend most of our time working in the office and often times we have interactions with our co-workers or bosses. In this trailer I read a small snippet of a letter sent to me about a woman having problems with her co-worker.

Stay tuned for the episode where we dive deeper into this letter.

We hear the phrase work life balance all the time and share the sentiment that it is important but how many of us actually incorporate it into our daily lives.

A couple of weeks ago I got a rude awakening of how I was neglecting myself and not paying attention to the life balance in the phrase work life balance.

Weeks of being sick and me still thinking about work brought me to the realization that my priorities were off balance. I needed to start prioritizing me more. So I've made some changes and I'm urging you to do the same and become the best version of YOU.

Are you self-sabotaging consciously or unconsciously?

In this episode, I talk about self-sabotage and how easy we can fall into that behavior of self-sabotaging. Often times it is something that has become a part of who we are and how we show up. We also self-sabotage out of FEAR; and so it affects our personal and professional success as well as our mental health.

Stop Self-Sabotaging:

1. Learn how to identify unhelpful patterns and behavior

2. Become more self aware - you might need to seek therapy

3. Identify the behavior that is blocking or does not match the goal you are trying to achieve

4. Do not be perfect Patty. Everything does not have to be perfect

5. Set boundaries

6. Stop being busy bee and actually take time for self

7. Do not Procrastinate

8. Do not be afraid to communicate your needs. ASK FOR HELP!

Networking is about building and maintaining valuable relationships. A relationship entails of two people or multiple people. There must also be value to the relationship. Each person must work on the relationship and build, support and encourage each other to grow. Networking is not selfish and your network is not a mechanism for you to just feed from. Engage in giving vs asking all the time. In this episode, I outline some simple actions that can be taken to add value to your network.

Continue to build your relationships and keep networking!

We all know that it takes 10 seconds or even less for someone to form an impression of us. Now, I recognize that might not be who we are, we might just be going through something at the time, however it is important to be mindful that sometimes that first impression can completely turn someone away from you. A negative first impression can cost you a job, a business opportunity, a networking connection and so much more. My tip in this video is to be more self-aware. Pay attention to your non-verbal cues. It's better to explain and be authentic in saying no right now, rather that faking and coming off disingenuous. As much as we don't like it, first impressions matter. On a positive note sometimes you can come back strong from a first impression if you put in the work and show people a different side of who you are. We are all here to grow and learn.