The Mindset of Networking: Overcoming Discomfort to Build Authentic Connections

In this deeply personal June episode of "Pass the Mic," Tiffany Ball, founder of Grow Networking, opens up about the mindset shifts that transformed her approach to networking. As a recovering alcoholic with 10 years of sobriety, Tiffany shares how the self-awareness gained through recovery helped her understand the psychological barriers that keep people from networking effectively. Through the story of her first terrifying networking experience at a country club—complete with an overly enthusiastic handshaker and an inappropriate booth visitor—she illustrates how our internal narratives of "not being enough" sabotage our success. Tiffany introduces her memorable (and admittedly inappropriate) "donut analogy" to explain why networking fails when we approach it with the wrong mindset, and shares how showing up authentically, rather than trying to be who we think others want us to be, is the key to building meaningful business relationships.

Tiffany Ball is the founder of Grow Networking and a recovering alcoholic with 10 years of sobriety. Coming from a military family with a financially challenging background, Tiffany has spent much of her adult life learning to navigate spaces where she initially felt she didn't belong. Her journey through Alcoholics Anonymous taught her valuable lessons about self-awareness, authenticity, and changing automatic thought patterns—skills she now applies to helping others overcome networking anxiety and build genuine business connections. Tiffany describes herself as someone who "knows how to people" but had to learn how to be "more human and less chaotic." Her approach to networking emphasizes authenticity over performance, relationship-building over immediate sales, and the power of showing up as yourself in professional spaces.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Recovery and Self-Awareness: How 10 years of sobriety and AA taught valuable lessons about mindset and authentic relationships
• Imposter Syndrome in Professional Settings: Feeling like you don't belong in upscale or professional environments
• Neural Pathways and Automatic Thinking: How our brains create automatic responses and why mindset work is necessary to change them
• The First Networking Experience: A detailed account of overcoming anxiety at a country club networking event
• Setting Manageable Goals: The power of committing to meet just three people to make networking less overwhelming
• Dealing with Uncomfortable Situations: Handling inappropriate behavior and awkward interactions while networking
• The "Donut Analogy": Why approaching networking with the wrong mindset leads to failure and discomfort
• Authenticity vs. Performance: The importance of being yourself rather than who you think others want you to be
• Networking as Seed Planting: Understanding that networking is about long-term relationship building, not immediate sales
• Building Your Advocate Network: Creating a tribe of people who will promote your business in spaces where you're not present

Powerful Quotes from the Episode

"I had to learn how to be more human and less chaotic."

"Our brain wants to turn everything into automatic. So it doesn't have to think a lot about it... that's how habits are formed, even traumas and things like that."

"My insides was like, you don't belong here. This is not a place that you belong in."

"I am a superhero when it comes to moving through discomfort. And because the discomfort is always there for me, like it doesn't go away."

"I'm that person that's in my head who has been there for 42 years saying, hey, you're