Do you know how to huddle?

Do you have a huddle of women who energize and uplift you? Are you able to make a clear and clean ask of them when you need help? Or do you struggle to nurture the support from others that you need?

"I've always had female friends, but I've tended to put my career first,” explained Brooke Baldwin, former CNN anchor and author, when we interviewed her recently. “But after attending the 2017 Women’s March in Washington, I realized I didn't have the female huddles I needed and began researching what it takes to create and sustain healthy huddles."

Based on what we learned from Brooke, here are three ways you can start building more meaningful huddles in your own life:

• Map Your Huddles: Take a piece of paper and draw six segments labeled career, spirituality, family, health, fun, and community. In each segment, write down the names of women who support you in that area. Some women may appear in multiple segments, while other segments might be sparse. When you’ve mapped everyone take a moment to ask:

  • Which huddles energize me the most? How am I prioritizing these connections?

  • Are there huddles draining my energy? What boundaries might help?

  • Do I notice any gaps where I'm yearning for more connection?

• Make Clean and Clear Asks: When you need support, transform your asks from ordinary (complaints, hints, demands) to extraordinary (love-based requests) by following three steps:

  • Be clear - ask yourself what specific help you need and why it matters.

  • Be clean - meet any fears you have about asking with compassion and determine what support you realistically need.

  • Be concise - state your need clearly: "Would you be willing to help me with... and this matters to me because..." Remember, the gift is in the asking - every response you receive is an opportunity for growth.

• Shine the Spotlight: Amplify other women through:

  • Professional shout-outs - highlighting colleagues' contributions in meetings or emails.

  • Social celebrations - sharing posts about women's achievements in your network.

  • Personal connections - making introductions between women who could support each other. As Megan Rapinoe says, "throw down your ladder" - whatever platforms or resources you have, use them to uplift other women.

We took away so many aha insights and practical tools from our recent podcast with Brooke that we've recorded an after-party podcast for you to dive deeper into how you can build stronger huddles. Just hit play above to join us.

For more of Brooke's wonderful work, read her book "Huddle: How Women Unlock Their Collective Power," follow her weekly writing on "Unraveling with Brooke Baldwin" on Substack, and listen to the full podcast episode for more huddle insights.