34 | How Women Really Network: Intuition, Creativity, and Creating What Doesn’t Exist Yet with Anna Hart

This week, I’m joined by Anna Hart — designer, creative director, and founder of Finally! A social platform and women’s networking event that’s redefining how connection is done. In this conversation, we dive into the truth so many women are waking up to: the systems we’ve been living and working inside of weren’t built for us.

We talk about what happens when you stop abandoning yourself in your career, relationships, and creativity — and start trusting your intuition instead. Anna shares how Finally! was born: from layoffs, discomfort, creativity, and a full-body “yes” that she followed and protected to ensure her vision stayed true to herself.

We explore:
 • why women aren’t tiny men (especially in networking & career)
 • how burnout shows up in the body and how to stop pushing through it
 • boundaries, people-pleasing, and the art of saying no
 • co-creation, community, and doing work that feels like you
 • body-led living — even inside systems that weren’t designed for you

If you’re craving more authenticity, connection, and permission to do things your own way, this one is for you.

Stay bold, stay balanced, and I’ll see you next week.

Resources mentioned in the show:

Connect with Anna at Finally! HERE 

Join my 5-week program, In Sync HERE

☕️ Stay bold, stay balanced, stay thriving

📩 Subscribe to my newsletter, The Weekly Brew HERE

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Transcript

 Speaker 1  00:00

Yo, yo, yo. Oh, my God, I already sound like my dad, that's what he says. But Hello everyone. Welcome back to Coffee with Carly. Your weekly wake up call to feeling happier, healthier and more human. It's a new touch I added. Let me know what you think. But before we dive in, I want to share something that ties directly into today's conversation. So women are creating new spaces because the old ways are not working for them, and in this episode, we are going to dive into networking spaces and social platforms. But it's so much more than that. Okay, it's entire systems that are not working for women, the demanding job that doesn't support how we operate, the unrealistic expectations of being a mom or the health care provider that doesn't properly educate you about your body, right? And the real reason that so many women are burned out while we can't all just quit our jobs and live on a commune, yet we can do our best to support ourselves inside whatever system we're in, whatever our environment is, and the best way that we can do that is by understanding how women work in the first place, by understanding our cycle, our foundation, our biology. So that's why I created NSYNC. Okay, it's my group program. It's five weeks. It starts January 6, and it's the foundation that I work with all my clients on, right? And it's something that really, every single pre menopausal woman could benefit from. But those who are really burned out, right, just like know that something needs to change. It's a very real, tangible way to get back into your body, to understand it and understand how to best support it that's not just full of, like, more supplements, okay, it's the tool that's going to help you stop abandoning yourself inside a system that, although wasn't meant for you, we are still all currently living inside. So think of it. Yes, like cycle sinking 101, but it is so much more than that. It is the connection between burnout and feeling good again. And what also makes this program special is that it's action first. Okay, we're not just gonna, like, bog you down with a ton of information cycle syncing is not tracking your macros. This is an approach that's very intuitive. And again, there's going to be a real action after each week, right? We're going to apply it to our lives in real time. And on top of that, it's a community. It's a community of bad ass women to share insights with and have some Convos that maybe you've been craving but you can't find in your local circle. In sync is a program you finally learn to stop pushing through your burnout and start working with your biology. It's where so many parts of your life finally make sense, like your energy, your mood, your motivation, your cravings, your consistency, all of it. So if you are listening to this episode thinking, Hmm, I would love to feel like myself again, in sync is the best place to start. It's the education that you should have gotten at age 13 and applied to the life that you're living at 30. Okay, we are going to begin January 6, and the sooner you join, the lower the price we're committing people who trust their instincts, who commit early, who trust their gut. You can find the link in the show notes, and I would love to see you inside

Speaker 1  03:27

Welcome to Coffee with Carly. Your weekly wake up call to a happier, healthier life. I'm your host, Carly Schade, and I'm here to uncover how good life can get you. Anna

Speaker 1  03:50

today's lovely guest is Anna Hart. She is a graphic designer, a creative director and all around multi hyphenate and founder of finally, which is a social platform that connects and celebrates women working across different creative industries in Seattle. And I'm so excited to dive into this topic. I actually met Anna attending her very first networking event, right? And the event that she put on is called net weaving, because she's purposely tried to create a networking event that was unlike anything she had ever seen before, because, as we know, women are not tiny men. And in the same way that our hormones, our biology, our systems, our rhythm, is different, the way that we network is also different. And so the work that Anna's doing through her finally platform is really about reshaping connection, reshaping community, redefining success and creativity. And she's really found so much success in just two events, which is really a testament to the fact that women are craving new ways of life, right? So new ways. Ways to show up in our business, new ways to show up in our family, and certainly new ways of gathering, right? Both of her events sold out, I think, within like, 12 hours of posting. So it is absolutely a testament to why this is so important right now. And I think that in our time, women are really, really starting to wake up right through this, through this podcast, right? We're all waking up to the fact that the systems and the way that we've been living aren't working for us anymore, and so it's time that we go create our own new ways of gathering, doing business and doing life. So I'm so excited to chat with Anna to dive into this. We talk about tons of stuff under the sun. So whether you are a creative in Seattle, whether you've been wanting to start something from scratch, whether you want to learn about maybe how to show up better in a nine to five corporate world that still kind of allows you to trust your intuition, like we dive into everything here. So stay tuned. Let me know what you think, and I hope you enjoy. I just want to dive in. Like, first of all, Welcome to Coffee with Carly.

Speaker 2  06:06

So much for having me. I am just, this is my first podcast, yeah, oh, I'm honored. I'm honored, yeah, thank you so much for having me on. I am just, yeah, when you reached out to me, I was like, Oh, absolutely,

Speaker 1  06:18

I love it, yeah, we, I mean, and we met, it's, it's very appropriate how we met at your net we net weaving, networking, women's networking event, finally net weaving. And that's really, like, it's such a cool concept. I've attended both of your events that just started what I don't know a couple months ago. So why don't you just, like, tell us what is finally net weaving.

Speaker 2  06:41

Yeah, so finally is the name of the platform, and net weaving is the verb. So I have, when I came up with the platform of finally, it was like, Finally, there's nothing like I have. I've been waiting for something like this this whole time. And so that was what. Why that I got the name, but the net weaving came to me because I originally, I was trying to, like, do a networking event for women, but the I was wanted to do it in a different way, and so therefore I felt like the name needed to be different, to kind of distinguish it, because I didn't want anyone to think, Oh, this is just another networking event. I wanted to be different. So the name came to me through, like kind of a long story, but essentially, I was just really into mermaids at that time, and the my muse I was so I was thinking about it all the time, and I was thinking about women and weaving and storytelling and nets because of mermaids, and it just made sense to me to call it that, because essentially what it is is like, it is like networking, in the sense that we're trying to kind of share resources and meet new people, but it's net weaving, because it's to be done in a more symbiotic way that is beneficial to everyone involved. There's not really a kind of, what can you get me trying to step on next to try to get higher than someone else? It's more like, what are you doing? Tell me about what's up and how I can help you. And I'd love to hear what how you want to be a part of what I'm into, and just pooling and sharing and having fun, ultimately, because traditional networking is not the most fun. So yeah, that's kind of how I came up with it. And my first one was this past June, this of 2025, this summer. June was the first one. I know so much time has flown. And then the second one was mid October, so a little over a month ago, which is crazy. I've only done two, considering it feels like it's made a pretty big splash. So it has.

Speaker 1  08:49

I mean, I know for a fact both of them have sold out. Like, I hit me up about the second one, it already sold out, which is, I mean, that's awesome. And I think that's a testament to why women are looking for something different, right? Like, so you kind of talked about how it's a different way of networking. I'm just going to say networking instead of networking. Sometimes, you know, we can use that. It's interchangeable, but I think it is. It's a testament to what women are craving. And you've kind of said, like you wanted it to be different. So what like Do you have a story of a networking event where you were like, This is the moment I need to do something different. Like, do you have a cringe story of like, women are different. We don't do things this way.

Speaker 2  09:33

Okay, it might be cringing me to say this, but I've never been to a networking event of controversial. Okay, so, but it's part of the story, because I didn't want to like everything I saw. I was like, I was dreading it. And I'm kind of trying to live my life in a way now where, if I dread something, it's not happening. If it's plans I. If I told some stranger that asked me to coffee, to go get coffee, and I'm dreading it. I'm canceling that because I'm just not at a point in my life where I want to suffer. But I'm in another way of explaining this is that I'm trying to hone my intuition more because that's been my biggest guiding North Star, especially in building finally, is it's like, I'm gut checking constantly. Do I want to go to this? Is it going to does it feel exciting to me? And if it's not, then I'm not going to do it. And so I graduated college in 2020, like two months after the pandemic happened. No idea what was going on in my life and everyone's lives. And before that, I was in college. My last year of college, I was like, oh, I need to start networking. I need to do this. I need to do that so I can get a job when I get out of college. And I dreaded it so much, because it felt like I was going to have to fake, sell myself to people and put on this mask of who I was not in order to get a job that I didn't even really want, and all of that was just like, oh so icky feeling and so awful, and so I, I mean, the pandemic happened. I went freelance with design work for a while. I had a stint where I moved to the Island of Maui to learn how to farm for like, a year, and then I came home, was still freelancing, and then I eventually landed my corporate job that I have now, which is great in a lot of ways, and kind of is setting me up for a great future, I would say. But I never had attended networking events because I didn't see anything that looked up my alley and that resonated with me and fit the niche of what I was looking for, which is not just like creative networking events, because there are those, but I've been to a bunch of random creative events around town, and some are better than others, and some, a lot of them don't do as good of a job as I personally think they could have at cultivating connections. So it's not just personal, but it's social. Because women are social creatures, and we're personal creatures, and every creative project I've worked on with teams of women, we become like this, like and I'm also fortunate to have worked with some really awesome people. Not everyone's experience is like that, but I feel like there's this thing that happens when I do work with creative women that's like friendships being built as well as, like, personal and, or, sorry, professional connections being built as well. And so I wanted to see if I could somehow create that myself, because I didn't want to go to, like any of these other events. They didn't look fun, they looked weird. I knew I was gonna feel awkward. So yeah, it's, that's my hot take. I'm a networking I run networking events that I've never been to, one that wasn't my own. I love it.

Speaker 1  12:48

I mean, right? So coming back to that very first thing you said, of like, it's about intuition. I'm not going to do anything that I don't want to do, like, I promise my, you know, to my audience, to my listeners. I didn't tell you to say that, because that is in line with, like, everything in my world is just women trusting our intuition and like, that's what this idea of Kate Northrup wrote a book. Do less is just like, I think when some women talk about, like, cycle syncing, right, or looking at their life and like, figuring out how to do less, it's not like that. We just sit on our couch do less, but it's doing less of what we don't give a shit about. It's just like coming back to being like, do I want to do this? Is this fun? Is am I doing this to people, please? Am I doing this because I should do this? Am I doing this because I'm supposed to right? It's like these little narratives, and that's how we burn out. You know, all of a sudden, wake up five years later and we're like, what is our life? Because we're just doing it to impress other people, or we're supposed to. So I love that, right? It's like, it's body led living. It's honing, like I'm gonna do what I want to do,

Speaker 2  13:54

yeah, and that's something that I'm learning about, like, as I've been building. Finally, there was, you know, I've have, I have a lot of people reach out to me, and even though I've only done two, which is crazy, but I've had a lot of people like, offer me stuff and be like, can I sell my stuff at your place or whatever? And I have to have a really good boundary system right now, because, yes, I love that people are interested, and I love that they love what I'm doing and want to help out or want to contribute. But it's still so Baby, baby, and it's little like infancy stages that I need to protect it, and I really need to like, like, connect myself and be like, okay, is this going to be the right fit, the right energy? I think about all the people who are coming what they're looking to get, and I have to be, I do have to, like, say a lot of no's right now, and I do have to like, yeah, and that doesn't necessarily feel good. As a former people pleaser, I'm not going to identify with that now, because I don't want that to be my story. But even just the act of telling people No, be even. Of be when they're come from such a place of pureness and wanting to give that's hard because I I want people to feel valued always, but at the same time, when you're building something that a lot of people want to be a part of or get in on, you have to be realistic with what's going to work for you at that time, and what might have to be like a, can we revisit this later kind of vibe? Or there's some people where it's like, you can't respond to them because they may not always have the best intentions, or the way they worded, it was, like, very weird. And just like, you kind of, it's like a dating app, like, if someone you're like, Oh, this guy's cute, and you match, and then he sends you a message where you're kind of like, something's going up, a signal in you where you're like, that was kind of weird. If that's your first experience of that person, it's like, that is going to be how it's going to be right.

Speaker 1  15:50

Like, no, is a complete sentence. And, and, yeah, in today's world with our little phones, with, you know, with so much outreach, outreach, outreach, outreach, I think that's especially in the sales world, a very right bro marketer thing to do is like you do, just sometimes you don't have to respond to them, you don't have to respond to every email, you don't have to respond to every DM, and that's okay. I mean, again, it's hard. Like, do you have, you know, you just said, I know you kind of don't want to go down that route of, like, formal people pleaser, though. And I think, though, that is where so many women burn out and feel stuck, is this lack of setting boundaries, and we're because we were not taught that, right? Like be polite. You know, a lot of women like be polite, don't hurt people's feelings, yada yada. So how did you recognize that switch? Or have you always kind of had that.

Speaker 2  16:41

Well, I have been in therapy since I was 14, so from a very young age, I Well, I knew I had issues straight up, because clearly I went to therapy at a really young age, but I had been dealing with people pleasing my entire life. I'm a middle child. I like to perform and make people feel good. And I it was like a major problem. I struggled with a lot of anxiety, but ultimately I through many years of being in therapy, I learned the right tools, and I learned how to connect with myself. And ultimately, what it was is I was just so in my head and in other people that I wasn't in myself, and when I did more things to physically get in my body, connect with my emotions, even though I was like, Oh, I don't want to touch that, I was able to hear more of those yeses and those no's, and it becomes easier to listen to and harder to ignore. So that's kind of been my journey, and it's been a long one, and I still deal with my with my fair share of it, especially in corporate America, which, okay, I was like, should I share this? But do it? I just had a piece of feedback. Like, you get to ask for feedback every year to get just like general, like, here's some questions. Like, how did Anna do at x, y and z? Can she complete projects on time? Whatever? Any feedback? And one person said that, I need to watch my morale, because if I'm in a difficult project, I can get discouraged, and it affects the group of it affects the group. And I was like, Hmm, interesting. I will take that as a piece of feedback. But also a, would, did a man say that? Because I'm pretty sure he did. And B, I operate so positive and kind of do that people please. E, mask when I'm at work that I if it slips a little, I think the change is so noticeable and so drastic to people that it people were like, Whoa, and they're put off by that. And while I am an upbeat and positive person, this piece of feedback has me thinking like, oh, maybe I don't need to come to the table super smiley all the time, like I do that naturally, and that is who I am. But I definitely play it up a bit to get people to feel comfortable and to like me. And I'm like, Oh, maybe I don't need to be doing that as much. Again, it just, it's in my it's something I'm still kind of dealing with. I think it's always going to kind of be a part of me. But at the end of the day, like, I don't want to make my decisions based off of how other people feel. I want to make them based off of how I feel.

Speaker 1  19:21

I love it, and that's and I think that that's also, honestly, why you've seen such success so quickly with, finally, net weaving. It's yours, right? It's It's original, it's you. It's coming from your own creativity, your own intuition, and like you said, like you're protecting it, you're still, you're still allowing it to mature with your vision and your, you know, creativity behind it, and so I want to come back to again, right? This is a different way of networking, and it's just different, right? That's why we're calling it net weaving. So what? When it comes to like when you created this, what rules did you intentionally want to break? I. Know, you never attended a right, networking, whatever. But what? What were you really trying to go for here, where it's like this? These are the ways that I want to be different, because I know that this is how, as a fellow woman, this is what I would be looking for.

Speaker 2  20:14

Yeah, I definitely set out to have some things be a little different. First and foremost, I wanted it to be fun. And we the last thing we think of when we think of networking events, is fun, like people, that's something that people check off on their to do list, because they're like, God, I need to go network. And so I, I was like, okay, it needs to be something that people want to come to so then I was thinking about that and how we can make it fun. So I thought of having vendors. So at each event, I try to just have a balance between paid like things you can pay for or and also free offerings. Because that's another thing too, which I'll get to is having it be free the event, but having free offerings that people can go and look at, or if they're talking to someone and they feel awkward, and then the conversations, they don't know what to do, they can go look at a booth. But it gives people, like, kind of a break and a time to, like, go do something else. And also, I try to have, like, fun vendors or people who are interesting to talk to, whether it's like, Raiza. She's the owner of cuento tea. She's amazing, incredible. And she was at the last one and had all these different botanicals and teas we could taste. And so it's like, whether you're just tasting them, or you're talking to her, like, that's a fun experience. I also have face gems. And I had, what are they called, when you put tooth gems, just the things. And then there was a gal who was tattooing people. So it's not just like those things are not very professional in the traditional sense. You're not going to see at a finance bro networking event someone who's tattooing a custom flash sheet that they made just for that event. So there's a bit of whimsy involved as well. And I have like these. Another thing that I try to do is have the points of interaction. So I custom made these name tags that say, Hi, my name is blank. Ask me about blank. And I personally use that tool so much when I'm out on the floor and I'm talking to people, I come up to a random girl, I don't know, and I'm like, Oh, hey. Like, tell me about your your two cats that are on there. Tell me about your content that you make. What kind of content? It's such an easy way to get people talking. And I also have questions rotating up on the screen, and just giving people different ways of points of entry are ones that I feel like are lacking in a lot of community events, because people it's hard for people to like talk to people they don't know. So if you give people ways in that's takes off so much of the weight from them. So that was what I was trying to cultivate that. And then back to what I was saying about them being free. I'm not the first person to make a free networking event, but a lot of them cost something like 1015, bucks, upwards of like, more than that. And I really, especially if you're in the creative industry. It's not historically known for paying well unless you've quote, unquote, made it, or you work in corporate creativity. So I wanted to make it accessible for people, and my dream was, have it be free. But I was like, I don't know anyone who runs a venue. How am I going to make it free? I like, I'll pay out of my own pocket. Pretty much was where I was going to be, like, I'm willing to do that for at least the first one. And I got magically connected with a random gal who is incredible, and she is the event coordinator for the shop by Porter, which is now the place that I have, like, this relationship with and are doing free events for me, which is incredible because the space is so cool. So I think that when there's one of my biggest issues is I see people like doing these community events, and then there's a pay wall for it. It's like, Come, like, make new friends and at like, this matcha bar, and it's like, 15 bucks to just get in. It's like, I, I understand what you're trying to doing, but trying to do, but don't call it a community event. Call it like a matcha event, call it like a matcha event, or call it whatever, because I think unless it's like a workshop where someone is providing something of value, then that's like community oriented. But I do think like having points of accessibility, even if like every event I don't do is free, I really want to continue to do free events and have that be baked into the structure, because some people are just out of college and graduated. A lot of people got laid off. Like, I'm if I'm gonna walk the walk, I need to like or talk the talk. I need to walk the walk. So, yeah, those are some of the some of the things. Also, I am a little unprofessional, like at my corporate events. I'm corporate sorry at my corporate job, I'm afraid that sometimes I let it rip a little too much, like be funny or say unprofessional things, things are out of pocket. And I was like, We need to bring that energy to my thing. So I try to be jokey and funny. And when I go up on stage and I have conversations with people, because we try to have, like, creative. Women who are killing it in their industry up and I have a conversation with them at each event. I am not trying to put on this, like, buttoned up professional, quote, unquote version of myself that looks really polished, like I'm trying to make jokes. I want people see I'm a real person that's just doing this. I'm not like, sometimes when I go to events and I see like, cool girls. I'm like, Oh my God. And then they talk, and they're like, up there, and they're like, wearing cool outfits or whatever have you, I'm just like, Oh, they're so untouchable. And that's I don't want to ever put that off or put off some vibe that, like, this is about me, and I'm up here on stage, like I'm doing it to facilitate the conversations. It's for everyone else. People come up to me and like, tell me, like, Great job or whatever. But I'm like, It's not about me, which is also why I don't talk about my corporate job at at the events. So that's another thing. I don't talk about what I do for work at a networking event.

Speaker 1  25:52

That is very true. Yeah, there you're usually just, like, running around, facilitating it, all of that. But So okay, I have two things about the kind of create space you create, is one, what you're talking about is like the professionalism we are so moving away from that. Like, again, I'm going to speak for women, mostly especially like the world that I live in, right in online space and community and health is like nobody wants to see. And I'm telling myself this because I suck at creating esthetically pleasing videos, but like nobody, they want the real person, like, who are you? And you're human. And especially, I think women in creative industries, in corporate world, in in in that world, is because right around our age is right around when a lot of women drop off in the corporate workplace, because it's not built for them. And so to have spaces where, and I think especially, and I would love to see, as, you know, finally grows, or whatever it is, like women are coming with a baby on their tit and on their hip, or, you know, whatever it is. Like, I just attended a like, they call it Burning Man for, like, female entrepreneurs back in September in Colorado, and it was like the main woman on stage, like, millionaire, whatever, like, again, untouchable, crazy, was up there with her baby, right? She, like, had just, you know, there was another woman that was, like, eight months pregnant, like women, in order to get to have it all and do it all, like, we're craving authenticity. We're craving permission, like, to be ourselves, to be authentic, and to bring all parts of ourselves to because I don't even like to say work life balance, because that implies that, like your life just your heart stops beating when you go to work, right? It's like we do need these spaces where we get to be all of us. And I think again, that's a testament to why, finally, is so successful right now is because people are attracted to your authenticity. And we can call it unprofessional, but I just like to

Speaker 2  27:48

call it authentic. That's, that's a good one you should quote.

27:52

That will, that'll show up on the Instagram reels later.

Speaker 2  27:57

Yeah, I'm lucky. I'm bummed no one's brought a baby yet. I'm very like, I'm pro baby for sure. And I have, like, a couple gals I know who want to come. One of them, she's pregnant, has a toddler. My cousin has a toddler and a newborn. Another gal I know is about to pop one out. And I'm they all want to come. And I'm like, Y'all bring your baby. Like, if you want to go talk to someone, I'm sure there's a lovely woman who wants to hold your baby well, like, you know, like, you could, like, it's a very supportive environment. And my dream, dream state, like, for it, I It's like half a joke, half not is that I have a weekend long Women's Conference in New York City, and there's a daycare, there's a little massage parlor that also has, like, ASMR. There's these, okay, there's these girls who they're called the scratcher girls, and they live in Miami, and I would fly them up. They've got really long nails, and they just lay down, and they just like, scratch you with the nails really gently. So I would like, I'm like, I want things that are like, relaxing and fun and take the load off of people, but also are about like, uplifting and amplifying them and also trying to open doors for them that they might not but, yeah, to kind of bring it back to what you're saying, as far as, like showing up as we are, what you said about the work life balance thing, I also struggle with that as just like a term that we use because it's, it automatically puts it into a context of your work and your life are going to be unbalanced, so we need to figure out a way to balance them, which I hate, that that's the truth for our reality, that the reality of the world we live in is that is the truth right now. But what would it look like if that wasn't how we had to do it.

Speaker 1  29:43

And and that is also why, again, I love and I was so drawn to finally net weaving is because women, when we put our bodies first right, what you talked about is the very inception of finally is, was body based living. You checked in, and you continue to change. Check in with yourself, to check in with your body. Is it a yes? Is it a no? How does this make me feel? And like that is the deeply intuitive power that women have. And so when you create spaces like finally, like this amazing, you know, Sign me up. Also, when you have that New York retreat, right? It's like when we get to combine networking and learning about each other, and, you know, and all of a sudden you have a contact in someone's back pocket. That's the other thing, is, like, what's so awesome about your space is, and I think the way women do things is, it's the long term gain, right? Like, there might be a connection that comes up two years down the road because of someone that you met, and it's like, because it's fun and it's event and it's social, there's not this, like, what are you going to give me tomorrow? Right? That's not how women work, but, but, yeah, when women put themselves first and take care of their bodies and do things that are full body, yeses and that light them up, magic happens. Success happens. And that's it is and like, that's what again, when we do this work life balance, and we are afraid to have these unprofessional events, and it's like, it's just keeping us stuck again, like, and, and I truly believe that it's like, yeah, taking care of yourself is taking care of your business. And the most successful people that I follow, my own mentor, right? It's called body before business. Like, that's her whole framework. And it's true, like, that's when we're most lit up. And I realized that you can't do that, of course, like, if you don't, if you're in the corporate world, right, like you, you can't do that all the time, but you can still check in with yourself. And that's like, where am I over giving today? Or, like, where am I, you know, where I should cancel this meeting I don't need to go to this. Or, you know, like, there are little ways that you can still navigate checking in with yourself, body led living, even in your corporate world,

Speaker 2  31:44

100% and that's something I've realized. I think the most recently I'm now coming up on, I'm like, two and a half years deep into this job that I have, and I sometimes forget that I have a stay in things like, I just saw that there was, yeah, like, example, there was a meeting that was happening, but it wasn't, we weren't discussing anything. Weren't discussing anything I was working on, and it wasn't super related to me directly. So I just messaged the gal running, and I was like, Hey, do I need to be there because, like, we're not discussing my stuff? And she was like, Oh yeah, sure, feel free to skip. Like, there's things we can do to advocate for ourselves, even when it feels like we can't, like, I think, like, oh God, I'd be holding to my boss and I have to be chained to my desk and the CEO this data. But like, there's smaller things. It's like, No, I can actually get up and leave my desk and go walk around like, this floor for like, 10 minutes to take a break. Like, oh, no one's gonna No one's gonna arrest me if I leave and go get a coffee and, like, hang out and scroll on my phone for 10 minutes. Like, yeah. Yeah. So there's things we can do, and it's advocating for ourselves is super important.

Speaker 1  32:46

Yes, I feel like I don't want to go down that rabbit hole too much, because it's its whole podcast episode, but especially with the women I work with with burnout. Like, yes, of course, maybe a toxic job can be part of it. But really what we work on is like, Where Are you abandoning yourself inside that job. And so yeah, if you are not, if you're eating lunch at your desk every day, you're not taking your walks, you're trying to bring everyone else along. You know it's like, let's first focus on the things we can change. Let's focus on your side of the equation. And then when you've maxed it out, you take your PTO days, you take your sick days, you do all that. If it's still not enough, then we get to decide what kind of environment this is or this isn't. But that I think is a core thing that people get missed, is they kind of just leave the job, and then all of a sudden they do the same thing at the next job, because it was actually about their behaviors themselves.

Speaker 2  33:32

Yeah, yeah, dude. And it's crazy, because you'll look at everyone around you, they're all sitting at their desk. They have a standing desk, but they're not making it stand. They're, did I just say they're eating lunch at their desk like they're not getting up? That's when you see everyone doing the same thing. It will influence you to do that, and you have to, like, actively make the decisions not to do that. And that can feel weird and uncomfortable, but if you want to feel better than you have to. And so I think that's kind of what I that's how I feel about finally, is it's like I wasn't seeing anyone doing what I wanted to do, at least in Seattle. I'm sure in other places there are those things. But here, at least, I wasn't seeing that. So I was like, Oh God, I guess I have to be the one to do it different. And that's scary and uncomfortable and weird. And uncomfortable and weird, and what if everyone doesn't like it, and what if they hate me, and what if I get canceled, like, just like, all of those things. But at the end of the day, I was like, Well, I still got to do it. Kept, like, knocking at the door of my brain and my soul, and I was like, Ah, fine, I guess I'll do it, yeah.

Speaker 1  34:36

What, like, what has this taught you about? Because I'm sure, right, there's been that fear, right? You're putting something, especially the way that you've infused your personality, into it. This is your art, you know, your creative person, like, what was this process like, of starting something from scratch, or, like, just kind of putting something out into the world that's entirely yours?

Speaker 2  34:56

Yeah, um, maybe if I explain how it kind of came. To me that might be helpful for the people who are listening. But I basically was about a year ago, randomly had the idea. Was like, Oh, what if there was, like, a creative women's networking thing here? That would be cool. I was like, go on Eventbrite. Oh, don't see anything, okay? And then that, like, dies away, right? And then a few months later, the idea popped back up, and I was like, Oh no, I couldn't do that. I don't have enough friends. I That's too scary. I've never thrown event before. I've never talked in front of anyone before. How would I find a venue? Like, no. And I was in a relationship at the time, that I was unhappy in and romantic relationship, and that was, I think part of it honestly, like I was comfy in this little uncomfortable bubble, and when I felt the relationship already kind of coming to a close, I was like, oh, I should probably do this, right? And I was like, I don't know where to start. So I reached out to a gal I know who I had worked with on set of a photo shoot. Her name is Talia green. She was one of our first she was one of the women who was on our panel for our first event. She's a photographer. She's a badass and so cool. And just, personally, just amazing. I love her. And I was like, hey, like, do you want to get coffee? Like, and just, like, talk about creative stuff, because we had only met like, once, maybe twice. And she was like, Yeah, sure. And so we were talking, and we were, I was like, asking her about our work, and we were dreaming and talking about what we'd love to do, and the energy of it was so alive and so electrical, and like it felt like we were, like, plotting out our future and like helping stoke that fire. And it felt so good. And I was and then a gal next to us was like, taps us on the shoulder. She's like, Excuse me, I can't help but listen, but I'm a creative director, and I just got laid off. And what are you guys talking about? And we talking about? And we, like, all started, like, talking. And I was like, you guys, I had this idea for this networking event, and it's kind of the vibe of what we're doing right now. And they were like, Oh my God, you have to do it. And I was like, You're right. I do have to do it. And so I started telling everyone, not everyone. I started telling people in my circle who I trusted creatively. Hey, I'm thinking about doing this. Can you like, like, can we grab, like, 15 minutes of coffee? What would you love to see at this? So it was kind of, I was like, crowdsourcing, almost, because coming I'm not the kind of person where it's like, I have my vision and I have to do it my way, and I don't care who stops me or gets in my way, because I will, I will do it. That's not me at all. I am like, let's see how we're feeling. Let's see what other people want. What's the vibe like? Could it happen? Let's put out feelers, no pressure. And then one thing led to another. A gal that I met was like, Oh, hey, wait, you should talk to this person introduces me to the contact for the venue. Like it just happened so fast. And then within, like, broke up with the guy that I was seeing, and then, like, a month later, the event happened. It was so crazy and so fast and just such a magical whirlwind. So the energy of it was very much like this, like collaborative. Even though it was like I was spearing the charge, it was like other people were kind of adding to it and and it. So it's not like mine is how it's a co creation, exactly, and that's how the energy of the event feels and how I want it to feel. So basically, I gathered like a panel of like three women who I thought were really awesome and would be really entertaining to your speak. I created, like the mermaid theme for the first one, and just kind of ran with it. So that was how it kind of came to be a lot of just right time, right place kind of thing. And it was really scary, because I was like, Oh my God, no one's gonna come. Everyone's gonna think I'm so lame. But those fears did not they were nothing in the end, I don't, I don't. I doubt anyone would actually think I was probably thinking those things either. No, okay, can you what was your question?

Speaker 1  38:49

Sorry, no, that was it. That was exactly it was like, how did this come to be? And I think you've said a lot of important, important points that, again, reflect why, finally, is so necessary, and why, you know, a reminder, bringing it back to my listeners too, is like women are not tiny men. Women do things differently, right? And this co creation that you just talked about like, you know, again, coming back to like, people are not craving authority. People are craving authenticity. People are craving permission. So again, this like, you involving people in your circles, right? And you involving people like my audience, my friends. Like, what do you guys want to see? Like, not just like, I know everything. I have this idea. And I again, think that that's why it's been so successful, is because you are involving other women. You're bringing people along for the ride and the journey. And like, not just trying to be like, I know it all type authority. And again, that is the world that we're moving towards. And it's like, again, the entire successful event came from you meeting a woman who met another woman who met another woman who knows someone, who knows someone. And like, again, like, relationships matter when it comes in men and women, right? Relationships matter. Your net worth is your network. Your net worth is your network, right?

Speaker 2  40:11

Exactly. Yeah. And that reminds I left to point out, actually, about the story that's, like, a huge part of it is that right before I, like, decided, Okay, I'm gonna do this thing. I was still like, I don't know was when my company was like, Oh, hey, by the way, we're laying off a big chunk of you guys. And I was like, Oh my God. And I looked around my network and I was like, Oh my gosh, if I get laid off, I am so screwed, because I don't know anyone. And so honestly, a lot of it did come from my own personal desires too. But it was like, again, right time, right place of a bunch of things coalescing and and since then, there's been, there's been two more layoffs at my company, and at the last one that just happened when I got the notification throwing people off my first hour, of course, I crashed out. Had a total freak out. And then after, I was like, You know what? I think I know enough people that I'd be okay, and it's all because of my event. And that was, I was like, Oh, my God, it's working. It's happening. So, yeah, that was, like, a big thing that I left out too, is like the layoff circuit. But I also, I also wanted to acknowledge a thing you said too about how women are not tiny men. I felt like so much of the networking experience that I had heard about from other people was very much just like, built on an old model of networking that stayed the exact same since the dawn of time, which women couldn't even, like, have credit cards without men co signing for them, until like, 50 years ago. So it's just like, like, our models are still so outdated that it's like, oh, duh. We need a little refresh, a little face lift here. So those were, like, two more points as well as to like, why it's came to be,

Speaker 1  41:48

I love it. And it is like, again, this we have to create different systems. And that's again, why this is so important. It's like, not only do we have to change how we're showing up in our jobs on a daily basis, but we also have to create different systems. And for you, it's finally net weaving. For me, it's, you know, helping women, educating them about cycle syncing, right? Like, that's what you're also talking about, right? You connected to your intuition. Like, you know, you're creating a system that supports your body, supports your biology and and leveraging that. And there was, there was another part that you had said about your breaking up with your boyfriend, I want to just, like, pull that out again, because I think that the importance of discomfort in our lives, and like, how easy it can be to stay stuck. And it was like there was a little disruption, right? Like a little discomfort, and so you chose to maximize on it, whereas, like, if we it's almost like, if you're really stuck on something, like, go clean out a junk drawer, right? Like creating order in our life, or, like, you know, chopping off your hair, which I recently just did, or, you know, whatever it is, it's like these little micro discomforts in other areas of our lives. Obviously, a breakup is tough, and wouldn't you know, I wouldn't concert like a win, but Well, if it's the wrong relationship, I guess it is. But like, these little discomforts can leverage and support and provide momentum in so many other areas of our life. So I wanted to, like, highlight that, because I also don't think that that was by accident, where it was like, I'm in discomfort. I've experienced this, like, let's keep moving with it, right? Or, like, you had that little bit of okay, I'm surviving this. I'm managing this. I'm out of my comfort bubble that I was in. And now let's go do it.

Speaker 2  43:32

Yeah, the the being in discomfort allows it to be easier to be in more discomfort. And when I also, when I was, like, 16, my therapist, because I was like, super depressed, my therapist would say, like, an object in emotion stays in motion. So don't think, like, I have to, like, do all this laundry and like, get clean the dishes and text my friends and like, do that. If that's like, too overwhelming, just set a timer for two minutes and do whatever dishes you could do in two minutes. And then, lo and behold, after I would do the whole dishes, and then I would fold my laundry, and then it so, so it's the same way. It's the same thing for for this like I was, I was uncomfortable in this relationship and craving change, but also at the precipice of like, oh, I don't know. And I felt that as I was going through something hard, I was like, it just was natural that I could do other hard things. And so I am a person that doesn't like doing hard things, and it's really just like, my brain will be like, No, let's just like, lay on this couch for like, until that like, I It's so easy for me to just get into that state, but the more that I do those uncomfortable things, the easier it is. But then if I stop for a bit, it becomes harder again. So it's kind of like the dance of like, when's the right time to do hard things and when's the right time to. Rest. And I'm sure that's, like, totally your MO, but

45:03

I could tell you, yeah,

Speaker 2  45:07

when you, like, reached out to me about, like, oh, when are these? Here are some weeks we could do this. I was like, Well, I'm going to be on my period that week, so I'm going to time it with this and, like, just doing it in a way where it was, like, it really works for me and that. So, yeah, that's, that's that.

Speaker 1  45:22

No, it is object like, stay in motion. And I think when you were saying, like, finding that balance of rest and again, that's why something like cycle syncing, it's like a natural built in structure where all of a sudden it's like, Oh, I get to rest right now. And when you do that, then you are, you get so much more done those times that you are on right and outward, and even when you're resting, object, emotion stays in motion. Like, you know, we can go one mile an hour, two miles an hour. That is the other, you know, misconception about cycle sinking any of that is like, when you're on your period, you can't just, like, drop life for a week, right? We want to, but it's like, how do we adjust our lifestyle, make different plans for the month, like allow ourselves to go 125, miles an hour. So we're still moving right. We're keeping that momentum. We're not burning our whole life down, but we aren't overdoing it. And then we, you know, have the energy to be successful in the follicular and ovulation phase. So I love it, yeah? I mean, you're naturally

Speaker 2  46:22

doing it, yeah? I kind of naturally do that too, because I've had historically pretty rough periods, so I had no choice but to plan around that. They've gotten better. But I at the what I don't like about corporate is I can't operate in the way that my body wants to because I'm if I'm on my period, I have to be in the office four days a week. So if I'm on my period, the last thing I want to do is go into the office. And that's can be really hard, honestly, like physically and emotionally. That's like a really difficult thing that I face every month. But I what I like about trying to build my own thing is that I can structure it for myself. And so the next event, I do have a date for it, but I'm low key considering changing it, because I think I'm going to be on my period. Yeah, if it's the first two days of my period, I'm like, hell no. Like, if y'all, if y'all want to hate me, actually, that's setting that's setting me up to get canceled. Literally, is like, putting me out there on my period, but, like, or, yeah, so, so I might need to talk to live on coordinator for, like, any way we could push out a week. But yeah, trying, you definitely have to make the choices too. And it's like, sometimes making choices is hard. I've been making a lot of choices. Make it

Speaker 1  47:41

stop you said, like, it's like, advocating for ourselves, but even reaching out and being like, Hey, I would like to change the date. Like, is, that's awesome. You should do that. And especially when you become the, you know, the founder, creator of your own thing you get to so I love it. Well, I personally am really excited for the next event, I will obviously be there. Which side note, I do, I don't. Did I tell you? I actually I almost got a tattoo, not knowing it was permanent at your last event.

Speaker 2  48:10

Yes, that's okay. Wait, yeah, tell, tell them. Tell them about that.

Speaker 1  48:14

That is, yeah, I it was just funny. Like, I like, there was the flash chats. Like, I was so excited. And like, the way that the flash chats looked, it was like, very, I don't know, it was just very, like, almost like, henna looking like, I loved the style of them. And so I was so excited, I didn't think twice about it. I was just like, yeah, there's like, free because, or almost being called Flash chat. I was like, it's got to be like, whatever. I don't know. And so I signed up. I'm like, sitting on the table, like her in the room, like, so she's like, wiping off my arm with like, sanitation, like alcohol wipes. And I finally to speak our little intuition, right? I was like, I should, I should ask. I was like, Is this a real tattoo? She's like, it is very much a real tattoo. Like, do you not have any? And I was like,

Speaker 2  48:57

No, oh, that would have been so where were you gonna get it to? Is I was

Speaker 1  49:02

gonna get on my forearm, and it was gonna be a moon, which, again, I was, like, very on brand for me, yeah, and our worst thing, no, it would have made for a great either way, right? Like, this is a great story. Or if I accidentally ended up with a permanent tattoo, also would have made for a great story. So I

Speaker 2  49:19

would have felt so bad her. Even though it has nothing, it wouldn't have been my fault. I would have felt personally responsible. No, it would have been. It would have been amazing if we have tattoo artists at the next one, I'm going to be very clear it is permanent.

Speaker 1  49:32

No, honestly, there's 0% chance that anyone else thought that they were fake, except me. So it's a me thing, don't worry. But, yeah, I am so excited. I will obviously be at, like, all of them. I love what you have created, and I love to see where it goes. So like, what is, just to kind of wrap up, like, what is the long do you have a long term vision for, for finally, you talked about the there's this platform and the net weave. Kind of two separate entities. What's the long term vision here?

Speaker 2  50:03

So I am kind of letting it figure itself out. My general idea, what I'm thinking right now, because, again, I've only done two events, is after get my third one under my belt, kind of reassess and be like, Okay, what's the vibe? What are we feeling? What do I have capacity for? Because, like, I'm freelancing, on top of working full time job, trying to go to the gym, like all the other all those things and what, where do I want this to go? So I think my vision for it, I'd love to have my quarterly net weaving events, which would be free, general networking events. I don't know if, maybe to make it easier on myself, I wouldn't have a speaker at every single one, or if I did, I might need some help with that. I don't know, kind of letting it just be like a general free net weaving networking vibe that anyone can come to. And then in between those, because that would be every three months, I would love to do like ticketed events, where we have maybe, like mid tier, mid to low tier workshops, or things like that, where it's like people who want a little bit more and or want to invest a little bit more can come. And I'd love to do a higher end tier too. That would be maybe leaning a bit more into, like, more of a luxury space. But I want to give people options for like each one, and that's to be decided again, it would be so awesome to do a weekend long conference in New York City, but I don't know how I'm going to jump from doing three events to that, but it's also not my job to know that

Speaker 1  51:37

right now, if you knew how you would have done it quantum leaps. Maybe.

Speaker 2  51:41

Yeah, so I'm I'm letting it. I'm a person who wants to move super fast at all times. So I'm challenging myself, because I know it's the right thing to let it develop how it wants to, and even just giving it the space for that. I've had two other people offer me their venues for free, which is crazy. Like, I'm just like, Huh? Like, what that's I'm just, it's so incredible that people want to help and be a part of it. And I would love to expand it. I would love, maybe at some point, to have a collaborator to help me with it all, because it's a lot to juggle. And I would love to be by coastal that's that would be the dream. So if I could get it to a space where it's like, I can get it up and running and have it be a whole thing, I would love that. I don't know what that would look like, but that would be the dream.

Speaker 1  52:35

I love it well. I have no doubt it's going to happen. It's going to unfold however it's going to unfold, but it's gonna keep growing. I have no doubt about that. It's such a you really have, like, again, you've created a space that speaks to women, is for women by women. And again, like, we do things differently, and you've really done again in just two events, which is crazy, an awesome job of curating this space. So I feel fortunate that I found it right. A friend sent it to me on Tiktok.

Speaker 2  53:03

Here we are. Tiktok has been the craziest tool for it, because it's sold out right away, like not even in 12 hours, because I posted on Tiktok, so I strategically waited the second time around to post later, and then it still sold out. And Tiktok is an insane tool. It's really crazy, and the local algorithm is really hyper tailored, so it gets around. My only thing too, that I would love to expand, and maybe your audience would be down to help me with, is I want to Tiktok does tend to skew younger, and I don't want to get to be known as, like, the cool young kids. That's not the vibe. I want people from all ages, because everyone has something to offer at every age and at every point in their life. So I'm trying to expand that. I want everyone from every background, every creative career corner, every age, every race. I want everyone to be able to come and bring something and leave us

Speaker 1  53:59

something I love it. It will happen. It'll happen. Awesome. Well, this has been so much fun. Thank you for for coming on coffee with Carly and yeah, sharing again, like such an awesome space, and really aligned, I think, with what all of our listeners, basically all women, are, I really think are feeling stronger than than ever now is just like, where are ways in our lives that we can show up authentic to who we are as women that's in line with how our biology works, that builds, you know, trust with our intuition, like and this has been a really inspiring example of, like, what can happen when you Listen to your intuition, when you start to set energetic boundaries, like a lot of this has grown because, you know, you didn't force it. You did it your way, the way that it was now chicken unfold. So where, you know, I know, especially for some of our Washington Seattle listeners, like, Where can people find you, outside of finally, net weaving, supply. Support you. And again, it sounds like you're still confirming the next date, pending possible period. So yeah, we will, of course, include a lot of information, and you know, finally, net weaving and all that in our show notes, but any closing parts of where they can support you?

Speaker 2  55:15

Yeah, sure. So our next net weaving event right now, it is planned for end of January, so give or take a week, we'll figure that out. So mentally note that that that time frame is when the next one's gonna be you can follow me on finally, net weaving on Instagram. It's just all one word. That's kind of where I will post most of the updates, any events. And I also recently have been sharing local things around Seattle that I've seen, like events by other women, other creative women, or workshops, or whatever. I try it like, if people ask me to share something, I re share it. But that's something I want to do more of. It's like sharing more of those opportunities and like fun things and highlighting women on the stories. Yeah, that's like, mainly, mainly it for right now I'm working on a website. So that'll be, that'll be coming soon. It should be. It might. I think it's finally net weaving.com, but let I don't know for sure. Well, I have, I'm pretty sure that's the I got. I got a couple domains. I think that's what I'm gonna use.

Speaker 1  56:12

Don't worry, we'll, we'll make sure include all of them in the show, yeah. But if

Speaker 2  56:15

anyone's interested in connecting with me, just DM me on the Instagram for now. That's the easiest way.

Speaker 1  56:20

I love it well again. Thank you so much. This has been such a blast. And, yeah, I look forward to seeing you basically at the end of January, and maybe I'll see you. I like, I'm doing a founder's table thing. I think you shared that.

Speaker 2  56:34

Wait, you're doing it. I'm going to it the founders table holiday party. Oh yeah, I'm going there too perfect.

56:41

Yeah, I think you should. So I will see you in like a week, but yeah, in like a week, yeah,

Speaker 1  56:47

I love it. So, yeah, thank you again. This has been so fun. And to all my listeners, like a good cup of coffee, stay bold, stay balanced, and I will see you next week. You you.