Are we leaving a 30-year season of pressure… and stepping into something more abundant?

Some describe it as an economic cycle. Some describe it as a planetary shift. Some just say, "It feels like something is changing." And after everything we've lived through - financial crashes, a pandemic, wars, loneliness, burnout, digital overload - I feel that question in my bones and heart.

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Read more about the article The Ripple Effect of One Life: Why Quiet Impact Matters in Leadership
In a world that celebrates virality, scale, and visibility, I’ve come to value something far quieter, but no less powerful: the ripple effect of touching just one life.

The Ripple Effect of One Life: Why Quiet Impact Matters in Leadership

As a business keynote speaker and someone passionate about emotional intelligence, I see AI not as a threat, but as an opportunity. An opportunity to reclaim time, and with it, to restore the human touch in business and life.

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Read more about the article Sailing Against the Tide: Why Love Belongs in Leadership
There’s a special kind of energy it takes to keep showing up when your mission doesn’t align with the mainstream. To speak up when the world wants you to stay quiet. To lead with heart in a space that often prizes hustle over humanity.

Sailing Against the Tide: Why Love Belongs in Leadership

As a business keynote speaker and someone passionate about emotional intelligence, I see AI not as a threat, but as an opportunity. An opportunity to reclaim time, and with it, to restore the human touch in business and life.

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Read more about the article Penny Power OBE Ponders: The Human Touch in the AI World
As a business keynote speaker and someone passionate about emotional intelligence, I see AI not as a threat, but as an opportunity. An opportunity to reclaim time, and with it, to restore the human touch in business and life.

Penny Power OBE Ponders: The Human Touch in the AI World

As a business keynote speaker and someone passionate about emotional intelligence, I see AI not as a threat, but as an opportunity. An opportunity to reclaim time, and with it, to restore the human touch in business and life.

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Penny Power Ponders: The Guiding Light of Values in life and business

Penny Power Ponders: The Guiding Light of Values in Life and Business In a world full of noise, comparison, and ever-changing expectations, standing by our deepest values is more important than ever. This week, I reflect on how our values act as the strong roots that protect and guide us — and how they magnetically attract the right people into our lives and businesses. From my early days in business at 23, to navigating the evolving landscape of social networking and social media, my foundation has always been integrity, reputation, and heart-led leadership. It’s not easy, but living true to yourself, even when the world pressures you to adapt or conform, is where real success and peace are found. Are you standing tall in your values? Click the image to read my latest Ponderings and join me in reflecting on the powerful role values play in shaping our business and life journey.

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Penny Power Ponders: The Ripple Effects of Micro-Gratitude

This week, I am writing about Gratitude. Micro-gratitude, that when you let a thought wonder, you find yourself being so grateful to so many. As we navigate our daily lives, filled with routines and responsibilities, it's easy to overlook the small moments that bring us joy and fulfilment. Yet, it's precisely these moments that can have the most significant impact on our lives and the lives of those around us. The Inspiration Behind this Ponder of Micro-Gratitude Let me start by saying that I had a little bit of writer's block today. I looked at lots of thoughts I had…

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Penny Power Ponders: The ‘Process of Elimination’ in Finding Your Path

Introduction to the Process of Elimination Good morning! In this week's Ponderings, I invite you to ponder a concept I refer to as the "Process of Elimination," a method essential for navigating both life and business. It involves the courage to try new things while recognising when they're not right for us, allowing us to move on and grow. Navigating Change and Technology A word I hear so often now is ‘pivot’, and not surprisingly. With the rise of AI, we are all seeing opportunities and concerns about evolving into another technology-driven experience. During COVID, many of us reevaluated our…

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Penny Power Ponders: The Power of ‘I’ve Got You’ in Community and Business

Thank you for joining my weekly Ponderings, always written from my heart on a Monday, fresh thoughts and reflections that I want to help in a world that can be emotionally disconnected. Today, I find myself reflecting deeply on what it means to truly belong, to be part of a community where you are not just a member, but a valued individual that knows others sincerely have your back. This pondering is inspired by a sentiment I've found deeply moving in both the real and reel world, the assurance of "I've got you." "I’ve got you" The words "I’ve got…

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Penny Power Ponders: Self-Worth vs. Self-Esteem—Navigating the Challenges of Inner Value for professional success

Good morning! Welcome to my 83rd Ponderings that encourages you to sit and think for a moment about your humanness, your Human Touch in an AI world. Let’s never lose it. This week, due to a few people sharing their challenges of imposter syndrome, I'm exploring the critical yet often misunderstood concepts of self-worth and self-esteem. While self-worth reflects our inherent value, self-esteem often relies on external validation, something that social media has ingrained deeply in our lives through the broadcast of posts and the desire to be seen and validated on them. This reliance can lead to fluctuations in…

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Kindness and Love: A human need and an economic one

There are moments in all our days, weeks, year, life, that we experience a ‘random act of kindness’, someone does something that makes you feel seen, understood, and cared for. It can be as small as a person noticing you are in a rush and letting you go in front of them at a supermarket, or even a moment when a stranger says something unusually kind, such as ‘I just want to say, you look so amazing’. I said that to a woman walking through a car park last week, it made me feel great saying it, and I hope…

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The 3 critical elements of community led growth

Here I am sharing the tenth article in this series about ‘Community Led Growth’. It is an exciting journey for me, I am loving the discipline and also the thoughts that come through while I am attempting to inspire more people to lead great communities. Thank you for the comments and the messages I receive. I can tell I will need to assemble quite a team around me to help people that are coming forward to implement community, it takes many talented people to create community and change in this way. In this article, I am writing about the ‘3…

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Community is a wellbeing strategy

Now that you have (possibly) read my 8 articles within this Newsletter Series on the subject of ‘Community Led Growth, you may already get a sense that community is a powerful force for wellbeing. The subject of wellbeing is on the tip of everyone’s tongues, and we all have our own language and motivations around this. There are so many aspects to our human state and the balance we seek in our wellbeing. I shared last time that, in this article, I will share more about why I believe that ‘community is a mental wellbeing’ strategy within a company, and…

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Social Capital and being a Citizen of a Community

In last week’s blog, I teased the fact that in this article I would talk about ‘Social Capital’ and how it has impacted my journey in business, this will lead me to share why the subject of ‘Community Led Business’ is linked to the growth in your individual and company social capital. Please remember that I am not academic, and I am not a big internet surfer, nor reader of other’s wisdom, reading is not a strength of mine. I never learned to study, apart from the study of people. My learning comes from the joy of observing others ,…

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Servant Leadership, Social Capital and community led growth

Today I want to share the leadership style that is critical for a thriving community. To begin, I do need to share a journey I have been on. When I was 23, I found myself in a demanding leadership role, I had joined the IT Industry aged 19 in 1983 and felt like a fish out of water. I didn’t want to be in business, I wanted to be a Physiotherapist and work with children with cerebral palsy. Failing to achieve this due to my academic results, I then applied to do Psychology and in my ‘gap year’, I joined…

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The reasons business people need community and Business Leaders need to understand this

I am thrilled to bring my 5th article to you and appreciate the comments and messages I am receiving; I learn a great deal from opening these discussions up. I also hope that this Newsletter might encourage more ‘leaders’ to share their thoughts on this LinkedIn feature. Before I start my thoughts on this week’s title, I want to gain some of your trust. I hope to do that by sharing some of my business experience as a ‘futurist’. Without any bragging rights, I can firmly state that I have always sensed change in human needs in business. Ecademy was…

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Why community is the most beautiful asset for your business

My 4th Newsletter. Thank you for continuing this journey with me. I run these as a 'sequential story', sharing the sentiment, joy, beliefs and my wisdom from experience on why I believe 'all companies will thrive when they create community'. Last week in my Newsletter, I stated "I will share how I have witnessed my beliefs around ’Community Led Growth’, having seen the joy and the growth within Community, and why it really is the most beautiful asset to build in your business". I first have to reiterate that ‘building a community’ is very different to ‘building a network’. There…

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Build it right and people will grow

I am getting into my stride now, this is my 3rd Newsletter within the LinkedIn Newsletter service. I now have 3,892 subscribers, and I am very grateful I am now assuming that anyone that is subscribing is curious about why I believe that every business will have ‘community’ as part of their customer delivery, our belief in ‘Community Led Growth - #CLG as Thomas has advised me to start using. Last week I shared what the 3 people and their insights did to create the foundation of what we believed the Internet could bring to humanity in 1998. (shared here…

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Fulfilling the dreams of Sir Tim Berners-Lee

Within my previous Newsletter post, the first one I wrote, I shared that I believe that every business will have 'community' embedded into their business model. I know that if you are a ‘leader, of a company', of a ‘team’, of a ‘thought’, then you are already a community leader in waiting, you just have not looked at it with this filter on. I cannot possibly persuade you of this in one post, in fact it would probably take a good chat about your business to convince you, however, in this post, I am sharing some history to my personal…

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Community Led Business Growth

The new feature of Newsletters within LinkedIn intrigues me so I am committing to writing one post a week, which will go to those who continue to want to hear my thoughts on being a business owner and the fact that 'community' means the world to me. I believe that every business will have 'community' embedded into their business model, you might find this hard to believe,  but 20 years ago people struggled to believe it was possible to create friendships online and run a multi-million pound business from home. You may have heard about community, but do you truly…

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From tragedy to living happily – Brave New Girl podcast

  Recently, I was interviewed for the Brave New Girl podcast, hosted by artist and author of 'Brave New Girl- How to Be Fearless', Lou Hamilton. Her podcast is a platform for women's voices who are positively impacting the world and Lou invites real life Brave New Girls who are entrepreneurs, creatives, authors, campaigners & thought leaders to share how they found courage, through all of their challenges. We discussed my life and business journey after losing Ecademy in 2012, and the personal and professional tragedies which led to an hallucinogenic panic attack. Happily, we also talked about my current…

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So, which person/mentor do you truly trust?

So, which person/mentor do you truly trust? (A) This is me, a Penny Power - the winner, the shiny person who has a Number one selling book (fake) the OBE - (true) the founder of a global business (true), the Award Winner, the Entrepreneur who appears to always win (fake) OR (B) This is me, Penny, the emotionally open person who has struggled through business, the person who has had to learn a lot through failure before understanding business, the hard worker who can’t stop trying, the person who has been broken and questioned herself and her abilities. The person…

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International Womens Day 2021

Today is International Womens Day 2021 and there has never been a year in which it has been more important that we should consider women and how we support them globally. This picture is Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka - United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women. A brilliant communicator and compassionate thinker. Yesterday, she shared these statistics on Sky News and I felt it was very apt to share them. Today I am delivering 3 speeches to companies about "Confidence, Courage, Resilience" and how I, as a women, had to grow these skills to build my career in business. I…

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Business loneliness impacts 66% of business owners

All my life, as a little girl through to the 57-year-old me, I have been so aware of, and sensitive to, the thought of anyone feeling lonely. I always felt sad for the child in the playground with no friends. We all need to matter to someone and belong to something. It is what motivated the idea of Ecademy back in 1998. Building the first online way for businesspeople to connect as friends, 4 years before LinkedIn, we were driven to connect, care for and create an environment of love. Now, in a world that has never been more connected,…

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Why I believe ‘Business Is Personal’ (Business Owners Magazine)

Thank you to The Business Owners magazine for allowing me to share why I believe "Business Is Personal" in their monthly magazine for Business Owners. https://www.imags.uk/the-business-owner-magazine-feb2021 Pages 18-19 Here are the opening paragraphs... "Do you remember that moment on the film ‘Taken’, when Liam Neeson is searching for his abducted daughter who is being trafficked? He is in a lift and is pointing a gun at the perpetrator? The evil man says, “it was never personal, it is just business” and Liam replies “It is personal to me”. Well I identify with that within the business world. Several years ago,…

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Business is Personal – now on Spotify!

I feel a bit like a rockstar as my book is now on Spotify. I don't think you will hear me sing though, this is my recording of my book "Business is Personal". 2020 has not been an easy year for so many, yet adversity truly can make us and help us find a path to a life and business we really want. I wrote this book following a period of deep adversity, both financial and family related. Through a deeper level of understanding about how we need to manage our personal mental fitness, and through the support of a…

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It’s okay not to be okay – lockdown kindness

[et_pb_section][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text] It's okay, not be okay.... Based on calls with clients and prospects this week, every single person I spoke to this week, and that is over 40 business owners, are finding this lockdown tough. I think the March lockdown gave our brains a jolt, 'how do I pivot my business?', how do I manage my cashflow?'. All cerebral thoughts that required a logical approach to our life. Then our heart took a knock, the reality of deaths, the love we shared, clapping for NHS, the camaraderie of being in this together, a sense of belonging to a cause…

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Loneliness in business

I have suffered loneliness in business, although I didn't realise that was the issue I had. It manifested though a reducing lack of self worth, seeing less value in myself to others. I lacked the stimulation and validation of others and my mojo was low. I had family, friends and I was really connected to many on social media. Business loneliness is different. I was lacking a small group of people that I could really be myself with, warts and all. A place I could reinvent myself after adversity, a place where I could help others and enjoy the feeling…

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Taking an empowered stand against bullying

When I was young, born in 1964, the term bullying didn’t get mentioned. My school was not very emotionally aware. However, as an adult, I can remember moments and know that it happened, and know that it happened to me. The long-term impact is interesting, a lack of self-worth, people pleasing, the feeling that whenever there is an atmosphere around me, I take responsibility for either causing it or needing to make things right. Harmony is a high value for me and so is giving people a sense of belonging and making sure they know they matter. I guess my…

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Are you making the most of the new opportunity, the new you?

Over the last 6 months, life has changed for a lot of us. This is being discussed widely on Social Media and I thought I would add my reflections. There are a number of things that this has tested many of us at an individual level. Our stability Our self belief Our friendships Our ability to adapt to change Our knowledge of the online world Our ability to remain positive Our propensity to focus on fears Our values and what really matters to us Our choice of careers Our belief, hope and trust in the future. I have loved so…

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What is the life and business you want to lead?

Three months have past now since Covid-19 impacted the economy, how are small business owners feeling? On a monthly basis, we track the thoughts of small business, a random poll through our Business Health Check. This consists of 42 questions ranging from Mindset, Business Skills, Confidence and thoughts on Growth. There is no doubt, April was a shock for all business owners. The revenue achieved by most reflects the economic conditions and the fear that spread across the majority of business owners. There are a few exceptions, sectors that were in their ‘perfect storm for growth’. Generally, however, everyone tightened…

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Dealing with shock, 4 steps we have learned

Over the past 2 weeks I have been having countless calls and Zooms with people in shock. I guess my book (Business is Personal) has reached a large number of people and it is spreading around even more now as I tell the truth behind our financial and emotional shocks and how I learned to deal with shock and re-invent myself and a business out of the ashes. I have written this over the weekend to help others, it is part of a book I have been asked to contribute toward for people adapting to Remote Working. It is being…

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Are you in shock?

Good morning to my friends here in this group, I thought I would share some thoughts on shock, are you feeling this? It isn’t pleasant, and I know from over 30 conversations yesterday on the phone, Zoom and whatsapp, this is how so many are feeling. I wanted to share my experience of shock, especially financial ones. I am very aware that so many people are in fear of their financial future and this is a terrifying feeling. At the weekend, I counted up 11 moments of shock in my last 10 years. Some were major financial trauma, it did…

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Happy #IWD – to all young people

Today is my BIG post about International Women's day, and I am attributing my thoughts on this to my daughter, @hannahipower and all other amazing young women out there that support their mothers. I remember the day I became a mum, the moment Hannah came into my life and changed my filter on the world for ever. Suddenly, I had a person who I knew was going to be more powerful with her impact than I could ever be. 27 years later, Hannah is my mentor, my coach, my wind and the person that empowers me to stay tall in this mad…

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November 2019

  November was a fabulous month for spreading my message around the critical subject of #mentalfitness in business When my book launched in January it was aimed at Business Owners. The sector where I identify myself and have the empathy. I have had the joy of also speaking for Corporates, Banks, Technology Giants and Pharmaceutical Companies. I have done after dinner speeches and given out Awards at annual events. This has been a stunning month and I want to thank my Agent @championscelebrity for the way they have looked after me and helped me spread the message that #BusinessIsPersonal and…

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Taking responsibility for my past and moving on

From Number 17 in my book serialisation - you can follow this on Insta @pennyfpower When I speak to people my age (in their 50’s) I am always aware that we carry baggage from our past and the limitations that it creates in our thinking. I spend all my time with skilled experts, they are not necessarily natural business-people, and like me, have a purpose and impact they want to have. Life can erode self-worth and therefore the perception of the value you have. Many people I support are not charging enough for their time and, even worse, are giving…

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Stress is personal, your personal head f***

From Number 16 in my book serialisation - you can follow this on Insta @pennyfpower Stress is personal, your personal head f*** There are high levels of busy-ness, high level of anxious moments and high levels of fear in all of us. From the corporate employee to the business owner, none of us are immune to moments of despair, big or small. These moments become defining if they snowball, if we don’t regain control. I know those days when I start to gather up all the things that have gone wrong, I place them in the metaphoric ruck-sack in my…

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A light in all the darkness, the power of validation

I thought I would create a conversation today about the issues of how we validate ourselves I have just written this post on Instagram, this is not a bragging moment about my OBE, it is actually the start of explaining that no matter what external validation we gain, it is our deep feelings we hold inside us that will really hold us back or allow us to come alive. Without exception, everyone I talk to has a deep issue around their self worth This is number 15 in my book serialisation Why do so many of us suffer issues around…

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Knowing you are no longer broken

Following the 11 posts about the heartache of business I have shared while serialising my book.. here are the thoughts on growth... FROM PAGE 43 of my book -start- It is important that I  teach and share in a way that gives hope. I hope that by sharing my journey you can pinpoint the things you might have done. It is also important to share the moment when you know you are no longer broken. The wave of self-esteem and self-worth that comes back means you can stand tall again, stand up for what is right and return to the…

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To become exceptional we have to pass the line of normal

No 8 in my Book serialisation, shared to support anyone who feels alone in their emotions around - "am I the only one finding life tough?" To quote.... "Is it time we were all a bit more open"? Writing a book about the emotional and mental journey of business ownership would be pointless if I avoided the reality of the hard aspects of it. I have become tired and demotivated by the images of our mega entrepreneurs, the ones displayed on TV who treat entrepreneurs like idiots just because they don’t know everything. I feel it is time for us…

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Trust in the world of business

I speak to a lot of people about the fact they have lost trust in others. I know this feeling well, moments of being let down, people cancelling meetings just before you are due to walk through a door after traveling by train to meet them, people using your content and passing it off as theirs. There are so many small, but significant ways that we close our world down and stop trusting. Let's face it, we do live in a fast paced world and also one that exposes integrity in others.My mum always said to me "Penny (imagine a…

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WHAT IS THE LINE OF ‘NORMAL’?

My desire, my really deep desire, is for us all to be more open with one another. I have always been a really open person, so I do appreciate this is a personality trait and therefore not one that everyone will agree with. My desire to be open has always come from a place of seeking to make others feel comfortable with me. Relationships are so important to me. I seek to build trust and I think being open is part of how we can trust others. The world of social media seems to have polarised the way people behave.…

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WHAT CAUSES BURN OUT AND HOW TO EMBRACE IT?

[et_pb_section bb_built="1" _builder_version="3.24.1" background_image="https://www.pennypower.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/tim-gouw-1K9T5YiZ2WU-unsplash.jpg" filter_brightness__hover_enabled="on" inner_width_tablet="50px" inner_max_width_tablet="100px" inner_max_width_phone="50px" next_background_color="#fbfbfb" We all have adversity, it is how we deal with it that makes the difference to our future This a great magazine, http://entrepreneurandinvestor.com/ Sharing thoughts for both sides of the investor world, the Investor and the Entrepreneur. I was thrilled to write this article after the fabulous Lisa Curtiss, Founder of this awesome magazine and resource, saw me speak at Solent University and asked me to share some thoughts on the journey I had been on. So here, I write about Burnout - how I recognised it, acknowledged or and embraced my recovery. Thank you…

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LIFE DOESN’T GO IN A STRAIGHT LINE, ENJOY IT!

Life can never go in a straight line. How many times have we heard that phrase, then shrugged and accepted it? Trouble is we want it to. Deep down we would really prefer every day to be predictable, without any shocks, without feeling the loss of control of our time, emotions and life. A line that has ups and downs needs so many resources inside us. Faith, resilience, positivity, adaptivity, courage, creativity, energy, love, belief... the list is endless. And we expect it of ourselves, and I truly believe we all have this in us. But what about when we…

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TAKING PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR MENTAL FITNESS AT WORK

On 30th November 2017 I learned what the Mental Health agenda was all about, I had my own version of shock, caused though years of not understanding myself well enough, not respecting my own vulnerabilities and not dealing with a number of things in my life that had clearly hurt me more than I was acknowledging. As a result of this, I now believe that Mental Fitness is all our responsibility. I learned that being proactive about our mental fitness is just as important as physical fitness. We have to take personal responsibility for it. The past 30 years have…

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Don’t be so hard on yourself

Do you notice the small wins in your business? My goodness me, business owners are so hard on themselves... I have done a lot of coaching this week, from the mature business that needs a check on its procedures and perhaps a boost to their mojo and self-belief, through to the start up. The absolute common issue is how incredibly hard we all are on ourselves. If you were an employer, you would be in a tribunal with yourself! So, Friday, can I suggest you start a new habit from Monday. I have been doing this for two years now…

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Founders are twice as likely to suffer depression

I am very aware that Founders and Entrepreneurs face a great deal of challenges around managing their mental health. I have, and I took too long to realise. So many Business Owners I support speak of feelings of - overwhelm, loss of control over their choices, exhaustion, low moods, feeling anxious, intolerant towards family as too exhausted with work, the list goes on and on. The impact of this on our business performance is measurable and profound, once we realise that it is 'me that is the problem' we move forwards so powerfully and positively. Of course, we like to…

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How I became a professional speaker

I thought I would share my journey around how I became a speaker, many people are interested in either being one, or hiring one. Having a career as a speaker was not something I set our to do, but it is what I love doing the most. Aged 33, with 14 years of business (employed) experience, I ventured into the world of entrepreneurialism after noticing a gap in the market for business people to connect online as friends. 4 years prior to LinkedIn, I released my community, Ecademy, to the world in 1998. This business grew globally and at its…

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Read more about the article Mental Fitness is for all of us
Depressed patient getting treatment from a psychologist

Mental Fitness is for all of us

When I heard the subject of Mental Health being highlighted on TV and in the wider media I listened sympathetically. I was thrilled I didn’t have a Mental Health Challenge.  What I failed to consider was my need to be mentally fit. My greatest learning last year was that my ability to respect my mental needs and vulnerabilities. As a result of my experience I am very thrilled that I will be on BBC World News during their Mental Heath Awareness Week this month. Our characters, personalities, values, experiences, memories and personal drive are complex. Overtime we build our strengths,…

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It just takes time

I am am so inspired! When I started to write my book, my daughter Hannah Power said to me “Mum, it is always better to be amazing in one niche than mediocre in two”. She helped me define my client and who I loved helping the most. Now Hannah is coaching me (and in line with my beliefs that you ALWAYS pay people for their skills and never have a coffee to “pick their brains) I am her client and I pay her.  She is helping me to build a brand that serves me but critically serves the exact market…

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There is nothing wrong with you

I wanted to share some seriously powerful thoughts I have had during my mentoring of amazing business owners recently “There is nothing wrong with you. The absolute number one feeling I get is the lack of confidence in people who have taken the huge step to own their destiny and take charge of their future by being a business owner. Self worth and confidence in yourself is so critical. I write about this in my new book as it has been my own journey to my personal definition of success. So however you feel, whether business is tough and feels…

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Read more about the article Did someone say it would be easy?
Stressed young businessman overworking

Did someone say it would be easy?

Easy - you must be kidding.... In the 1980’s many of us lived the dream of wealthy futures. The ‘Maggie Thatcher’ era, ‘anything is possible’ if you work hard, drive for personal success and put your blinkers on to the rest of the country and the sabotage that happened in our manufacturing and mining worlds. In the 90’s – well, that was the .com millionaire era! Just register a URL and walk around with your ego and business cards and you were holding a lottery ticket to the Millionaire future you so deserve! Then the 2000’s, the birth of the…

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Don’t be so hard on yourself

Do you notice the small wins in your business? My goodness me, business owners are so hard on themselves... I have done a lot of coaching this week, from the mature business that needs a check on its procedures and perhaps a boost to their mojo and self-belief, through to the start up. The absolute common issue is how incredibly hard we all are on ourselves. If you were an employer, you would be in a tribunal with yourself! So, Friday, can I suggest you start a new habit from Monday. I have been doing this for two years now…

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Spiritual Health is Personal- but we all need it

  In 2018 I wrote 60 posts about my journey back to me – a journal on my personal discoveries and vulnerabilities that I shared inside The Business Café and reposted on our Website HERE  I was investing time and money in myself for the first time in my life and felt that so much of what I was learning was applicable to all small business owners and business people. Ambitious and determined, full of zest and the ability to work hard, but something was missing in my mental and emotional awareness and skills that I believed had to be…

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Self Worth and its power in business

Self worth and the way Masterminds can grow yours....   "self worth comes from giving worth".   This is my strong belief. In 2002 I wrote my first blogs and the biggest one, with the most traffic and engagement, was one was about "Emotional Wealth leads to Financial Wealth"   Over the past 20 years of supporting business people with their personal brands and reputation, the greatest need is self worth and confidence in themself. The rise in Imposter syndrome shows the stress caused by the shiny vision we have of everyone else online and the feeling that we lack.…

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The power of Masterminds, are you a master-mind?

What I am learning while recruiting master-minds to join my Mastermind Group 3 weeks ago I launched my own Mastermind program. A 12-month, very intimate program with the desire to take 12 people on a journey with me where everyone could rise and shift and up their game in business. I thought I would share this experience for anyone thinking of joining one or indeed starting one, plus I am still searching for some members of my one. I know there are many Mastermind Groups, I have loved this concept for years since we used to run a version of…

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Pace – a critical skill in business

Pace…. How we learn to manage our life, our way I want to share a huge learning for me that was highlighted to me when I was forced to pause last year. It is all about pace. As in my book, I am a torch- bearer on the subject of being in business and how to manage our emotional and mental health. I shine a light on this subject and if I trigger any thoughts, I ask you to spend time thinking about the things I share and seek support. This post is about how “Pace is Personal”. Learning this…

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Acknowledgement in Business – a human need

I have been thinking a lot about the importance of being acknowledged, a need we all have. Maybe we have differing sensitivities to the need, maybe we need it in differing situations. The deep need to be acknowledged starts as a young child, the motivation of the clap when you stand and take the first step, the joy of a teacher’s positive words. The pride from a parent when you pass an exam. Then we go into the workplace, we grow up, When we grow up we are among a huge community of influencers. Our peers, our bosses, our adult…

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The Money Monster- do you have one?

The Money Monster Few people, despite the shiny image online, have peace with money. Life is about survival for most of us and my personal journey has been the most terrifying roller-coaster of learning the ups and downs and risk of being a business owner. Owning your own business is amazing, so is being in control of your career and feeling the sense of growth in your personal development and bank balance. The term “Money can’t buy you happiness”, this is a great statement and mantra, however, the lack of it can seriously impact your mental wellbeing and at times…

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Escape the Rat Race? is that right for you?

"Escape the Rat Race"- a great phrase and adopted by the fabulous Christian Rodwell - Escape The Rat Race [ETRR] - Christian interviewed me for his podcast and I shared my thoughts on "Business is Personal" and the importance of understanding your 'what'. #businessispersonal So, is the grass greener when you 'escape the rat race' and become an entrepreneur? Do you have the profile as one, or does risk terrify you like it did me. Christian is such a powerful interviewer, I actually found myself enjoying listening to my own words! He helps people to decide if 'escaping' employment is right for…

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Today my book officially launches on Amazon.

Today has come, a very special day, 35 years of learning business and a year of writing, my book is now published and available on Amazon (and on my website!). Shining a light on emotional and mental health in business ownership. Being a business owner is the most exciting, creative, personally rewarding journey. We all see the joys of it online. However, is every day, every moment, every end of month as good as everyone likes to shout about? The shiny side of lives that we all share online and at networking events. For 8 months, throughout 2018, I was…

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2019 – BE THE LEADER OF YOUR LIFE AND BUSINESS – YOUR WAY

New Year 2019 “be the leader of the life you want” in 2019 5 years ago, a business colleague of mine noticed how some of the major investors I was working with were dominating my decisions and controlling me. He had watched a documentary of happiness and advised me that the results of a global study on happiness showed that 10% was down to the achievement of things we want, 50% was about your personal constitution “are you naturally a happy person” and 40% was about the feeling of being in control of your life and decisions that impact it.…

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My Christmas message of Love at Romsey Abbey

Last night (13th December) I was invited to be the speaker the Carol Concert hosted by Honeypot Children's Charity, who , with the support of trustees, donations and the amazing work of their staff and volunteers, provide respite and love to 5-12 year old carers. I thought I would share my talk, relevant to all of us as we approach the Christmas period. I hope you can enjoy it too and reminds us all the real message of Christmas...to give and have.... Rest, respite and LOVE Giving a speech at such an auspicious event, in front of the most amazing…

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This time last year I realised I was broken

This time last year I stepped away from business and realised I had some massive healing to go through. 20 years of business ownership, 26 years of motherhood. Many experiences of joys, but many experiences of pain. On the 30th November 2017, I had a huge physical shock in the form of hallucinations while delivering a workshop. The faces in front of me changed into faces from my past, many of them were the trolls that had hurt me deeply. At that time I was putting myself through an insane amount of stress and exhaustion. I decided, with the love…

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Update on the Resources for Readers of Business is Personal

This is a dynamic Blog in which I will be adding new information in the form of people, websites, articles, TEDTalks etc to add to the content I feel would hep the reders of my book, Business is Personal. I am very keen to promote the information that I learn from and enjoy and therefore the originators of this information. It is in addition to the information I want to reference that is in my book, all captured here Chapter One Update - Business is Personal Chapter Two Update - Being Broken is Personal Chapter Three Update - You are…

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My message to teenagers at a Graduation Ceremony

  I delivered a talk to an amazing group of Graduates on 26th November 2018. They were graduating from a Further education College called North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College.  Hired as the keynote, I was quite in awe when i arrived at the event and saw the stunning room the gowns and the excited students, parents and teachers. The emotion of the Principal Marion Plant OBE, which was beautiful, reflecting her incredible commitment and passion to her students. After my keynote, I was asked by a number of parents and students if they could have a copy of my talk,…

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Links to content/interviews I have delivered on podcasts, radio, guest blogs and YouTube

Below is a list of the Blogs and Podcasts, plus other Media that I would like to share to encourage the readership of other websites and communities that have asked me to write for them. Click on the headings to open the links.   They discuss the business case for love - How we can create cultures of growth, contribution and connection Talking to StartUp Sensations - “Building Community- a focus in emotional intelligence in business” ”Servant leadership and building communities' - with Kevin Thiele and Sales Code Leadership Podcast Building Community - A focus on emotional intelligence in business…

Continue ReadingLinks to content/interviews I have delivered on podcasts, radio, guest blogs and YouTube

Time to grieve your business loss

Tonight I am speaking at Google Campus in London about the experience of building a business that I loved and then seeing it die. The event run by Google is called “StartUp Funerals” I am proud to have been asked to do this as the learning achieved when you go through this type of experience helps to propel you onwards and with greater knowledge of yourself and business. Passing on this knowledge adds purpose to the experience. The first observation I made when asked is why does Google refer to the experience as #failure. I guess it is obvious to…

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I am back! Coming back from broken

Coming back from being broken.. ... This year I decided to focus on rebuilding myself after years of ignoring exhaustion, stress, loss and disappointment. Overtime, unaware of it, I was losing a lot of confidence and feelings of self worth and so I retreated. I needed to repair, rebuild myself and consider my future. I wrote my book and let go of (for a while) the dream I have of The Business Cafe and decided to stop pushing. Living for income is very different to building an asset. Building a business on the scale that I want to build The…

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Be the leader of your life and business

Be the leader of your life and business If I asked you, “want is the life you want?”, would you be able to answer this? In 2018, I asked myself this, and it was hard I know there are people who are absolutely brilliant at setting out their goals, managing their time, stepping over obstacles, focusing on the vision, always looking beautiful, handsome, eating well, sleeping, meditating, succeeding. Preaching the gospels of their incredible life, we follow them, as maybe there is a chance we can be like them They have and giving us all the illusion of being in…

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‘Not enough’, is this the way we always have to communicate everything in order to progress?

Recently I was invited to an event to ‘Celebrate 21st Century Women’. This seemed such a powerful and positive statement and event to go to. I accepted the invite with great joy. My thoughts as I drove there on a rainy, windy Friday night was how far we have come as women. I reflected on my own mum and then on my daughter, the life my mum led and the life my daughter lives and will lead, are so incredibly different. I realised that I was part of this change, the channel to a new way of being. All around…

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How often do you feel you lack?

I wonder how often you go online and are left with a feeling of lack. Noticing and judging yourself against all the things that you see online that others seem to be achieving. The emotions can be one of feeling you lack knowledge, skills, relationships, joy, money, beauty? The list can go on and on depending on your vulnerability at the time you see or hear something that triggers this emotion. I have learned that this comes from a need for us all to understand our own personal desires, dreams, ambitions and definitions of success. We need to clearly know…

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