About a year ago my friend and fellow mastermind buddy, Rochelle Togo-Figa, came back from an event telling me I had to meet Debbie Phillips from Women on Fire. I checked her out and discovered that she’s my kind of woman – doing a lot of different things to support entrepreneurial women. She’s got a Women on Fire Community, offers these cool Tea Parties, hosts Vision Days with her husband Rob Berkley and has just completed her first book.

As luck would have it, I found her recently on LinkedIn and saw that she lived in Martha’s Vineyard which is where I was heading for vacation. I reached out, she responded enthusiastically and we agreed to meet for breakfast at the Black Dog cafe (a MV institution). She’s just huggable, I knew that right away. She arrived with open arms and a beautifully wrapped gift of her new book. We talked easily, vulnerably, and honestly as two old friends all morning. And…if I didn’t feel the pressure of my kids really wanting to go to the beach, I would have stayed with her all day.

My family said – where are you going mommy? Who is she? Do you know her? What will you talk about? Again, call it good instincts but I knew. Where will it go? I don’t know but I know I want to be a part of her world and share mine with her. To get a little background about how I feel about connections, please read a blog I wrote a few months back about the value of connecting and how one person can make a huge difference.

I do know I’ll be attending her next tea party in NYC in October. My biggest advice is follow-up on your instinct the next time it tells you to reach out and make a new connection. I truly believe it’s always worth the effort.