What is a key connection?
Athena is a community of the top women in business. One of the best things about our community is that our women sincerely want to help other women advance.
You may request a connection to another member for many reasons (below) or for just in time advice such as help preparing for an interview or navigating a specific challenge. We call these "key connections", and they are available to any member at no additional cost.
Here are some types of connections you might look for:
Mentoring: Connect with a senior leader, experienced board director, or someone with particular insights for career advice, interview preparation, guidance through a transition or as you onboard to a new role, help navigating a challenge, or investor insights.
Peer-to-Peer Exchange: Connect with peers to expand your network and discuss, compare, and explore challenges and best practices related to your roles, organizations, industries, geographic location, markets, etc.
Thought leadership: Connect with a thought leader on a topic you'd like to explore - learn more, validate your position, expand your ideas, or simply discuss a passion.
Business Development: Connect with potential collaborators in the interest of advancing your business, or theirs.
Networking for Opportunities: Build connections with others at relevant organizations or within industries you wish to join.
Voice of the Customer: Connect with someone who represents the perspective of your audience, target market, or investors.
How do I find a key connection within Athena?
There are a few different ways to connect with members in Athena. Salons and Peer Groups are excellent ways to connect as a group and then follow up with that individual afterwards. However, the primary way that members find key connections in Athena are warm introductions through your Member Success Manager. You may also want to use the Find and Connect tool to filter and find members or potential matches to connect with.
Warm introductions through your Member Success Manager
Your member success manager is your copilot and advocate throughout Athena. After your onboarding call with her, and through regular communication with her, she understands your goals and background, and then is available at any time to make connections with other members.
Be sure to brainstorm with her on the type of women you would like to meet. This could be general (i.e. "women in the Philidelphia area" or "women who sit on midcap company boards") or specific (i.e. "women who have GTM expertise on large cap tech company boards" or "women who have financial expertise and have helped lead an acquisition in consumer goods"). The more specific, the easier it will be for your MSM to help you find those connections. She'll send you a list of options for review and then will make warm introductions to them directl.
Using the Member Directory
You may use the Find & Connect tool to search for members. Searches are based on the information members have included on their member profiles (primarily the Background & Experience section). The filters can help you drill down to members with the specific leadership and professional experience relevant to your needs. Consider things like what type of role or company background would this connection have? Would they have specific scaling, committee, or board experience?
Request to Connect
Once you've found a member you'd like to connect with in Find & Connect, request an introduction to your Member Success Manager (MSM).
You'll be asked to provide a brief note with the reason you'd like to connect - what are you hoping to ask this member or learn more about? Your MSM will personally send the request to the member via email, and if they accept, your MSM will facilitate a warm introduction connecting you.
Once you're connected, your communications with that member leave Athena's site, and you may continue through the medium of your choice (email, LinkedIn, etc.).
What's the difference between Key Connections and Coaching?
Key Connections
Key connections are connections between Athena members, and can be requested for any number of reasons. The member who receives the request may accept or ignore it. If accepted, the members' contact details will be shared and both members will receive an email letting them know they can start a conversation. There is no limit to the number of key connections you can make. Key connections are available to all members at no additional cost.
Coaching
Athena coaches are in the tops of their fields, contracted by Athena to provide professional coaching services to our members. From board selection and go-to-market strategy, to voice and presence coaching and branding insights, leverage their expert guidance to get closer to your goals. Learn more about our individual coaches and schedule a session with them now!
Who has coaching?
You can see how many hours you have available at any time on your coaching page here:
If you joined Athena after February 1st, 2024, and did not purchase coaching separately as an add-on, or you would like to purchase more hours of coaching, either navigate to your View Plan and Upgrade page via your photo bubble in the top right corner of your screen or purchase directly on the coaching page where you locate your available coaching hours.
If you have any questions about our coaching packages, you can book a membership call with our team here to learn more about your options with Athena.