Thanks for Coming Back
Welcome to "Thanks for Coming Back," where every episode feels like a heart-to-heart in your favorite coffee spot. Hosted by Dr. Latasha Nelson, this podcast strips back the layers of leadership to reveal the real, relatable side of guiding and growing, whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out.
Settle in with your brew of choice as Latasha shares her world of insights and experiences, blending wisdom with warmth in conversations that matter. It’s not just her stories, though; guests from all walks of life join in to share their own tales of triumph and challenge, adding flavors of diversity and depth to the mix.
"Thanks for Coming Back" is more than just a podcast—it's a community where we all learn and grow together. It's about tackling our challenges, getting better at what we do, and embracing the leader within. So come join the conversation, and let’s make leadership a part of our daily lives.
Thanks for Coming Back
The Introvert's Guide to Taking the Lead in Networking
Ever wondered how introverts can take the lead in networking and thrive at social events? Join us as Rob Giardinelli, founder of Event Mindset, shares his journey from a socially anxious introvert to a sought-after event optimization coach.
Rob brings a wealth of experience and unique insights on leveraging introverted strengths to develop people skills and emotional intelligence, all while attending networking and social events.
Discover the art of creating a balanced atmosphere at events, where both introverts and extroverts can shine. Rob shares his strategic approach to navigating rooms, observing dynamics, and making meaningful connections. Learn the significance of guest lists and how to assess potential fits for your personality, ensuring you make the most out of every social gathering. Rob's personal anecdotes, including the transformative impact of a pivotal black-tie event and the influence of his extroverted husband, make for an inspiring and relatable discussion.
Get ready for actionable advice on building confidence, setting purposeful goals, and sustaining engaging conversations without mimicking extroverted behaviors. Rob explores practical strategies for introverts to prepare for events, reduce anxiety, and maintain momentum in their networking journey. Stay connected with him through various channels and be inspired to embrace both the yeses and no's in your event participation journey. This episode is brimming with practical tips and motivational stories to help you excel in your networking endeavors.
Welcome back to another episode of Thanks for Coming Back, the podcast where we explore how aspiring leaders and those seeking to make an impact can develop title-free leadership skills. I'm your host, Dr LaTosha Nelson, and today we have a truly inspiring guest who will change the way you think about networking and social events. Rob Giardinelli is the founder of Event Mindset and a renowned expert in event optimization, but what makes Rob's story so compelling is his transformation from an introvert who was never invited to events to a sought-after coach who has attended over 2,000 business, social and networking events. His journey began with a single black tie event that changed his perspective and revealed that the strengths of introverts, like keen observation, high emotional intelligence and being a good listener, are invaluable in any social setting. Rob has coached hundreds of people, helping them boost their confidence, enjoy themselves and build deeper relationships at events. Today, he'll share his unique insights and strategies on how introverts can not only navigate but thrive at business, social and networking events.
Speaker 1:So, whether you're looking to enhance your leadership skills or make a lasting impression at your next event, this conversation is packed with practical advice and inspiration. So, without further ado, let's dive into our conversation with Mr Rob Giardinelli. Rob, I appreciate you joining us today To kick things off, I would love to hear your thoughts on why people should network. To begin with, I think people have different thoughts on what networking is or why they should consider attending social events for their careers. What are the key benefits? How are these events helpful to people, especially when they want to grow personally and professionally?
Speaker 2:First of all, thank you, LaTosha, for having me on. I'm excited to be here and what I will say is the biggest benefit from attending networking events is really there is no better way to develop your people skills than to go to a networking event or any type of social event, Because you're going to encounter people you may not encounter on a day in and day out basis as a leader. You have people that work for you and, let's say, you're a sales director. They're all going to have their accounts and you may not deal with them on an everyday basis. And really a networking event, you really get to see a flavor of personalities and a different range of personalities and I very much think you must and need to treat everyone with kindness and respect and dignity. At the same time, people are going to respond differently to different types of communication methods and it's really important for people leaders in particular to recognize that. Unfortunately, with people, there isn't a one-size-fits-all strategy. You've really got to use things like emotional intelligence, especially for your listeners that are introverted. About 70% of leaders are actually introverts. So use those skills that are already in your arsenal and your toolbox to do that.
Speaker 2:We were talking before we hopped on the air here about how I've lived in five different places and people will often ask me well, what's the one thing I can do when I move to a new town? And to me it's join something. It can be a social club, it can be an athletic team, it can be a nonprofit board, but all those things will establish you in a community and especially if you have a more local business, and even if you don't, so like I live in Austin and there's a lot of tech companies in Austin. So if you join a board, you may wind up getting another higher paying job because there's another board member who you would have never met otherwise likes you and think they might be a better fit for your organization. So the opportunities are really boundless and I get that introverts in particular may feel overwhelmed by them. But if you start with something you love, the rest will follow and the good energy of that will follow.
Speaker 1:I love it. You have a very unique story and I love it because your journey starts as an introvert who and correct me if I'm wrong was never invited to anything.
Speaker 2:That would be pretty accurate yeah.
Speaker 1:That is so horrible, but you've gone from that to attending over 2000 events.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:How did you get there? What was the turning point that made you realize that your introverted traits were an asset? But then how did you show everyone else that those traits were assets Like invite me, you want me here?
Speaker 2:Well, it's an interesting question. So I started my career in the technology industry and I did various sales and account management roles and again, from my time in that industry, I really realized a lot of salespeople are introverts. You know, especially with technology stuff, there's a certain level of intelligence that you need to sell the products, in addition to charisma. Charisma is important, but you really need that intelligence and that ability to listen. And, you know, for the first 10 years I, you know, focused specifically on that. I moved to Austin during that time, which is where I live now, and then, in 2010, I met my husband and my husband is like, if you were to look up extrovert in the dictionary, there'll probably be a photo of him as the. This is who an extrovert is. So you know, I wasn't an extrovert and he has, for the last now 20 plus years, run luxury lifestyle magazines throughout the state of Texas, so they have a regional context and I wound up being thrust into this world that I certainly never thought I'd be in.
Speaker 2:I'll never forget the very first black tie event I went to.
Speaker 2:I didn't own a tux, I have one suit and I had to go to men's warehouse because it was the only way I could get a tux in 72 hours.
Speaker 2:So I went and did that and that first event had a thousand people at it and it was a lot of people and I could have felt overwhelmed, but I just kind of leaned back. I don't know why I did, but I leaned back and I was like you know what? I'm going to let the extrovert drive. I'm going to let Lance that's my husband introduce me to people and I'm just going to just go from there and just say nice to see you, nice to meet you and have conversations from there. And what I realized in that, and that's really carried me through the last 15 years or so, is there's a yin and yang with energy and you know, especially if you're an introvert, if there's someone more extroverted than you, don't try to be them. And I think that that's where a lot of people really get tripped up is they think they have to be that and that's absolutely not the case.
Speaker 1:That's right up there with imposter syndrome. Right, Seems like it works for that person. If that's what works, let me try to do it. And that personally, as introvert to introvert, sounds exhausting, extremely draining. I like to tell people I love me, and I used to tell people as long as my mama and my daddy love me, then I'm good to go. But oftentimes, yes, I have seen that as well. And so how do you overcome that and what are some of the other big challenges you faced when you first started attending these high-profile events?
Speaker 2:Well, one is I don't have a high-profile background so for me and I was one of those, thankfully, in college I love sociology, so, like I was like a credit away from getting a minor in it without even trying. So I have a natural gravitation towards people because I just think people are fascinating and interesting things. And what I will say is when you're an introvert, as I said earlier, let the extroverts do the talking. And I can't tell you how many meals I've been to over the years where I've sat next to somebody and literally said three things in 90 minutes, because people inherently like to talk about themselves. And if you just ask curious, open-ended questions as an introvert, that's your way of being like, okay, I can just listen. Questions as an introvert, that's your way of being like, okay, I can just listen, I don't have to engage.
Speaker 2:And that for me and you know a lot of the other people I work with that you know, have that challenge too that it's there's ways of engagement. And engagement doesn't mean talking. And I think there's a misconception in conversations that engagement means I have to talk and I have to give back. And I will tell you cause there's those people where I say three things in 90 minutes. I kind of call the wind up toys, because all you have to do is say something wind them up and they just go, and they'll go as long as you let them go.
Speaker 2:Um, and you know, if you get stuck now, sometimes that can be really painful and other times, if it's an interesting person, you're just captivated by what these people are saying because you're learning very valuable information. That's with these high-profile events. I've gotten to have conversations with people that I never in a million years thought I'd be able to learn things from, and I've learned so much about life and so much about business and just so much about how to just be comfortable in of engagement that don't require you to speak but you should still be present.
Speaker 1:Can you speak?
Speaker 2:a little bit more to that.
Speaker 2:So presence starts, you know, obviously have eye contact, do nodding If someone says something funny, laugh, it's okay to do that. And in a business context I think people get this misconception that it's got to be serious. And I will tell you. You know, the fortunate thing is a lot of the social events I go to they're nonprofit fundraisers, so there is an element of business. And what going to all those events has taught me is there has to be a mix of work and there has to be a mix of play involved.
Speaker 2:And if I've learned one thing, especially coming out of COVID, people want to be seen and heard. And if you're only showing and I'm not saying bring every single thing about yourself at all times, because you don't necessarily want to do that either but if you bring enough of yourself to an event, you're going to get that reciprocity one way or another and people will respond favorably. And you know, especially if someone's an extrovert and they like to hold court, if you're there and you, you know you're laughing at what they're saying and you're engaged with them and you ask thought provoking questions, they're going to think you're a really interesting person and they'll be like I don't know anything about them, but I could tell that they were interested in me and especially, you know, for leaders that is your ultimate way of showing interest is to let other people do the talking. It doesn't mean if you lead a team and you find that someone's maybe doing something they shouldn't be in, that you can always pull them aside after, after the fact or even during the fact, and be like I saw that you were doing most of the talking and you had this prospect and you said you wanted to learn this about the prospect.
Speaker 2:But because you did all the talking, you did it. So there's ways for leaders to kind of give that feedback without injecting or interjecting themselves to the situation. That's why introverts are so effective, especially at business events is introverts like to scan the room and kind of see what's going on. And that's what I love to do. Every room I walk in I kind of will look, you know, all around and be like, okay, this, this is going on over here, that's going on over here, and I think I want to start my evening over there.
Speaker 1:I love that and and what I hear you touching on is this dynamic. I almost feel like there's a psychology to events and how they work, especially with the contributions between introverts and extroverts. Can you speak to what the psychology behind a successful event looks like, particularly the dynamics between introverts and extroverts, and how you create a balanced atmosphere?
Speaker 2:For anyone who's hosting an event, I always like to say this your guest list is so important. It's more important than any fancy stuff you're going to have. It's going to be more important than the booze. It's going to be more important than the food that you have.
Speaker 2:I have been to over 2000 events and I can tell you that the one thing that I know for sure is I have never been to a successful event that didn't have the balance of extroverts and introverts. And you know, I like to explain it this way If you've got you know, think about earth and it's got the right amount of oxygen, and that's why you know human life happens on earth. So if you've got a room of a 100 introverts, there's no energy, and when there's no energy, it can feel listless and the party will die quote unquote or the event will die, quote unquote. If you've got a room of 100 extroverts, there's too much oxygen in the room, and everyone kind of knows when there's too much oxygen things can explode and it winds up being a not good moment. And I will tell you that most of the times where something like that happens, it's usually because there's introvert or there's two extroverts involved in that situation and there's just not enough space, there's not enough oxygen and it winds up exploding.
Speaker 2:So for anyone looking at a list, don't only look for the fun people, because the fun people need more observant people. I'm not going to say not fun, but more observant people, people that are willing to go with the flow and go along for the ride to take that energy. So almost think of it like a phone call You've got outgoing and you've got incoming and really that's the dynamic that you want to make sure that you're conveying, especially if you're hosting an event. Look at that guest list and make sure it's a balance of personalities so that you've got that interesting mix of people that makes people want to come back to an event month after month or year after year, depending on the type of event that it is.
Speaker 1:Does that apply to someone who's on the fence about attending a social event? Should they be scanning that list to consider how do I fit in as an introvert, or does there seem to be a balance of introverts and extroverts that will create that atmosphere?
Speaker 2:That's a great question. So what I do, or I try to do, with every event that I go to even where I've gone to it seven, eight, 10 times over the years is I'll look at that guest list. Or if I'm going to a gala, it may be the host committee, it may be the event chairs or it may be the sponsors, just to get an understanding of who's there. What I always recommend, especially for business and networking events where you kind of know the attendees, go to LinkedIn, go to Facebook, go to Instagram, look at their profiles. Briefly, you don't want to look at it too closely so that it appears like you're stalking them, but if you look at a high enough level, you may see you have a former company in common, you may have gone to the same school or you went to the same school conference, especially sports rivalries and things like that. Look for something at a high level and then that way you're going and you're approaching them with the not obvious thing, because at a business event, that's the obvious thing is going to be that. So you want to make sure that you're doing something a little unexpected, because when people are seen and you know, we talked about that earlier when they're seen, they're going to be more relaxed. And if you see them as a person as opposed to a transaction, that's really what that's about. At the end of the day, people are going to be much more willing to open up to you and it you know, if you're an introvert.
Speaker 2:It amazes me because my husband and I there's nights where we're going to multiple things and we go to something for 45 minutes. We get in the car and he'll be like well, what did you learn? And I remember one time we'd only been together about a year at that point, but I'm like I learned this, this, this, this, this. I listed like seven things. It was like we were there 45 minutes. How did you wind up with this? I was like I just listened and you'd be amazed. Like I said earlier, people talk about themselves and they will. People will divulge a lot if you let them. At the same time, you've got to have discretion with that. So the reason people feel comfortable opening up to me is I've got a body. I don't want to call it a body of work, but I've been around long enough and gone to enough things that people know that I'm not going to gossip about this or gossip about that.
Speaker 1:Absolutely makes sense. And now you're touching on some of the strengths of being an introvert. So I'd love to kind of shift the conversation a little bit and start talking about how embracing your introversion can be a leadership strength. How can introverts start leveraging their natural strengths and abilities to lead effectively, particularly in business and social settings?
Speaker 2:So, like I said earlier, it's really it's listening and observing and really you get to see. At a social event you get to kind of see a person that's on your team a little bit more than you will in a boardroom meeting or in a weekly one-on-one or things like that. You're kind of getting to see a little bit more of their well-roundedness and you may discover, if you observe properly, certain soft skills that have either been untapped or no one just ever asked them about. And I think all of us know people who happily, accidentally wound up getting promotions or certain things because someone saw something unique in them that was just never tapped before. And a good leader is going to see those things.
Speaker 2:That may not be obvious and on the surface, but they're going to be like I love how that person listens and I've got this task force where it really is going to require someone to be a little bit more of a grounded presence because of some of the other personalities in the room and really that's how you've got to look at anything.
Speaker 2:And it's also like if you're hosting a business meal, it's a great way to mentor, because what I have learned is the guest list you have 24 hours before. Even a business meal or anything is not going to be the guest list when that happens. But if you've got people who you know are ambitious or you know add great value, you can always invite them at the last minute to be your plus one or to be a part of it because you know that they're going to bring something valuable and unique, because you have observed them in those business slash social situations where you get to just see things about them that you're just not going to see on a normal day in and day out basis at any job or occupation.
Speaker 1:Now, you touched on earlier avoiding mimicking the behaviors of extroverts, and so that for me sounds like it requires building up some confidence. What are some practical steps introverts can take to start building their confidence and their leadership roles without feeling pressured to mimic extroverted behaviors?
Speaker 2:So I would go back to join a board would be my first thing, because you're going to get those range of.
Speaker 2:You're just going to get those range of personalities and it's amazing that when people are on a board with something they really care about and they're being demonstrated as a leader in their community, that really does a lot for any professional's growth.
Speaker 2:And I find that not enough executives are on boards but a good, healthy number are and a lot of introverts I know who are successful at events have been on a lot of different boards, and that allows them to feel a little bit more comfortable. And also, when you're an introvert and you're valued in a board that's going to be all other executives, it really does increase and it boosts your confidence in a way that's different from you're with your co-workers and there's the office politics that are involved. And not to say that nonprofit boards or company boards don't have politics, because they all do, but it's a different type of politics because it's something that you really genuinely care about and you feel in your soul and when you tap into that you're going to just gain this confidence because you're doing something and you're making a difference with something that's important to you, and there is really almost no way that that would not flow over or spill over into other aspects of their life.
Speaker 1:Now, you talked about already really leveraging how to navigate networking opportunities to get the most out of them, to create meaningful connections, and really leveraging just being present and listening. You don't have to be the talker right, but Again, as a fellow introvert, I think about the mental and emotional preparation that sometimes goes into it's almost like your pregame before you attend an event. So how can introverts prepare mentally and emotionally before attending an event, with the goal of reducing any anxiety and boosting their confidence before they get there? Well, latasha, you actually said something in that last sentence. That's my answer and that's goals any anxiety and boosting their confidence before they get there.
Speaker 2:Well, latasha, you actually said something in that last sentence. That's my answer and that's goals, set goals and goals. You know, I always like to say that goals need to have three things they need to have confidence, they need to have purpose and they need to have joy. Because, let's say, you go to a convention in your industry every year and it's hosted at the same place and maybe they have this amazing appetizer or this amazing signature cocktail. It may be when I arrive, I want to eat that particular thing or have that particular beverage. That's something that gives you joy and will calm and anchor you.
Speaker 2:So, for any introvert, make sure you set goals, but set a goal that's fun. In addition to the goals that are professional and I always like to say, you know, novice introverts should start with two to three goals Make sure one of them's joy. You know, if it's more of a conference where you're going to be doing it three, four, five nights in a row, you're probably going to want three, just because you want to make sure that you're continually growing over that period of time. But setting goals is really the first thing that anyone can and should do so that you get both professional and personal growth, because both are really key, because social is going to be. It's a mix of your own personal personality, along with your talents on a professional scale.
Speaker 1:Do you have any examples of a joyful goal, a confidence goal? I'd like to just kind of paint the picture for someone who says that sounds great. What does that look like?
Speaker 2:So a joyful goal will be if anyone's going to a holiday party and maybe this party host has amazing chocolate chip cookies and you know you want to have one but they're gone an hour and a half after the party. So you know that you want to get there on time so that you can have one of those cookies and you know it's this one special thing. So that's a really good example of joy and I want to leave with the joy because that's less intimidating than some of the other things. Confidence really is about doing something that's outside of your comfort zone and knowing that you lived through it. So a lot of people are like well, I don't know how to go up and approach and talk to people.
Speaker 2:So my remedy is that at a lot of business events in particular, there's a bar. The bar will usually have a line, because there's never enough bars. Just start a conversation with the person in front of you or the person behind you in line or, if there's no line, have that conversation with the bartender, and it's a way of meeting someone new and learning about them, because you can ask very basic questions. You know what brought you here tonight? How are you tied with this event? How do you know the event host? There's very simple questions that are just common things that everyone in the room already inherently has so like, especially if you're an introvert.
Speaker 2:I would actually and I'll do this, especially if I've gone to multiple events in a night, like if I'm at the third event, I may want to take a break for a moment.
Speaker 2:So I'll just go into the longest line to give myself that space to reconnect, center myself and I'll talk to the person in front of or behind me as kind of my way to ramp back up into that. And purpose, especially in business events, is something that's going to be action oriented. It could be I want to follow up with one person new that I've met tonight. It can be I want to make sure to introduce my boss to this client of mine that's here. So something that's going to benefit your career in some way, shape or form is going to be a purpose goal. So those are the three to do and when you think about that it's like a three-legged stool. It's a lot less overwhelming with that because if you do one for me it's just like okay, and you may not get to all three and that's okay, but so long as you're meeting one or two of them, you're starting from somewhere and you can just keep progressing from there.
Speaker 1:I love that, and I love that you shared a few tactics for starting the conversations. It can feel a little awkward, though, when you run out of things to say, so do you have any strategies or tactics to share with the audience for how to sustain a conversation, or even when it's okay to walk away?
Speaker 2:So that's the thing. When you're at a networking event, people are like I've got to talk to this person for 30 minutes and that's not really the purpose of any event. And I actually, on my site event mindset I actually have my lead magnet right now is six ways to gracefully exit any conversation, because there's going to be all kinds of different ways that you can do that. It can involve other people, it can just be you're stuck talking to that person and you kind of want to get away from them and people will ask how do I do that if someone's really getting on my nerves? So my way of I don't want to say passively, aggressively getting it out, but my way of getting it out is if you've got a beverage in your hand you know what, this drink is kind of flat I'm going to go get another beverage and it was really nice talking to you.
Speaker 2:And if they're really getting on your nerves, be like you know what? I don't like this drink very much, I'm going to get another one. It allows you to acknowledge that you're annoyed but the other guest isn't going to necessarily pick up on that, because people, the one question I've gotten a lot over the years is I can't get that person out of my head. So it's your subtle way of addressing it without formally addressing it and creating that too much oxygen in the room situation that we were talking about earlier. Those are really subtle, simple ways that you can do that, so that you allow yourself to be centered, you address whatever was bothering you and you can move on from it. You're not letting it occupy your time for the rest of the time you're there.
Speaker 1:You know, I've found that there's nothing wrong with being a little direct to, not so much that, hey, you're bugging the heck out of me, but just you know what I need to step away from for a moment. Thank you so much, because I've I'm in sales as well and I've been at events and I've even had someone tell me, hey, where are you going? Don't make me tell your reader that you know you're ditching us and it's like I'm not ditching you, but I just need a few minutes. If you guys go ahead, you know, carry on the party. I'll be right back and I step away to give myself those few moments to breathe that I might need to be able to go back in. Or I very transparently say you know what? You guys, I'm a party pooper, it is all me. I have got to bow out, but you guys keep the party going.
Speaker 2:And there's absolutely. I've done that in situations over the years. You know, the reason I kind of do the graceful thing is when you're graceful, that kind of builds the confidence to be more direct, because some people are like, well, I'm just not comfortable saying that and that was something that I got is how do I do that nicely? And that's kind of the. That's your way of doing it nicely. To get started, if you've got the confidence to say I need to go talk to XYZ or I need a moment, do that, absolutely, absolutely do that. But if you're not as confident and you want to be a little bit more subtle, that's your way of doing it, especially if you're an event novice and you don't necessarily know how to handle those things. So I'm really glad you brought that up because you could absolutely a thousand percent do that. And if you don't have as much confidence, it's okay to be a little bit more subtle about it, just so that you're staying centered with yourself and not being rattled.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and I am so checking out your lead magnet because I still feel like I should, you know, study some of these more graceful ways to go about it.
Speaker 2:You know a lot of it, especially at a networking event. You may not, you may not know exactly somebody's role, and it just it amazes me how small the world is. I'm reminded of that every time I walk into a room and I'm like, how is this person here? And then you go up and I'm like, well, what brought you here tonight? And they're like, well, I went to college with so-and-so and it's like, okay, never would have known that, never would have got you.
Speaker 2:Just never know where people are going to pop up again. So that's kind of for me why I do the gracefulness is people have this really unique tendency to reappear and if you're especially gracious and kind, those are the people also who are going to be invited back to things, especially if there's special business meal or a special party you want to be to. Those are those ways and those tricks and those techniques I found when I do those things, I'm more likely to get invited back too, and especially if it's an important event that helps your career, you want to make sure that you're. You know you're being as graceful as you can.
Speaker 1:You are spot on. I appreciate that. Now, as we wrap up, what final thoughts or pieces of advice would you share for our audience, especially those aspiring leaders out there in the world who are seeking to make a greater impact in their workplaces, and the challenge for them today would be to put themselves out there a little bit more and to let the world see the uniqueness of their introversion. What advice would you give them?
Speaker 2:the uniqueness of their introversion. What advice would you give them? Be curious, because anyone who becomes a leader has to have a certain level of curiosity and to me that is an introvert's greatest secret weapon is that they're inherently curious. Lean into that curiosity, because that's probably something a lot of introverts have maybe not total confidence in, but there's probably a level of confidence to that because it got them where they are today. So double down I don't like that word but use and continue to flex that muscle and that muscle will really wind up being an optimal muscle. That will really be an important part of your leadership repertoire going forward, because anyone who's curious and asks questions means you wanna take in information, you wanna understand more, either about that person or whatever the subject matter is that you're talking about, and that makes a great leader, because a great leader is an informed leader.
Speaker 1:Love it. Now tell us how we stay connected with you.
Speaker 2:So you can either email me at info at eventmindsetcom, or you can get my lead magnet by opting into or going on to eventmindsetcom. Or you can find me on Instagram or LinkedIn at Rob Giardinelli.
Speaker 1:Rob, you have been fantastic today. I think that these are great baselines and, of course, the challenge there is once you get going. You have been fantastic today. I think that these are great baselines and, of course, the challenge there is once you get going. You got to keep going because I don't know how you got to 2,000 events.
Speaker 2:Lots of yeses and even more no's.
Speaker 1:See, now we'll have to have you back so you can talk to us about the no's and the mindset behind choosing which events to attend.
Speaker 2:I would love that I enjoyed every second of this conversation. That's such an important piece, so I would love to come back and have that conversation with you.
Speaker 1:Love it. Thank you so much.
