Community is the New Currency: On Wellness, Rage & Building a World That Feels Like Home

25% is all you need to change the world

Hey, Lara here 👋 Welcome to Give A Sh*t 🌐 - a platform for those who refuse to look the other way. This is for the change-makers, the agitators, the ones using their voices, platforms and resources to drive real impact.

If you’re here, you give a sh*t - about people, about the planet, about building a more just and equitable world. This is where we gather, connect and take action.

Give A Sh*t is a movement and the media arm of Found & Flourish - a community and platform for purpose-driven founders looking to build sustainable, profitable businesses, who are striving to bridge the gap between purpose *and* profit, because making money and making a difference should go hand in hand.

This is more than a community - it’s a movement. You in? ✊

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Brighton Wellness Festival Event in Projects, Brighton

Last week I had the honour of speaking on a panel at the Brighton Wellness Festival, founded by the powerhouse that is Natasha Jackson. The theme? Cultivating Wellness: Growing a Business Through Community.

I shared the stage with three brilliant humans – Dan Flanagan of Dad La Soul, who’s creating community-led spaces for dads to feel seen and supported; Jago Leckie, co-founder of Angry Pablo and host of Brighton Staple Run Club, making movement joyful and accessible; and Vicky Critoph, founder of Happy Freelancers and Empower Her, helping freelancers build sustainable, joyful businesses without buying into the hustle.

But this wasn’t just a conversation about community building.
It was something much deeper.
A reckoning.
A reminder.
A call to action.

We can’t be well if the world is sick

I came into that room with rage in my chest.

Rage at the genocides we’re watching unfold around the world. Rage at the silence from global leaders. Rage at the systems that keep failing us - from corrupt governments to corporations built on exploitation and control.

And what I’ve realised is that this rage isn’t wrong. It’s necessary. It means we’re paying attention.

But rage alone can burn you out. So I’ve been learning how to channel it - into action, into strategy, into community.

I read an article via

Annie Macmanus

’s stack on ‘Gaza: what to do with despair” and in it she shares an extract from Hanif Abdurraqib who wrote recently in The New Yorker about what it means to live while watching the world unravel. He spoke of visiting elders in nursing homes who, despite everything, still organise - donating clothes, taking buses to vote, refusing to give up.

“The world at large is seemingly fine with what we are witnessing, and I think that suggests the irreversible unwellness of a people, of a society.”

Abdurraqib goes on to talk about the things he does to shape his relationship with despair into something proactive. I like this. It’s not hope, it’s constructive realism. He talks about having black elders in his life - not family, more friends, part of a community of equals. He goes to the nursing home, plays cards, gossips. He observes through them, despite their short time left, a deep felt compassion for the world they still live in:

“they worry about the world. They ache for it, they are displeased by what they see, and still they organise, in the small ways they can - by donating clothes, or by ordering a bus to take them to go and vote… my heart is broken and repaired by them, in equal measure”.

And that line has stayed with me. Because yes - the world is sick. And perhaps a part of it always will be.

But community and surrounding yourself with those who believe in a better, more “well” world, is part of the cure.

When I lost my voice

A while ago, I hit a wall in my own business.

I’d built something with heart, voice and values - but somewhere along the way, I outsourced too much. I let other people take over my socials and marketing. I lost connection with my community. And honestly? I didn’t recognise myself (or the business) anymore.

The work became heavy. Transactional. Burnt out. And my messaging reflected that - bleak, lifeless, trying to tick boxes.

But that discomfort showed me something important.

I wasn’t just exhausted - I was grieving. Grieving the state of the world. Grieving a loss of purpose. And I realised the only way forward wasn’t to keep pretending everything was fine, but to use that pain as fuel.

So I came back to my people.

I re-rooted my business in community, in connection, in care.

And I built the VIP Method - a framework to help purpose-led founders build businesses that feel like home.

• Visibility: rooted in values, voice and creating spaces where people feel seen.

• Impact: centred on purpose, collective care and transforming the world - not just extracting from it.

• Profit: because we need to make money to fund the future we want. We need resources to redistribute, invest and give a sh*t.

The panel: What I shared

The panel conversation reminded me that we are not alone in this work - and we don’t have to be. We spoke about everything from accessibility in wellness to redefining success and leading with lived experience.

Here are some of the things I shared (and deeply believe):

1. Community isn’t a nice-to-have - it’s resistance.

Systems of oppression thrive on isolation. They want us disconnected, disempowered, obedient. But when we gather, when we share stories, when we activate around values - that’s where the power is.

A University of Pennsylvania study found that it only takes 25% of people to create widespread societal change. So no, you don’t need to go viral. You just need to get loud with your people.

2. Wellness isn’t something you buy - it’s how you build.

If your business model is making you sick, it’s not well. We need to stop selling self-care as a product and start baking it into the way we show up, work, rest and lead.

3. Let your community shape the movement.

Your community isn’t just an audience or a sales funnel.

They’re your co-creators. Your sounding board. Your collaborators.

Every email, every event, every offer is a chance to say: you belong here.

4. Redefine success

What if success looked like sustainable systems?

Shared wins? Redistributed wealth?

Because I’m not building for constant scale. I’m building for longevity, impact and joy.

5. Business is activism

If you’re a founder with values, your business is already political.

So make it count.

Use it to uplift voices, challenge injustice and create ripples of change.

This is how we build the world we want to live in

To Natasha Jackson - thank you for creating this space. For holding it with care, depth and bold vision. This Brighton Wellness Festival event was more than an event. It was an ecosystem. A living, breathing example of what happens when we choose connection over competition, collaboration over performance.

To Dan, Jago, and Vicky - thank you for your honesty, your humour and the powerful ways you’re showing up in the world.

And to anyone reading this, I’ll leave you with this:

If you’re feeling overwhelmed - it means you care.

If you’re feeling angry - use it.

If you’re feeling hopeless - come home to community.

Because community isn’t just support. It’s strategy. It’s survival. It’s how we resist, rebuild and rise.

This is your reminder:

🙅‍♀️ You don’t need millions to start a movement

😊 Just alignment, intention and people who give a sh*t

👩‍💻 We’re not just building businesses here

🌊 We’re creating change - with heart, with purpose and yes, with profit.

Community is the new currency.
And together, we’re the wealth.

Thanks so much for reading! If this resonated with you, let me know - drop a comment or hit reply. I genuinely love hearing from you. 🫶

If you give a sh*t about creating real impact, here’s where to go next:

🌍 Join the conversation - Subscribe to The Community for thought-provoking articles, interviews and expert insights on activism, impact and using your voice for change.

💡 Build with purpose - Check out Found & Flourish for business strategies, visibility, and revenue-building that align with your values.

📩 Pass it on - Know someone who gives a sh*t? Forward this to a friend who’s passionate about impact, community, or making the world a better place.

Let’s keep the momentum going. 🚀✨