Flourishing communities are fundamentally relational – providing and building mutually enriching, trusting connections.

Community Matters

Community is an overused word and underrated reality in our increasingly atomised world. Flourishing communities are fundamentally relational not transactional, providing and building mutually enriching, trusting connections as well as opportunities to both give and gain. Communities like this are invaluable as isolation becomes an issue in so many working lives.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am naturally collegial or, in MBTI parlance, an off-the-scale E. But even for the less gregarious among us, I suspect John Donne’s famous meditation that “No man is an island…” resonates. It’s a paradox that while coaches are generally “people people”, when we are not working with our clients, many of us work alone.

As we hold space for others to reflect, grow and change, we ourselves need spaces of connection. We need places and people who will challenge and encourage us on our coaching journeys, people with whom we can spark and shape ideas as well as exchange the inevitable ups and downs of building a business. This is why I’ve come to value what I call ‘connectworks’ – small mutual support groups for those who otherwise lack obvious professional communities. I recommend connectworks to my individual clients – founders and leaders in often lonely roles – and I have sought to build them for myself.

From the moment I enrolled on Mastered, I have been struck by the intentionality of the Meyler Campbell community. It goes beyond ‘networking’ or ‘lifelong CPD’ to something deeper and more needful – it is genuine, warm, welcoming and profoundly human. Whether at the always excellent events, speaking to the amazing office team or Catherine’s thoughtful introductions, I have been supported and built up in my coaching in many ways.

It was an introduction by Catherine to Jennifer, another Mastered graduate, which led to us co-founding Knowledge X – community and events for those who coach founders – which has connected coaches IRL in mutual collaboration, contribution, support and fun.

Our biannual Knowledge X events, year-round WhatsApp group and annual Christmas lunch have spawned further connections including commercial collaborations, peer coaching supervision and monthly “Business of Coaching” groups. My Business of Coaching group meets monthly to discuss the challenges and opportunities in each of our coaching businesses; we also meet for quarterly Strategy Days. The four of us talk strategy, finances, BD and positioning but also support each other’s wider lives and wellbeing – celebrating each other’s progress and wins as well as advising and helping each other in more challenging times.

A typically whirlwind IRL introduction by the wonderful Anne Scoular to another Mastered graduate has even led to my first ever book group. Meeting regularly to talk about books with a great fellow coach/ bookworm has definitely contributed to my wellbeing at work – as well as being lots of fun.

As a Christian, I believe that we are designed for connection and community; there’s plenty of evidence—empirical, biological and psychological—to support that. Ongoing meaningful connection at work is not a luxury but a necessity for both our own wellbeing and the wellbeing of those we support. 

This Mental Health Awareness Week, I am grateful for the professional communities which support me and in which I play a part, and I invite you to consider: who are the people with whom you think, work, and grow? And how can you ensure that others do not journey alone? 

Ranti Williams

Specialises in coaching teams, founders and organisations looking to start or scale new ventures. She is the co-founder of Knowledge X – community and events for those who coach founders and investors. She is also the creator of ONION® – a framework for clearer thinking currently being developed into an AI-integrated thought partnership tool.