Lean In Connect is a women’s community that offers free career resources, mentorship, and real accountability. You can join a Circle, connect with other women, and access a curated library of tools to advance your career, all in one place.

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What Is Lean In Connect?

LeanIn.Org's free community platform, Lean In Connect, is the home base for career women around the world. It brings together multiple offerings and programs to help women find community, build skills, and advance, including:

1. Circles: Small peer groups where women meet regularly to support each other's career goals.
2. Networks: Organization or community-based groups with events, resources, and leadership programming.
3. Resource library: A library of world-class career tools, leadership guides, and learning tracks for women to build skills on their own or with their Circle.

The platform exists to make it easier for women to find community, build skills, and advance — wherever they are in their careers.

Proof That Lean In Circles Make a Difference

Joining our community can genuinely boost your career. The outcomes for women in Lean In Circles are striking. According to the 2026 Lean In Community Survey:

• Women in Circles are about twice as likely to have received a promotion in the past year as women who have never been in a Circle — 34% versus 14%.
• Circle members are also nearly five times more likely to have a sponsor than women who have never been in a Circle — 43% versus 9%.

“I found an accountability partner through Lean In, which helped me stay focused on my career goals and ultimately led to a promotion.” — Circle member, Risk management specialist

“My Circle encouraged me to ask for a promotion and even helped me practice my pitch. I nailed it and got the raise I deserved!” — Circle member, Editor

“The accountability from my Circle pushed me to set and achieve specific career goals, leading to a promotion within six months.” — Circle member, Telecommunications specialist

Who Is Lean In Connect For?

Women seeking support and career growth: You know you're capable of more. What's harder to find is the community that helps you get there: people who coach you, validate you, celebrate your wins, and hold you accountable to your goals. Lean In Connect gives you that, starting with a Circle of women who meet regularly and show up for each other.

Join the Community →

Circle and Network Leaders: You've already built something hugely valuable: a group of women who trust each other and show up. Lean In Connect is the infrastructure that makes your community easier to run, better resourced, and connected to a global network of leaders doing the same work. You’ll find meeting guides, discussion frameworks, and a community of Circle leaders across industries, so you can spend less time on logistics and more time on conversations that matter.

Manage Your Circle →

Companies and organizations: Lean In Circles and Networks provide a proven, self-sustaining framework for employee resource groups and community programming. Lean In Connect makes it even easier to get things up and running. If you're looking to build something durable for the women in your organization, this is where to start.

Build Your Network →

How Lean In Connect Works

• Step 1: Create your free account. Sign up on Lean In Connect in minutes. No fees, no organizational affiliation required.
• Step 2: Find your community. Browse Circles and Networks, start one of your own, or explore the resource library. Whether you're looking for peers at your career stage, women in your industry, or tools for a specific challenge, it's all searchable.
• Step 3: Show up and make progress. Join a Circle meeting, work through a resource, or connect with a mentor. The structure is simple and the momentum builds fast.

What's Inside the Resource Library

Inside Lean In Connect, you'll find a curated library of tools and guides across the topics that matter most to your career.

• Career Acceleration: Practical frameworks for getting promoted, navigating performance conversations, and making your impact visible.
• Leadership Skills: Guides for managing teams, building executive presence, and leading through uncertainty.
• Negotiation Strategies: Research-backed tools for negotiating a raise or promotion in your current role and the salary, scope, and terms of your next job.
• Work-Life Balance: Strategies to help you succeed as a high performer without burning out, with in-depth advice for working mothers and caregivers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Lean In Connect? Lean In Connect is LeanIn.Org's free platform for women's career communities. It brings together Lean In Circles, Networks, and a library of career and leadership resources in one place.

Is Lean In Connect free to join? Yes. Lean In Connect is completely free for individual members.

What is a Lean In Circle? A Lean In Circle is a small group of women, typically 8 to 12, who meet regularly for peer mentorship, skill-building, and mutual support. LeanIn.Org provides meeting guides and resources, so no facilitation experience is needed.

How is a Lean In Circle different from a Lean In Network? A Circle is a small, close-knit peer group focused on personal and professional development. A Network is a larger, organization- or community-based group that hosts events, programming, and connection at scale. Many women participate in both.

Can I join if I'm not affiliated with a company or organization? Yes. Lean In Connect is open to any woman, regardless of employer or organizational affiliation. You can join an existing Circle or start your own in your community.

How do I start a Circle? LeanIn.Org provides everything you need: meeting guides, discussion topics, and a community of Circle leaders. You can start a Circle at your company, in your neighborhood, or with a group of women across industries.

What resources are available on Lean In Connect? The platform includes a curated library of career tools and guides covering career acceleration, leadership skills, negotiation strategies, work-life balance, and more.

Is Lean In Connect available outside the United States? Yes. Lean In Connect is a global platform with Circles and Networks across countries and regions worldwide.

Your Next Chapter Starts With the Right Community

The support, relationships, and tools that help women advance don't have to be hard to find. They're here, they're free, and thousands of women are already using them.

Join Lean In Connect Today →

Note: Key data in this article is drawn from the 2026 Lean In Community Survey (n=2,659) and Women in the Workplace 2024 by LeanIn.Org and McKinsey. Member quotes are drawn from open-text responses in the 2024 and 2026 Lean In Community Surveys and are reproduced verbatim with minor edits for spacing and typos only.