Harnessing The Power of Positive Peer Pressure | Episode 72

Hello hello and welcome back to the Purpose & Progress Podcast. I have not scripted or recorded in MONTHS because I pre-recorded so many episodes during Project Push at the end of my pregnancy. I’ll link to that experience in the shownotes, but I’m really excited because today we’re talking about the power of a group.

Now, I was always an athlete growing up—a very bad soccer player, a very brief basketball player, a moderately decorated but short-lived karate student, a terribly misguided thrower in track (I was only doing it to get out of PE…wrong choice), and a decades-long dedicated volleyball player.

But I was NEVER a group project person in school. As in full-on dread, even when I got to choose my group members. (And pure horror when I didn’t even get that choice.) I’m sure you can relate…

But as an adult and especially as an entrepreneur, collaboration has been one of the biggest surprises and most fun (and impactful) part of my business journey.

I’ve done services and content swaps. (Most of which have gone well.) I’ve been baked into bigger brand project scopes. I’ve gotten clients from referrals. I get genuine joy out of spreading the word about other people’s interesting and impactful businesses. (I have a whole section of my newsletter dedicated to Founder Friends for exactly that purpose. If you don’t already subscribe, you definitely should—it’s always linked in the shownotes.)

And then even in my personal life, for the past year or so (minus that 4th trimester and a recent broken toe hiatus) I’ve been doing LOTS of group workout classes at my local Y, which I did not expect. We got a membership so that our daughter could do swim lessons. I didn’t think I had the time or motivation to go to the gym myself.

And it’s been a surprise highlight of my days and weeks. Like…I LOVE these classes. More than the workouts, it’s the act of physically taking time for myself.

It’s the need to focus entirely on my body and the movement and the music, rather than my to do list or content ideas or keeping my baby from screaming. And it’s the positive peer pressure of staying (mostly) on beat and in motion when I’d easily give up when left to my own devices.

All ages, body types, strength and (ahem) rhythmic abilities are showing up and putting in the work for themselves, but with each other. Powerful stuff.

Ok, this is a business podcast, but permission to continue this workout analogy? (Stick with me, even if you’re NOT a gym rat because here’s the gist: it’s all about finding a setting that works for you and your goals.)

The Y has created an environment that feels super supportive, inclusive, and like an all-around community center, not “just a gym.”

And as an anthropology major, an observant introvert, and generally a slightly nosy person, I peek around the workout room a LOT.

So, I’ve noticed 2 main things:

1: Everyone seems to be there for a different reason.

2. We’ve all found a setting that works for us, regardless of why we’re there.

Let’s dig into the motivation question. We have a few different “personas”:

✧ The super fit, matching workout set, hair done up cute people seem to be there for the aesthetics of what working out does for them.

✧ Other people are there because taking care of their bodies allows them to live the lifestyle they want OUTSIDE of the gym (like keeping up with kiddos, flourishing as a business owner, etc.).

✧ Some people do 3 high intensity workout classes back-to-back-to-back and seem to be chasing that feeling of flying high on endorphins.

✧ Other people are NEVER without their gym bestie and chat up the instructors before each class, so they’re clearly there for the social aspect.

✧ And then you have people like me, who are there for the tangible mental and physical health benefits.

Now let’s dig into the question of environment—how a group class meets us all where we are, regardless of our motivation.

Growing up as an athlete, I’d do stuff with and for my team that I’d never do on my own. The running (ugh!), the weightlifting, the conditioning (double ugh!), the drills.

As an adult, I fell in love with yoga via YouTube, but I used to struggle HARD getting through a 15-minute HIIT video. It was just too easy to quit, too difficult to push through any discomfort.

But now, my hour-long group classes at the Y fly by.

We move together, we feel the music together, we keep going because of the positive peer pressure. One instructor literally said one day: “You just did 75 lunges. Bet you wouldn’t have done that on the gym floor out there.” She’s correct. I absolutely 100% would NOT have.

And that’s the type of safe space, focus, and momentum I want for my clients and the people in my orbit. A space that’s intentionally intimate so you can show up for yourself, as yourself, but with other people.

Because getting outside perspective, live feedback, fresh frameworks, and time and space for yourself and your vision matters.

That’s why I’m SO excited about the new peer feedback and accountability group I created. It’s called Peer Pods and it’s been such a long time coming. Let me unpack how it came to be for you.

First of all, even the idea of these super intentional, open-ended spaceholding sessions and the framework I’ll be using were directly inspired by Joanna Waterfall’s Guidance Groups. (I interviewed Joanna in Episode 29, linked in the shownotes.)

Her community, Yellow Co, recently closed after 10 years, but she brought together women from all different backgrounds, business journeys, and life experiences to hold space for each other and bring our vulnerable life problems, our big business ideas, and anything in between. She had a really specific time limit for each person to share, receive questions, and receive advice. The rest of the session was spent pouring into each other “spotlighted” person.

And I signed up for these quarterly groups a bit on a whim. And sort of like therapy or coaching, I wasn’t 100% sure what I’d get out of it, or what “success” or an “ROI” would even look like. And like therapy or coaching, it really ended up being more about the spaceholding, with both lightbulb moments and a slow build toward progress happening along the way.

And what was really special about these groups was that we were all on an equal playing field to get curious and share perspectives that each person could take, leave, or interpret based on our own needs. And the relationships that came from these experiences have been deep and lasting.

I have a now years-long Voxer conversation going on with Cate (from episode 51, linked below). I’m going on a retreat in Costa Rica hosted by Heather in 2026. (Details linked in the shownotes—haven’t interviewed her on the podcast yet, but she’s fantastic and I will eventually! Mention me and I think you get a discount? Or maybe I do? Or both? Not sure, but definitely reach out to her!) I’ve cheered on Lauren’s unconventional journey as a CPG founder. (Check out my interview with her in Episode 62, linked in the show notes.) I’ve worked 1:1 with 2 group members and we continue to chat all things business and motherhood. The list goes on.

I even got to meet so many of these women in person (when I was unknowingly 3 months pregnant no less) at the Yellow Co conference. I have a whole blog post documenting that experience and some nuggets of wisdom that will hopefully be applicable to you and your business. It’s linked too.

And then in terms of what I was able to create or produce with these groups holding space for me, it’s been so much. I chatted through the vision of this podcast and its mini shift. (I talked about that shift in Episode 55—linked in the shownotes.) My most popular (and most fun) event, About You Audits, which I host quarterly-ish were born from Guidance Groups conversations. I was able to chat through pitch ideas, website copy, balancing priorities, planning for mat leave, motivation gaps, and so much more. They even talked me off a ledge when I was seriously considering throwing in the towel on my business and just getting a j-o-b. (So glad they talked some sense into me.)

Anyway, all that to say, my time in these groups was formative and personal and deeply impactful as a new mama, a growing entrepreneur, and an ever-evolving human. There was space for it all.

And that’s what I want Peer Pods to be too. But, of course, I’ve iterated to make it my own.

After polling my audience over a couple months, it really became a co-created offer, which is SO fun and right up my alley with how I like to collaborate with clients on their businesses too.

I asked about timing and cadence and price point, even the name itself!

So in my version of Peer Pods, we’re meeting every Friday for an hour and a half, 6 weeks in a row. Enough to be a commitment, to get to know each other, to make significant progress toward a big idea or lots of small goals. But not enough to overextend your calendar or weekly rhythm, or so much that it overwhelms your to do list.

And just like Guidance Groups, it’s a spotlight-type setting where each person gets a dedicated time to check in with themselves and each other, bring a question, opportunity, or conundrum, field thoughtful questions that get to the core of the idea at hand (and open up fresh perspectives), then receive feedback, resources, and advice. The goal is to be able to percolate on our ideas, out loud and with purpose. Then have realizations (big and small!) from the session and set an intention and/or action plan to DO something with those realizations.

And this first round of Peer Pods is capped at 4 fellow multi-passionate, overthinking business owners. So you can show up for yourself, as yourself, without going it alone. Because I don’t know about you, but even as a highly ambitious, self-proclaimed “high achiever,” I’ve found I need external motivation (aka empathetic accountability) more often than not. Especially when it comes to getting started on a project or offer, or working through the details.

Peer Pods are your classic “bounce ideas off each other” setting. But better because there’s a framework to guide each session and a real sense of contribution and generosity from each pod member as they share their best insights, experiences, and resources.

Because sometimes we just need to talk through it // brain dump // word vomit // get the creative juices flowing // receive some outside validation and perspective // have someone tell us that we’re on the right track.

That’s what Peer Pods offer.

And the time in between sessions matters too. We’ll have a Notion home base for us to track notes, share additional resources, and drop links for peer reviews. If you want/need it, you can share a link to anything you want a second set of eyes (and opinions) on. The Pod can reflect back the thoughts you mentioned during our past calls, copy-edit, give feedback from the POV of potential collaborators or ideal clients, leave questions, and more.

And you might be wondering what you could even bring to a group like this. It’s marketing-focused, but life-adjacent, so imagine asking things like:

• ✨ I have this new offer in mind. What do you think of this [price, positioning, audience, etc.]?
• ✨ Should I go evergreen or launch quarterly?
• ✨ Can you look at this sales page and tell me what resonates and what’s fuzzy?
• ✨ How do my values shine through in this thing I created?
• ✨ I’m planning a maternity leave (or sabbatical!)…what do I need to consider and create before I do?
• ✨ Where and how could I pitch this idea?

Now, someone asked me if I sign up, how do I know the other people are knowledgeable and have shared values vs getting into a roomful of duds. Valid concern.

Short answer, you just sort of have to trust me as a facilitator and my ability to bring like-minded people into our orbit. Long answer is, the experience and the feedback you receive are what you make of them. It’s really about taking what you want and need. Sometimes even hearing wrong-for-you advice is super clarifying for you and highlights what you DO want. It’s more about the act of seeking insights, digesting it all, and applying it in your own way.

Also, the price (which is $500 for the whole 6-week experience) sort of weeds out newbies. I’m imagining the group being made up of ambitious and experienced business owners who have done “successful” marketing in the past (or have run a “successful” business and are finally ready to pour more into your marketing efforts). And because of this, you actually have insight to share from your own experimentation and all the courses, freebies, and YouTube rabbit holes you’ve gone through.

You know how:

• to apply good advice when you get it—and you have the bandwidth or team to make it happen.
• to build and grow a business, but you’re feeling like your marketing is stale, or simply entering a new phase. (That elusive “level-up” we see all around the internet.)
• much better things—ideas, content, offers, brands—are when they’re not created in a silo.

Everyone contributes in their own, organic and multifaceted way. It’s the positive peer pressure we need. It’s the space to think out loud and the accountability to act.

Basically, we’re committing to that work-on-your-business time we rarely make space for on our own. This is dedicated time every single week so you can’t answer an email or watch a YouTube video or call the doctor or go down any unintentional rabbit hole instead of focusing on the things that are actually priorities to you.

And leaning on a supportive and dynamic peer group makes everything easier. Because we’d all be lying if we said that doing it (life, business, marketing) is easy on our own.

Whether you’re thinking about that year-end push, or you’re wanting some this-year-so-far reflection, or anything in between. Peer Pods give you planning time, combined with space for action. For you, your business, and your vision, with others.

And since it’s $500 (someone advised me to triple the price…maybe in a future cohort), it’s less than $84 per week to show up for yourself and others.

Being a deep thinker isn’t a bad thing. But NOT taking action because you’re wondering if it’s gonna be too big of a commitment or won’t turn out as good as it was in your head, is a problem.

You have good ideas. You have the best intentions. You have a clear sense of purpose and a vision for how your business can make waves.

Don’t let that “I don’t know where to go with this…” feeling **stop you. Take the time and space to speak your mind, share your values and vision, let it percolate in your brain and amongst your peers.

Then take that confident, meaningful action you crave. ✨

I hope you’ll join me for Peer Pods. I hope you invest in yourself. I hope you eagerly and generously contribute to the group. The link is in the shownotes or at ashleesang.com/peerpods.

Be sure to check out all the resources in the show notes below or at ashleesang.com/episode72.

And come back next time (in 2 weeks!) because we’ll be in conversation with another ambitious and inspirational woman entrepreneur.