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#Adulting #Well-Being #Women EmpowermentOverview:
- Success is never the work of one person.
- A power circle is a community of women who guide and support each other.
- Ambition has proven to be socially transferable.
- Within a power circle, people take on different roles- from being a challenger to a realist.
- It is advised to understand whether a particular power circle is right for you, as the price for being in the wrong one can be heavy.
- If you have a power circle, nurture it and cherish it.
We’ve heard it before “It’s lonely at the top.” Studies describe the loneliness that comes with ambition and success. Ambitious people are taught that the price of their dreams is isolation; it is an ultimatum that forces one to choose between being ambitious and having people in one’s life. This mindset is not only wrong but also unsustainable.
Success is never achieved alone; it truly takes a village to be successful. Ambitious people, especially women, face unique barriers that can lead to isolation. Women often have a hard time climbing the workplace ladder due to social norms that discriminate against them. As a result ambitious women are often criticized at home and at work. They also face unfavourable work environments which could make it harder to achieve their goals. That’s why building power circles is essential. Women need collective empowerment to support them as they rise and stay at the top.
Defining the Power Circle
A power circle is a community built on intentionality. It nurtures reciprocal growth, room for vulnerability, a shared ambitious mindset, and overall safety. Power circles are more than casual friendships or surface-level professional networks. They are deeper, more profound friendships that seek to see all members thrive in their chosen paths.
The Psychology of Proximity: Why Who You Spend Time With Shapes You
Ambition isn’t just personal—it’s socially contagious. Behavioral science shows we mirror the motivation and emotions of those around us through social mirroring and emotional contagion. Close physical or emotional contact can either inhibit or fuel our ambition.
Ambition has been considered socially transferable through peer influence. This has led to many individuals investigating how ambition works, with the conclusion being that ambition can move through a social group like wildfire. Elements such as constructive competition, natural mentorship, and support further strengthen individuals’ ambition and amplify it within a group. In a nutshell, this means that keeping a circle of friends who are ambitious can take one’s ambition to the next level.
Identifying the Roles Within Your Circle
Creating a power circle is an art of self-reflection and balance. It is important to identify who we are as individuals. Power circles thrive on reciprocity and therefore identifying what we bring to the table is important for the success of a power circle. There are a variety of ways to look at a balanced power circle, some fundamental roles to seek out include the following:
The Challengers
These are people who are good at pushing you to level up with care and accountability. They challenge you to be the best version of yourself.
The Visionaries
This group is gifted at identifying potential and dreaming big; they see your potential before you do.
The Connectors
The connectors are adept at networking and building a community. In a power circle, they link you with people and opportunities, in addition to keeping the group grounded in togetherness.
The Empaths
Often the glue that holds people together through support and care, they remind you to rest, recharge, and embrace play.
The Realists
Grounded in facts, these people are best in times of chaos to remind you to stay firm in the truth. They are also the people who will call you in when you seem to lose your way.
The Cost of the Wrong Circle
While being in the appropriate power circle is great, the reverse is also true. Being tethered to the wrong people can be detrimental to one’s personal and professional life. Belonging to the wrong circle can result in being emotionally drained, especially when there is unhealthy competition. This is often marked by a fear of outshining each other, envious tendencies among members, and a lack of interest in sharing resources.
A mismatched social ecosystem creates setbacks that drain energy. It takes away from the group instead of filling up the group with positivity. Being in such a space brings out the worst in ourselves, such as self-sabotage and guilt with achievements. It is a dangerous slippery slope to a wide range of problems in all aspects of someone’s life.
Curating and Maintaining Your Power Circle
The risks of being aligned with the wrong people are extremely high. As such, it is crucial to understand how to curate a well-aligned power circle. Creating a power circle needs to be strategic. Whether it is auditing current relationships for potential or seeking out new ones, the process needs to be rigorous.
The most important step is identifying alignment. A power circle needs to be aligned on the things you consider fundamental to you, such as politics, dreams, or life strategies. Once you have identified your potential power circle, the next step is to initiate meaningful conversations. Initiating conversation can be as simple as sharing a platform which represents shared beliefs (e.g. HerConversation by Girl Power Talk aims to spark conversations around relatable topics and build a community where women feel safe). Such platforms can offer organic ways to gauge alignment with a potential power circle.
The Unseen Benefits: Confidence, Courage, and Career Elevation
Power circles are useful beyond boosting ambition and offering a support system. Being part of a power circle can have indirect gains on one’s personality such as being better at decision-making and developing resilience founded on reliable support. Power circles are a place to build yourself up while building others. It is the next level of empowering mentorship, as success is mutual and mentorship goes both ways. They are also a way to keep learning and growing. “The moment you stop learning is the moment you stop growing,” says Sydni Joseph. Power circles are a way to keep learning about yourself, others, and your goals.
Nurturing the Circle: Redlines, Rituals, and Reciprocity
Power circles thrive on consistency; once established, regular and intentional touchpoints are essential. These can range from lighthearted activities like a girls’ trip to scheduled calls or texts. Touch points are anything that maintains connection, protects time and energy, celebrates wins, and offers support during chaos.
As time passes, relationships naturally evolve. Sometimes this means letting go of connections that no longer serve you. Though it can be difficult, growing apart is part of life. Still, separation isn’t always necessary as relationships can adapt as people change. It’s also important to stay open to new energy and make space for new connections. At the same time be ready to let go gracefully to those relationships that no longer serve you.
Power Circles for Every Phase of Life
The beauty of power circles is that you don’t need to have the same one your whole life. They are powerful communities that you can carry with you at different phases of your life. Our power circles can shift with our life seasons and this is something to embrace. We need to be ready to interrogate our fit to circles regularly and update our power circles as time goes on. Whether it is the childhood power circle or a legacy building one we must be ready to evaluate, update, and respond to our needs effectively.
Conclusion
Jerrylynn Kariuki believes that “womanhood can be scary and lonely but sisterhood is our rebellion. It is how we turn the ache of womanhood into joy, play, and power.” When women intentionally support one another, they don’t just thrive—they change entire industries and rewrite collective narratives of power. The best part is you can start working on your power circle at any time or phase in life. Just start the process. Everything else will flow eventually.
