"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."- African Proverb

Updated April 8, 2026. This article has been revised and expanded from its original 2021 publication.

Have you ever been part of a group, team or community that brought out more in you than you ever could have accessed on your own?

Not just productive. Not just busy. But more YOU - expanded.

Maybe together you created something meaningful. An event. A project. A movement. A next chapter. Or, maybe the most important part was not what you created, but who you became in the process.

That kind of growth doesn’t happen in isolation.

There’s an African proverb that says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” I understand why people love this proverb. It sounds wise, and part of it is. Going alone can look faster. Fewer opinions. Fewer moving parts. Fewer people to consider. But the more I watch human beings grow, create and struggle, the more I want to challenge the idea that alone is always the faster path.

Because isolation has a cost.

When we are too alone for too long, we can get too far into our own heads. We overthink. We lose perspective. We question ourselves. We can become unsure, flat, discouraged or disconnected from the very thing we want to create. We start circling instead of moving. We confuse fear with truth. We begin to believe we are behind, incapable or somehow the only one finding it hard.

That is why I believe community is far more powerful than we often give it credit for. Not only because it feels good to belong, but because the right people can accelerate your growth, strengthen your courage and support the creation of the life, work or dream that matters to you.

The right community sharpens and motivates you. It reminds you who you are. It gives you perspective when you have lost it, momentum when you have stalled, and truth when your own mind has become a noisy place to live.

So yes, going together will take you further. But I would argue it can also help you move faster. Not in a rushed or frantic way. In a clearer way. In a steadier way. In a way that keeps you connected to yourself while you build what you are here to build.

This is why I care so deeply about community. Because at the right time, in the right room, with the right people, something shifts. We remember who we are. We find perspective again. We move.

Here are nine reasons I believe that happens.

1. Community reflects back what you can’t always see

When you surround yourself with people who genuinely believe in you, something subtle but powerful happens - you begin to rise into that reflection. The right community doesn’t inflate your ego. It steadies you. It sees your potential even when you’re doubting yourself, and over time, your vision becomes shared. And just as importantly, you learn how to hold that belief for others too.

Growth is reciprocal.

2. Community holds you when things wobble

No matter how capable or experienced you are, there will be moments of uncertainty. Confusion. Fear. Transitions you didn’t plan for. A strong community doesn’t need to have lived your exact experience to support you through it. Empathy doesn’t require sameness - only presence. Some of the most moving moments I’ve witnessed are people being held through challenges they never expected to face, by others who simply chose compassion. That, to me, is humanity at its best.

3. Community reminds us we are not the only one

One of the most common things people say after group experiences I host is, “I thought it was just me.” That sentence matters. Because so much unnecessary suffering grows in secrecy. We assume our fears, doubts, longings or struggles are ours alone, and that assumption can be quietly painful. Community softens that. It reminds us that while our circumstances may differ, many of our deepest desires are shared. To belong. To contribute. To be understood. To matter.

4. Community restores your sense of belonging

Belonging isn’t about fitting in. It’s about being met. There is something profoundly healing about voicing a thought you’ve carried privately (sometimes with shame) and hearing someone else say, “Me too.” That moment doesn’t fix everything. But it softens something. And softened people grow.

5. Community expands your perspective

When you’re deeply immersed in your own work or life, it can be hard to see clearly. Everything feels personal. Charged. Heavy. A trusted community offers perspective without judgement. They’ll keep your confidence, but they won’t always agree with you - and that’s a gift. Sometimes one outside lens is enough to unlock a new possibility.

6. Community teaches us how to live with difference

We now have access to people across cultures, industries and life stages in ways previous generations never did. That diversity stretches us. It challenges our assumptions. It invites humility.

Having spent years facilitating this kind of connection both in-person and online, I’ve seen how powerful it is when people are willing to listen, learn and allow their worldview to evolve.

Growth requires exposure.

7. Community accelerates growth - even when it’s uncomfortable

There’s a saying one of my mentors lives by: If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re probably in the wrong room. Being around people who inspire you, and occasionally intimidate you, has a way of calling forth parts of yourself you didn’t know were waiting. Yes, discomfort shows up. Self-doubt too. But so does expansion. New skills. Deeper confidence. Faster momentum. Feeling “not ready” is rarely a fact. It’s usually a story.

8. Community is joyful

Laughter. Friendship. Shared language. Inside jokes. Collective momentum. Growth doesn’t have to be heavy to be meaningful. Some of the most profound shifts happen alongside joy, creativity and connection. We are not meant to do life alone. And we are not meant to shrink while doing it.

9. Community interrupts the spiral of isolation

There is something else I have come to believe. Solitude can be healthy. Necessary, even. There are times we need to step away from the noise and be alone to think, research, write, create or hear ourselves clearly again. Some people do beautiful work in solitude. But isolation is different. When we are too alone for too long, we can get stuck in our own heads. We overthink. We lose perspective. We question our timing, our path, our capacity and sometimes even the dream itself. We can feel flat, unsure or disconnected from what we once knew so clearly. Community interrupts that. It brings us back to perspective, courage and motion. Sometimes the right room does not only support your growth. It restores it.

If this resonated with you, and you are craving a space where you can connect, be seen, tell the truth, and create what matters most, The Soft Strength Salon may be the right place for you.

This is for the woman who knows she is not meant to do all of this alone. The woman who is ready for deeper conversation, real support, powerful self-reflection, and the kind of community that does not only feel good to be in, but changes what becomes possible.

If that sounds like you, you can learn more about The Soft Strength Salon here.

Alternatively, we currently have two complimentary Blueprints are available for women at different, and often overlapping, stages of their leadership and lives. The Unshakeable Woman Blueprint and the The Success Was the Warm-Up Blueprint CLICK HERE to download one or both.

Janelle Ryan is a globally recognised personal, career and leadership coach who works with high-performing professionals and established leaders navigating growth, change and the next phase of their life and leadership. She is the founder of Sky High Coaching, an international speaker, retreat leader and published author, known for her work on internal authority, soft strength and sustainable success. Janelle blends deep insight with practical application to help capable women lead with clarity, confidence and precision.