RIGHT… STORY FOR YA Years ago I had this friend who told me she couldn’t watch horror movies because it was “dark energy.” Like could not be in the house if one was on. She’d be like “nope… I can’t be around that energy… it’s bad… I need to go out.” Proper kerfuffle about it… big energy speech…EW Meanwhile… she’s sat there eating a sausage sandwich… And I remember sitting there thinking (in my head OBVS because back then I kept my mouth shut)… hang on a second… so let me get this straight… you can’t watch a horror film because of DARK ENERGY… but you’re eating an animal that was enslaved, tortured, slaughtered, chopped into pieces and shoved into a sausage… and that energy is totally fine. WTF Now before anyone gets their knickers in a twist… this post isn’t actually about BEING VEGAN. That part just happens to be a true story. The real point is this… Back then I stayed quiet. I didn’t say anything. Not because I didn’t have the thought (OBVS the thought was there loud and clear in my head)… but because I didn’t think it was my place to say it out loud. I’m not that person anymore. Now I understand something that took me a long time to learn. I have a VOICE for a reason. Not to attack people, not to be nasty DUH… but to stand up for the things I actually believe in. So yes… now I will absolutely speak up for animals. If I see someone kick a dog… I will say something. If I see someone mistreat a human… I will say something. Not with violence, OBVS… but with my voice. Because silence helps nobody… And here’s where this loops right back to business (HELLO… you knew that bit was coming) Too many people are trying to build businesses while tiptoeing around their own opinions… scared to say something, scared to offend someone, scared someone might disagree, scared someone might unfollow them… all that polite little dance. But leaders don’t sit quietly hoping everyone approves of them. Leaders LEAD! They stand for something. They say the thing others are too nervous to say out loud. They have conviction. They have perspective. They have a BACKBONE

Right… hot take incoming and yep I’m probably about to ramble my way through this one (eye roll at myself already)… but the more I read that giant thread in Skoolers and the gazillion comments flying around, the more I kept thinking… Hang on a minute. This isn’t actually about “Relationships vs Money vs Tech” at all or is it? (Look I know we all see things through different lenses, this is an open conversation, and simply sharing another perspective… we have millions of them, thats the beauty of being HUMAN) ❤️ On the surface… yeah, of course, people are talking about categories, discovery, rankings, the Games, fairness, all the practical stuff. Obvs that matters a big time lot. If you’ve been grafting away for months building something, showing up every day, getting your community growing and then suddenly your category gets moved mid-game… yeah that’s gonna sting a bit. I’d be sat there like… OOOOOFFFFF ok then… what just happened there. But underneath all that admin-y talk and system talk and rule talk… what I actually see bubbling away is something way more HUMAN. Safety. Because when people build something day after day on a platform… their community, their income, their friendships, their identity as a creator, all the little inside jokes, the momentum, the energy… that stuff stops feeling like “just a platform.” It starts feeling like HOME. (yes I’m getting a bit woo here… just go with it). And when something shifts without warning… categories move… rules change… rankings wobble… suddenly the nervous system, the body, the emotions go HOLD UP A SECOND… Are we actually safe here or not? Not safe like danger danger obviously. But safe like… can I trust the ground I’m standing on? Because the reality is… most of us building online are kinda building on rented land. Skool. Facebook. Insta. Wherever. Amaze-balls platforms (obvs team Skool here), EPIC HUMANS, brilliant badass communities… but at the end of the day the land isn’t ours. The rules can shift of courseThe systems can change. And change… can be uncomfy AF.

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Tomorrow all premium members have the opportunity to participate in our monthly "business card exchange." What this means is that you will get 3 minutes to describe your community, who it is for, and what makes it unique. This month we're practicing elevator pitches, so you will need to keep it tight. If we have time at the end, we will then open it up for a more casual conversation where you will have the opportunity to ask people more about what they do. This meeting is recorded and shared with the entire community so that more people can "meet" you and get to know about your community. I hope to see you there!

Recently I opened a new gym, and alongside that I’ve been continuing to build my Skool community. What surprised me is how similar the two actually are. In both places people need three things: • Structure - clear direction on what to do • Accountability - someone paying attention to their progress • Leadership - someone setting the tone Information alone doesn’t keep people around. In the gym, people could easily Google workouts. Online people could easily Google fitness advice. What people stay for is guidance, progression, and a place where they feel part of something. Running both at the same time has made me realise that whether it's physical or online, a community grows when the leader is present and the mission is clear. Curious if anyone else here is building a Skool community alongside another business? What have you learned trying to balance both?