Welcome back to Lunch Break, a weekly newsletter to help you create a work life that works for you. Brought to you by the Pivot With Purpose framework.
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I’m going to take a wild guess: your network needs work, right?
Yeah? It’s OK, you’re definitely not alone. And I can help.
A few weeks ago, a former career coaching client reached out with news of a company layoff. She was understandably disappointed, but noticeably confident that this mini-pivot would be much smoother than the larger one we navigated together last year.
We hopped on a call to strategize her next move.
An hour later, my home office whiteboard sufficiently covered in notes and gameplans, I paused to ask her:
“Six months since our coaching, what are you proud of, what do you wish you’d done more?”
Without hesitation, she said:
“I’m proud of the fact that I actually know what I want, and I found it. Committing to clarity when I did makes this setback so much easier. But I definitely wish I’d kept my network warm when I didn't need a job. I would do that differently.”
Of course, I’m the biggest advocate for nurturing your network in an ongoing, organic way, keeping connections warm all the time.
But if your contacts have sat cold and neglected for too long, you just need a jumpstart to get things going again.
Here are two foolproof email templates to respark your network, ones I’ve only shared with clients until now:
✨ Template 1: Customized to an Individual
[Subject: Life Updates]
Hi ____,
Happy [summer/ Mother’s Day/ Hanukkah]!
I know it’s been a while since we last connected, but I’m making a point to be better about checking in with folks who have made an impact on me, personally and professionally!
Here are a few updates from my end:
After cutting my teeth in the talent development space, I made a career pivot into career coaching! I started my own practice and have been working with some incredible, ambitious millennials in clarifying their career goals. If you know anyone who would benefit from this type of career coaching, please feel free to share my newsletter with them or send them my way!
I said a bittersweet farewell to San Francisco and moved back to my home state of NJ. I was bummed to leave, but my three years in The Bay were so fun and memorable.
I adopted a cat! Her name is Charlotte, she's a four-year old ball of floof, and she is perfect in every way (see attached photo for proof).
I'd really love to hear the latest with you- [insert a few relevant questions about you know about this person, like their kids, their new home, that trip they posted about on social media].
All my best,
Janel
✨ Template 2: (Thoughtful) Mass Email
👉 Send to: Former bosses, colleagues, roommates, college/grad school friends, rec sports teammates, etc.
[Subject: A Few Updates from Janel Abrahami]
Hi there,
If you've opened this message, that means we've worked together, studied together, lived together, or just generally supported each other on our paths through life!
I've decided to start sending a "yearly update" of sorts, as a way to share meaningful happenings from my end and- more importantly- check in with you!*
Here's what I've been up to over the past 12 months:
After cutting my teeth in the talent development space, I made a career pivot into career coaching! I started my own practice and have been working with some incredible, ambitious millennials in clarifying their career goals. If you know anyone who would benefit from this type of career coaching, please feel free to share my website with them or send them my way!
I said a bittersweet farewell to San Francisco and moved back to my home state of NJ. I was bummed to leave, but my three years in The Bay were so fun and memorable.
I adopted a cat! Her name is Charlotte, she's a four-year old ball of floof, and she is perfect in every way (see attached photo for proof).
Now, I'd really love to hear the latest from you! Please respond to this email with your own updates!
All my best,
Janel
*Note: It doesn’t matter what time of year you send this note- “yearly” can mean every summer, aka right now!
Need a little more encouragement?
No one (seriously, not one person) will think getting a thoughtful reconnection from you is weird. At worst, they’ll think, “Huh, that’s cool. Haven’t heard from them in a while. Okay, moving on to the rest of my day.”
At best? This reconnection could lead to an amazing job opportunity, an invite to something fun, a offer to collaborate on a cool project, a reminder of a fond memory between you, or a stronger friendship than the one you started with (that happened to me and my good friend Allegra when she reached out to me out of the blue last year)!
✨ One more thing:
The first place someone will go after reading one of these messages from you? Your LinkedIn. When’s the last time you updated that thing? Use this quick guide to get it into shape fast!
Keep going,
Janel Abrahami, Lunch Break Founder + Career Coach
📲 Screenshot & share your favorite part of this issue and tag @lunchbreak.letter and @janelabrahami
LISTEN: This Morning Walk with Alex Elle and Libby Delana
Chances are, you’ve reposted one of Alex Elle’s wise reminders on Instagram. The author and her creative partner Libby Delana’s podcast This Morning Walk encourages listeners to reconnect with themselves while walking and restoring. The episodes are short enough for a walk to the coffee shop and back, and the messages are so soothing and nurturing.
READ: Why We Need Rituals, Not Routines
Over the barrage of productivity gurus insisting that “you just need to create a morning routine!”? This article by Terry Nyguen for Vox makes the case for developing rituals instead, noting a key difference in the intent behind the mini tasks that make up your practices.
BURN: Voluspa Casa Pacifica Candle
Basic? Perhaps. Delicious? Most definitely. I got this candle as a birthday gift (thanks, Jillian!) and have almost burnt it down to the wick already. It’s giving “yacht in the Mediterranean.”
Title: Director, Advancement
Company: JUST Capital
Location: Remote from anywhere in the US + Manhattan-based office
Description: This person is responsible for individual giving to the organization. The Director will also maintain oversight of the annual donor giving program, gift acknowledgment process, stewardship ideation and execution, promotion of a culture of philanthropy (internally and externally), donor event conceptualization and management, and more.
Want to support this movement?
📲 Screenshot your favorite part & share on IG stories or TikTok tagging @janelabrahami
💌 Forward this letter to a friend!
☕ If you’re feeling super generous, you can buy the team a coffee!
#takeyourlunchbreak 💚
Great templates, hood starting points 😊