✉️ From Gladys

Hi friend,

This week feels electric, doesn’t it? Halloween 🎃 and Día de los Muertos 💀 are right around the corner — and then boom — it’s the rush to the New Year.

Before we hit that year-end sprint, I’ve got a busy and exciting week myself: I’m heading to Albany this weekend to present at a conference and putting the finishing touches on a brand-new workshop for YOU (and your friends!) coming in November.

That means no Friday Co-Working this week, but we’ll be back next Friday (Halloween!).

So, take a deep breath and buckle your seatbelts, ’cuz we’re taking off! 🚀

Smiles,
Gladys

🎭 The Scene: The Courage to Reach Out

You know that song from Funny Girl?

“People... People who need people… are the luckiest people in the world."
​
​It’s a little sentimental for some, I know, but there’s a lot of truth there.

We all need people - especially when we’re in transition: job searching, rebuilding confidence, or simply wondering what’s next.

But here’s the thing: reaching out doesn’t mean reaching out in desperation. It’s not about “please save me.” Never.

It’s “hey, I’m reconnecting and curious about what might be possible.”

That first kind of reach-out, the desperate one, is about getting something from someone. The second, done in good faith, is about getting closer to someone.

And here’s the secret: people love to help.

They love to be asked for advice, to feel useful, to know their words matter. It’s not manipulation; it’s human nature. We all like to feel that our experience has value.

But the magic happens when you mean it — when you reach out because you’re genuinely interested in learning, connecting, and maybe offering something back.

💡 Cue the Shift

If you’ve been hiding behind your laptop, avoiding LinkedIn, or telling yourself you’ll reach out “next week,” try this:

Don’t start with strangers. Start with people you already know: a former coworker, a mentor, an old classmate, someone you’ve just… lost touch with.

It doesn’t have to be complicated. You can say something like:

That’s it. No pitch. No agenda. Just human connection.

One of my clients resisted getting back on LinkedIn for months. He thought it would feel awkward and fake. But once he reached out to a single former colleague, that conversation turned into an introduction - and then into two interviews for a job that never even made it to a job board.

That’s the quiet power of courage - to do it anyway because it's the right thing to do.

🌱 The Takeaway

Networking isn’t about "networking" - it’s about nurturing.

Reaching out doesn’t mean “asking for something.” It means remembering that relationships don’t expire, they just need a little light to grow again.

This week’s challenge:​
🌟 Reach out to one person you haven’t talked to in a while.
Do it gently, do it curiously, and do it in good faith.

You never know what doors might open when you knock with honesty.

P.S. I’ll be opening registration this week for The 30-Minute Networking Jumpstart for Jobseekers - a short, powerful session to help you reconnect and reach out with confidence. If you want first dibs, you can peek at the landing page here. 👀