The Loneliness Epidemic with Community Builder Liz Forkin Bohannon

PodcastMindset

May 28

Episode 956: Show Notes

Statistics show that 97% of small business owners would say that they have felt really alone and unsupported in their journey. Though we are more connected than ever through the internet, we are also lonelier than ever. If you’ve built a business, you’ve probably felt that paradox deeply.

Today’s guest, Liz Forkin Bohannon, knows that connection isn’t just a feel-good value – it’s a radical, transformative growth strategy. Liz is passionate about women and girls living in extreme poverty and is living a life that reflects that. Having spent time connecting with underprivileged women in Uganda, she realized how important community is. She’s built her business, community, and life around the idea that we’re better together, and in this episode, we talk about what it looks like to build something that not only grows but brings people closer.

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How to Create Genuine Connection in Business

You are not capable of learning and growing past a certain capacity unless it is in the presence of others. When Liz was in Uganda, she realized how easy it was to make friends there. Although Ugandan people face significant challenges, loneliness and connection did not seem to be one for them. Even the suffering and pain they may face seems to feel like a shared experience that they are all in together. Sustained suffering happens when people feel alone in their pain. Through her time abroad, Liz concluded that there are six principles of community, friendship, and social health that seem to be present in these cultures, and then built her life back in the US based on those six principles.

For small business owners, especially, the weight of the phrase, ‘It’s lonely at the top,’ is heavy. Loneliness and disconnection are not problems that can be solved with monetary success. Liz believes that one of the best investments entrepreneurs can make in themselves is a peer support group. As a leader, you need people in your life who are not part of your business but understand it! One of the core values of building personal community is proximity, but for business owners, proximity is less important because the things you rely on your community for aren’t physical. Everyone wants to be seen, soothed, and secure to flourish. So, business leaders need to be able to show up authentically in front of people who have walked in their shoes.

The Power of Consistency and Commitment

There is a whole period that comes before the formation of secure networks, and that is a period of consistency and commitment. Liz wants you to start thinking about your social health in the same way you consider your physical and mental health. The degree to which you benefit from a community is typically directly related to how much you are contributing to it. In order to build dense networks of support, consistency and commitment are key. You have to be willing to share the full story of your life. Self-disclosure can feel scary, and the pain of social rejection is equivalent to that of being punched in the face, but vulnerability is imperative in building meaningful connections. And the greatest predictor of how long you will live is the quality of your relationships.

Two Ways to Find a Like-Minded Community of Business Leaders

How do business owners find people who are at the same level of commitment as you? Lucky for you, Liz is doing connection cohorts for business leaders who want to engage in habitual engagement designed for intimacy and connection, and showing them how to optimize their time together to get the best possible results. If you are interested in joining one of her cohorts, pop her an email! The other thing you can do is make sure that you are constantly talking to people. Liz wants you to make your ask known – tell people what you are looking for from business relationships! The good news about living amid a loneliness and isolation epidemic is that the likelihood that the people you are asking to build community and friendship with also need it is extremely high.

There is also another layer to this that requires you to take responsibility for creating the system by which you and your community will function. And yes, it is so scary to be the person taking on that leadership position, but the reality is that most people who have successfully created their ideal community have contributed to creating it. Create a structure that you think is going to lead to intimacy and connection, and go out there and ‘fill the seats!’ Having this kind of community is something that we are all craving. If you are interested in community and connection, go check out Liz on socials and sign up for her Substack and newsletter to hear more about it!

Quote This

We have to treat social health like we treat the other aspects of our health.

— Liz Forkin Bohannon

Highlights

How to Create Genuine Connection in Business. [0:11:12]

The Power of Consistency and Commitment. [0:25:48]

Two Ways to Find a Like-Minded Community of Business Leaders. [0:40:41]

OUR GUEST:

Liz Forkin Bohannon

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | Substack

Liz Forkin Bohannon is an entrepreneur, author, and speaker known for founding Sseko Designs, a fashion brand that empowers women in East Africa through education and employment. She later helped lead its merger with Noonday Collection, where she now serves as Chief Growth Officer. Liz is also the author of Beginner’s Pluck and is recognized for her impactful work in purpose-driven leadership and social entrepreneurship.