Welcome to Season 2, Episode 7 of the Women’s Leadership Podcast with Gaia Project for Women’s Leadership Founder and CEO, Elizabeth Cronise McLaughlin. Join us weekly for all things related to women’s leadership, equity, advancement, inclusion and success in alignment with your values. Are you investing in relationships that nourish and support you? For this week’s podcast episode, Elizabeth joins us from Seattle where she and her kids are waiting for the moving truck to show up in California from New York City! She talks about how the quote “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make” from The Beatles was on her mind as she packed up to leave the city she has lived in for the last 17 years. From a leadership perspective, this is about what we create for ourselves in our lives in the form of support, and the reason we can make powerful transitions in ways that feel smooth. The key concept here is that what you put into your relationships in the form of love and support is what you receive back in exchange - and this applies not just in personal relationships but in professional relationships as well. At least, this is how it should be. Unfortunately, women are often conditioned by patriarchy to give relentlessly, regardless of what we get back. We may even feel guilty or ashamed about the idea that our relationships should serve us as well as us serving them. None of us are served as women leaders by relationships where all we do is give. Even as mentors and sponsors, we should be able to count on the people we mentor to support us as well as vice versa. So, how can you invest in relationships that serve you? Elizabeth shares several strategies for realigning your relationships so you are giving to people that fully support your personal and professional growth. Listen to the podcast episode to find out more. If you like what you hear, please support us on Patreon where you can get access to bonus content. And don’t forget to check out the Women’s Leadership Summer Masterclass Series. This week we’ll be doing a deeper dive into two particular types of professional relationships that are critical to your success - mentorship and sponsorship. Pulled directly from the work that we do inside corporations and organizations with leaders at all levels, we’ll be exploring strategies for developing strategic relationships that are also deeply authentic and aligned with your values, so that you can visualize and embrace a vision for leadership that you can get behind. We’ll be looking at it from both sides, discussing how you can offer as well as seek mentorship and sponsorship opportunities that are mutually beneficial. Join us tomorrow (Tuesday, July 17th at 12pm EDT) for Session 3: Cultivating Support - Mentorship and Sponsorship, or sign up for an all-access pass to all six sessions!