5 Ideas to Expand Your Social Circle and Connect with Like-Minded Women

If your current friends don’t support your goals or resent your success, it’s time to make friends with people who are actually doing amazing things with their lives.

I recently hosted my “Create Your Ideal Life” Workshop in Atlanta and the ladies showed up with honesty, vulnerability and a willingness to learn.

And the sisterhood that quickly formed among the attendees was so beautiful to witness!

We all left with the reminder that growth happens faster in community, not isolation.

Being around other women who are all doing the work to pursue their dreams is truly priceless.

Because of the most difficult things about the path to success is how lonely it can be.

As a business owner, I’ve learned how important it is to put myself out there to connect with other motivated entrepreneurial women who are on a similar path.

I know from experience that life is more fulfilling when you have supportive women around you that you can share victories with, whether it’s quitting your job, landing a new client or publishing your next book.

If you’ve been struggling to expand your social circle, consider these ideas on how to connect with like-minded women and grow your support network.

1. Attend local networking events.

Local networking events hosted by a business or organization are a great way for you to connect with women in your area who have the same interests as you do. Best of all, most of them are free or low-cost! Do a Google search or check online forums, blogs, your local newspaper or your city’s weekly community calendar for upcoming networking events.

2. Go to in-person retreats and seminars.

Retreats are typically hosted by organizations, authors, speakers, coaches or mentors over the course of a weekend/week/month in various locations around the world. The great thing about retreats is that you can combine them with a vacation or simply take a weekend away from home to get motivated and recharged to achieve your goals. Many organizations have an “events” page where you can find out how to register for their next retreat or seminar.

3. Find an online group related to a hobby or interest you have.

I love online groups for the convenience factor. All you do is enter your location and choose a category on Facebook, Meetup or Eventbrite to find groups of people with certain interests or hobbies in your area. Although you’ve probably heard this suggestion before, you might think, “I’m just not a ‘go meet a bunch of strangers’ type of person.” Or maybe you’re even an introvert like me. But if you’re looking to expand your social circle, why not plug in to a community that’s already been created for you? Consider that you’ll also expand your skills and experiences by learning from others in the group.

4. Join a book club.

If you love to read and want to meet other readers in your area, look for a book club! Local libraries, independent bookstores and chains like Barnes & Noble often host book discussion groups. If you wish, you can exchange contact information with others in the club to continue the conversation over coffee or dinner. The point is that you expand your social circle with women who enjoy the same activity that you like to do. You already know you’ll have something in common with the participants, especially if the club is focused on reading certain types of books.

5. Host an informal get-together at your home.

Have you noticed that your phone and face-to-face time with friends has decreased since the convenience of email, Facebook, Instagram, etc? I know I’m guilty of this myself. I definitely have to make the extra effort to schedule lunch, drinks or even just a Zoom session with all of the amazing women I know. Hosting an informal get-together at your home is a fantastic way to expand your social circle because you get to interact more deeply with a select group of women than you would at a crowded happy hour or noisy restaurant. Just go through your email contacts, list of Facebook friends or stack of business cards and I’m sure you’ll discover at least three interesting women you’d like to get to know a bit better.

Do you need to expand your social circle to include people who can support your goals? What is one thing you can do this week to connect with liked-minded women?