[00:00:00] Hannah: Hello and welcome to this episode of the awfully quiet podcast. Damn. Am I excited to share this conversation with you? I think I've developed a bit of a pattern by now when it comes to securing amazing rock star interview guests. I follow them on Instagram. I am in awe of their craft expertise, the way they put themselves out there.

And I follow them silently because I'm pretty sure they'd say no to a podcast interview, but then. I find the courage to reach out and more often than not, I am positively surprised by first and foremost, getting a response and then people saying yes to me, to you, to this journey we're on. That's really what this conversation is about.

About meaningful connection, taking a first step, getting things moving of which you never know where they take you today. I have Ellie Turner Coggling on the podcast. Ellie is a TEDx speaker, event host, connector, and co founder of Home of Connection. She is on a mission to transform the way we connect.

She curates the most thoughtful events and workshops to facilitate meaningful connection and create spaces that allow for digital detoxing and introvert friendly networking. In this episode, we talk about some of the misconceptions around networking, why it feels so heavy and Ellie helps us frame it in a way that is less daunting.

A lot less awkward and actually really something I want to give a try. Ellie provides us with some killer question prompts that go far beyond. So what do you do for a living? And teaches us how to open a conversation, how to reach out to a senior stakeholder internally and make it a genuine one to one connection that your counterpart is really going to appreciate.

My personal highlight of this episode is all the way towards the end where Ellie talks about super connectors in the workplace and finding your own personal orbit to stand out and raise your profile all in a way that allows you to stay true to who you are. Looking at my notes, you're going to want to grab a pen and paper for this one.

And I can't wait to hear how you like this episode now, without further ado, let's dive into the interview. All right, Ellie, thank you so much for joining me today and welcome to the awfully quiet podcast.

[00:02:50] Ellie: Thank you so much for having me. It's a pleasure to be here.

[00:02:53] Hannah: I'm so excited to have you on. I told you this before I found you on Instagram and just kind of looking through your feed. Everything screams networking to me. There's a lot of socializing, speaking, beautiful curated events in and around London. It's a whole vibe. And it's essentially a lot of extroverting.

So, that's what intrigued me first. And then when you look deeper, you're really committed to transforming the space and transforming the way we connect and network. And I was really intrigued by that. Talk to me about what is networking to you and from your perspective, why is it so important?

[00:03:34] Ellie: Yeah, it's a really good, thing to kind of mention because a few people when obviously they hear I talk about networking and I am quite a chatty, quite naturally extroverted person. people kind of presume that, yeah, I love networking and don't get me wrong. I love meeting new people. But I really do find this idea of networking to be kind of off putting.

and even for someone who, yeah, enjoys kind of meeting new people, I find it quite nerve wracking going to events sometimes, because I really, I'm there to meet lots of people, but I feel like people often have quite an objective and I often feel that question, what do you do being the first thing people often say to you really.

Put kind of puts you on the spot and makes me feel quite nervous. And I just thought, bearing in mind, my husband, for example, is a lot more introverted than me and his idea of, I mean, he just does not like the idea of networking particularly at all. And I just suddenly thought, how can we be making it easy for people and rethinking it more?

Because I think connection is the most important thing. And in fact, I really believe that all aspects of our life, whether personally or professionally, the idea of surrounding ourselves with people, of meeting people who share similar values to us or finding those kind of cheerleaders, those champions, those supporters, and having those people in our life, I feel is the most important thing.

And I think people think of networking as being a sales tool, maybe. or, but obviously, of course, it can help with sales. It helps with professional success. But I also think just in terms of finding people who you really align with, and maybe you will collaborate with them, maybe you'll work with them, but maybe they're just people that you want to have in your network of support around you.

but I think it's really important and that's kind of why I want to talk about it, but also thinking about how we could rethink it a bit and make it seem like something that we want to do. Because realistically, it comes down to just kind of making friends and making connections with people that we find interesting.

[00:05:13] Hannah: Yeah, I really like that. So what I'm hearing is it's to make connection. It's to find people that you align with. It's also to find those cheerleaders, those advocates, which I know is super, super important for introverts in the workplace. if you think about networking events, though, it's mostly people you don't really know yet.

How do you, you know, if you, if you go into an event, into a, Occasion like that, how do you find these people? How do you make that meaningful connection? What are some of the shifts that need to happen?

[00:05:43] Ellie: For sure. I mean, so again, when I sometimes speak to a lot of people who are more introverted and they say, Oh, but I don't really feel like I'm a naturally extroverted person. I'm not great at going into a room and starting off these conversations. I say, actually, I think the best networking is done when people are wanting to build meaningful connection and are actually having one on one conversations and really understanding and actually become the best.

Best things about being an introverted person are you're often very thoughtful about these interactions and probably great listeners. And the thing is, it all comes down to being really curious and wanting to learn about somebody else. So I always say when it comes to networking, a few things, I think, first of all, if you're going to a networking event, Finding events that of course they often are, you know, networking events and that's how they're marketed.

But sometimes as well, just going to a panel event and thinking, you know what? I'm really interested in this topic of maybe it's sustainability, whatever it is that you're interested in. And you think I'm really interested in this. I would love to speak to maybe, maybe find people there. Maybe it is potential clients.

Maybe it's people in your industry. Maybe you're looking to grow professionally and you're looking to kind of get more visible in your industry, or whether you're just looking to meet people who have similar kinds of ideas to you, I think it's really important. I guess it's going to these places, finding out what these events are, and finding the one that even with the wording you feel like is most aligned with what you're interested in.

And then when you're going to these places, I always say, so firstly, doing a research beforehand can be really great. As in, if you know there's a speaker there that you'd love to speak to, or then knowing that you have that connection point to begin with. So if you know, oh, there's that person going and I know they've worked on that really great project, it's so much easier to start off a conversation.

If you say, oh, by the way, I saw you worked on this. I thought it was really fascinating. I'm a huge fan of what you do. People love being flattered. You kind of can't go wrong with just starting off with, you know, I've, I've done a bit of research and I've learned this and I think it's really interesting.

I think that's one thing, but I also think if you're going to an event and you're walking and you don't know anybody, I think just knowing that first of all, there's lots of different conversation starters. I mean, saying to people like, You know, have you come alone too? I have, you know, not making, not making it feel awkward that maybe often at networking events people have come alone.

People have gone to network and that's absolutely fine and really normal. and also saying, you know, what are you here to get from today or why are you here or what speakers are you also here to see? Or anything you're working on that's exciting at the moment, thinking of these conversation starters that we can use that maybe feel a little bit easier and a bit more for, sorry, a bit less forced and tell you more about a person than just simply what do you do. You can find out so much more by asking these questions that kind of are more open for sure.

[00:08:13] Hannah: I really like that. And I dread the question of what do you do? Because nobody wants to be reduced to their job title these days. And to what they do for a living or what they do, externally. And I really like the question of, What Anything exciting that you're working on at the moment, because that also includes a little projects, the side things that, you know, some of the hobbies or things that people are genuinely interested in.

[00:08:41] Ellie: yeah, for sure.

[00:08:42] Hannah: So, what you're saying in terms of. I think you were, some of the problems you were mentioning are really around the environment that you're in. So what are the other speakers that you're going to listen to? have you come here alone as well? So just kind of like sensing and feeling the environment, the context that you're in, and just kind of connecting based off that, I understand.

[00:09:02] Ellie: Yeah, for sure. And I also think, for example, if you've been invited by somebody or you know the host, one thing can be, you know, you're turning up to this event, you know, the host, you go directly to that person. Normally you can say, you know, is there anyone here that you think it would be good for me to speak to?

And it prompts them into thinking of maybe who they can connect you with. I think is always a good one. And that's also why I think it's interesting when people are organizing these events as well, is to be more thoughtful about how you can make these events really easier for people who don't actually want to feel like they're networking, because maybe it is a case and there's lots of incredible events and people that do it as well, but it's this idea of how can we be hosting events and making sure that we're also thoughtful as hosts.

That when people arrive to this event, how are we making sure that that person feels like when they come, they have someone to talk to, or if not, we're going to then, because maybe we're a host and we're busy, we're going to then say, hi, thanks so much for coming. I'd love to introduce you to this person.

You're both really interested in this field or you both. have dogs, you know, whatever it is. It's like, there's so many different points of connection. It doesn't need to be about work, even if it's a work related event. and I think just being more thoughtful and also people often say like, don't go with a friend because they're like, Oh, then you won't make the same connections.

But actually I often take friends to events and they know that I'm there to kind of network a bit. but actually often as well, you'll find that you can advocate for somebody else so much easier than you advocate for yourself. And I know that I've gone with friends and I, and someone will say, what, what do you do?

And I automatically am on the spot and I'm like trying to list the different things I'm working on. And then it's like your friend will be like, Oh, Ellie, she's great at this. This is what she does. And I do the same for my friends. And it's. It's actually a really nice way of doing it. So I would say for sure, people do say you often meet more people if you go alone, but if you don't feel comfortable doing that, just getting used to going to these events in the first place, I think is really great because you never know, it only takes one conversation to change something.

And I think it's really important. I really think we're in a world where we do need. More connection. I think we're really hyper connected and we're online and we're always kind of connected to people on kind of a surface level, but take time to build these connections and just going to events. You never know, like who you might meet, who might, yeah, just who might be there in the conversation and kind of the opportunity that might arise from that.

and also just not being afraid to reach out, you know, whether, Even online or offline. I know I'm talking a lot here about networking events and obviously your life networking. And I do believe in real life connection is the best form of connection for sure. But even if it is a case of speaking to people online, but just reaching out to people, or if you know, even if you've been to an event and you think I didn't want to speak to that person at that event, because they seem quite busy.

I was quite nervous. But you've got that point of connection there that it's so much easier to follow up online and say, Oh, hi, I met you at this event. I'd love to hear more about the project that you're working on. It sounds really exciting, but you've got a reference point and that's an easier way of starting a conversation anyway.

So I'm kind of like, you can't really lose out by just going to more of these events and being in that spaces. And there's probably plenty of other people feeling exactly the same as you.

[00:12:01] Hannah: I know, I certainly feel like that. Like events where I only know the host and I'm all by myself. I feel really awkward and nervous. I'll end up speaking to one person that I cling to the entire night. And then what he said about bringing a friend really resonated with me. I have a lot of extroverted friends that I'd love to go out with just because.

[00:12:23] Ellie: Bring them.

[00:12:24] Hannah: They do the job for you, don't they? That's all I need. I'm happy to have a conversation, but it's always those first couple of seconds or even the initiating the conversation or asking the first question. And so it can be so meaningful to have someone there who facilitates that and who makes sure that everybody is connected and who just kind of finds the common ground for you.

[00:12:46] Ellie: exactly. For sure. And the thing is, I obviously, as I said, someone is quite extroverted naturally, but even then I go to events sometimes and I think, Oh, actually I'm quite nervous about this event. I bring my friends who are kind of similar and honestly, it's really fantastic having someone else there. and it does just help you feel more relaxed and you can still say, right, look, I hope you don't mind.

I really want to try and speak to X, Y, Z tonight, or I really want to be out there, but actually doing it with somebody else, I think is incredible. And I, I think people should be doing that more for sure.

[00:13:11] Hannah: Yeah. And it makes it more fun. It almost like helps us, like, Bring ourselves, you know, to a point where we actually go to one of those events. And what I liked about what you said, it's like, follow what you're interested in. Like, don't go to a networking event just for the purpose of networking or, you know, with a very clear intention, but follow what you're interested in.

And I'm always feeling like that's something that as introverts. We underestimate in terms of like, we stay in our little bubble bubble that's comfortable and with the people we connect with on a day to day basis. But there is so much value in stepping outside of that. And we can easily follow our interests or our, you know, what we're trying to achieve, what we're trying to do.

Me personally, I'm looking to connect to other podcast hosts or other, you know, small business owners, and I don't find them in my immediate reach. And so a lot of connection happens online, but I'm more and more thinking it's not the real thing. Like, I want to speak to somebody else who is on that same journey.

So, I think for that reason, it's so important to put yourself out there physically. Tell me about that more in terms of like, did you have an experience where you were like, well, if I hadn't had gone to this event, I wouldn't have gone to this event. Things in my life wouldn't have happened or in my career.

So anything that comes to mind where you can say it's really important to get out there in person.

[00:14:41] Ellie: Yeah, for sure. I would say most of the things I've done have come from being at events. So I do a lot of public speaking and so many of the talks I've done have come from meeting people at events and someone saying to me, Oh, you should come and do this inside my company. Actually. I'd love to hear, you know, women's network at my company would love to hear about networking.

Can you come in and do this about networking internally? And things like that have come from me being at events. Also, I actually interviewed the founder of All Saints a few months ago, but I actually met him at a party. I met him at an event, got on with him and was just like, I would love to interview you.

That was basically it. I was like, and it took me quite a while to follow up because I was actually kind of nervous that I would say to him, I'd love to interview you. And he'd just be like, no. So I actually waited quite a while and then said, I don't know if you remember me. I'd love to interview you. And he was like, yeah, I would, I would love that.

Of course, kind of thing that was so lovely and so helpful. and someone else actually I interviewed was because I was interviewing, I was, I wanted to go to this event and the person was there and I thought I would love to go and watch them be interviewed. They're meant to be interviewed by their business partner.

And I went along a little bit earlier and I spoke to, I'd message actually the team who organized the event beforehand to be like, no, this is a little bit random, but I'm an event host myself. I would love to just. Obviously, I'm coming to the event later, and I would love to know more about what you do, if there's any way I can help, if you're ever looking for hosts.

And at that point, I wasn't even necessarily, I was just kind of really trying to set a bit of a connection, really. They said, yeah, of course, come along. So I met them a little bit earlier, had a really good chat with them. And then about an hour later, so literally an hour after I spoke to them, and just before, The event started, they were like, Oh, the person, his business partners actually dropped out.

He's not able to do the interview anymore. We need an event moderator. Can you do it? And that's actually how I got the interview. and that was really great for me because it was, it was one of the first people that, I've got the big, yeah, bigger people that I interviewed. And it was really great, but it all came off the bat of basically being there a little bit early and messaging somebody.

And I just always think if I hadn't have done that. And I hadn't put myself out there because I think we do get super nervous. for sure. I mean, I get nervous. You always worry, like, I'm going to ask them and they're just either not going to reply to me, or maybe they're going to say something really horrible.

I don't know the amount of things that go through your head. I, for me personally, I overthink everything and I'm really indecisive. And if I am going to message someone, it will take me quite a while to often decide to actually do it. And it's only more recently that I've just started thinking it's very different now.

That's obviously how I was a while ago. And now obviously I definitely do just, if I think someone's doing something really cool, I will just reach out. Cause I always think that worst that can happen is that someone might be like, might not get back to you. Or maybe they're like, I'm so sorry. I'm really busy.

I can't commit to that right now. But it's like, so what? People also have other things going on in their lives. It doesn't always, it's not always a reflection of what you do and that you're, you're the person that's asked. They don't want to speak to you. Maybe they're just really busy. Maybe they've got other projects going on.

It's just not a priority. or people sometimes just forget to reply and things like that. And of course it happens and you can feel a little bit rejected, but I always think I'd rather. Go out there because the amount of times that it's worked out completely outweigh the amount of times that, you know, it hasn't kind of thing.

so I just always think put your, yeah, put yourself out there, even if it's just a case of messaging someone and saying, yeah, I really like what you do. If you ever want this, or if you're ever interested in talking about this, that would be amazing. I

[00:17:47] Hannah: scary than you would think, actually, because You're not out there pitching or you're not out there selling yourself. You're just showing genuine interest, which I can totally get behind. And I think every introvert can agree that that's something that is manageable, like, show interest and, put yourself out there in the sense of like.

You know, show up and do a little bit of research and potentially prepare, reach out to the host or facilitator, whatever this looks like, but then you can let it go and things start to happen. It's really just taking that first step, showing interest and just kind of making sure you're in the right spaces to begin with, and then it sounds like.

It's more effortless once you are there and things start to, to roll, and get going.

[00:18:34] Ellie: think you kind of get used to it. And I also think more you go to these events and when you go to these places, the more often I find now I go to a lot of events and I see kind of people that you already know, and even if you only recognize a face, it just makes you feel a little bit more relaxed. And also it's true.

Like it's almost just having lots of different points of connection with people, because sometimes if you do want to kind of work with someone, or if you want to get in front of them or however it is, it's like the more points of connection you have to that person. Whether you, maybe you do chat online, maybe you've seen them at an event.

It's like the more you have that, the easier it is to build a relationship as well. and I also would say just making it really easy for people to help you. I know that, a while ago I was doing this, it was kind of like a networking, it was kind of like a class, I guess I was doing this masterclass.

And someone said to me, or when you say, I think it was something like, I was like, yeah, make it easy for people to know what it is you do, like who you are and what you do or something. And they were like, oh, do I need like an elevator pitch? Yeah. And I was like, don't get me wrong, I, a lot of people advocate for that.

I personally don't have like a set elevator pitch I use, but for sure I say certain things that I think makes it easier for people to understand quite quickly what it is that I do. and, or even if it's like what you're interested in, whatever it is, but I think just making it really easy for people to help you.

And also if you are reaching out to someone or if you are talking to them, saying to them, you know what, I would just love like even 15 minutes of your time. is a really great way of feeling like you're asking for that, you're setting that expectation, and you're making it easy for them to be able to help you because you're not asking for a lot.

but I think there's so much. You don't want to leave room in a way for ambiguity, I guess. But also when you, if you do, someone does say to you, no, what do you do? And you found that question a little bit nerve wracking. Like I say, that I always have done, even if you just say, you know, I'm really interested in this or actually I do this, but I'm working on this at the moment or whatever, just thinking of ways in which you can talk about what it is you want to talk about, what it is you're interested in, because I think if you can talk about what lights you up, what interests you, And that's what you want to connect on, then, then do.

I think it's, it's whatever you feel comfortable talking about and whatever way you want to kind of develop that relationship or have that starting point off.

[00:20:29] Hannah: I love that. And I say this to people going into job interviews, I say, You know, just kind of think about the three messages that you want to land, like the three things you want them to know about you leaving that interview. And it's very similar with networking. It's like, I have a set of things that I'm comfortable speaking about, things that I don't want to speak about.

And it's almost like priming yourself to have the right conversation and to leave them with nuggets of here's what I'm doing. Here's what I'm looking to do. This is the kind of support I potentially need. So there's a little bit of prep going into this too. I always feel like. that working or connecting with somebody else should be natural.

Of course, it should be something that you wing, but on the other hand, it's perfectly fine, or it sounds like it's perfectly fine to go in with a little bit of prep.

[00:21:17] Ellie: For sure. Yeah. Preparation. And also, like you say, asking questions, even if, if you haven't done the prep, you want to kind of learn, you use the opportunity to just ask questions. Most people, if you get them talking about something they want to talk about. They're quite happy to, to talk, you know? So if you're just gonna ask them questions and be like, oh, I'm really interested in that, even if at that point you are not really wanting to maybe say too much or you're a little bit nervous about what it is you wanna be saying, asking questions, showing interest, being really curious.

And that's, I suppose, why if you do know who's going and you can prep more in advance, that does make it easier for sure, if you know who you wanna speak to and you have that information beforehand, definitely. But equally, if you're going to an event where you don't know anybody and you're literally just going because you're interested in it, then actually it should be even easier in a way to make that conversation without prep, because it's like, well, you're at this event because you're obviously interested in this panel or this topic maybe, and it can be, Oh yeah, how come you're interested in this?

Or what's your relation to this? Or just asking those questions and not feeling, yeah, I know it can feel nerve wracking for sure though. I

[00:22:15] Hannah: Yeah, but

[00:22:15] Ellie: like you said,

[00:22:16] Hannah: you know, if you go in with a repertoire of questions of, like, things that you can ask just in general, like, even making a compliment to somebody else, or even just kind of talking over a drink that, you know, the same drink that you're ordering, whatever it is, but just kind of, like, getting yourself into it with a set of questions.

Of questions that you come prepared with. And then whenever you meet somebody, 1 to 1, I think it's quite natural for us to prepare questions or to prepare sort of like what you want to speak about, which, yeah, I often think like, yeah, that then feels natural. It's like the prep that goes into it makes it feel natural in the end.

[00:22:52] Ellie: Yes. Yeah. You're almost preparing for it to feel unprepared. Yeah. It's that feeling of making it feel more natural. No, for sure. I think in any conversation when it is one on one and you can do that work, whether it's maybe someone in your industry, in your company. I think, of course, yeah, the more you can do and the more where you can find, kind of, Common topics, common interests.

But like you said, if you're at an event, this idea of, yeah, I've been able to find common things that you guys can talk about, like you say, even if it is the drink, if they're serving a certain mocktail and you're like talking about that, in fact, one time I was, saw a group of people and I thought the, my only way was to enter this group of people because there wasn't really many people one on one, and actually in fairness, I did actually need a phone charger, but I think I kind of went in like, Oh, hi, Meet you early.

Also, has anyone got a phone charger or something like that? But I know it sounds really silly. We had, I ended up actually swapping numbers with a few of the people there. I actually still know one of the girls from that conversation still talk to her. And it's quite funny that that obviously wasn't actually quite planned.

It just kind of happened that way, but it is interesting that it's like just finding different things. But like you say, for sure, one on one definitely being able to do that preparation, and feeling like you're putting thought beforehand into what you want to ask. There's nothing wrong. There's nothing wrong with doing that at all.

I think the more preparation, the better. Yeah. In fact, people appreciate it as well. If you're going and you've said to someone, I would love, maybe you want mentorship, maybe there's someone in your company or someone that you were with, who you kind of look up to. And you said to them, you know, I would love 50 minutes of your time.

I thought you were working on this project. It was so interesting. I'd love to hear more about it. And then when you speak to them, you've done that work and you say, I also saw you did this, or I also, oh, it just, people are like, oh, that's really nice. It, they, they know that you care. And I think it always comes down to that idea of it's about how you make people feel, even if you're, even if the results sometimes comes across a little bit different.

I know that sometimes people say things and I know I've said things where I kind of feel like I've messed up what I wanted to say, but I think people can always tell your intention. Even if when you say something you think, Oh no, that didn't come across how I wanted it to. People will probably forget what you said, you know, but they'll remember like, obviously that famous Maya Angelou quote, you know, people will forget what you said, they'll forget what you did, but they won't forget how you made them feel.

It's like just knowing that people can see your intention. And if you're being really curious and wanting to know. People can really feel that and I think feeling that sense of care or, you know, this idea of thinking, how can I be helping somebody else rather than what's in it for me, which I think anyway, obviously it should be the way people go into networking and any kind of connection anyway in conversation.

This idea of, yeah, how can I help you? Is there anything I can do? At all, just knowing that you're looking like you're, you know, you're making people feel a certain way you're trying to help, I think always comes across really well.

[00:25:19] Hannah: yeah. I really, really love that, especially in a context of internal connecting within the organization, just because, what I often hear introverts say is, you know, I don't want to steal their time. You know, they are so much senior to me. I don't, I don't just want to steal their time for a 30 minute connect.

And I think what you said is often underestimated in that they feel really appreciated when you go out and ask them genuine questions, when you've done some preparation, when you've understood their context and you have some concrete questions that can feel really, really nice to somebody to, to even ask for advice.

I love to be asked for advice, for example.

[00:25:58] Ellie: I've got people that message me and I have like advice and there's someone actually recently asked me to be their mentor and they sent me this lovely message, asking me, asking me for it. And was that, and they'd set out how many, and I genuinely was like, first of all, I was really flattered. Second of all, I was like, 100%, I would love to do that.

And of course I get that. If people are getting lots of requests, you don't always have time. And I do appreciate that. It is really hard sometimes when people ask for calls and I'm like, I really wanna speak to you. I only kinda have this time. I'm really sorry. Or think of course that that's what happens and that's natural.

But I think if you are thoughtful about it and even the way you ask somebody as well, I think people really appreciate it. And again, you're making it easier for them. or the other thing I often say. Networking or any, that point of connection, that's the start of it, right? It's all about how we continue that relationship.

But if there is someone that you want to kind of either start off the conversation with, or someone that you've met before, and you want to kind of meet up with them or something, this idea of just being helpful. So for example, if you, if you see an event that might be useful for them, if you have a resource or an article or something and you think, Oh, actually, I think you might find this really useful.

That's really, you know, it's just kind of being like, Oh, I'm thinking of you, you know, not, not in like a weird way, but just in like, this might be useful for you. if you ever also want to chat about it, that would be great or something like that. It's this idea that, and you're giving them an option then, right?

It's kind of like, even if they say they haven't got time, but they really appreciate the article. They might be like, thank you so much. I'll take a read. I haven't got time this week for a chat, but I really appreciate you sending me this. It's just like keeping it going, I think. And people, like you say, people just appreciate that.

[00:27:27] Hannah: Yeah, I really, really like that, just in terms of keeping the connection and maintaining.

[00:27:33] Ellie: Maintaining it. Cause people often, I always say so much of the networking talks I do. I'm like half of it is yeah. Part of it is how you actually approach your situations, how you prepare for them, how you kind of map out. Maybe there are people maybe that you want to kind of work with, especially if it is internally or wanting to raise your profile or.

Professional development in general. Maybe there are people you want to connect with. And I say, kind of map it out. You know, who are those people in your network? Are they friends of friends? Can you get introductions? Like, how do you map it all out? But then also I say, have room for this spontaneous, you know, conversation and connection, because you never know who that person knows, you know, you can't be going in with a full strategy all the time, but alongside that, it's, that's the start of it.

Everything about building connection is ongoing. You can't meet someone and then ask them for a favor months later. I mean, you can. People obviously do do it. But I kind of think keep it going because it should be a friendship. Even if it's not a close friendship, it's this idea of being a friend and messaging, being helpful, selling them ideas, thanking them.

Like when you've literally met someone and someone's given you some time being like, thank you so much. Even chatting to you at this networking event. I really appreciate talking to you this afternoon. It really helped me. If you recap it in that email, they then remember how they met you and what you were discussing.

So it's a great way. Say it is someone really senior in your, in, in your company and you've met them at this event and you think they're really interesting. Like I'd love to stay in touch with them. And you say, hi, it was lovely meeting you at that event. event, it was really cool talking about this, I would love to continue the conversation at any point and they go, Oh, great.

Thank you for that. Yeah. Really lovely to be connected. And then it's just keeping that going. And maybe it is selling that article in a while, it's, but it's just thinking and being thoughtful about that whole process.

[00:29:10] Hannah: Yeah, yeah, I really, really like that because I think that that's actually something that introverts can be good at where they are strength in terms of like being thoughtful and going a little bit deeper, not viewing connections as, you know, as something that you just kind of make once and then you never benefit from it again.

And I'm not speaking benefiting in terms of like, asking for something, but benefiting in a sense of. Connection in a sense of, you know, building your network further, as you say, you never know what's going to come out of it, but also, with, like, tips and advice and genuine conversation, I always feel like when I had a genuine good conversation that benefits me, even though there is no direct impact to my career right this moment. Speaking about internal, like, you said, you talked about raising your profile. I know that my audience often gets feedback around visibility internally. introverts will often get feedback internally along the lines of you're doing really well. Your performance is great. We love you in the team. But nobody outside the team really knows you, you're not visible enough, you know, you should potentially raise your profile a little bit, make sure you become a little bit more visible in front of senior leadership.

and I know that you give workshops on this topic. I know that you help people in organizations with becoming more visible. What would you recommend people do in terms of, you know, raising their profile as you say.

[00:30:44] Ellie: Yeah, I think a few things. I think one thing, when it comes to, for example, meetings, I know that, so when we have, when we have a meeting and I've got friends, obviously who, who, one friend in particular actually comes to mind, who says to me that actually she feels really nervous that when there's a meeting happening, she doesn't always want to give her thoughts and feedback right then.

Cause she'd rather have a little bit of time to process it. and the people who are getting heard in the meetings sometimes are those who are the loudest, those who are putting down all the ideas. so I think, you know, I think it's And I always say in a lot of the workshops I do as well, sometimes the people, the quietest people are the ones with some of the best ideas and people who are actually often more junior sometimes as well, you know, it's like, it's really thinking about how you can get all these ideas together.

And what you want is also to hear from people who are different to you, people who are going to come with a new perspective and kind of a new, new idea. So I think just knowing that if you have got an idea and maybe didn't feel, you know, able to voice it in that meeting, being able to follow up afterwards and being like, you know, I've had a little bit of time to think actually about this.

I was just wanting to process a few things, but here are some thoughts I have in case they're useful and going back with some thoughts. And it's a way of you feeling like you're still getting that out there. You're still speaking to people. You're still building that connection. You might not be being in the room being the loudest one there, but you're still taking the time to follow up afterwards.

And that's still being visible. That's still sharing your ideas, sharing your thoughts. Or if it's, Oh, actually, what was what might have been really useful to that conversation was this. Keep saying about articles. I don't just go around sending people articles, but say it's like, Oh, I found this, this, this might be really useful or this event actually covers this or whatever it is, going back to that kind of group of people you were talking to and saying, this actually might be really useful as well.

People are still seeing you. You're still building that relationship. You don't need to build a relationship with every, every person. Every single person, you know, I always say being visible is, is very different. You, it doesn't mean being the loudest person, being visible to everybody. It might just be, maybe you're visible to certain people.

Maybe it's about just being in that kind of orbit. So for example, I often say, whether it's in your company or industry, you will have the people who are like the connectors and the super connectors, the people who everyone seems to know, you don't have to become that person. But you connect with that person.

[00:32:46] Hannah: love that. You don't have to become that person, but you do need to be connected in a way. Talk to me about this. How do I, you know, how do we make, how do we achieve that in a way that is not awkward?

[00:33:00] Ellie: Yeah. So normally it could be, and I, again, this obviously depends, but often these people might be people who are the ones putting on the events, maybe the other chair of a network you want to be part of, getting involved in these things. Firstly, one thing is being able to reach out to them and say, Hi, again, I really love what you're doing.

I would love, even if I could have like five minutes or 10 minutes of your time, or I know this sounds, you know, I see you're going to that event, I'm actually. In that same place beforehand as well. I'm also going to the event. Maybe we can catch up there. You're making it easy for them. Or again, if you know what they want and what they're looking to do and you think actually this event might be useful for them, maybe you can invite them to the event you're going to.

They're also probably a great person to bring to a networking event because they're going to Be the connectors as well, but it's this idea of getting in that kind of orbit and feeling free, sorry, not being nervous, I guess, but feeling open to be able to just messaging them and reaching out and actually, connecting, I think is one thing for sure.

And also again, maybe that is online. It doesn't need to be in person. It could be a quick email to somebody. and then the other thing being, there are things maybe you can get involved with. Maybe you're not necessarily having to be like the host of it, but maybe it's, you know what, I would love to get involved with that network.

Maybe there's a women's network. I don't know, your company, or maybe there's, and you can kind of get involved with organizing an event. Or you can get involved in a different way because you'll find people come to you. If you're the one who, when you say hosting an event, people think, Oh, I've got to be there, like the face of it.

But you could partner up with somebody else who wants to be the face of it. Again, I always say partner up with people who have got complimentary skills, you know, they don't need the same skills. You want complimentary. You want someone who is going to really. Help bring that new perspective or bring those ideas.

So maybe it's, maybe you're an ideas person and maybe you say to the connector, you know what? I would, I really think we should be talking about this topic. I think it would be really helpful, really interesting. I'd love to create an event around it. Would you be interested? And they might be like, oh, that's perfect.

You've got the great idea. I would, I'm the connector. I would love to bring people to it and you connect with that person. And maybe you do say, I would, I'll help organize this with you. But it puts you in a position where you are being elevated and you are being more visible, but that's not necessarily because you're having to go around and be the loud person at an event.

But for sure, people will come up to you and talk to you because they'll be the ones asking you questions and things as well, because you're, you're involved. And even if it's just seeing your name, seeing you've been involved in that, it's also much easier when you are then speaking to people to say, Oh, I'm really interested in this at my company.

I actually host this, or I, or I'm involved with this. I'm just thinking of how you can become more involved in different things or how you can help on different projects or come up with ideas for things. If someone's working on something that you think is really great. I've, I hope, I'm not sure if this is relevant, but I've got this really great idea.

I don't know if this could be helpful or this could be useful. If you want to chat about it, let me know. It's just this idea of facilitating these conversations without feeling like being visible means being the loudest person.and again online, I mean, I know a lot of people talk about, you know, being on LinkedIn and if that's something you feel comfortable doing, or just speaking online, then that's a great way for you to do it as well.

[00:35:53] Hannah: yeah. I really like this element of, you don't have to do it all by yourself. You can find people that complement your skills. And I actually find hosting or facilitating meetings or events quite introvert friendly. Because as you say, people come to you. It's like, you don't have to put yourself out there.

You don't have to put a lot of effort into, you know, Being visible, but you're naturally visible and you're not visible to sell yourself. You're visible to put up a great event and make sure that you facilitate this event or a meeting in a way that everybody has heard and so on. So it feels like the spotlight is less on yourself and more on the cause of what, you know, what you're trying to achieve the event, the session, the meeting, the workshop.

So. Yeah, that feels great to me. And I think that that's something that, my audience can take away in terms of like, you know, how can I get involved? What am I interested in? What's an idea that I've been sitting on and not really been sharing and who in the company could be part of that orbit that I can reach out to and share this idea with.

I really like them.

[00:36:59] Ellie: Simply, honestly, I think collaboration is the key to everything. Collaboration, connection, getting other people on board, talking about things that you're interested in. But yeah, for sure, just getting other people on board, talking to people about your ideas and not being afraid of that, because you really never know where it can lead.

and definitely it's a way of being visible without feeling like you have to be on show. I think they're, they're different things.

[00:37:18] Hannah: Yeah, 100%. The other thing I want to talk about, and I've talked to you before about this is digital detox because you care a lot about digital detox. You do digital detox events where people hand in their phones prior to, entering and you are building a digital detox hotel. Like, Not just, you know, you're not just renting space.

You're building an actual hotel for people to come to and be by themselves, potentially connect to a certain extent, but literally spend some time away from it all talking about why digital detox is something that you are pursuing. What, why is it needed? Why do we need more? And, what do these events look like?

[00:38:07] Ellie: Yeah. So for me, it's a digital detoxing. obviously I spend a lot of my time online. and the thing is that I always say is I'm not like against tech. I think tech has a, I think there's so many incredible things. And I think the fact that we are so connected to people is amazing. I am on all the social platforms, things like that.

I spend a lot of my time doing that. But I think with anything, when there's a rise in something, Yeah. There's also a need for the other option, right? You always kind of need to, you always need kind of polars. And I think the more that we're online and the more that we're, you know, there's been so much like hustle culture, always being online, always feeling visible, always feeling connected.

And then I always say we are really hyper connected in this world. And everyone's kind of easily available. We're always on, but how often are we really taking the time to actually switch off and really disconnect? and the idea of the digital detox, hotel and also the events are kind of, so very, very similarly linked.

So when it comes to the events, for example, so that's part of Home of Connection, which I run with my friend, Maud Hurst, who's a meditation expert, and the idea of it is we come together and we create these events where we want to make it really, Easy for people, I guess, to really kind of connect and come together.

So we do try and facilitate connection in the way that we host everything that we do. We try and really bring people together, have prompts and things to help people kind of, have conversations. And we just often find that it's not a case of, obviously you can be in your phone beforehand, but we say that when you're in the room, we have a discussion, like a fireside chat.

We always do say to people, you know, if you don't mind, we'd love it if you just. Had your phones off your bag, like weren't using them. Cause I think you can build so much more connection with the people around you. And also with yourself, when you just have time away from technology, because you're just not thinking about it.

It's simply as not seeing those notifications, not being able to feel like you are on constantly being able to put it away. It's like, if you go to bed and you put your phone on the other side of the room, rather than next to you, it just shifts, you not like that, not being the first thing you think about.

So I think that in terms of all the events, I think is really, Yeah, really great. And I absolutely love doing those. And sometimes people are a bit nervous, but I'm not like saying it's an hour, you know, it's not a really long period of time being able just to do that. And of course, if you needed to go and get your phone, that's fine.

It's not like we're locking them away or anything, but just this idea of, trying to be more mindful about that. and then I guess with the hotel, so yeah, this is a really exciting project that I, I'm, yeah, I just can't wait. you know, it's really, really fun and I'm actually doing it with some friends.

So, it's actually, one of the guys actually, The main founder of it was actually my friend from university. He was almost like my mentor at university. which was really cool, and he's incredible. and Group of kind of entrepreneurs, basically, we've all kind of come together. So we're, on the kind of founding team basically.

And this idea is building a space and a place where people can be kind of more alone, focused on whatever it is they want to do, but away from everyday distractions. So away from technology, away from distractions, from everything. I don't know if you've heard of, a lot of kind of entrepreneurs, like for example, Bill Gates.

Does this kind of think week where he would go to a cabin in the middle of nowhere, absolute no phone, nothing completely disconnected from everything and just work on whatever it is he wanted to do. So for him actually had some of the biggest breakthroughs, I think with Microsoft by doing these kind of think weeks.

And our idea is how can we create our own space for these think weeks? So maybe it is that you want to, obviously there's people that I know who go and write books and they'll want to go to a cabin in the middle of nowhere to write the books. Maybe it's something like that. Maybe you want to be really creative.

Maybe you want to do like a workshop and get really. Creative and things. Maybe you actually want to spend more time just reading or doing absolutely nothing with your time. No matter what it is, it's this idea of having a place to really Facilitate that. and people do often say to me like, Oh, it's funny because you talk always about connection.

And then you're doing something where actually it's more like a solo kind of retreat and that's really different. And I say, first of all, I think it's also about connection with yourself. And I think people do need to have that space. I think so much of connection is, is yeah. Having that time away, being able to really connect with yourself.

and it actually helps you to go back when you do, when you are more surrounded with other people to actually then better connect with them as well. Because you've had that time. I think it's so important. and also there are always ways to facilitate that connection without necessarily feeling like you're having to speak to those people and be forced into these situations.

But it's this idea of, yeah, really taking time out. and I'm really excited about it. So we're obviously in the process of kind of building this kind of off grid kind of cabins. We've got a piece of land, and in Portugal, actually. So there's a lot to do around it, but it's just a fantastic, exciting project.

And I really can't wait to be able to open it up to people for sure.

[00:42:23] Hannah: well, I can't wait either. I'm so sold on this and, the, the idea of think weeks, obviously. I often feel like when I'm not doing anything in particular. Is when I come up with ideas, like if I sit here and I try to come up with something, and I'm trying to be really, really productive, nothing happens.

But then when I'm in the shower or on a walk, and I'm literally not doing anything else, I'm not listening to a podcast, even like, it's just me, myself and my thoughts. That's when things start to happen. And it's always on those moments. And it feels like that's exactly what you're facilitating with this idea.

And, with, with that idea of, spending time by yourself and with your thoughts.

[00:43:08] Ellie: Yeah, for sure. And I think it's interesting cause we consume so much media. And when I talk about that connection, I always say it's not just the people you surround yourselves with, although I do think that is the most important thing, but people always say, you know, it's the, the sum of the five people around you and I'm like, yeah, obviously to an extent it's part of that, but also it's everything you consume.

It's everything that you let influence you. It's not just that it's everything that you let in. All the content you absorb. And I think having time away from that to really work out, like, what do I really want? Who am I like, what do I care about? What are my values? What's important to me having that time to reflect where I feel like we're on this hamster wheel, never really taking time to switch off.

And if you can just have that moment to do that, I think it's really important. And I know Jack, so the. Found over the retreat, he talks a lot about, getting into your flow state as well. And this idea, do like meditative activities. It doesn't need to be a case of sitting and meditating. If that's not what you want to do, although I think that's absolutely incredible, but this idea of finding ways to meditate and fit that into your time, maybe it's as simple as doing like a creative workshop and just really getting into it, but you know, when you kind of get into that, like obviously with sports people, you know, you get into your.

kind of your flow state there with sports or creative people. Often it's getting into that creative flow, but it's doing something where time is kind of flying because you're just so absorbed in what you're doing, but that's often for me when I'm doing something like that, or I'm like having a shower, doing something really like relaxing or something where I'm not being, I'm not having to think about anything else, that is when the best ideas come for sure.

When I'm going for a walk without listening to a podcast, which people think is mad if I'm on the tube and I don't have, My headphones in and they just see me like looking or something. And they're like, what, why, why is she just starring? Like her phone must've died or something. And it's like, no, no, I'm just thinking, right.

I'm just thinking and trying to, I'm trying to have time away. but I think having the space to do that. and for me actually going to a spa, having spa facilities, which is why we're really keen to include those as well at the hotel, it's having these facilities and places because I find you're literally forced away from your phone.

You can't take it into the sauna with you. So having that time to.

[00:45:05] Hannah: Sometimes it's like funny story. I started doing cycling classes, end of last year and you shouldn't really bring your phone in, in them. So it's almost like, you know, leave your phone in the locker. We don't want anything lighting up in this room. It's like kind of high intensity cycling classes, dark room.

Loud music kind of thing, but you're not supposed to have your phone. And at first I was like, well, can I just bring my phone with me? And then I'm having it in the back or something. No, but you can't have your phone. And, now I really enjoy it. I always come up with ideas. I always just focus on myself and they feel so refreshing.

And at first I thought, well, it's because I really enjoy the sport. I really enjoy this type of high intensity training. But it's also part of that. I'm not with my phone for a good 45 minutes and that never happens.so it's, yeah, such a cool thing. And I think sometimes we need to be forced into it just a little bit to then start to really enjoy and embrace it.

[00:46:10] Ellie: for sure. When you say to people like digital detoxing, I went to a cabin actually, what that was really cool a while ago. And then, yeah, it was like this idea of not having my phone all weekend and things, and you get quite nervous. And also I've got a young child, so, I am very much kind of aware that of course, if I'm away from home, I do want to have that, but there's ways of doing it in terms of like, you know, putting your phone on, like turn off all your notifications, doing it so that, you know, it's in a mode where if someone calls you and they really need you, Then you can have a way of maybe getting in touch, but you don't need to be on, on your phone or like responding to things you don't, but I do think as well, just being able to put it away.

And often I just say to people, if you really need me, this is how to contact me, but I'm going to be away from my phone and I don't do it as much, even as I want to, but it's something that I'm really mindful of and trying to do more, especially when I do spend so much of my time, you know, in front of a computer in front of a screen.

I think being able to do it more on a weekend, like on a Sunday or something, and just being like, right, I'm not looking at my phone. And also for me, it really helped just not doing it before bed. Because I used to struggle, a while ago now, actually. So it's not been for a long time, not since I'm a baby.

now I sleep a lot better when I do

[00:47:15] Hannah: That's another great distraction, isn't it?

[00:47:17] Ellie: but before then, for sure, I used to have periods where I did find it harder to sleep. and again, when I would just move my phone away, it would be easier. Whereas otherwise I just. Almost just even seeing it, I'm just thinking of all the things I need to do because all my notes, everything I need to do, my calendar, everything's on my phone.

I

[00:47:32] Hannah: Yeah. Oh, so true. I love that.for anybody listening who was like, well, all of that sounds great. the networking, the building connection, the being genuine about it, the, going to an event and fully immersing yourself into, you know, who else is there and, and, and building relationships and, you know, not really knowing what's going to come out of it, but just kind of like, you know, Following following the process, but still feel quite nervous.

Like, what is the 1st step? What would you say? Or what would you recommend people do to just kind of like, get going and make that 1st step towards building more connection or putting themselves out there in corporate?

[00:48:17] Ellie: think the first thing, so there's a few things here, it's quite, but I always think even when people often think, and I've had this before, with people say, oh, but maybe I'm just not really someone who, maybe I don't like a lot of small talk. I'm not really, a person having lots of connection. I always say, I think deeper connection, when we're having deeper conversations and deeper connection, We can get really energized by it.

We just might not get energized by small talk with a massive group of people. You know, it's different, but connecting with the right people is so important. I think for our wellbeing, our mental health, and everything like our happiness or energy levels, I really think it affects everything that we do.

But I would say, first of all, think even just thinking about. Who are the kinds of people either you want to meet and you want to be speaking to? Like, are there people, are there values that you really care about? Things that are really important that you think, you know what? I have the most incredible friends and family, but actually I'm really interested in this topic.

And I would love to speak to people who also care about that. But just thinking about what is it? Who are the people that you would like to speak to? If it's professionally, Then who are the people that, again, it might be interesting to speak to and just think of that. And also thinking about how you can deepen just your own already connections that you have in terms of the people that you spend time with.

Like, what can we be doing to deepen the connections with the people that we already have in our lives? Because for me, maintaining the relationships that I have, I mean, The people closest to me, my friends, my family, you know, they're the most important people in the world. So I definitely think thinking and being purposeful about what we can do there is really important, but professionally for sure.

I think thinking about, yeah, who are the people, who do you want to get in front of ideally? And even if you could just start by doing one really small action, as simple as maybe saying, right, you know what, if I was just going to message one person just to try it, who would that one person be? Or if I was going to go to an event, what would that event be?

Can I just rope in one of my extroverted friends to come along with me, you know, but just thinking about what's one thing you can do, because the one time you do it, the easier it becomes when you go to that one event and then you start getting used to doing it. And then you go to that. It's just a case of you'll, yeah, just going to more of them.

But just this idea of starting off with one really, really small action that you can do, I think is really helpful. It's

[00:50:19] Hannah: And I love this promise of like, who are the kind of people that you want to know that you want to be surrounded by? Because it is so important. Me, personally, I feel that I feel that my environment makes up a lot of how I feel, how energized I am, how fulfilled I feel in my career. So.

not just asking yourself, you know, what's the kind of job that I want? What's the kind of, career trajectory that I'm going for? And therefore, who do I need to have coffee with at work? It's like. Who do I genuinely like? What, who's a leader in the organization that I look up to, I want to connect with.

And then even though there is not, you know, I don't want to apply to a job in their team or anything on the table, just kind of like want to reach out to them. I'd love to meet them. I'd love for them to be part of my orbit in the workplace. It's so much more genuine and so much more fun. Honestly. Yeah,

[00:51:15] Ellie: a really good one. Who do I actually really like? Who do I care about? Who's interesting? And also thinking, even if it's for professional reasons You can still connect with them personally, as in you might find, you might really like this person because personally you have a lot in common with them.

Maybe it's not, like you said, it could be in a completely different team, but just because they're in a different team, we can't always presume that when we have a conversation with that one person, that's the only person that we're talking to, because when you speak to that person, you might be talking to that in that one conversation, but you don't know who else that they know.

And you might be thinking, Oh, I don't know. I work in this industry. And why am I going to speak to somebody who's in my company, but who works in a completely different part of it that might not be. Don't worry about it. Make friends with them because it's about having people in your corner, having people who are your supporters, who are going to advocate for you, who are going to say your name when you're not there.

But having these people, and I think for that, all we need is just, I think we always need more connection. I think in the workplace, if you can surround yourself with people who you enjoy spending time with and who you really care about, who you're interested in, that's so important. I know I've met some incredible people through work and actually, I, I really can't kind of stress the importance of working with people that you really enjoy with really enjoy working with and really like, and in fact a silent break, the hotel that we're setting up and the team there.

I've worked with now, obviously on the kind of founding team. And it's been kind of a couple of years since we've actually started like looking for land to actually, build the kind of, the hotel. and I absolutely love working with them and it's like, for sure. We're friends. We've connected on a very personal level.

Now I'm not saying you have to do that with everybody, but if you're in a company and you're thinking, I do want to connect, start by just reaching out to someone you admire or someone you like, and you think I could be friends with them. Might not have any other reason. You don't have to be so strategic and thinking, what am I going to benefit out of it?

Even, even my friend, Maud, who I'm working on with, with the other company, with it's like, we just got on. I just thought we have similar values, completely different backgrounds. but we have similar values. And, and I think at some point, you never know how it might work out. It doesn't have to be straight away, but maybe some point down the line, you might end up collaborating or working together on something or just becoming friends.

[00:53:18] Hannah: really, really like that. It's like building the connection that are potentially going to outlast the job that you're currently doing that are potentially going to outlast the company that you're currently with and yeah, build, yeah, build, you know, just something meaningful, just more fun. It's not for the sake of advancing your career.

It's not just to self promote. It's to really build connection and be in, you know, with people that you truly enjoy their company.

[00:53:46] Ellie: sure. And I also always say as well, when you get into these rooms, when you're doing that, thinking about who you can also help, because as much as being a connector and wanting to connect with other people, also starting off by just also connecting other people around you. If you think there's people that might be really great for each other, start by being that connector and saying, you know what, I really think you guys should meet because you've got loads in common.

Start by doing that, because when you do that, people then want to do the same back for you as well, which is really nice. Yeah. But also it's just nice to be nice, like just reach out, do those things and see how you can help other people as well. Because, I think if we're all doing that and all making more connections for each other, that's really incredible.

[00:54:20] Hannah: Yeah, it's also giving something back. It's not just asking for things. It's also giving back, which feels more natural. I feel.

[00:54:28] Ellie: Definitely. It's so much nicer to feel like you're giving and helping people. And you never know when some point it might turn around to you. you work with years ago and it's all, can I, could you help me with it? And you're like, of course I could. It's nice to be doing that. and like you say, you never know where one conversation will lead or what it will turn into.

[00:54:43] Hannah: I love that Ellie have taken so many notes. I'm sure my audience did as well. And I am really in the mood to go out and make some connections. I'm already thinking about who's in my orbit. Who do I want to? Who do I want on that list? So thank you so much for coming on and bringing this topic to life, for my audience and for me, truthfully, where can everyone find you, connect with you?

How can we keep up to date with the hotel and how it's being built? And when can we book? Tell us. I

[00:55:14] Ellie: so yes, with the hotel, that's called silent break. So it's silent break. com. and yeah, please, we're going to kind of sending updates out just to let people know what we're up to and how we're getting on and kind of following in with the journey of what we're building, what we're creating.

so yeah, we'd absolutely love, yeah, please, please do, kind of, yeah. Get in touch that way. And so yeah, it's either that or, and it's also on socials as well, but the main thing would be the website. and then at home of connection is the company where we're doing a lot of the events. So we do talks and workshops, for companies.

So around kind of, you know, basically building connections. So whether that's with your teams, your clients. Anyone around you, it's how we can be facilitating better connections with each other. and also we host our own events as well. So that is home of Connection co uk. and then obviously I'm Ellie Turner Coghlin, so you can have a look at on Instagram at Ellie Turner Coghlin, which is spel, like Coughlin should say.

and also on LinkedIn as well. So yeah, I'm always keen to speak to people and if I can help, I always say like, honestly, don't be afraid of just reaching out, and come to the events as well, you know, that'd be amazing.

[00:56:12] Hannah: definitely want to come to one of your events. , I'm thoroughly enjoyed this conversation. Thank you so much for coming on Ellie. And I'm hoping that we can connect in person at some point in London.

[00:56:23] Ellie: at the event, I'll send you the details.

[00:56:26] Hannah: Thank you so much.

[00:56:28] Ellie: Yeah. Thank you for having me.