Lean In Connect FAQs
Get answers to common questions about using Lean In Connect and its key features.
About Lean In & Lean In Connect
What is Lean In?
Lean In is a global nonprofit that inspires and equips women to lead. We offer free leadership programs, research, and tools that help individuals and companies build skills and create more equal workplaces. Over 170,000 Lean In Circles have been launched in 180+ countries to advance women's leadership.
What is Lean In Connect?
Lean In Connect is our new online community platform designed to help members build meaningful connections, join conversations, support one another, and grow together. It brings Lean In Circles, Networks, and members into one shared space where it's easier to connect, learn, and participate in the community.
Whether you are looking for peer support, professional growth, or a place to belong, Lean In Connect is designed to make those connections more accessible and engaging.
What is new about this platform?
Lean In Connect offers a more modern, interactive, and community-centered experience. New features include:
- Easier ways to discover and join Circles and Networks
- Member profiles that help people connect around shared interests and experiences
- Direct messaging and community conversations
- Improved event and discussion tools
- Better privacy controls and profile settings
- A mobile-friendly experience across devices
- A new Lean In Career Coach (beta) that offers research-backed career advice
Getting Started & Your Account
Do I need to create a new account?
In most cases, yes. To access Lean In Connect, members will need to activate or create an account on the new platform. We've worked to make the process simple — setup only takes a few minutes.
Will my existing account or profile information transfer automatically?
Information will not transfer automatically. We encourage all members to review and update their profiles after logging in to ensure your information is current and reflects how you want to show up in the community. This is also a great opportunity to refresh your bio, interests, and privacy settings.
How do I reset my password?
Click "Forgot Password" on the login screen and follow the instructions sent to your email address.
How do I update my profile and privacy settings?
After logging in, access your profile settings from your account menu. From there, you can:
- Edit your profile information
- Upload or change your profile photo
- Update your interests and bio
- Adjust privacy and notification preferences
- Manage messaging permissions
Keeping your profile updated helps other members connect with you more meaningfully.
How do I change my name, email address, or profile picture?
All of these can be updated in your account settings under your profile information.
How do I delete my account?
You can delete your account in Settings → Data & Downloads.
Member Types & Roles
Lean In Connect includes different ways to participate in the community:
| Member Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Community Members | Individuals participating in the platform and community conversations |
| Circle Members | Members who belong to one or more Lean In Circles |
| Circle Leaders | Members who lead and manage Circles |
| Network Members | Members participating in broader Networks organized around shared identities, industries, interests, or goals |
Your experience may vary depending on the groups and communities you join.
Circles
What is a Lean In Circle?
A Lean In Circle is a small group of peers who meet regularly to support each other's personal and professional growth. Circles create a safe space to build skills, share experiences, and take action.
- Typically 8–12 members
- Meet monthly or twice a month
- Use discussion guides from LeanIn.Org to explore topics like leadership, confidence, negotiation, burnout, and resilience
- Designed for women but open to people of all genders
The goal is simple: help women lean into their ambitions — together.
Is there a fee to start or join a Circle?
No. Starting and joining a Circle is completely free — and it always should be. All resources and registration are free. Being a Circle Leader is a volunteer role. No one should profit from a Lean In Circle.
How do I find and join a Circle?
You can browse and search for Circles directly within the Circles directory. Once you find a Circle that feels like a good fit, request to join or follow the instructions from the Circle Leader.
You can search by:
- Interests
- Location
- Industry or profession
- Shared experiences or identities
Can I start my own Circle?
Yes! Click the Start a Circle button on the Circles page within Lean In Connect. You'll be guided through the steps to create your Circle and begin building your community.
We strongly encourage new Circle Leaders to sign up for Circle Leader Training — it's free, runs for 60 minutes, and gives you everything you need to get started. Register here.
Can my Circle be unrelated to work?
Yes. While many Circles focus on career growth and leadership, your Circle can also center around shared experiences, identities, interests, or life stages. The most important thing is creating a supportive group where members can connect, learn, and grow together.
I'm looking for a Circle focused on a specific community, identity, or demographic.
Use the search tools in Lean In Connect to filter by interests, location, and shared experiences. If you don't find exactly what you're looking for, you can start your own — it's free, and we'll provide everything you need to get started.
My Circle is not getting much engagement — what should I do?
Start smaller and focus on building a strong core group. Invite 2–3 women you trust — people who show up, contribute, and help others feel comfortable — and ask each of them to invite one person they think would add value.
Strong engagement grows from trust and connection, not group size. Consistency, thoughtful conversation, and supportive members make the biggest difference over time.
How does a Network Leader add a Circle to the Network?
Network Leaders can add Circles to their Network through the Network page. From Manage, they can select Circle, search for the Circle they want, and click Add Circle to connect it to the Network.
Networks
What is a Lean In Network?
A Lean In Network is an independently run, volunteer-led professional community that connects Lean In Circles and individuals in the same city, company, or industry. Networks are larger groups that bring women together through:
- Local events and annual conferences
- Speaker events and social gatherings
- Strategic campaigns to advance women's leadership
How do I find a Network?
Explore the Network Directory. You can search by location, industry, or shared identity.
If there isn't a Network in your area, consider finding or starting a Circle as your first step.
I'm interested in becoming a Network Leader.
We're thrilled you want to lead a Network! To get started, click "Start a Network" on the Networks page or fill out the interest form. If you're not yet a Circle Leader, we recommend starting there first — attend one of our free Circle Leader Trainings.
Platform Features
How does direct messaging work?
Direct messaging allows members to connect privately with one another inside the platform. Members can:
- Send one-on-one messages to continue conversations, build relationships, or collaborate
- Create group messages — great for Circle members to stay connected between meetings
Messaging settings can be managed within your privacy preferences.
Is there a mobile app? What browsers and devices are supported?
Lean In Connect is designed to work across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices through a web browser. We recommend using the latest version of:
- Chrome
- Safari
- Firefox
- Microsoft Edge
A dedicated mobile app is coming soon. We look forward to sharing more details with the community in the future.
Lean In Career Coach (Beta)
What is the Lean In Career Coach?
The Lean In Career Coach provides real-time advice backed by research on women at work. It's built for the questions you'd bring to a mentor: how to navigate workplace dynamics, advocate for yourself, and grow as a leader.
It's not a replacement for human mentorship or professional advice. It's a starting point, and its favorite advice is to join a Circle of women who've been there. The Career Coach is currently in beta.
Who can access the Lean In Career Coach?
Anyone with an account on Lean In Connect.
How much does it cost to use Lean In Connect or the Lean In Career Coach?
It's free. LeanIn.Org is an initiative of the Sandberg, Goldberg, Bernthal Family Foundation, a nonprofit.
Is the Career Coach replacing human coaching or mentorship?
No. The Career Coach exists to make Lean In's research-backed guidance accessible to anyone, and it points you toward human connection, like joining a Circle.
How does the Lean In Career Coach work?
You ask a question, and the Career Coach looks through a trusted collection of research, articles, expert videos, writing, and talks. It then uses AI (currently Anthropic's Claude) to put together a helpful answer based on what it finds. When an answer uses specific Lean In content, you'll see it under "Drawn from." You can follow those links to explore the sources yourself.
It's designed for tactical career coaching: negotiations, hard conversations, promotions, and feedback. It isn't a therapist or a substitute for professional, legal, or medical advice. Like any AI, it can be wrong, so use your judgment and check anything important before acting on it.
If you bring up a safety crisis, the Career Coach steps aside and shows you human-written resources instead of a generated reply.
What does the Career Coach do with what I tell it?
Your messages are sent to our AI providers to generate each reply, under agreements that limit how they can use the data. They don't use your conversations to train their models.
Your conversations are saved to your account so you can pick up where you left off. The Career Coach also distills takeaways from each session that you can choose to share with your Circle or Network.
Other members can never see your Career Coach conversations, not your Circle and not your Network. A small number of Lean In staff can review anonymized transcripts that are scrubbed for sensitive data to keep the Career Coach safe and working well. Every such access is logged and audited.
See our Privacy Policy for full details on how we handle your data.
Privacy & Safety
Is my information visible to all members?
Your profile information may be visible to other members within Lean In Connect to help foster community and connection. We encourage members to review their profile and account settings during setup and update them anytime.
What are the community guidelines?
Lean In Connect is built to be a respectful, inclusive, and supportive space. We ask all members to:
- Treat others with respect and dignity
- Contribute thoughtfully and constructively
- Support and encourage one another
- Make space for different perspectives and experiences
- Respect the privacy and trust of fellow members
- Represent themselves accurately
The following behaviors are not permitted: nudity, violence, harassment, discrimination, bullying, hate speech, misinformation, spam, scams, fake accounts, or intentionally disruptive conduct.
To keep our members safe, our automated models may proactively remove inappropriate content and members from the platform. You can read the full standards in our Community Guidelines.
How do I report inappropriate content or behavior?
If you see something on Lean In Connect that looks suspicious, appears to be misinformation, is offensive, or makes you uncomfortable, use the report feature within Lean In Connect, or reach out to info@leanin.org. Our moderation team reviews reports carefully and may take action to help protect the safety, trust, and integrity of the community.
What happens after I report something?
Once you report content or an account, it goes through our review systems and we take the appropriate next steps. We review each report individually with our Community Guidelines in mind.
We don't notify the person you reported.
How does Lean In keep the community safe?
We take reports very seriously. Here is how we help protect you:
- When you report a post, message, or account, a real person on our team reviews it.
- We ban bad actors. Accounts that spam, scam, or harass members are removed, and we watch for them coming back.
- We run automated spam detection to catch suspicious accounts and messages before they reach you.
- Our automated models may also proactively remove inappropriate content and members from the platform.
What can I do to stay safe on Lean In Connect?
Here are a few general safety tips:
- Do not give out your password.
- Do not give contact information (email, phone number, or address) to anyone you don't know.
- We will never ask for your password via email, Lean In Connect messages, or phone.
- Be cautious when clicking links to make sure they don't send you to malicious sites.
You are not expected to investigate suspicious activity or handle it yourself. If something seems off, don't engage, and report the message, post, or account using the report feature within Lean In Connect.
Technical Support
What do I do if I can't log in, find a bug, or need help?
Email us at info@leanin.org or use the Help & Support section in your settings.
How do I share feedback about my experience?
We love hearing from our community — positive or constructive. Reach out through the Help & Support section in your settings or at info@leanin.org.
How do I unsubscribe from Lean In emails?
Click the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of any email you receive from us.
Circle Management (Circle Leaders)
Finding and managing your Circle
| Task | How to Do It |
|---|---|
| Find your Circle | Go to Circles → My Circles |
| Create a second Circle | Select "Start a Circle" |
| Change your Circle name or description | Update in Circle Settings |
| Update your Circle location | Update in Circle Settings |
| Archive (delete) your Circle | Go to Circle Settings → Archive Circle |
Note on archiving: When you archive a Circle, members lose access to the Circle and its group chat, and the Circle is removed from directories and search. Any Circle Leader can restore the Circle at any time from the archived list.
Managing members
| Task | How to Do It |
|---|---|
| Invite members | Share your Circle link or use the invite feature in Circle Settings |
| Manage or remove members | Use the member management section in Circle Settings |
| Add a co-leader | In member management, select "Assign co-leader" |
| View member count | Updates automatically based on members added |
| Download member email addresses | Not available — use group messaging instead |
Can I email Circle members directly from the platform?
Yes. You can send a broadcast message to your Circle through Circle Settings, or start a group message with your Circle directly on the platform.
I can't see my Circle members' profiles.
Some profile information may depend on member privacy settings. If you believe there is a technical issue, contact support at info@leanin.org.
Getting Involved & Partnerships
I'm interested in bringing Lean In Circles to my company.
We have a dedicated program for companies. Visit leanin.org/company-circles to learn more, attend one of our company webinars, and access the resources to get started. For questions, reach out to our partnerships team at partners@leanin.org.
I'm interested in a partnership or company collaboration with Lean In.
Lean In supports companies and organizations that can scale to at least 50 Circles of 8–10 women each. If that fits your organization, reach out to partners@leanin.org.
Does Lean In offer grants or financial support?
LeanIn.Org does not offer grants or direct financial support to individuals or external organizations. We are a nonprofit focused on providing free programs, resources, and community.
I want to request a speaker or invite Lean In to an event.
Please reach out to us at press@leanin.org and the team will review and follow up directly if they'd like to move forward.
Can I advertise my product or service to Circle members?
The purpose of a Circle is to help members achieve their ambitions — not to sell services. Members often support each other organically, but that is a happy by-product, not the goal.
I want to join the Lean In team — how do I apply?
All open roles are listed on our job board. Applying through the job board is the best way to express interest.
Can I schedule a one-on-one call with the Lean In team?
Our team is not able to schedule one-on-one calls right now, but we're happy to help by email at info@leanin.org.
Resources & Training
Where can I find resources and learn how to use the platform?
All key resources — including meeting guides, discussion tools, the Connection Card activity, and on-demand training — are available in our resource library.
Lean In Connect also includes onboarding resources, help articles, and community guidance to help members get started.
I just attended a training — where can I find the resources shared?
All resources from the session are available in our resource library. If you haven't registered your Circle yet, that's a great first step — you can do so directly within Lean In Connect.
The training times don't work for my timezone.
We host multiple Circle Leader Trainings each month at varied times for our global community. Check our Virtual Events calendar for upcoming sessions. In the meantime, explore our on-demand Circle Leader Training and Circle Leader Tips anytime in the resource library.
I couldn't access or attend the training — what should I do?
Visit our Virtual Events calendar to register for a future session, or access our on-demand Circle Leader Training and Circle Leader resources anytime in our resource library.
I'm interested in becoming a Circle Trainer or Facilitator.
At this time, we do not offer certifications for our Circles program. We appreciate your enthusiasm and wish you the best in your leadership work.
I'm a student or young person — can I get involved?
Yes! Anyone can start or join a Lean In Circle and explore our free resources and programs. Many Circles have started on college and university campuses.
We also offer Lean In Girls, a free leadership program for girls ages 11–15. Learn more at leanin.org/girls.
I'm looking for leadership materials for girls.
Lean In Girls is our free leadership development program for girls aged 11–15. The curriculum covers:
- Leadership identity and personal values
- Challenging stereotypes and gender bias
- Reframing failure
- Practising allyship
Download the Getting Started with Lean In Girls Toolkit at leanin.org/girls.
I want to be a mentor for young women or girls.
Reach out to the Lean In Girls team directly at info@leaningirls.org to explore mentoring opportunities.
Still have questions? Reach out to us at info@leanin.org — we're here to help.