Networking: How One Connection Can Change Everything
with Garry Kousoulou & Nita McEvoy
Nita McEvoy and Garry Kousoulou in conversation on Ageing Disgracefully, exploring the real power of networking, human connection, and confidence in business.
If you’ve ever wondered why some people glide through life collecting opportunities like they’re on some cosmic VIP list… guess what?
It’s not luck.
It’s Networking, the real, human kind, and nobody does it quite like my good friend Garry Kousoulou.
We kicked off this episode of Ageing Disgracefully exactly how we meant to go on: laughing, honest, unscripted, and painfully aware that Garry might out-network me during my own podcast.
Garry isn’t just good at Networking; he is a walking, talking connector of humans. The man could have a conversation with a radiator and walk away with a business deal, three new friends, and an invitation to a wedding.
But underneath the humour, the stories, and the enormous energy is something important:
One person, one conversation, one decision can change your entire life and business trajectory.
And that’s why this episode matters.
The Networking Story That Changed Everything
Garry asked me for an example, that moment where one random connection altered the entire course of my business. And instantly I thought of Steve.
One Instagram message.
One reply.
One treatment appointment.
And suddenly I had a cameraman, a travel companion for national roadshows, someone I go to art classes with, and genuinely one of my closest friends. Without that tiny moment of “let me just reach out,” half of what I’ve built in the last few years wouldn’t exist. That’s Networking: noticing the small openings life gives you and stepping through them.
But Garry, being Garry, had his own story that made even that look mild.
A last-minute trip to Paris.
A curfew.
A cancelled flight.
No hotel.
A French food voucher.
He sits opposite a stranger, Andreas, and starts talking, an everyday human conversation, nothing forced. Garry follows up afterwards (which, as he points out, is where 99% of people fail)… and two weeks later, he’s discussing the potential purchase of a £7 million business.
You can’t make this stuff up.
But this is what happens when your default mode is connection, not extraction.
Opportunity vs Opportunistic
Garry explained something beautifully: opportunity is natural, organic, human. Opportunistic is hungry, grabby energy that people can feel instantly.
An opportunity is someone dropping £50 and you picking it up for them.
Opportunistic is sliding it into your pocket with a grin.
Networking isn’t about being that person who walks into a room eyeing everyone like prey. It’s about long-term integrity. It’s about the vibe you leave behind, the energy you carry, and the sense people get from you the second you speak.
Garry’s integrity is why massive doors open for him. People feel safe with him. They like him. That’s the thing nobody teaches: Networking works best when you’re not trying to “get” anything, when you’re simply being yourself.
Networking Everywhere: Not Just Events
People think Networking happens in boardrooms, conference halls, and breakfast meetings. Garry’s life proves otherwise.
He networks:
- at church
- on the street
- in supermarkets
- in airports
- in hospital beds coming out of anaesthetic
The hospital story alone deserves a BAFTA. He wakes up from surgery, notices his nurse’s Nigerian accent, correctly guesses her tribe, discovers she has quadruplets, learns her brother has cataracts, adjusts her glasses, and walks out of there with three new connections, including a man whose father invented modern cataract surgery.
By the time he reached the lift, Garry was already mentally drafting a press release.
Only Garry.
The Secret? Make It About Them
What became clear as he spoke is that Garry’s networking superpower isn’t charm, it’s curiosity. He notices people. He asks about them. He reflects something genuine back. He doesn’t walk into rooms thinking, “Who here can benefit me?” He walks in thinking, “Who here can I connect with?”
That’s why people open up to him.
That’s why doors swing open.
That’s why opportunities “find” him.
Networking is not performance.
It’s presence.
Charisma, Self-Esteem & Becoming Memorable
We dived into a topic I didn’t expect: being comfortable in your own skin. Garry said something that hit me right in the chest: charisma grows from alignment. From not trying to be different people depending on who you’re with. Having your self-esteem anchored rather than scattered across relationships, jobs, expectations, and insecurities.
When you merge all those versions of yourself into one, the geography-class Anna, the netball Anna, the cousin Anna, the student Anna, you become someone who doesn’t shape-shift for approval. You become magnetic.
He said the hairs on the back of his neck stood up when I mentioned how safe and authentic I feel now, because that’s precisely where charisma is born, when you don’t have to contort yourself to be accepted.
In-Person Networking: The Real Basics That Actually Matter
This wasn’t a “10-step guide.” It was human truth.
- Look people in the eyes.
- Smile.
- Smell nice.
- Dress as you respect yourself.
- Don’t cling to one person out of fear.
- Move around the room with warmth.
- Talk less about what you do, more about what you help people achieve.
- Be memorable, not by performing, but by connecting.
He said it perfectly:
“If you’re not visible, you’re invisible.”
And in a world with the attention span of eight seconds, people forget quickly.
Give. Give. Give.
People are terrified to give value, worried about being copied, stolen from, or “used.” But Garry said it straight: giving is the strategy now. Everyone can Google facts. Everyone has access to information. What people don’t have is you, your voice, your warmth, your insights, your generosity, your authenticity.
- Harmful content is forgotten.
- Good content is remembered.
- Real content is shared.
The Truth: Networking Is Just Being a Good Human
By the end of this conversation, the message was beautifully obvious.
Networking isn’t a business tactic. It’s a lifestyle.
- It’s showing up with integrity.
- It’s noticing people.
- It’s following up.
- It’s being open to the magic of unexpected moments.
- It’s remembering that someone you meet today could change your tomorrow, or you could change theirs.
And if you’re starting a business?
- Yes. Go network.
- Get out of your comfort zone.
- Meet people.
- Learn people.
- Help people.
- Let them help you.
As Garry says, “If you’re not visible, you’re invisible.”
And in this world?
Visibility, connection, authenticity and kindness will take you further than any business card ever could.
If you want the full conversation, the stories, the humour, the real talk about business and connection, the full episode is now live on Ageing Disgracefully on YouTube. It’s one of those episodes you listen to once for the insight and again for the inspiration:
And if you’d like to stay connected, learn, laugh, or simply follow the rhythm of our working lives, you can find us here:
Instagram:
@nitamcevoy
@revivenx_uk
@lovingsocialmedia
Networking starts with showing up, online counts too.
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