👋 Hi my name is Roslyn, I’m a 2x founder and executive coach. I help founders fall in love with building their companies again. Learn about working 1:1 here.

Hi there,

I was at the Female Founder World Summit this past weekend and it was an awesome event — great speaker lineup, amazing community, super thoughtfully curated.

It had me reflecting on what a difference I feel between how I show up at events like that now compared to a few years ago — back when networking as a founder left me feeling insecure and uncomfortable in my own skin. 

So today I want to talk about: 

• Why networking is a requirement for building your company

• The inner work (and outer strategies) to show up with more confidence, magnetism and purpose

• A few founders I find inspiring in this regard

But first, if you’re in NYC this Friday, join us for a Female Founder Coffee Walk. We start in the West Village, grab coffee, and have meaningful chats about building. Scroll down to learn more and RSVP here.

Where we go deep on the outer work or the inner work of building a startup.

How to Show Up with Magnetism

I was at a large conference for female founders this past weekend. 

I went in knowing it would be a great opportunity to meet potential clients, collaborators, and new members of the Within community. And so I knew that I wanted to show up in a real, genuine and magnetic way, hoping the people who interacted with me would walk away feeling seen, uplifted, and perhaps curious about how I support founders at Within. 

I feel like I did. I left with a new client, a couple promising leads, new friends and potential co-collaborators, and new newsletter subscribers.

It was a huge contrast to how I used to feel in founder networking situations.

A couple of years ago, I remember feeling uncomfortable in my own skin—putting so much pressure on myself to make the “right” impression (as if there’s only one). I’d put on a mask and fake it, but underneath I was judging myself for being awkward, not outgoing enough, not a “natural people person” (lol, whatever that is). I’d worry about how others saw me. My heart would race, my palms would sweat. I was out of integrity, and I felt it in my body.

WHY WE NEED NETWORKING (EVEN IN AN ONLINE WORLD)

Fortunately or unfortunately, networking is a necessary part of building a business. 

Business runs on human relationships. Showing up online is powerful for awareness and trust, but fundraising rounds, sales, partnerships, customer insights, and great hires all come through real-life relationships. Attending (or hosting) events where you’ll cross paths with those people is usually one of the best moves you can make for your business.

HOW TO SHOW UP MAGNETICALLY IN NETWORKING

So, if we’ve got to network—how can we do it in a way that actually feels fun?

Here’s the deeper work I’ve done over the past few years that’s helped me show up more magnetically. Then we’ll get into the outer work—strategies and practices that make networking feel intentional and easeful.

THE INNER WORK

BUILD A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP WITH YOURSELF

I used to look externally for validation that I was good enough or that I belonged.

Building a healthy relationship with myself has come in a few parts:

1) Getting to know who I am underneath who I thought I needed to be.

Asking:

• Who am I beyond my founder identity? 

• What do I value and want in life?

• What makes me feel alive and energized?

• What and who inspires me?

• What are my unique gifts?

• How do I want to help the world? 

2) Giving myself the loving validation that this person that I was uncovering, was worth being known and expressed and deserved to be here. 

You can do this through in a number of ways. Meditating on this can help. Writing encouraging love notes to yourself. Keeping a self-compassion or self-gratitude journal. Eventually through these practices you can reshape your inner dialogue to give yourself the same encouragement you’re seeking from others.

KNOW AND LIVE IN YOUR ZONE OF GENIUS

I used to think the value I brought to my company was through my logic and analysis. I was living in my zone of competence and excellence (the things you’re good or great at, but that are energy draining for you).

After burning out from my company, I realized my true zone of genius combined creativity, deep human connection, and a love of personal growth, all integrated with my entrepreneurial side. Operating from that space made everything flow more naturally: my confidence, my joy, and my contribution.

Ask yourself:

• What makes me feel in flow and lose track of time?

• When do I feel most energized and alive?

• What do people naturally come to me for (in work and in life)? 

• What am I so curious and insatiably thirsty to learn more about?

• What would I spend your time on if I had all the money you needed?

Then, find ways to increase your time and impact there.

PARTS WORK

If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while, you know I love Parts Work. It’s based on the idea that we’re made up of many “parts,” each with its own motivations, personalities and fears. (For more background on Parts Work check out this newsletter). 

In a networking situation you might notice:

• A perfectionist part, that wants you to act “just right” in order to make the “perfect impression.”

• An inner critic whispering “Why did you say that? That was so stupid.” 

• A protective part that keeps you from approaching people: “Why would they want to talk to you?”

Parts Work helps you understand and soothe these parts, uncovering the hurt emotions they’re protecting (like rejection or embarrassment). As you build trust with them, they relax—and your truer, calmer self can show up.

This is a big part of how I coach founders by the way! 

NERVOUS SYSTEM WORK

Networking can trigger old fight/flight or freeze/fawn responses. I used to feel my heart race and palms sweat—my body thought I was unsafe, even when I wasn’t.

Through Somatic Experiencing, nervous-system mapping, and daily regulation tools, I’ve been able to heal old nervous system patterns (that originated from earlier in life) and learned to ground myself before big moments.

By the way, it’s perfectly normal to feel some nerves before a high stakes moments! We just don’t want it to be from OLD patterns that haven’t been healed. That’s what this nervous system healing is about.

I talk more about building nervous system resonance here.

TRUSTING YOUR INTUITION

Finally, learning to trust your intuition can direct you towards the people, places and opportunities that are meant for you.

Notice what a “yes” feels like in your body (often lightness, openness, ease) and what a “no” feels like (often tension, constriction, resistance).

Ask your body “does this sound fun to me?” and the answer is yes, go for it. If you’re dreading it, delaying RSVP’ing, your body feels drained just thinking of attending, skip it! 

I wrote more about how to connect with your intuition here.

THE OUTER WORK

SET AN INTENTION, HOLD IT LOOSELY

Before attending an event, set light intention: the kind of connection you’d like to make. But stay open and curious about who you cross paths with. You never know what could naturally unfold from an unexpected connection.

GROUND YOURSELF

How you enter the room matters as much as what you say. Before an event, take 5–10 minutes to ground your energy: Do some deep breathing or light movement to release nervous tension. Visualize yourself calm, open, and magnetic.

CREATE GENUINE CONNECTION

Drop your agenda about “who you should meet” and focus on genuinely connecting with the person or people in front of you. Ask yourself how you can be of service tot hem. Maybe that’s making someone feel seen, introducing them to a contact, or sharing your wisdom. Give first without the expectation of receiving anything in return. Coincidentally it’s usually in those situations where people most want to help you.

FOLLOW UP

If you said let’s grab coffee, DM them and make it happen. If you offer to connect them to someone, follow through. 

Be intentional with your time and energy. Build trust, give first, follow through and watch the positive energy flow back to you. 

CREATE YOUR OWN SPACES

If networking events often feel surface-level or draining, host your own small gatherings instead—coffee walks, dinners, or workshops. When you create the gathering, you attract like-minded people and set the energy. (This is how I got the inspiration for my female founder walks!)

If you’re looking for inspiration for showing up more magnetically, here are a handful of founders I saw speak at the Female Founder World conference that I think are doing it right:

Jasmine Garnsworthy, Founder of Female Founder World. 

I just think Jasmine is so grounded in her vision for both the company and life she’s building. She shows up honestly about the ups and the downs of building a purpose-led business while being a mom, and is extremely focused on being of service to the people she’s building for. She literally greeted the conference in the most iconic two piece showing her 8-months pregnant belly and it was so refreshing and inspiring.

Aleen Dreksler, Co-Founder & CEO at Betches. 

Ok Aleen is obviously the queen of realness, humor and relatability. She brilliantly built a company based on those qualities that has such deep resonance for millennial women. Hearing her speak and chatting with her at the conference made me appreciate how gracefully she’s evolved—through company expansion, into motherhood, and post-acquisition leadership—while staying connected to herself, her values and what lights her up.

Siff Haider, Co-Founder and CEO of Arrae. 

When I heard Siff on a podcast recently, what stood out was her alignment to her zone of genius, how she trusts her intuition to spot trends and launch instant-hit products and also grow a team in a way that feels authentic to her and her co-founder. I’m also obsessed (and realistically will be stealing) her ritual of “parasympathetic Sundays”, a full day dedicated to rest and nervous system recovery. I feel like all of these factors have contributed to her not only being an it-girl founder but, more impressively, growing her company to 9 figures in 5 years (this truly wild you guys!).

All of these women show us that magnetism doesn’t come from perfection. It comes from alignment, and the resonance that comes from being present and being deeply rooted in who you are and why you’re here.

FEMALE FOUNDER WALK

We’re hosting our second female founder coffee walk this Friday. These walks are a chance to get some fresh air (and coffee!), move your body and have meaningful conversations with other founders who are going through it.

This walk’s discussion theme is “time”:

• When was the last time you felt frustrated because something in your business was “taking too long”? What expectation were you holding in that moment?

• How do you usually respond internally when progress feels slower than you want?

• If you zoomed out and looked at the bigger arc of your company (or your life), how might the current pace actually be serving you?

• Where are you putting pressure on yourself or your team with timelines that might not actually be realistic or necessary?

• What would shift if you trusted that things are unfolding at the right pace, even if it’s not the pace you imagined?

You can find out more about the event and RSVP here.

FOUNDER RESET

Next Friday I’m kicking off Founder Reset, a Q4 group coaching program for founders who want to finish 2025 on a high note, with more clarity, team alignment and the permission and tools to take care of themselves and their wellbeing as a founder.

Learn more and apply here.

• 1:1 Coaching: Want to uplevel your leadership and wellbeing? Book a free coaching consultation to learn how we can work together.

• Group Coaching: Learn more about apply for Founder Reset, a Q4 Group Coaching program that will help you end the year on a high note.

• Let’s be friends: on LinkedIn and Instagram. I share more startup content and what’s going on behind the scenes there.

• Finally, tell me how you liked this newsletter. I read every piece of feedback.

Appreciate you!

With love,
Roslyn 💚