25. You Are Not Too Fat to Network

Talking to different women as I run my networking challenge has shown me that thoughts about our appearance hold us back when it comes to networking and putting ourselves out there. We tell ourselves: “I’m too fat to network. If I go to that event, people will think: if she can’t control her weight, how can she run a business,” or “I’m too old to network. People will think: if she’s so smart, how come she didn’t start this business years ago.” Black women, people of colour, and Indigenous women have added inner dialogues when it comes to body image and race about how welcome they feel to walk into networking spaces. These thoughts keep us sitting on the couch - forever planning our business, but not moving forward to take action. By becoming aware that the constant negative chatter in our heads are thoughts - actually just sentences in our brains - that did not originate with us and are not true, will begin to set us free. Learning how to change those thoughts so we feel motivated, proud, and energized is crucial to taking the actions to get us the results we want. This episode is for all of us who’ve felt: “I’m too fat to…” And my desire to make sure we never believe that thought again.