Secret to Networking as an Introvert | Lessons From Traveling Solo to NYC

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👋 Hey, it’s Jean!

I’m writing this as I’m flying back from JFK to SFO.

(thank you to my student, Anu for inspiring this post 💙) 

I attended (O/O/O Summit), a conference for founders, operators & creators hosted by an amazing operator, Andrew Yeung who I met at SXSW in March (how I landed a free VIP ticket worth $2K).

I’ll share both highlights + lowlights.

Let’s start with the highlights:

1/ I got to meet my favorite people IRL (and yes, it exceeded all. of. my expectations!)

Starting with Tobi who was one of my first biz coach and now good friend, @careerhannah who’s content I LOVE on IG, and my LinkedIn idol, Justin Welsh (fun fact: I bought his course on LinkedIn growth 2 years ago)

There’s something magical that happens when you take a relationship online → OFFLINE.

You build quality memory reserves, you talk about non-work stuff, and build genuine connection that will always trump a few DMs/texts. 

2/ Tactical tips from top 1% 

I learned what a “flywheel” actually means from the founder of Kit, Nathan Barry and how to design a really good one in all aspects of your life that you want to optimize.

TLDR; The three laws of a flywheel:

For a flywheel to be effective, it needs to meet three criteria:

1. Activities flow smoothly from one into the next

2. Each rotation is easier than the previous rotation

3. Each rotation produces more than the previous rotation

It should grow smoother, easier, and more effective with each rotation (check out detailed examples here) I loved his take on exactly how he’s seen legends like Sahil Bloom turn his newsletter into a million-subscriber newsletter flywheel.

3/ Ability turn off ‘work’ and focus on real experiences

I walked away humanizing people I’ve admired and put on a pedestal, realizing they are much more like us than we think:

Constantly redefining what success means (on your terms) 

Struggling with shiny-object-syndrome, anxiety & mental health

People with families who want to work to live (not the other way around)

Here are some of my go-to questions at networking events (that aren’t boring)

1. What brings you here?

2. What are your goals for the event? 

3. What’s been the highlight (or lowlight) of this event/week?

And some lowlights:

1/ I was exhausted

As someone who WFH 80% of the time, being out all day, networking and living in hotels was hard. 

What I’d do differently:

Give myself permission to take breaks and say “no” to events I’m not 100% excited about. This is critical because only you can say NO.

2/ Comparison trap was real 

While I was surrounded by brilliant minds, I couldn’t help but feel ‘behind’.

I’m hearing founders take their business to $250M exits, millions of followers, and making hundreds of thousands of dollars monthly (imposter syndrome couldn’t be MORE real)

What I’d do differently:

Remind myself to be grateful of where I’ve come vs where I need to be (love this philosophy from a book: The Gap and The Gain for high achievers.

The only way to truly be happy with your successes is to be happy without it too.

3/ The rain made things messy 

I was bummed that my short trip was impacted by rain but I’m proud of myself for making the most of it!

Rainy weather is great for chilling at coffee shops, shopping + solo dates (I did all 3 😉)

What I’d do differently:

Bring waterproof shoes, outerwear + a compact umbrella (or borrow from your hotel).

Luckily I got a free sweater at the event which I used as a ghetto-umbrella to get around lol.

Pro-tip: find people who are down to weather the rain with some good convos 😉

Overall, I’m happy I went and highly reccomend for anyone curious about what it really takes to reach that top 1% as a creator, operator, or solopreneur.

As someone who went from being a corporate operator to building a business and brand from scratch… this event gave me exactly what I needed:

✅ A renewed sense of purpose
✅ Clarity on my why
✅ Real connections with people who just get it

If you’ve been feeling a little lost or low energy — I’d love to help.

What’s 1 thing you’re navigating right now that I can help with?

It can be anything from job search, career pivots, to growing on LinkedIn.

Just hit reply and drop your question. No strings attached + I’ll pick a few to include in future newsletters and share my honest (and hopefully helpful) POV.

Until next time,

Jean

P.S. I’ve legit had back-to-back students land offers in < 7 weeks.

I’m talking offers at places like Microsoft, Workday, and Scale AI for strategic program management roles.

🥳 In 7 weeks, Meagan landed an offer as Venue Director, FIFA World Cup ⚽

She went from feeling extremely burnt out from her last job of 10 years and joined the program at a time when she needed her spark again.

And as a coach (and now friend), I couldn’t be more proud of her growth.

The truth is… she had all the ingredients just needed the right strategy / support to channel her superpower (and guess what happened?)

In a few short weeks, she gained confidence, clarity and found her authentic way of owning her worth (and landed a job she truly deserves and can thrive in it).

Hear from her directly (watch her testimonial) 🥹

And this text literally melted my 💙 😭

See a little of yourself in Meagan’s story?

This can literally be you if you take the RIGHT action.

You just need to have a little faith 😉 

If you have any questions about the program or working with me, just hit reply and I’ll get back to you ASAP (yes, I read every response)

And you can read all the previous newsletters here 🎉 

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