How a Reluctant Networker Transformed Her Career, One Conversation at a Time

Real-Life Relaunch Story

Marisa Grattan

“The most important thing was simply showing up with curiosity. I would not think about it as an interview or even an informational interview. Even the term ‘networking,’ that felt too transactional. The meetings that I had that went well were always about getting to know somebody as a person.”  

When I first met Marisa Grattan, she knew she was ready for a career reset—but didn’t know where to start. 

In a coaching session, we talked about building a network in her new-ish home base of Portland, Oregon. She took the assignment and ran with it, undertaking a journey that has been nothing short of transformative for her career and personal growth. 

In this conversation, Marisa shares what she has learned about networking, taking a career change one step at a time, and a conversation that helped lead to a dream project.

Q: You and I worked together during a period of transition in your career. What led you to seek out coaching? 

We had moved to Portland, Oregon, from New York City during the pandemic and had been here for about three years. I had maintained my job in New York working remotely in visual storytelling and strategic communications for the United Nations. 

Between the pandemic, relocating, working remotely, and having two kids, I had gotten a bit lost in all of the transition. I was trying to find my way back to creative work but was unsure of what I really wanted to be doing, career-wise. 

I went into coaching with the intention that something had to change. Since then, it's been a matter of taking steps that may have felt small along the way. But when I look back on the past nine months, a lot of positive change has actually happened. I shifted a lot of things, both ‘on paper’ and internally.

Q: What were the shifts that coaching helped to unlock for you?

On paper, I transitioned from a full-time contract with the United Nations to working on a consultant contract. That has allowed me to open up space to work on other projects here in Portland. 

Internally, I feel more rooted creatively and professionally. Our coaching conversations helped me realize that I wanted to work more in-person, so I expanded my Portland network and made a lot of good connections.

I articulated early on in our conversations that there was some part of me that wanted to return to my filmmaking practice, but I wasn’t sure how to balance the uncertainty of making art with the need to support my family. But setting that intention was already transformational—and little by little, I've found my way back. 

Q: Networking was transformative for you in this journey. How did you approach it?

I’m an introvert and also a perfectionist. Networking has always felt a bit terrifying to me, especially while I was still figuring out how to shift my career and relationship to work. I was interested in working on sustainability and climate change issues, but I didn’t know where to start.

I think I needed a little push. I started by reaching out to someone you connected me to in Portland, and that helped me get started.

Then, with your encouragement, I put together a list of people to reach out to. That initial list was only two or three people. Even that felt pretty vulnerable. But as I started to connect with people, I realized that if I showed up authentically to those meetings with curiosity, it wasn't as scary as I had thought. 

Most of the time, people were so willing to help. As I talked to more people, they started to offer suggestions or to introduce me to people in their networks. Even the conversations themselves helped me, because each conversation helped me articulate where I wanted to be and how I position myself.

Setting an intention helped me to first, clarify for myself who I am and what I want to do. Then, I was able to clarify that for people I speak to in networking conversations. That created a feedback loop of people who I spoke to saying, ‘You should talk to this person,’ or ‘Have you thought about this?’ The next step kept being revealed.

Q: How do you prepare for a conversation with someone whom you've never met?

I would do online research, looking at their work, public interviews they’ve done, and social media. I would come prepared with questions about their work, but I also asked people about their own journeys and how they ended up there. What’s working for them and what’s not? What are the problems that they come across on a day-to-day basis? 

The most important thing was simply showing up with curiosity. I would not think about it as an interview or even an informational interview. Even the term ‘networking,’ that felt too transactional. The meetings that I had that went well were always about getting to know somebody as a person.  

Q: Your networking conversations led you to do a project this summer with a dream company. How did that happen? 

As I spoke to more people, I was getting closer to being able to articulate the kind of work I wanted to do next. My exploration led me to Upswell, a design studio that creates immersive digital media and exhibitions. I really loved their work and realized that it was an area I could see myself working in, but I didn’t know how. 

It turns out that I ended up having a mutual connection with one of the partners at Upswell, and I asked if they would put us in touch. That felt scary, putting myself out there and asking for a favor. But I was so interested and so curious about what they do that I just kept following that interest.

It ended up being such a positive experience. We had a great conversation. They ended up contacting me about a contract project. Over the summer, I helped produce a series of three films for an exhibit that the studio was designing for the World Forestry Center here in Portland, exploring the intersection of catastrophic wildlife, forests and climate change. 

Looking back on the goals you and I set together earlier this year: build community locally, return to filmmaking and creative work, and find opportunities to work on climate impact—this particular project brought it all together. It’s uncanny. 

Q: What advice would you have to someone who is starting their own career change journey? 

Instead of envisioning the endpoint and then potentially getting overwhelmed about how many steps there are to get there, just focus on the next small step. Each step builds on the next. 

Start connecting with people who you know, the friendly faces. I think that the small act of talking to people – not even in a networking capacity – but talking to your family, your partner, friends, or coworkers, and saying something like, ‘I'm thinking of looking for a new job,’ or ‘I'm thinking of branching out in this area.’ Asserting that was the first step for me to articulate that I wanted something to change.

As you do that, you'll be surprised at how each step builds momentum and leads you to the next thing. Six months after I initiated this intention to build community in Portland, I’m amazed at how my network has grown and supported my journey.

It doesn't have to be perfect. It won’t ever be a straight line to get to where you want to go. But you will eventually find your way there through course correction and following your internal voice.

Learn more about Marisa’s work and get in touch on her website.

Curious how coaching can support your own career reset? Let’s set up your free 30-minute consultation.