In this episode, I talk to Penny Power OBE, one of the UK’s most experienced voices on human connection in business and the co‑founder of Ecademy, the world’s first online business network.

Penny shares her journey from a lively, unconventional childhood and early corporate success in tech, through the rise and painful fall of Ecademy, to rebuilding her life and work after losing both her business and her home.

We explore how “friendship first, commerce second” shaped a community of 650,000 members across 52 countries, and why she now believes that small, intentional groups like her current community, BIP 100, are where true significance is found.

Penny also introduces her keynote, “Significance in the Age of AI,” arguing that emotional intelligence and making people feel they matter is now the most powerful commercial strategy leaders can adopt.

This is a conversation about reinvention, identity, and why defining success on our own terms may be the bravest business decision we ever make.

Highlights:

Penny Power's Early Life and Education (2:44)

Penny's Career Journey and Early Reinventions (4:52)

Penny's Corporate Career and Family Life (7:07)

The Creation and Growth of Academy (13:18)

The Decline and End of Academy (22:15)

Penny's Reinvention and New Ventures (27:25)

Connect with Penny:

Email: [[email protected]] |

LinkedIn: [https://www.linkedin.com/in/pennypower/]

Website: [www.pennypower.co.uk] |

Connect with Lucy:

Website - https://bookmagic.ai

TikTok - @lucymccarra 

Instagram/Threads - @lucymccarraher 

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucymccarraher/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@lucymccarraherauthor

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/LucyMcCarraher/