From Me to Mwe: The Power of Shifting from Independence to Interdependence
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:00:02 Welcome to Heart Glow CEO®, where high achievers evolve into purpose-driven powerhouses. I'm Kc Rossi, your Integrative Leadership Coach. Join us to break free from people pleasing and burnout, exploring mindset, embodiment, and soul alignment. Discover expert insights, success stories, and actionable tips for wholistic wealth on your terms. This is where transformation meets the modern female leader. Let's go!
Hey there, beautiful soul. Welcome back to Heart Glow CEO® where we explore the intersection of soulful entrepreneurship, feminine leadership, and the quest to live in alignment with our deepest truth.
I'm your host, Coach Kc, and today we're diving into a topic that's been bubbling up not just in my personal life, but in conversations with visionary clients, peers, and communities far and wide. It's the dance between me and we. Or, as social neuroscientist Dr.Dan Siegel so beautifully coined it; MWe. And that's M-W-E, the integration of me and we. This isn't just a cute combo of letters. It's a paradigm shift that has the potential to radically transform how we live, love, and lead.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:01:32 Let's look at independence versus interdependence. As solopreneurs and soul-led leaders, we often start out with a fierce sense of independence. We wear every hat, juggle every ball, and build entire empires from scratch. I've done that too… a lot. In fact, for 20 of the 34 years I've been an entrepreneur, I had a business partner. We made “WE” decisions that impacted up to 24 employees. It was powerful and productive. But here's the thing. Collaboration is not the same as co-ownership, and it's definitely not the same as flying solo. It's somewhere in between. It lives in that mysterious liminal space called interdependence.
So think of it like this.
Independence says, “I got this.”
Dependence whispers, “I can't do this without you.”
But interdependence sings, “We rise together.”
That's the frequency I'm tuning into more and more.
I love symbols. Before we go deeper, let's zoom out for a moment. Spiritually and symbolically, 2025 is associated with the energy of the square. In sacred geometry, the square represents foundation, stability, structure, and manifestation in the material world.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:03:06 Think about that for a minute. Foundation. I'm thinking of a house that immediately comes to mind. That stability, that structure. It's what things are built on top of. It's about grounding dreams into form. And what's fascinating is that a square is formed by four points, none of them alone, but all connected. This perfectly mirrors what so many of us are craving this year - Real-world collaboration. Co-creation and containers that are both solid and soul-filled.
And let's not forget the rise of the Divine Feminine. A force that soft yet strong, intuitive yet strategic. She doesn't bulldoze her way to success. She magnetizes, connects, collaborates. She doesn't hustle alone. She creates with others. I think that's so beautiful. I often have to remind myself, because I am a Taurus and I can absolutely bowl my way in. So I have to take a breath, and I have to have this awareness and consciously tune in to others and have that emotional intelligence to even scan the room- so there's a little bit of situational awareness.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:04:30 I am definitely still a work in progress when it comes to that, but it's something to be really aware of. And I think just even thinking about the “SHE” that doesn't bulldoze her way, her way into the room, her way into a conversation, her way to success. But she magnetizes. She attracts.
And when you think of visibility, you can look at it as your vibration. So you've probably heard me often say your vibe attracts your tribe. This is absolutely in that same vein, but we're taking it even to another level where she doesn't hustle alone. She creates with others. So this is the question is it time to move from ME to MWe? Let's look at what science says about belonging and shared purpose.
You know, I love my neuroscience. And from that lens, from that perspective, human beings are wired for connection. Studies in social baseline theory show that when we're part of a trusted group, our brains expend less energy navigating challenges. Isn't that interesting? I can immediately sink in and lean into my heart when I think about people that I trust.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:05:51 When there is a circle that I know is going to catch me, that's going to hold me. Of course, I'm not going to be in this like fight or flight mode. I'm going to spend less energy navigating challenges. There is an interconnectedness and our stress levels drop, our resilience increases and our ability to innovate and create goes up.
In fact, according to research from Stanford University, collaboration increases task engagement and persistence by up to 64%. Isn't that incredible? That's not fluff. That's hard data showing that working together actually makes us better.
But this doesn't mean collaboration is always easy or even the right move in every situation. When to tap into your inner “I” and when to lean into “WE.” So how do you know when to lead solo and when to link arms?
Here are some reflective cues:
Choose “I” when your vision is crystal clear and requires focused, uncompromised action. This is where your inner fire. Gets to blaze without dilution. I felt this way when I knew it was time to break away from selling sugar in my confection company of 17 years.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:07:10 My heart wanted wellness and holistic health, so in that moment I had to choose the I.
Now leaning into “WE.” when the dream is big, complex, or benefits from diverse perspectives and support structures. As I mentioned, my business partner Sher and I created ten different businesses together. I wouldn't be here without her. I learned how to dance and navigate with someone else's strengths and weaknesses. How to be flexible and how to communicate and train others. There's so much beautiful benefit in “WE.”
Lastly, when to say yes to MWe that M-W-E integration. When you're ready to hold the space for both your individuality and your interconnection. That's when we steps in. Don't deprive yourself of this growth edge. It's not easy if you're fiercely independent like me, but I'm swimming around this sweet space of collectiveness, humility, and wonder. I encourage you to try it out with me.
Remember, it's a practice, not a binary switch. One moment, you may need silence and sovereignty. Honor that. Breathe into it.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:08:25 Lean into it without any shame or guilt. And then you may need synergy and shared space. I encourage you to try them both, to feel them both on. The most exciting part is that you get to choose, and you get to decide when it's right for you to switch from one to the other, or to just navigate the differences between independence, interdependence, and all of the goodness that we're talking about.
So speaking of shared space, I recently joined The Aligned Collective in Rochester, New York. After years of running online Zoom sessions and working behind a screen, I felt the call to be in the room again, to feel the texture of energy, to look someone in the eyes, and to be a part of something, not just the leader of it. There have been some growth edges, like when I learned that everyone had admin access to the website and scheduling platform, my jaw dropped. For someone who's been used to doing everything herself for decades, it felt like a little control alarm going off inside of me.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:09:31 But instead of retreating, I got curious and I asked myself, what am I afraid of? What am I protecting? Where is the opportunity for trust? I'm still sitting with these questions, but here's what I know:
Control can feel like safety, but it often blocks expansion.
Releasing it strategically and with discernment can be the very thing that invites in support, ease, and magic. If you want to come and connect with me in Rochester and share a part of this amazing space of healing energy, I'll drop a link in the show notes. I would love to see you there.
All right, your turn. Is collaboration right for you? So let's bring it back to you, dear listener, you're a heart-led solopreneur. You want to do sacred work and make real money. You want your business to be sustainable, not just financially, but emotionally and spiritually too.
Ask yourself, am I feeling isolated in my work?
Would shared energy lift me up or drain me right now?
Is there someone I'm magnetized to collaborate with?
And lastly, what does my nervous system say when I think about loosening the reins?
Oh, that's a big one.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:10:53 I can already even feel that in my somatic system, just saying it. So that's the one that I'm going to be working on.
There is no one-size-fits-all answer, but exploring these questions opens the door to clarity. And from there, aligned action. There is an Alchemy of MWe The journey from “ME” to “MWe” So “MWe,” isn't about losing yourself in the crowd, it's about amplifying your essence through connection. It's about choosing interdependence. Not because you're weak, but because you're wise enough to know that brilliance can multiply when we come together with intention.
Whether you're standing in your square of self, linking arms in a co-creative circle, or stretching into a new kind of collaboration, honor where you are always. Trust your divine timing and follow your glow.
If today's episode resonated, I'd love to hear from you. What's your current relationship to collaboration? What does your version of “Mwe” look like in this season? DM me on Instagram @heartglowceo. Or head on over to www.lovethepodcast.com/brilliance and leave a review for the show.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:12:15 Until next time, keep leading with heart and building your business in a way that feels as good as it looks. Until next week, my friend… breathe joy!
