By: Melissa Bauknight
At The Nova, we believe a soul-led women’s leadership community isn’t a luxury—it’s a lifeline. If you’ve ever walked into a networking event and felt like you had to trade authenticity for approval, you’re not alone. Here’s how finding the right room can change everything…
Ever Walked Into a Room and Thought: “Please Don’t Ask Me What I Do”?
Let’s just start there.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve been in your fair share of networking events. Some were great. Others? Well, they had the vibe of a performance review with cocktails.
You know the scene: name tags, business cards, the “So, what do you do?” opener that makes your soul want to shrink. Not because I don’t love my work—I do. But because I want people to care more about who I am than just what I produce.
That question always felt like it boxed me into a definition I had outgrown.
I still love networking. I always have. But these days, I’m not looking for polished surfaces and perfect pitches. I’m looking for resonance.
I want to walk into a room and exhale.
When the Room Feels Like a Mirror
Here’s what shifted: I started stepping into rooms that intimidated me a little. Rooms full of big thinkers and bold energy. Places where I felt that little twinge of, “Am I really supposed to be here?”
And the truth? Those were the rooms that changed me most.
Because yes, I was meant to be there. But the version of me who believed that had to be called forward.
These weren’t just rooms filled with “important people.” They were filled with people who reflected back my bigness—the part of me that had been whispering for more.
Community Isn’t the Bonus. It Is the Business Plan.
Let’s cut to it: I wasn’t burned out before The Nova. I loved what I was doing. But I was holding more than was humanly sustainable. I was:
- Running a business
- Parenting a toddler
- Healing from a pelvic floor injury
- Trying to keep friendships and a marriage thriving
- And somehow still aiming to hit peak performance every day
What I needed wasn’t rest. It was resonance.
I needed to be in a space where I didn’t have to explain myself. Where I didn’t have to work so hard to belong. Where people understood my fire and held space for my softness.
That’s what The Nova has become. Not just a community, but a new context for leadership and expansion.
The Science of Association
You’ve probably heard the phrase, “You’re the average of the 10 people you spend the most time with.”
It’s not fluff. Our nervous systems co-regulate with the people around us. Stanford neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman has spoken extensively about how proximity influences our perception of what’s possible.
In other words? The room you’re in literally shifts what you believe you can do.
I’ve seen this firsthand in The Nova:
- A woman sitting on a dream for 10 years launched her first workshop (and filled it).
- A long-time side-hustler committed to making her business full-time.
- A founder sold her company and stepped into her next era with clarity and peace.
None of them needed more hustle. They needed more reflection. More mirroring. More reminder of who they really are.
The Whisper You’re Hearing? Trust It.
We all get lit up by inspiration now and then. But inspiration without support? It fades.
Real expansion requires a place to land. A community that holds you when self-doubt creeps in. A structure that remembers your dream when life gets noisy.
That’s what we’re building. If you’ve been hearing that whisper—that subtle but persistent sense that you’re meant for something more—I want you to know: You’re not crazy. You’re just outgrowing the rooms that can no longer hold you.
New rooms are opening. New conversations are forming. And new versions of leadership are being called forward.
Keep your eyes on what’s coming next inside The Nova. Because this next evolution? It’s going to be different.
And if you’re feeling the nudge… maybe it’s because you’re meant to be in the room.
Explore The Nova Membership: www.thenovaglobal.com/memberships
Download a Free Inner Nova Kit: https://thenovaglobal.com/free-resource/
#TheNovaGlobal #WomensLeadership #AuthenticNetworking #CommunityOverCompetition #RedefiningSuccess #PersonalGrowth #LeadershipEvolution
