My dad passed away at 70 years old. He was a businessman, and he lived his whole life in the same town. When I was growing up, and I remember from my bat mitzvah was the first time we were planning a big party, because I was the oldest, and we were sitting down at the dining room table. My mom, my dad, myself and my mom asked my dad, who do you want to invite? And my dad said, I have no friends. Who am I going to invite? Invite whoever you want. So my mom made her list. I made my list. Of course, my friends had to be there. It was a running joke of our family. My dad used to laugh all the time. I have no friends. Nobody's coming to my funeral. It's never gonna happen. Well, when my dad passed away, being Jewish, we sat Shiva, which is a seven days of mourning after someone passes, and people come to your home and visit with those that are left behind, and they tell stories about the person that's passed to comfort those that are left behind. I learned more about my dad in those seven days than in the 70 years that he was alive. He never really talked about himself, but other people had stories. I want to share with you this one story. My dad went every day to the gas station to get his newspapers, his cup of coffee and his lottery tickets. That was a place in town for community. The cops were there, other businessmen, the gas station attendants. Well, this one winter, my dad noticed that one of the gas station attendants didn't have gloves. His hands were bright red and chapped, the kind where it's uncomfortable, not the kind when it's warm and fuzzy. And he simply asked him, Hey, do you have any gloves? And the guy said, No. My dad hopped in his truck, went down to Lowe's and came back with industrial gloves for the gas station attendant to have. I would have never learned that story about my dad if it wasn't for that experience I lived through, he would have never have told us, but my dad was a type of person that would do these small things for people and made an impact on their lives and ways that they didn't even realize and we didn't even realize, and when it came time for his funeral, it was standing room only. He would have never imagined that all these people came for him. And what I want to impart in all of you is that your legacy is like my dad's, and the people that you influence each and every day are going to remember you for what you've done for them and the impact that you've made on their lives.

After leaving my role as Chief Customer Officer at a food tech company, I found myself at a crossroads, unsure of what my next step should be. So, in May 2021, I embarked on a learning sabbatical to explore new possibilities. During this time, I uncovered my "Zone of Genius" and decided to pivot toward a Chief of Staff role. But I quickly realized I needed to better understand what this role entailed and which companies might be the right fit for me.

To gain that clarity, I started networking with over 40 Chief of Staff professionals, diving into conversations to learn from their experiences. By the end of 2021, I had met with 171 people one-on-one—a massive leap from the mere five people I had connected with before May of that year. And in one year from May of 2021 to May of 2022, I had met 300 people in one-on-one conversations to the point I had more inbound "leads" then "outbound".

This journey opened my eyes to the power of networking and how it can transform careers and lives. It also sparked a new passion within me. Now, I'm launching my own practice to help others overcome their fears, step out of their comfort zones, and grow their networks. I'm excited to share what I've learned and to guide others on their own networking journeys.