Penny Power Ponders: The Capacity to Evolve and Connect

To create my Ponderings and ensure they are relevant to you, I sit quietly each Monday and reflect on the thought that has impacted me most deeply in the week just passed.

This week, it came from a guest at one of our BIP100 lunches who, after observing the intimate way we support business owners, said something that’s stayed with me:

“We now have to have the capacity to evolve and create deep, meaningful relationships to thrive.”

He’s right. It’s not just about evolving your business strategy or adapting to AI. It’s about evolving emotionally and relationally, and doing that in the right environment, surrounded by the right people.


The Need to Evolve


We are all being called to evolve right now. The world is changing rapidly, from how we work, to how we market, to how we sell and serve. But evolution isn’t just about new tools or technologies. It’s about our mindset, our resilience, our willingness to be open to change, and sometimes, to challenge who we thought we needed to be in business.

Evolution in business is also about emotional maturity.

Can we handle the discomfort of learning something new?

Can we accept help when we don’t have the answers?

Can we surrender outdated habits or beliefs that no longer serve us?

The truth is, we cannot evolve in isolation. Just as nature evolves through ecosystems, business owners evolve best in a community.


The Power of Connection

Meaningful connection is not a luxury anymore, it’s a necessity. We are being called back to each other, to be witnessed, heard, and supported by peers who genuinely care. Not transactional contacts, but trusted companions in this entrepreneurial journey.

It’s one thing to know a lot of people. It’s another to feel known. To know that someone is thinking of you, introducing you, cheering you on, or even gently challenging you to grow. These are the kinds of relationships that spark ideas, soothe overwhelm, and give us the courage to keep going.

At BIP100, we’ve seen over and over again how emotional safety breeds business bravery. When people feel safe, they evolve. They connect more deeply. They show up more powerfully, for their clients, for their families, and for themselves.

So this week, I invite you to ponder:
Where in your life or business are you being invited to evolve?

Who are the people helping you grow — and do they really see you?

What would change if you allowed yourself to connect more meaningfully?

Evolution and connection: two wings of the same bird. Let’s soar with both.

Penny Power Ponders: The Need for Safety to Reduce Fear, Rush and Comparison

My ponder this week is to share a few negative emotions and behaviours that many of us can tip into, and share what I believe can massively help us manage in a world that can create so much fear, so much rush, and so much comparison.

None of these emotional reactions help us to thrive. They are detrimental to our joy, our trust and our personal growth.

and.. I have felt them all.

So my Ponder this week with you is about FEAR, RUSH and COMPARISON.

I want to rationally discuss them with you, and make suggestions

FEAR is viral and it is a virus.

We know that we can be controlled by fear, we can be kept down by fear. Fear is a powerful force, and it is all around us.

People pass on fear, it feels good to discuss all the ways the world is wrong.

Being driven by fear can create these negative results

1. Stifled Creativity

2. Decision Paralysis

3. Reduced Risk Tolerance

4. Lowers Morale

5. Poor Communication

6. Short-Term Focus

7. Reputation Damage

Personally, I avoid the energy of fear, my body cannot tolerate it. I chose to live in a place where fear does not exist.

RUSH

Fear creates a sense of RUSH, it creates time scarcity and it impacts our belief that there is enough in the world for us all.

The results of rushing are

1. Reduced Quality of Work

2. Burnout

3. Impaired Decision-Making

4. Strained Relationships

5. Loss of Strategic Focus

6. Health Consequences

COMPARISON

You know that comparison is ‘the thief of joy’ (Theodore Roosevelt), but it is also so much more than that. Social media has given us so many positive gifts, however, the worst aspect is comparison. Most of the time we are comparing ourselves with an illusion of someone’s life.

Here are the negative impacts of comparison, all impacting our ability to thrive and grow

1. Reduced Confidence

2. Distraction

3. Innovation Stagnation

4. Misalignment with our own Core Values

5. Misallocation of Resources

6. Increased Stress

7. Potentially Impairing Customer Relationships

8. Violating your ability to plan the business you want to have.

The answer to anyone that experiences FEAR, RUSH and COMPARISON

We believe so deeply in the power of being in a business community, it is the one thing I seek to encourage in business, it is my absolute reason for being in business, and it is founded on years of evidence.

Let me explain why I know community is the answer.

Firstly, too many business owners have become lone wolves, hunting alone, learning alone, surviving alone. By the very nature of choosing to be a business owner, we all have to have an independent streak. Independence can be an overdone strength.

Within a well loved and managed community, we can feel love.

True community is about a sense of belonging, a sense of feeling a deep connection to others, and through this connection, confidence rises. Fear does not like confidence. When you have a deep sense of togetherness and belonging, this raises a critical brain chemical – Oxytocin. When oxytocin rises, the output is confidence. My whole life has been driven by the desire to love, this is why I build community. Love in business exists and is powerful for business owners.

Let me share some common feedback we receive…

“I feel safe”– When you join a curated community with strong values of safety, love and open communication, we witness truth. We have to feel safe to be truly ourselves, to share the ways we need help, the vulnerabilities in our life and business and to know that others have felt this way also. Others have overcome adversity, no one judges you. Business is not a straight line, nor is life.

“I feel normal here”– this is one of the most exciting things a new member can say to us. By hearing other people speak their truth, we realise that our journey through business is normal, we are not inadequate, we are enough.

“I am growing here, personally and professionally”– once we deeply connect, we open our minds to learning, we adopt a greater ‘growth mindset’, taking fear away, our brain has the energy to learn. We no longer use any surplus energy to protect ourselves.

“I am experiencing ‘peaceful progress” – when you remove fear, your nervous system calms down. Our daughter, Hannah Power, uses a phrase that we love with our BIPPers, ‘peaceful progress’. This is the sense of trust in ourselves that we don’t need to rush, panic, or compare ourselves with false illusions of success. We are driven more by our desire to have impact than the need to protect ourselves.

As a long term business owners, since 1998, Thomas and I have been through the most momentous challenges, personally and professionally, financially and emotionally. We create a safe, loving business community as we know what it takes to thrive, we know that we need to thrive alongside others.

This week, feel your emotions, allow yourself to feel free of them, we don’t need to plug into fear, we don’t need to spend time with others that like to spread fear, and we don’t need to rush, compare or feel inadequate. Without doubt, you are enough, and there are many other business owners, that walk the same path that would like to see you thrive.

Thank you for reading this far. Know you are loved.

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BIP100 Member Updates: Happy April, Happy Sunshine!


Hello to guests and BIPPers

Happy April! Happy Sunshine! Here’s what’s been happening inside BIP100 this week…we share it here as many business owners outside BIP100 are curious about what happens.

This is a run through of the week starting Monday 31st March 2025

We’ve welcomed three incredible new members, each bringing unique brilliance to the community:

Jo Ann – Communications & stakeholder expert
Aimee – Film, TV & animation creator
Lisa – Automation queen, helping optimise client journeys

Penny’s Podcast with BIPPer Alexis
Learning about the reasons we must all have strong terms and conditions for our business You can listen to it HERE

Meditation Mondays & Sundays with Craig
Now running twice a week, and already 41 BIPPers have joined Craig’s WhatsApp group for updates and Zoom links. Total calm, connection, and presence to start and end your week.

FLOW Session #100 with Hannah Power
Hannah hit a big milestone this week with her 100th FLOW session for BIPPers! This one focused on emotional clearing and releasing stuck energy. Powerful stuff, it is often our personal blocks that stand in the way of our professional growth

DOSE Check-In
 Our monthly tour of the four feel-good chemicals (Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, Endorphins) reminded us how to keep our joy tanks full. So much gold in the recording. Thank you Tj Power

Skill Session with Onur
“How to Get More and Better Customers—Without Spending More on Marketing.”
Clear, actionable, and full of smart thinking. A must-watch replay if you’re in the community. Read more about this HERE

BIPPer Announcements
Sarah shared a Stress Awareness Toolkit to help leaders support resilient teams.

Adam ran an ultra marathon in the Sierra Nevada—madness and magic. Go Adam!

Tim raised a fab question: How can we be better BIPPers? There’s now a community post to share your thoughts and ways we can lift each other up. We all know that it ‘Takes a Village to raise a Business’

Penny’s Ponderings: Micro Gratitude
 A lovely reflection on how the small, thoughtful acts in this community create big ripples. Worth a read, I loved sharing my thought on this in LinkedIn – we certainly see so many trils of kindness in BIP

BIP Book Club Launches Monday!
Thanks to Ian and John S, we’re starting a book club! BIPPers will nominate a factual book (no self-promotion please ) and we’ll vote on what to read together.

We then reminded everyone to  Save the Dates for our  Summer and Christmas Parties 

If this kind of energy, growth, and support is what you’ve been missing in your business life… maybe it’s time you joined us?

Drop me a message on LinkedIn to Thomas or myself, or APPLY HERE and we can invite you to the next member lunch as a special guest.

With love,
Penny & Thomas

Penny Power Ponders: Harmonising Community and Networking – Balancing Feminine and Masculine Energies

Community and Networking

I have been pondering the powerful dynamics between community involvement and networking. In a world increasingly driven by transactions, social media and AI technology, understanding the interplay of feminine and masculine energies within us can enlighten our approach to relationships and success.

Before I get the push back on the use of these two energies, I want to stress that this is not about being female, or being male. We all have both energies, how we access and are driven by them may vary, along with the results. We can all choose which is the most successful for us. My thoughts in these Ponderings are always about ensuring we maintain the ‘human touch’ in our professional lives.

 

Six core human needs in building relationships

In our journey of building relationships, both personally and professionally, we are driven by fundamental human needs. Tony Robbins identifies six core human needs that shape our decisions, behaviours, and relationships:

  • Certainty – The need for stability, security, and predictability.
  • Growth – The need for learning, personal development, and evolution.
  • Variety – The need for excitement, change, and new experiences.
  • Significance – The need to feel valued, important, and recognised.
  • Love & Connection – The need for meaningful relationships and a sense of belonging.
  • Contribution – The need to give back to others, serve, and make an impact beyond our own needs.

While all six of these needs exist in each of us, they are often categorised into two distinct energies: Feminine and Masculine.

Interestingly for Thomas and I, we have a balance, Thomas is driven by networking and I am driven by community. This is how we work so well together within BIP100, balancing the critical ways we all need to be connected in order to serve our members.

 

Feminine Energy: The Soul of Community

Community is the realm where feminine energy flourishes, characterised by these 3 human needs:

  • Love and Connection: Our innate desire to belong and be part of something greater than ourselves.
  • Contribution: The drive to support, nurture, and foster mutual growth.
  • Significance: Feeling valued and seen for who we are beyond our professional labels.

At BIP100, community transcends mere transactions. It’s about forming deep, enduring bonds and creating a space of emotional safety and authenticity. Here, interactions are transformative, building trust and a shared sense of purpose over time.

 

Masculine Energy: The Force of Networking

Contrastingly, networking embodies masculine energy, with a focus on:

  • Growth: Relentlessly pursuing improvement and achievement.
  • Certainty: Seeking control and predictable outcomes through strategic actions and relationships
  • Variety: Embracing new challenges and diverse experiences, ensuring we remain excited through learning and new people.

Networking, as practiced by Thomas Power, is strategic and goal-orientated, emphasising introductions, referrals, and the creation of growth opportunities. It’s dynamic, driven by the need to expand and explore new business avenues.

 

Balancing Both Energies

To thrive, we must harness both energies.

Networking propels us forward, opening doors and catalysing opportunities. Meanwhile, community grounds us, providing a supportive backdrop where true growth can occur. This balance ensures that while we expand our horizons through networking, we remain anchored in a community that nourishes our deeper human needs.

As you navigate your professional and personal life, consider how you’re integrating these energies.

Are you fostering deep connections within a community while also pursuing strategic networking opportunities?

Let’s engage in this balanced approach, nurturing our professional networks with the same care and authenticity we seek in personal relationships.

You can share your experiences here on my LinkedIn post, I would love to discuss how we can collectively enhance our approach to building relationships in business and beyond.

 

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