The One Networking Hack I Used When I was Broadcasting from the Floor of the NYSE

It was 2002. I sauntered into what looked like a German-beer-hall-turned-event-space.

Instead of lederhosen, a burly man in a beret and red kilt commanded the room. A map of Scotland was sprawled on his easel. He called out each of the 5 whiskey producing regions (Campbeltown, Highland, Islay, Lowland and Speyside). The water and the terroir made the taste from each region distinct. For a spirit to be called 'scotch,' it had to be produced in Scotia. There are clues if it's 'whisky' with an 'e' on where it was produced.

This was my "Educating Rita" moment. Peat, moss, and water could impacted how a spirit tasted. I was a cub reporter broadcasting from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. My colleagues were primarily male. (Okay, all male.) I wanted some handles for conversation when out for drinks after work--- that didn't just involve 'work.'

Whiskey became my superpower. No one expected a 5'1" little Indian girl to have such a vast knowledge of it. Many hours of conversation transpired from that moment when I sauntered into that Glen Livet "Intro to Scotch" event.

September 14th, I'm in conversation with Fawn Weaver. She is the first Black person to found a national whiskey brand. She also founded a non-profit to encourage underrepresented communities to enter the spirits industry. The evening will be a tasting of her whiskies alongside the conversation about her story on Zoom. Samples will be sent to your home while we chat.

Would you like to attend? Sign up here.

Thursday, August 11th, I hosted a signature 8 Woman Mastermind Dinner in Montreal. A behind the scenes look at how I host these events here. One of the challenges posed was "How do I position myself as a thought leader in a space different than the one I am known for?"

1. Amanda Natividad, VP of Marketing at SparkToro, pledged, when she started her Twitter account with marketing insights, she would never search for a job again. Her process here in my podcast interview. If you prefer to read, blog post here.
2. A video from my on 3 ways to publish thought leadership.
3. A thread from Justin Welsh on how his one person business cross $1MM in revenue, just by posting the right content

I host a Mastermind for women leaders who are looking to build that personal brand inside of 12 months. How ready are you to get your goals? Take this free assessment. It takes 4 minutes.