Strategic Networking: Building Relationships That Actually Open Doors with Dr. Elizabeth Fried

What if the reason networking feels awful is that you have been doing the wrong thing first? This week on the Glow Up, Gyrl Podcast, Kyra sits down with Dr. Elizabeth Fried, executive coach, author, and founder of N. E. Fried and Associates, who has spent more than four decades with senior leaders, business owners, and professionals working on clarity, confidence, and executive presence. She is also 78, plays pickleball with a 33 year old partner, acts in commercials for active aging, and writes a children's fantasy series. Her book started with Navy SEALs. Elizabeth coaches for The Honor Foundation, which helps special operators move into the civilian workforce. She says many of them would rather go back into a firefight than walk into a room of strangers. Their program requires 50 cups of coffee with people they do not know, so she built them a protocol in the language they already spoke: mission, target, reconnaissance, plan. It worked, and it turned into Strategic Networking: A Practical Playbook. In this episode: Why the first step is not meeting people, it is knowing your objective The five situations in her book and why each one needs different questions Relationship capital instead of collecting business cards The AI prompts she wrote to research someone before you ever meet them Mirror neurons, oxytocin, and what actually happens when two people connect Why asking permission drops defenses, and the exact phrasing to use The No Wallflower Rule, and the mindset shift she gave her terrified niece How to gracefully exit a conversation and still get the contact How to join a group already talking without saying a word at first The handwritten note, the follow-up article, and why most people quit too early What she learned about influence after four decades of coaching Whether you are dreading a conference next month, rebuilding a network after a career change, or walking into rooms where you do not know a soul, this conversation will meet you right where you are. Learn more: executivecoachingfirms.com Follow Elizabeth: @nelizabethfried Stay connected to Glow Up, Gyrl: Website: glowupgyrl.com | Email: [e-mail] Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn: @glowupgyrl | Facebook: @glowupgyrlatl Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices