Where’s My Power?

The theme of our Sophia Wealth Academy 2025 was money and power. Together they can be used as a force for change and a better world. And yet, many of us shy away from this dynamic duo. Power can have negative associations, especially for women. Throughout history, it has been used against us. It can connote a top down, conflict laden situation and even an element of danger. However, the use of our energy applied consciously and with intention can yield miracles and magic — and money! And money is the fuel not just for running our own lives but for the successful amplification of good works.

Throughout the course of our day together, we looked at how our internal state of mind affects our strength as well as the strength of those around us — even people we don’t know! We studied the Sophia Sexy Seven — patterns of behaviour that lead to positive outcomes and we looked at how to apply those nuggets of wisdom into our daily lives. Most importantly we discovered the power of connection. When we align our goals with our inner beliefs we are strong. When we discern what is in, and out, of our sphere of control we exert dominion over our circumstances. And we learned how much energy can be created in a room where people are holding space for kindness and growth.

So then, what is it about financial power that seems to daunt us? What is the risk?

Women tell me that it stresses them out. Power doesn’t make them feel powerful, it can make them feel unsafe. They tell me that they are afraid of disrupting their relationships and being spurned or abandoned.

We know we are dealing here with ideas lodged in the deepest part of our being – the invisible domains that call the shots and lead us to places that confound us. This is no longer a discussion based on rationality or political correctness. What truly prevents us from taking charge of our life? Taking our place at the decision-making tables of society?

Something deep and visceral seems to hold a lot of us back. A sense of danger so primal, so barely discernible at a conscious level that it keeps us in its grip by its very unknowingness. It is the inviolable, invisible force that knows us better than we know ourselves.

So where does this come from and how will we eradicate it?

As I see it, there are two sources of this fear and reluctance to hold power. The stuff we are born with and the stuff we accumulate along the way. According to emerging research in the field of epigenetics we are born holding patterns of experiences from our ancestors at a cellular level. This explains why the children of holocaust victims and survivors, or prisoners of war, have psychological and physical cellular composition and behavioural responses that cannot just be explained by their environment.

We are a combination of neurology, biology and gender. There are beliefs that emerge from our own experiences, the messages of our families and the influence of the culture that we were raised into. Most of our ideas are formed below our levels of awareness or even consciousness. That is not a bad thing. It is just that we have to accept that it can be complicated and challenging. However, with intention it is possible to understand these notions and overcome the ones that don’t work for us.

With a willingness to become deep sea divers pursing ocean bound treasure we can look inside and begin the process of bringing up the “loot.” We can catalogue it and manage it. The sheer act of exploration is exhilarating and empowering – far more so than holding on to nameless terrors and a reticence to expand that does not serve us or our world.

We have learned that with each other’s support and encouragement combined with knowledge we have the tools necessary to move to the next level of our personal evolution. And it is worth it. We need to take our life back into our own hands. And the world needs us to be brave.