For a while, I’d been looking for ways to step outside my fairly introverted routine and build meaningful relationships beyond my immediate environment.
That led me to ADPList, where I started mentoring virtually and eventually met Yanina. She invited me to a networking session with Eslam, joining from Egypt, while Yanina joined from Russia and I joined from Nigeria.
We expected a short call. Two hours later, we were still talking.
The conversation moved between work, career growth, our local economies, culture, and the different environments we were building our careers in.
What stood out to me was how many of the underlying experiences were similar despite the differences between our countries.
After the call, I offered to help co-host future sessions. We decided to meet again the following month and invite more people.
Not a bad outcome for what was supposed to be a quick introduction.