
Most networking advice was built for men and tested on men. It tells you to work the room, collect contacts, and follow up fast. But research across four continents and fifteen years of longitudinal studies shows that women who network like men consistently underperform the women who don't. Networking strategist and two-time author J. Kelly Hoey shares the goods from the landmark study that launched her latest book, The Social Billionaire. Women who reach the top don't just stay plugged into information flows. They build a second, inner circle of like-minded women with diverse networks, and they use three high-impact strategies most women have never been taught: brokering, churn, and visibility. If you've been told to "just get out there and network" and it's never moved the needle for your business, this episode explains why, and gives you the research-backed formula that actually works.
In this episode of the She Leads Podcast, Adrienne and Kelly unpack the central finding of her new book, The Social Billionaire: the women who get internships, land roles, and grow businesses past the million-dollar mark run two networks at once. One is the broader information flow everyone else is in. The other is a smaller, intentional inner circle of like-minded women with diverse networks who give real feedback, real introductions, and back-channel advice that moves careers and businesses forward.
Adrienne and Kelly get into the three high-impact networking activities women consistently skip: brokering, churn, and visibility. They talk about why "I don't have time to network" usually means defaulting to transactional outreach, and why the kindest thing you can do for someone is to be specific about what you need.
To build a strong, healthy business with longevity, you must build your network strategically. Kelly tells us why.
Chapters:
🤝 02:42 J. Kelly Hoey on how networking became the spine of her career
🔬 09:19 The research finding behind The Social Billionaire
👯 15:21 Why your closest people are the wrong network for career advice
🔗 24:00 Brokering is the high-impact networking move most women skip
🔄 31:34 Churn and visibility: the two activities your network has outgrown
🚀 38:53 The networking formula for women entrepreneurs scaling past a million
🎯 45:50 Being specific is kindness, vague asks shut down the listener's brain
Links:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kellyhoey
Website: jkellyhoey.co
Book: The Social Billionaire
Reach out to J. Kelly Hoey to learn more about the networking formula behind The Social Billionaire and the relationships that move women's careers and businesses forward.
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XO
Adrienne
- (02:42) - 🤝 J. Kelly Hoey on how networking became the spine of her career
- (09:19) - 🔬 The research finding behind The Social Billionaire
- (15:21) - 👯 Why your closest people are the wrong network for career advice
- (24:00) - 🔗 Brokering is the high-impact networking move most women skip
- (31:34) - 🔄 Churn and visibility: the two activities your network has outgrown
- (38:53) - 🚀 The networking formula for women entrepreneurs scaling past a million
- (45:50) - 🎯 Being specific is kindness, vague asks shut down the listener's brain
02:42 - 🤝 J. Kelly Hoey on how networking became the spine of her career
09:19 - 🔬 The research finding behind The Social Billionaire
15:21 - 👯 Why your closest people are the wrong network for career advice
24:00 - 🔗 Brokering is the high-impact networking move most women skip
31:34 - 🔄 Churn and visibility: the two activities your network has outgrown
38:53 - 🚀 The networking formula for women entrepreneurs scaling past a million
45:50 - 🎯 Being specific is kindness, vague asks shut down the listener's brain











