All Episodes

December 18, 2024 14 mins

Have you ever wondered what separates those who soar in their careers from those who stay stuck? Spoiler alert: It’s not just talent or hard work—it’s the power of community.

In this episode, I dive into why success isn’t meant to be solo and how the right network can completely transform your career. Drawing from my experiences in two incredible communities—CHIEF, a network for executive women, and Impact 11, a high-level group for speakers and thought leaders—I’ll share:

  • Why your network is your net worth and how connections create opportunities you can’t predict.
  • The transformative benefits of community, including mentorship, accountability, and support.
  • How being in the right group accelerates growth and inspires bold action.
  • My personal stories of career breakthroughs fueled by powerful connections.
  • A hint at something BIG I’m creating for ambitious women looking to grow, thrive, and succeed.

Whether you’re looking to build a network or maximize the one you already have, this episode will give you practical insights and inspiration to take your career to the next level.

✨ Tune in and start building the connections that will change your career forever!

BUY THE BOOK - Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floors

Be a Book Launch Insider!!!

My FREE 5x5 Starter Kit for LinkedIn

FREE WEEKLY SUCCESS PLANNER

Join our Facebook Group!

Find me on Instagram

Check out our PINS on Pinterest

And YES - I'm on TikTok!

Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
I'm going to say something thatis.

(00:01):
Totally self promotional and itfeels a little icky to do so,
but I think that it is importantfor you to hear.
So here we go.
I have had pretty massiveamounts of success in my career
and pretty quickly.
Told you that felt kind of sick,but bear with me.
I have always focused on growthand abundance and yes, that

(00:24):
helps me tremendously.
I'm always wanting to takeaction and move the ball
forward.
Even when I am scared, even whenI don't want to do it.
And that has also helped metremendously.
And sometimes if I'm honest,it's about being in the right
place at the right time.
But what I want to talk abouttoday is the single thing that

(00:45):
has helped me accelerate mycareer growth and my success.
And my business in record time.
And that thing is community.
Now I'm coming off the heels ofa masterclass with one of my
favorite communities.
And.
I'm flying a bit high right now.
I'm literally buzzing, buzzing,buzzing, buzzing with

(01:06):
excitement.
Even though I am physicallyexhausted.
If you're watching this onYouTube, you can see, I am still
in the hotel room, but I wantedto jump in and share with you.
What community can do for yourcareer?
The transformative benefits thatcome along when you were in the
right community and why successis not a solo act.

(01:27):
Welcome to the glass ceiling andsticky floor podcast.
The show that's here to empoweryou to break free from limiting
beliefs, ditch toxic behaviors,and unlock the infinite
possibilities that are waitingfor you.
This is your time to live yourbest life unapologetically.
I'm Eric.
Tony, your host Ana biggestcheerleader on a mission to get

(01:48):
more women into positions ofpower and keep them there where
they belong.
If you're ready to shatterceilings, crush self-doubt and
build a career and lifeoverflowing with growth and
abundance.
You're in the right place.
Here's the deal.
We talk about the real stuff.
Imposter syndrome,perfectionism, fear, burnout.

(02:09):
You name it.
It's real.
It's raw.
It's honest.
And it's exactly what you needto level up.
So grab a seat.
Pub in those ear buds and let'sdive in.
All right.
So for those of you who don'tknow, I am in two incredible,
incredible, incrediblecommunities.
The first one is chief, which isa network for executive women.

(02:31):
And the second one is impact 11,which is a speaker community
designed to elevate your craftand your thought leadership so
that you can make the biggestimpact possible.
Now, let me start off by sayingthat.
I am very privileged to be inthese two communities.
They are not cheap.
Uh, but to me they're worth theinvestment and here's why.

(02:52):
When you are a part of acommunity like chief, or like
impact 11, you are surrounded bypeople who inspire you to think
bigger.
They challenge your ideas.
They offer guidance and theyopened doors that you did not
even know existed.
Now my fellow women and chiefyall, they have helped me launch
my podcast.

(03:13):
Get the word out about mypodcast, right reviews.
They did it all for my book too.
And without fail, they show upin full support every single
time.
Now they've also been there forthe really bad days for the days
where I wanted to throw in thetowel for the days where I was
mansplained to the days I wastold I was intimidating.

(03:34):
And the days that I just wantedto just give it all up.
And there's something sopowerful about that because.
It allowed me to show up andconnect with women who have the
same kind of challenges that Ido.
And then they can also give meadvice and share strategies.
Like I live in an amazingneighborhood with amazing women,

(03:55):
but none of them have the samelife that I have where I was a
chief people officer in tech,flying across the world for half
of a month at a time.
Nor do I have anyone else in myclose proximity that was doing
speaking events?
Like I was, so I didn't haveanyone to navigate, like how do
I run this business?
And so that's what these twocommunities bring them, right?

(04:16):
Like, I asked them for careeradvice for kid advice, business
advice, and you know what theyalways show up.
I mean, y'all we talk abouthaving a board of directors,
right?
Like your own group of peoplewho can give you insight and
wisdom and advice, just like abusiness would.

(04:36):
And this is super important, butimagine having a community that
brings together literally thesmartest, most talented, the
most incredible people who wantto do big things.
All in one space.
Y'all that's chief.
But here's the real deal.
I've said it once.
I'm gonna say it again.
Network, network, networknetwork, because networking is

(04:59):
key.
Your network is not just aboutwho, you know, It's about all of
the insights, the opportunitiesand the confidence that comes
from those connections.
So, let me ask you this.
Did you know that statisticsshow that over 80% of jobs are
filled through networking?
Not job postings.

(05:19):
Y'all.
So these relationships thatyou're building are literally
your career's most powerfulcurrency.
And I'll save it through my twocommunities.
I have.
Been presented with moreopportunities than I ever could
have imagined that would nothave happened.
Had I not been in thesecommunities?
Now my speaker, community impact11.

(05:42):
Y'all they are just, so-so soincredible.
If I've said it once, I'll sayit a million times.
I have never been surrounded bya group of people who number
one.
They just always want to growand be better and improve.
And number two, give asgenerously as they do.
But this community helps me showup every single day as my best

(06:03):
speaker self.
And y'all, they challenged me tothink bigger about what I'm
doing, uh, to go deeper and, youknow, to be me just Erica
Rooney, which if you've read mybook or listened to my podcasts,
You know, I talk about one of mysticky floors.
Being that I was alwayschameleon blending into where I
fit in.
Right.

(06:23):
But the true power is when Istand in my own person.
And I am my own authentic self.
So their support in thatjourney, their guidance has been
game changing.
It's been life changing.
But when I stop and I reallythink about the transformative
benefits of community.

(06:43):
I think about the access tomentors.
And I hear all the time abouthow hard it can be for people to
find the right mentor or someonewho genuinely wants to mentor
you, but in community,Absolutely.
Totally different.
Everyone is there to be amentor.
Right.
So when you were in the rightcommunity, everyone steps up and

(07:06):
they fill those shoes.
So, yes.
One of the biggest advantages tobeing in a strong community is
access to those mentors.
Those people who have alreadywalked the path that you are
wanting to walk and they cangive you the guidance that
accelerates that growth.
But it's literally like gasolinethrown on a fire.
It is this wild accelerant.

(07:28):
That's going to just jumpstartyour career.
In no time.
And then in chief, my women'sgroup, the mentors and the
guides there, they have helpedme shape my business.
They helped me imagine whatcould be possible for my
business.
And they walked with me holdingmy hand through the process of
stepping away from corporate andfinding my true calling.

(07:51):
And y'all they got in thetrenches with me and that is so.
Incredibly valuable.
But they also provide a hell ofa lot of accountability and
motivation and y'all.
I have one speakeraccountability group.
That's we are a part of impact11, but we're like this little
pod and we check in every monthwith each other, like, how are

(08:11):
we doing?
What support do you need?
Do you have any questions?
Like maybe I can offer my adviceand my insights, or maybe I've
been through that similarsituation.
And just the ideas that areflowing are so incredibly
amazing.
And like nobody is in there tocut you down.
Nobody is in there thrown shade,like it is genuinely the most
amazing community that supportsan up lifts.

(08:32):
But here's the real deal.
When you are surrounded byambitious people who always want
to grow and level up.
It's hard not to level upyourself.
So being in a group beingcommunity like impact 11, it
means that you are constantlyinspired to push your
boundaries, to set bigger goalsand to stay accountable to those

(08:53):
goals.
Which trust me, when I tell youthey will not let you fail.
But here is one of the biggesttakeaways from being in these
impactful communities.
And that is.
Opportunities that you cannotpredict.
So networking.
I don't want you to think aboutnetworking as just career

(09:14):
advancement.
It's about serendipity.
And my, my friend, Jenny wood,who wrote the book wild courage.
He says that serendipity doesn'thappen.
It's made.
And the more you connect, themore opportunities seem to just
magically appear.
Right?
But that magic is the result ofintentional connections.

(09:36):
So, let me tell you this wildstory happened to me the other
day.
But I was talking with myfriend, Jenny that I just told
you about.
And she she's an ex Googler.
She's the author and incredibleleader.
And she said that I just had tomeet this one woman.
And her woman, friend, her namewas Brittany Hodak and Brittany
Hodak is the author ofsuperfans.
So I had to head to Nashvillefor this community event.

(09:59):
And I'm emailing away with thiswoman, Brittany, that Jenny
wanted me to connect with.
And I, I get to my hotel room inNashville where I'm at this
community event.
I emailed Brittany, Brittanyemails me back.
She says, I've downloaded yourpodcast.
I'm going to listen to it on myway home.
I'm at this event, that's localfor me.
So I'll holler at you later inthe day.
And I reply back, like soundsgreat.

(10:20):
And I send it off.
And as soon as I hit send, Ilooked in her email signature
and I noticed that she livesvery close to Nashville.
So, of course my brain went.
Is she at the same event thatI'm at?
So I emailed her back reallyquickly.
And I said, um, are you at thisevent?
And she was like, yes, I am.

(10:40):
So y'all serendipity.
It is not something that justhappens.
It is something that you make.
And so I actually got to connectwith Brittany in person in real
life.
When before it was just going tobe a zoom.
So.
To wrap it up.
These types of serendipitousmoments y'all they don't just

(11:02):
happen.
They are made, but I could nothave made them without the power
of community.
So let's talk about success andy'all, this is my big thing
here.
Success is not so low.
There is this myth that manyentrepreneurs, many women
climbing the ladder are allabout grinding it out alone.

(11:25):
But the truth is that the mostsuccessful people have the best
and the strongest supportsystems.
They have communities that helpthem accelerate their success.
They have communities that helpthem accelerate their growth.
Because they amplify yourefforts.
So communities like.

(11:45):
Chief and impact 11.
They're unique.
Yes, but they thrive on trust.
They create spaces where you canshow up and you can be your
authentic self.
You can be vulnerable, you canask questions and you can share
your struggles and your painpoints.
Without fear or judgment.
And y'all vac.
Is where the real growthhappens.

(12:08):
But here's the thing.
And I understand this, noteveryone has access to spaces
like chief or impact 11.
They are very expensive.
They cost a lot of money andit's a privilege.
It is a privilege to be a partof those communities.
But I believe that everyambitious woman deserves a
community that supports her.

(12:28):
That challenges her and helpsher grow.
And let's just say, y'all, I'vebeen working on something that
will fill that gap.
So I want you to stay tuned.
But here's what I want you toremember.
The right community.
It's not just about a careerboost.
It is an accelerator.
It's where you find guidance,opportunity and connection that

(12:49):
takes you further than you couldever go alone.
And if you're not already a partof a supportive ambitious group,
I encourage you go find onesequin out.
And if you're wondering how tofind one of those, what.
I might just have something foryou soon.
So for now, though, I just wantyou to imagine being surrounded

(13:10):
by women who believe in you, whochallenge you and who want to
see you win.
That is the power of community.
And it's something I am soexcited to bring to more women
very, very soon.
So keep an eye out for what iscoming next.
But until then, I want you tothink about the people you
surround yourself with.

(13:30):
Who inspires you, who challengesyou?
And most importantly, who do youwant to invite on this journey?
Of 2025.
Who do you want to bring withyou into the next year?
All right.
Y'all thanks for listening tothe glass ceiling and sticky
floor podcast.
If this episode lit a fire underyou, go ahead, hit that five

(13:51):
star review button.
It's how we get this messageinto the hands of the woman that
needs to hear it the most.
But I don't want you to stophere.
Connect with me on Instagram,LinkedIn, Tik TOK, and all of
the socials where I drop dailyinspiration.
I've got a lot of great freeresources out there and the
tools that you need to keepsmashing those ceilings.
But until next time, rememberthis, the only.

(14:12):
Limits you set are the ones youplace over yourself.
So let's smash them together.
Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know
Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.