The Circle at the Edge of the Forest

(She didn’t know she needed it. Until she stepped in.)

Once upon a time — not in a kingdom, but in a calendar full of meetings and lists and half-drunk cups of tea — there was a woman who was going somewhere.

She wasn’t standing still.
She wasn’t lost.
She was moving — through projects, through pressure, through a world that asked a lot of her.

She didn’t set out to be “a leader.”

She set out to solve a problem.
To serve people.
To build something that mattered.

She called it a business — but really, it was her energy made visible.
Her ideas, her expertise, her time, her care… all translated into something others could experience, benefit from, believe in.

But no one tells you what happens in the middle, do they?

The part where you’re not quite “established,” but not new either.
Where you know enough to know how much there still is to do.
Where every decision still passes through you.

(And if you don’t make it? It doesn’t get made.)

She was leading. Even if no one called it that.

She was leading herself — every day — through doubt, through visibility wobbles, through long nights of wondering is this actually working?

She was leading her clients — holding space, delivering value, keeping promises.
Leading her suppliers, her bookkeeper, her VA (when she had one).
Leading the vision — and trying to keep the fire burning in the middle of the logistics.

She knew she was meant for something more.
She could see it — a kind of light in the distance. A version of leadership that felt more whole, more human, more true.
But no matter how hard she worked, it always felt just one step further than she could stretch.

That light — it wasn’t gone.
But it wasn’t easy to reach either.

And around her?
A forest.
A busy, beautiful, tangled forest — full of voices, deadlines, people pulling gently (and not so gently) at her sleeves.

“Can you just…”
“You’re so good at…”
“You’ve got this, right?”

She did have it. Most days.
But sometimes, she wondered what would happen if she had a place to turn.
A pause. A space. A circle.

That’s when she realised something:

Leadership isn’t about having a team.

It’s about how you move through your business — how you make decisions, how you treat yourself when you make mistakes, how you show up when no one’s watching.

She didn’t need a title. She needed traction.
She didn’t need a retreat. She needed a rhythm.
She didn’t need another course. She needed a circle.

So, I built one.

Navig8 Circle is for her — the woman still in motion.
Not at the top of the mountain. Still climbing. Still questioning. Still doing the work.

It’s where entrepreneurship meets grounded, real-time self-leadership.
Where we get things done and tell the truth about how it actually feels.

This isn’t about theory. It’s about action.
It’s not fluffy. It’s not hustle-heavy.
It’s structure. With soul.

We talk through offers, delegation, team dynamics (even when you’re the team).
We unpack mindset, money, momentum.
And we do it in a space where being real doesn’t cost you credibility.

It’s not a mastermind. It’s not therapy.

It’s a working circle — for women building their business with both strategy and humanity.

We open June 1.

Navig8 Circle is new — still forming, still fluid.

And that’s exactly the invitation: to step in while there’s still room to shape it.

The women who join now won’t just be participants.
They’ll be co-creators — setting the tone for a new kind of entrepreneurship.
One that values clarity over chaos.
Presence over perfection.
And progress over performance.

If any part of this feels like it could be your story...

Then maybe Navig8 Circle is the place you write the next chapter.

I’m Joanne Brooks — entrepreneur, strategist, and founder of Navig8 Circle. I’ve spent decades helping women build businesses that work with their values, not against them.

Navig8 Circle is where I bring everything I’ve learned — the tools, the structure, and the human-first truth of what it takes to lead yourself while building something real. Learn more at https://www.navig8biz.com/navig8-circle-live