Hey Reader,

This is the weekly announcement for The Awkward Handshake, a podcast & community all about networking that I co-host. If you want to opt-out of these podcast & networking community updates, CLICK HERE.

I wanted to pop into your inbox today (on a Monday of all days!) to let you know that launch week for The Awkward Handshake is here!

TL:DR - Listen to Episode 1 HERE​

This podcast started as a way for Megan Eckman and I to share our experiences, insights, and community with more people. But over the past few months and especially this past week, we’ve realized that the world is in a really weird spot right now. Every room feels a little different. Going out can be more intimidating (or downright scary!) than ever. Knowing who is ‘safe’ can be difficult to judge.

That’s why leaning into your trusted community and people is even more important than ever. Surrounding yourself with those who support you, refer you, and cheer you on is the surest way to survive this dumpster fire with some warmth in your heart and a smile (even a little one) on your face. And we want to help you build that community in case yours is feeling a little sparse right now.

Because you can’t do business without your people!

And, as we will say over and over the first week of our podcast, “Good people know good people.”

So we’re going to be sharing our ‘good people’ with you.

But first, we have lots of fun episodes planned for this week.

• Monday: Let’s do the math: How many events did we attend in 2025? (And why?!)
• Tuesday: Which events are worth it? (You know you want to know.)
• Wednesday: How long until I get paid from networking? (The answer might surprise you.)
• Thursday: How do I get clients through networking? (The end-all-be-all question, right?)
• Friday: Were they lucky or was it their network? (The secret thing we’re all wondering.)

The first episode just dropped. Go give it a listen!​

Don't be boring,
~ Mary