When business becomes personal

The other day as Leane and I sat down for our weekly meeting, we both declared ‘this isn’t fun anymore’.

We had gotten so caught up in our new partnership, setting goals, fast paced achievement mode, while she felt like a drill sergeant ~ I was just overwhelmed.

She asked me some hard questions and I answered honestly. Which is something I’ve learned lately, to not people please but just say the truth ~ even if it could hurt her.

We both have been loose on our boundaries between work and friend time. 

We’ve been allowing work to overtake our friendship, which has led to some fear and some tears.

In former partnerships, I’ve stumbled to be honest. Resentment has taken over and I’ve had to walk away.

This one is different. Leane taught me business, she mentored me for years and years prior to me opening The Well.

From her I learned that business isn’t personal. That you can be totally honest in a business collaboration and laughing as friends in the next breathe. 

We’ve been lucky that neither one of us offend easily, so we can tell the truth in our safe relationship.

Leane is a huge reason The Well is here, because she created this unoffendable space for me to exist in years before this business was even a seed.

Today as we were crushing Costco together, we chatted about the relationships being formed at The Well. She said this great quote… ‘creating opportunities for women to connect’. That’s what The Well does. It is the container for relationship building.

It is so much more than networking, although we do that well too.

I really think it’s what women are hungry for, but often scared to step into. Real genuine relationship, being heard and seen for what may feel like the first time. Non competitive, non judgemental, just being you, and me being me. 

Aren’t we all hungry for a little of that? But maybe you don’t believe it can exist. That’s ok, give yourself time, we know trust takes time. We aren’t going anywhere.