Harnessing Curiosity and Connection: Combating Entrepreneurial Isolation

Catharine O'Leary: Hello, wonderful listeners. And welcome back to kickstart the conversation. I'm your host, Catharine O'Leary. And today, we're diving into an interesting topic. That's not just relevant, but it's actually pretty crucial in today's world. It's the power of connection, curiosity and community. We live in an era era where self isolation and loneliness are on the rise, I mean, to the point where the World Health Organization has even declared loneliness as an epidemic. I mean, like, we're coming out of COVID, a lot of people are still figuring out what post COVID looks like, we had quite a quite a stretch of time where we were, you know, forced into isolation. And then we kind of self isolated for a long time. And then as entrepreneurs, we definitely isolate, especially as solopreneurs. So the World Health Organization, though really declaring loneliness as an epidemic made me start thinking about connecting and curiosity and how, you know, we're building the way forward is really building communities and those like minded individuals not to talk to me or to you as the business owner, but really, to talk to each other. So we become the facilitators of conversations and connection. And that's what I wanted to talk to you about today and explore a little bit how, you know, we, as entrepreneurs can combat that sense of isolation, especially, you know, as entrepreneurs, so, you know, the world is becoming lonelier, and there are some very worrisome consequences. And that's a quote from Dr. Jeremy noble, who is the creator of project on lonely. It's a nonprofit organization that has created this project, the fact that we need a project, to be unlikely, is telling enough, don't you think? Loneliness is taking its toll. And, you know, as entrepreneurs, again, we find ourselves on a pretty solitary path until you get to a certain point, you're on your own, you don't have a lot of team or a lot of support. So where do you find it? I mean, typically, what we used to do in the past was really rely on live events. And while live events are making a comeback, they're not always an affordable or accessible options. So how can we foster connection, especially in a world that sometimes feels super disconnected? The solution actually lies in the digital realm. So you know, while the problem might have kind of come around because of the digital world, although I don't think so I think the solution does lie in the digital realm. We've got virtual events, we've got online communities, we've got things like masterminds that we can zoom into and, you know, have access to globally, which we didn't before, necessarily. So I actually think that the, the doors of opportunity are open to us to really play with connecting with people in new and innovative ways. I mean, you know, platforms like these offer more than just networking opportunities, they provide a lifeline for entrepreneurs that are seeking like minded connections. But before we you know, dig into the nitty gritty of all this, let's talk about the heart of it all. And that's curiosity. So, curiosity isn't just about asking questions. It's also about active listening. So I often talk about the you know, the same side or, you know, two different sides of the same coin. Curiosity and, and active listening are, you know, two different sides of the same coin, if you really want to foster that connection, so you know, fostering a genuine interest in others, their stories, their experiences, that's what curiosity can do. That's what you know, can ignite a spark of connection that we can harness to combat isolation. You know, one example that we talked about, you know, we mentioned above were virtual events. These events have become a bridge between physical distances, they allow us to gather, learn and connect with others for from the comfort of our own space. So whether we're attending a webinar or joining a virtual summit or participating in an online conference, these events do provide opportunities to share our curiosity ask questions, and engage with a, you know, a diverse group of individuals. Now, I get it. We're kind of zoomed out, and a lot of people are, you know, kind of falling back to going to some of these events, but their cameras are off. And they're multitasking, and they're doing 100 other things while on the event. And the problem with that is that you're missing the event, effectively, you're missing the opportunity to listen actively, you're missing the opportunity to connect with others, and you're giving off a vibe that you don't want to be connected with. So from a business building perspective, it's not a good way to go. But also, if we think about are, you know, if we all take a little bit of responsibility for making sure that we're available to be connected to, in order to foster this idea of togetherness, and, you know, like minded individuals, you know, conversing to fight this isolation to fight this loneliness, then, you know, we're having our cameras off, and multitasking and not paying attention doesn't serve that either. So we're not serving our business. And we're kind of not serving this, you know, this community effort that I'm talking about. So, bottom line, if you're going to be on a virtual event, then try to have your camera on and try to be active listening. Some of those events are really long, and I get it, you can't always, you know, be on quote unquote 24/7 for those things, or you know, from eight o'clock in the morning to eight o'clock at night, but you know, pick and choose then be really mindful of where you're putting your energy and where you're showing up, because you want to show up and you want to connect. Now, let's, you know, move from virtual events. And let's talk about masterminds. I've talked about masterminds before on the on the podcast, these are powerful, powerful gatherings of like minded entrepreneurs. Joining a mastermind means actually stepping into a community where Curiosity is encouraged, or at least I hope it is, if it's a good mastermind, that is definitely encouraged. A mastermind, it is a space to share your challenges to seek guidance and provide support to others on a similar journey, masterminds, they come in all shapes and sizes. But what unites them is that spirit of collaboration and curiosity. I can say from my own point of view that, you know, a mastermind has saved me and my business. In one particular occasion, I thought that everyone knew things that, you know, that I was struggling with. Everyone else had all the answers. And I was on this island of I don't know anything. And I can't ask anything, because everyone's so far ahead of me. And I didn't know what to do. And I was part of a mastermind that was that really did foster that, like minded, we were all on the same journey. And once I started to ask those questions, I realized that other people had the same questions. And that, you know, we had a really good dialogue after that, and I kind of got over the hump of feeling that I was all by myself on this deserted island. You're not on a deserted island, you do have, you know, ways that you can reach out and, you know, you just have to make those those connections and be mindful of making sure that you foster them and and nurture them as well. Online communities, such as forums, social media groups, niche specific platforms, those all offer a space also to connect with individuals who share your interests, these communities actually thrive on curiosity, that desire to learn and discuss and explore topics that matter to you. And they matter to you because you join the group that matters, you know, the the topics matter to everyone. So by actively participating in engaging with these communities, you can build those meaningful connections and break free from those shackles of isolation. So how do you or how do I, as a business owner, take this on a little bit? So, you know, it's

one thing for me to attract my ideal clients, it's one thing for me to connect with them, and to share my services with them. It's a step further to actually build and foster and nurture an engaged community that thrives on that curiosity. And this is something that I am going to challenge myself to do and I challenge everyone else to do as well. Because really, you know that that community starts with being genuinely interested in others and as entrepreneurs, we actually have the power to create spaces where people feel heard, where they feel valued, and they are encouraged to share But it's not just about asking questions. It's about actively listening. It's about empathizing and fostering an environment where that curiosity flourishes. And that's something that, you know, as we step forward into, you know, kind of our next iteration of whatever business is going to look like. And there's there is a shift going, moving from kind of that push sales energy into more of connection based relationship based, you know, offers and so on. I think there is a massive opportunity for us not only to serve our businesses, but to serve our ideal clients by building communities, and nurturing them as safe spaces where people can connect. I mean, in a world that's grappling with loneliness, we do have that unique opportunity to combat isolation by cultivating curiosity. You know, we can embrace the virtual events, we can embrace the live events, I'm not saying nobody go live anymore. I'm saying the opposite. I mean, if you can get out there and go to the live events, go for it. I mean, these great people are at these events, but great people are at the virtual events do and great people are participating in the masterminds, and great people are on online communities. So you know, remember, it's not just about connecting, though, it's about fostering connections that are meaningful and enduring. So as an entrepreneur, I would like to challenge us as a group to really think through, have we taken the step the further step of our businesses from building a course or building the mastermind or building the, you know, the summits and so on? And have we built the back end of our community to foster people coming in, to make them feel welcome to get their questions answered, to make sure that they are with like individuals and and make sure that they have a safe space to connect and collaborate. And, you know, converse, because it's all about conversations. So I'm going to take that on, I hope that you take it on as well, because it's an epidemic. And it's something that we can help with. And I think that's what a lot of us wanted to, you know, create with our businesses was that sense of, you know, community and so on. So this is Catharine O'Leary, and I do encourage you to embrace curiosity, reach out to digital communities and kindle the spirit of connection in your entrepreneurial journey. Until next time, stay curious, stay connected, and keep kickstarting those conversation.