When I was trying to pivot my career, I worked with a career coach who provided support and accountability.

After my program ended, I feared I would go off track. None of my friends were choosing a non-traditional career path. I had to build my own network of people who could relate.

While it takes perseverance and getting over some nerves (reaching out to strangers can be scary!), meeting new people who’ve done what you want to do is one of the best ways to prove to yourself that you can do it too.

This is probably the lowest lift way. You already know how to do this, so I won’t spend much time here. Search by job title or company and don’t be afraid to stalk them 👀. Notice when curiosity appears (like, I wonder how she made that pivot?) and make a note to reach out.

There are tons of communities out there. Here are a few where I’ve heard great things:

When you reach out to someone, your messages should be short, personalized, and have a clear ask at the end.

Take a look at their profile, specifically their recent posts section, to see what they’ve posted about lately to tie it into your outreach.

If you have mutual connects, you can highlight them but only if you actually know them (i.e. don’t highlight them for the sake of the name drop). You can just mention it more broadly (i.e. “…saw we have a ton of mutual connections…”).

Even though it’s a simple message, I can feel when someone is genuinely excited to chat with me vs just quickly sending it off. Channel your enthusiasm with every message.

Be prepared but don’t feel the need to overly prepare.

You can create a list of questions if it’s helpful for you but know you don’t have to have it all figured out, and you can let the conversation naturally flow based on your curiosity.

At the end of the convo, make sure to ask them if they have someone else to connect you with in their network.

When I first started, I had a Google Doc with people’s names. Earlier this year, I transferred it to Notion, where I built out more of a CRM and classify each meeting to make it easier to find later.

After lots of conversations, no matter how good your memory, you’ll forget details about what you talked about, so it’s super helpful to go back to when you reach out to check in.

It can be scary to reach out to someone, esp. if you don’t have any connections or not too much in common. A few things to remember:

You’re not bothering them by reaching out.
People are used to being reached out to on LinkedIn. They have a choice to accept, deny, or not respond to the conversation. If they don’t respond, likely they’re busy and you can send a polite follow-up. Beyond that, continuing to engage with the content is helpful to stay top of mind for when the “right time” pops up again.

You’re just asking for direction.
Just like if you were asking a stranger for directions on the street, you’re asking for directions with your next career step.

What if they actually wanted to talk to you?
Just because your’e the one who asked, doesn’t mean you’re not providing value. They could be getting something out of it, too—whether it’s mentorship, a sale for a program you’re the perfect fit for, or even just time to talk about themselves (people LOVE talking about themselves!), it’s not always one-sided.

Change can be hard, especially if you’re doing it in a vacuum. Making tiny investments now is the only way to see the fruit of your labor down the road! So, send that LinkedIn request, go to that event, try a new community. You never know where it’ll take you.

When it comes to building your support system, what’s holding you back?

My first week in London has been incredible.

Highlights have been: Joining Loom Club, a coworking/events/fitness studio. Attending a meetup event where we walked, meditated, and hung out at a coffee shop/wine bar. Played beach volleyball. Attended a Brazillian BBQ (with another DJ).

I was nervous that I would be lonely, but it’s been the opposite. It’s a good reminder that you can create community where ever you go as long as you put yourself out there.