Years ago I was connected with Jordan Harbinger, host of the The Jordan Harbinger Show, which led to me being a guest on his podcast. During the interview, I remember thinking I was off my game and totally blowing it.

Turns out, it was one of the best I had ever done. Jordan is such a skilled interviewer, he asked questions I had never gotten before and we had an open and authentic exchange – which I can now see in retrospect.

Since then, Jordan and I have stayed in touch and I’ve appeared on his show a few more times. Here is our most recent episode. We frequently help to promote each other’s endeavors (such as my book club and Book Bonus offers.)

Every once in a while, Jordan gets questions from his audience that he sends over for my expertise. I’m always happy to give my two cents and have him share it on the show. A few months ago, a woman contacted him with some concerns about her new job at a startup tech company regarding the lack of female engineers in management roles within the organization. Her concerns were met with a cold shoulder. Because of this, as well as some additional uncomfortable interactions she’d had with high-level stakeholders in the company, she was wondering if her concerns were an overreaction. (You can find that episode HERE around minute 15:20; It’s the second question.)

The last time he contacted me, I was a bit slow to respond. I shared with him what was going on with my son. Not only was Jordan kind enough to give my walk for the cure a shout-out on his show, but he also made an incredibly generous donation to my fundraising page for the Lupus Research Alliance. I’m incredibly grateful.

If you’re interested in donating, it’s not too late. We are fundraising now through the end of the year. We would so appreciate any contribution.

So I dedicate this newsletter to the idea that our relationships don’t need to be solely professional or personal. We can blur those connection lines, and for me, those have become some of the strongest and most enduring connections I’ve made.

Jordan is not the only connection that started professionally and became more. Sometimes it is interesting to look back and see where they expanded. With one friend, it was when I reached out to share condolences.

How can you connect on more than one level with the people you work with? Take a risk, share, be open, and see what happens.