This One's for the Women Who Are Done Doing It Alone
I’ve been asking myself a question this month:
“This” being the professional community I have now. The one I’ve been writing about all month. The slingshot partnerships that have changed the trajectory of my work in ways I could not have predicted.
And the answer, the honest answer, is that it was both. I stumbled into some of it. Tatiana and I found each other through a conversation that could easily not have happened. Lauren said something to me that she didn’t have to say. But when I examine what I actually did with those moments, what turned a good conversation into a high-velocity partnership? That part was intentional.
Because a slingshot partnership doesn’t just happen to you. You have to break up with a few things first.
You have to break up with the transactional mindset. The mental scorecard that’s always running in the background, tallying who gave what and who owes whom. Slingshot partnerships can’t breathe in that environment.
You have to break up with the idea that proximity creates community. It doesn’t. My corporate years taught me that the hard way. Community is built on intention, reciprocity, and a shared commitment to each other’s growth. Not on shared office space or even shared history.
And sometimes, not always, but sometimes, you have to break up with the story that you can figure it out on your own. That asking for help signals weakness. That being stalled is something to hide. The women who have the slingshot partnerships I’m describing are the ones who got tired of that story and decided to tell a different one.
I’ve believed this for a long time. It’s part of the foundation of everything I share. You don’t stumble into a breakthrough. You engineer it through Strategize + Energize + Mobilize. And part of engineering it is building the community that will propel you forward.
This month has been about giving you the language and the framework to build something most people leave to chance. And I want to close it the way it started: with honesty.
I've spent this month writing about slingshot partnerships in the abstract. But they aren't abstract to me. They have names.
✨ Tatiana, who understands the terrain because she's navigating it too. Our conversations skip the small talk and go straight to the real work.
Specialties: AI Expert & Consultant | Podcast Host | Speaker | Global Luxury Retail Brand Customer Experience Expert
✨ Lauren, who watched me wilt when I talked about going back to corporate and refused to let me stay there.
Specialties: T1D Diabetes | CEO Risley Health | Author: Diabetes Health Journal
✨ Karen, my New York bestie, whom I've met exactly once in person and talk to almost every day. She wrangles chaos like no one I know, and there is no strategic problem we can't tackle together.
Specialties: Facilitation Expert | Speaker | Global Expertise in Navigating Chaos
✨ Heather, who wrote her first book alongside me, survived the editing rounds and the insanity of a first launch, and has been a treasured collaborator ever since.
Specialties: Former Corporate Executive | Speaker | Author: The Power Lane: Why Keeping Moms in the Workforce REVS the Economy | Founder: The Village (Waiting List Open) - If you are a working mom, I strongly suggest you check out her program.
✨ Amanda, my artist friend who helps me see life from angles I'd never find on my own. We share faith, laughter, and the beautiful mess that comes with both.
Specialties: Mural and Canvas artist | Speaker | Two-Time Author: The Art of Pondering and The Art of Pondering, Navy Edition
I've never met most of these women in person. We don't let that get in our way. We are in constant communication, and they are, without question, the most important professional community I have ever had. That's what a slingshot partnership actually looks like.
Building this kind of community takes intention. It takes courage. And it takes being willing to break up with the version of professional life where you white-knuckle it alone and call that strength. You deserve thought partners who already understand the terrain. Those who skip the context-setting and get straight to the real work. Who celebrate your wins as genuinely as their own. That isn’t a luxury. For the women I work with, it’s a competitive advantage.
As we look back on this month, I have been writing about what slingshot partnerships are and how they work. Next month, I want to show you how to build them.
Lastly, I want to share something new that I'm building. It's a curated groupcentered on thought partnership, shared resources, and real collaboration for high-impact women who are building something that matters. It’s designed for accomplished women who are champions at doing it all themselves, but their impact-driven work is bigger than their capacity.
If that sounds like you, I'm hosting two masterclasses in April called “The Exchange” to introduce the concepts and begin gathering the community of women that will roll up their sleeves and support one another. If you are interested in attending the masterclass online (or in person in Rapid City, SD), reply to this email and I'll send you the details. Only women who reach out to me directly will receive an invite.
If that sounds like you, I'm hosting two masterclasses in April called 'The Exchange' to introduce the concepts and begin gathering the community of women that will roll up their sleeves and support one another. The in-person masterclass is on April 21 at 8:30 am in Rapid City, SD. The online masterclass is on April 28 at 4 pm MT / 6 pm EST. Message me at jenn@jennlandis.com
If you have been nodding along all month, this is the room where we go deeper.
I hope to hear from you.
Thank you for spending March with me.
🤏TINY TWEEK Challenge
One relationship.
One honest conversation.
One move toward the community you actually want.
That’s it.
You don’t have to overhaul your entire professional network this week.
Just take one small step toward the kind of partnership this month has been about. That tiny tweak is the beginning of everything.
