In this episode, I speak with Pat Hiller. She was directly introduced to me by my mother’s friend. This episode covers topics that may be triggering for some people. [TW: SI, mention of su*c*de]. Pat had two, long, loving marriages, the first for more than 30 years and the second one just shy of 30. Unfortunately, she had to experience both of her husbands passing away, as well as several other people that were near and dear to her. She was kind enough to share her experience.

In this episode, I speak with Khusraw Razbaan Ahmadzai. He is a friend and colleague of my partner. Razbaan is a proud dad as well as a network and systems engineer. He spent his early childhood in Kabul, Afghanistan before moving to Islamabad, Pakistan during the civil war in the early 90s. In this episode we talk about: -What it feels like to be part of a community displaced by war -The role of the Afghan diaspora in his childhood -How networks allowed him to access professional opportunities

In this episode, I speak with Karsang Tamang. We met when he convinced me to hire his father as a porter and I had the opportunity to meet his mother and other relatives in their village, Thulo Syafru. It's at the intersection of two popular trekking routes north of Kathmandu near the Tibetan border. On April 25th 2015 a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal. This terrible natural disaster killed almost 9k and injured 22k. Most of the buildings in Thulo Syafru were also destroyed.

In this episode, I speak with Guang Ming Whitley. She's the CEO of the Whitley household and stayed home to raise 4 wonderful children. She has written both fiction and non-fiction books. She is also an elected official in her local town council. She co-founded Aenea, a mentorship program for young adults. We talk about: -How becoming a stay at home mom impacted her relationships -How her family navigate the challenges of finding people to spend time with -The importance of networks for young...

In this episode, I speak with Max Dickins. He reached out to me on Twitter after seeing a tweet about the show. Max is an Author, Playwright, Actor, Presenter & Comedian. He is currently researching friendship and loneliness. We talk about: -When he noticed that his network wasn't as strong as he'd like it to be -How he audited his network to understand how it has changed -How he and his fiance think about their networks and what differs -New strategies he has implemented to nurture...

In this episode, I speak with Nina Hobson. Nina is no stranger to relocation. She has lived in 10 countries on 4 continents and has moved countless times. She also writes The Expater, a blog that shares what it’s like to live abroad to help make it more accessible to others. In this episode we talk about: -What she does to plan for a move today -Why it’s sometimes necessary to throw that plan out the window upon arrival -Her strategies for making friends in new places

This season, we turn people who have experienced life events that shaped their networks. We hear how that person dealth with it in their own words and what they learned about the role of relationships and community in their lives. One of the most common is changing jobs. Steve jobs is famous for saying you can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. I'll paint a picture of my professional journey through the lens of networks to help bring this idea to...

In this episode, Georgie and I focus on conversations any of us might have when we are maintaining a relationship or hoping to harness it in support of a specific objective. These types of chats often happen when you have news to share or realise that the other person might be able to help you reach a goal. We call these 'maintenance' conversations because they help to maintain the relationship between two people.

In this episode, Georgie and I focus on first-time conversations with someone when a specific context has been layed out. These types of chats often happen when you’ve been directly introduced to someone or have met someone because you have a specific objective in mind. We still label these conversations as forming because there is an opportunity to build a relationship with the other person, but sometimes the context takes centre stage and you forget to explore other ways to connect...

In this episode, Georgie and I focus on first-time conversations when there’s very little context. These types of chats can happen when you’re standing in line somewhere or have been sent to a virtual breakout room at a conference. There’s often an opportunity to form a connection with the other person, but sometimes it’s hard to know where to start. Try not to focus on the content on the conversation. Instead, notice what types of questions we ask and how we answer them.

Thanks for joining this experiment! We’re going to start launching mini-series, which will allow us to explore specific topics in more depth. For the next several episodes, I’ve joined forces with Georgie Nightingall from Trigger Conversations. Together, we will focus on a key ingredient to cultivating networks: conversations. In this episode we talk about how conversations are critical to cultivating our networks and provide useful habits and tips you can use immediately.

During the second season, we explored networks through the eyes of innovators and practitioners. They are creating the tools and technologies to help us meet people, nurture relationships and cultivate our networks. I talk about: -Value that people derive from products and services that help them engage with a network -Considerations or trade-offs that innovators often face in supporting these interactions -Key characteristics that these products and services incorporate in order to help...

Bilyana is the co-founder and CEO of Orbiit. They match people within a network for 1-to-1 conversations on a specific topic and help community managers systematically activate their communities. We talk about: -That inboxes are flooded with ‘one directional’ content invitations -Community managers spend time curating content, but not connecting members to each other -Managers make unhelpful presumptions about community members -Importance of context to the quality of a conversation

Lynn is the founder and CEO of Pivt. Their service helps improve the well being of relocated employees and their families, all grounded in the power of networks and social support. In this episode we talk about: -What activities help grow your network after relocating -The cost and churn that companies incur trying to move employees -The various stakeholders that are a part of the process -How COVID has changed the market of relocations -Some shocking survey results conducted during lockdown

Connor has spent most of his career building networks. With Bridge, he is building a tool to serve people he calls ‘connectors’ which allows them to help their network succeed by helping them make better introductions. We talk about: -Cultural differences around how people connect -How the future of work makes our networks more important -What characteristics ‘connectors’ share -What makes introductions magic -Common pitfalls during the introduction process -How introductions build social capi

Zahra is the founder and CEO of Enrol Yourself. They organise Learning Marathons, which are 6 month peer-led learning programmes for adults. In this episode we talk about how: -People use learning marathons to support big transitions like changing careers -People benefit from their peers and wider network helping them reach their goals -Networks can support or undermine an individual's personal growth -This type of learning environment helps people try on a new identity

Stephen is the co-founder and CEO of Hi Right Now. They run virtual speed chat events for communities to help their members connect with each other. In this episode we talk about: -How his upbringing opened his eyes to the importance of networks -How COVID has impacted our ability to meet new people -What makes the Hi Right Now experience more accessible and inclusive -The difference between being an extrovert and being able to connect meaningfully with someone else

Dr. Amar Dhand is a Neurologist and Social Scientist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Currently, his work focuses on social networks and how they impact health outcomes. He is interested in creating a social network paradigm for clinical medicine. In this episode we: -How networks tangibly affect his patients -Ways in which networks impact how quickly people get treatment for medical emergencies like strokes -How a patient's network influences their ability to recover

In season 2, we'll turn our focus from academics to practicioners and innovators. They are using their intuition and experience in networks to build products, services and even communities. They are creating the tools and technologies to help us meet people, nuture relationships and cultivate our networks.

Many people go through life with a set of unconscious beliefs and biases about networks and relationships that don’t drive the outcomes they really want.  In this episode, I wrap up Season 1 of The Reliants Project Podcast and examine ten unhelpful assumptions about relationships that I’ve come across in my own research and experience. Then I provide an alternative perspective for each which will help you live a more successful, connected and fulfilled life.

YY Ahn is an Associate Professor of Informatics and Computing at Indiana University. He investigates questions across a range of fields including sociology, health, economics and culture.  In this episode we: - Discuss what YY learned from analysing LinkedIn's data from 500 million users in 25 years  - Talk about the friendship paradox and how understanding it affects your physical and mental health - Explore YY's research on COVID and counterintuitive approaches to contact tracing

Michelle Rogan is an Associate Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at Imperial College London Business School. Her research explores how people and organisations' social capital impacts entrepreneurship and innovation. In this episode we: - Talk about how small worlds show up in our lives - Discuss who actually owns your network in a work context and how that impacts your job performance - Learn about how the nature of your work relationships influences your ability to successfully...

Noah Askin is an Assistant Professor at INSEAD. His research is on social and cultural networks and how they drive creativity, particularly in the music industry. He also teaches organisational design and leadership, focusing on corporate culture and organisational change. In this episode we discuss: - Noah's research on musicians and what impacts their creativity - The trade-offs around organisation design, formal and informal structures - A clever idea to expand your network during lockdown

Alexander Gates is a post-doctoral research associate at The Center for Complex Network Research at Northeastern University, also known as the Barabasi Lab. His research is focused on the science of success and the dynamics of academic careers. In this episode we: - Discuss how you can apply the 'science of success' to further your career - Learn about the random impact rule and why it's possible to be successful later in life - Talk about practical steps each of us can take to improve our...