Hiya Gorgeous,

New York City holds a special place in my heart.

I moved there in my twenties to pursue a career as an actress, dancer and photographer. I was living there when I first received my diagnosis and life turned upside down. It’s where I met Brian. The early days of our love story were set in subway cars, little art house cinemas and the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. In fact, selling my apartment in the city allowed me to start my wellness business—and it’s the reason you’re reading this blog today.

This past fall, I got to add another magic moment to my NYC gallery: the first in-person gathering of my Thrive Mastermind. 

I’ve been leading this brilliant circle of women in the wellness industry for the past two years and we recently opened applications for our third year. (Update: Applications are now closed.)

What’s happened in this mastermind is nothing short of magic:

• We’ve shared our biggest struggles and celebrated our greatest wins
• We’ve opened our business playbooks and our rolodexes (am I aging myself here?!) to support each other
• We’ve established life-long friendships
• And lemme tell ya, our businesses GREW (as in millions of dollars in new business, multiple members crossing 7-figures for the first time, and several book deals signed)

And we’re just getting started.

I’ve been in business for twenty years now and nothing has propelled my success faster than a mastermind (both those I’ve been a part of and the one I lead).

In just a moment, I’ll share 3 reasons every business leader should join a mastermind. But first…

What Is a Mastermind?

A mastermind is a gathering of people (usually leaders from the same industry) who share similar goals and aspirations. They come together to support, encourage, and learn from each other. Think of it like a recurring brainstorming session with a group of people who are all invested in each other’s success.

In a mastermind group, you’ll share your experiences, ideas, resources and contacts, and everyone will benefit from the collective wisdom of the group. And the best part? You’ll hold each other accountable to well-defined goals, ensuring that everyone stays on track and makes progress.

I like to describe our Thrive Mastermind as a multi-million dollar idea factory for women who want to create big, juicy lives and make a big, juicy impact in the wellness industry. But in truth, it’s so much more than that. 

Here are 3 reasons I believe every leader should join a mastermind.

Reason 1: A mastermind creates genuine connection.

The right mastermind is a place where you can be both powerful and vulnerable. You can share your successes and know they’ll be celebrated with zero jealousy. And you can share your failures and know they’ll be held with zero judgment. 

In the Thrive Mastermind, both have been equally precious. We’ve heard the women in our group say, “I landed a book deal! I launched my membership site! I had my most successful launch ever!” And we celebrated BIG, raising glasses of champagne or sparkling cider to women who aren’t afraid of their own greatness, who know that the more they rise the more lives they’ll reach. 

And we’ve also heard members share their hardest disappointments. “My launch bombed. Revenue’s been lean this quarter. Business is great but I’m facing a big challenge at home.” When you have a circle of safety and confidentiality, you can finally be vulnerable about your biggest flops—and receive the support to regain your strength.

Let’s be real: It can be lonely at the top. The higher you climb as a leader, the fewer peers there are around you. A mastermind intentionally breaks that isolation, surrounding you with a circle of colleagues who quickly become friends. It infuses so much joy and connection back into your business. Imagine how good it would feel to no longer have to go it alone or grow it alone? A mastermind can do that.

Reason 2: A mastermind unlocks collective wisdom.

The right mastermind is a place where you’re both the student and the teacher. You have the opportunity to share all of your hard-earned experience and wisdom with other leaders you love. You also get the chance to benefit from their experience and wisdom, which takes so much friction out of your growth.

It’s dangerous to build your business in a bubble. When you’re always the smartest or most experienced person in the room, it’s easy to stagnate. Your own know-how becomes the lid on your potential—because there’s no one around who’s strong enough to sharpen you. It’s also easy to miss opportunities or vulnerabilities in your business because you develop proximity blindness. A mastermind with generous, open peers is the perfect fix for both. 

That’s why, in the Thrive Mastermind, one of our core values is collaboration, not competition. We believe that there’s room at the table for every woman to succeed and, when there’s not, we grab our toolboxes and start building new seats. That belief creates space for radical generosity, where we’re not scared to share our best. We unpack our best marketing strategies, share the best contacts in our network, and offer really candid feedback to help each other rise.

 

That’s also why I prefer guided masterminds like Thrive instead of just peer masterminds (though I love and have been a part of both!).

Not only do you get access to a powerful peer group, you also have a mentor to guide you. Our Thrive Mastermind members have shared a lot of (deliciously inappropriate) jokes about being impregnated with books in Thrive. But in all seriousness, as a New York Times bestseller who started her career with a pen in her hand, I LOVE helping other leaders bring their brilliance to the world in the form of a book and I’m always eager to share my know-how and contacts to make that happen.

When you play alone, the only resources you have are the ones in your own toolbox. But when we play together, we unlock a treasure trove of collective brilliance.

Reason 3: A mastermind multiplies your success.

The basic premise of a mastermind is multiplication. I’ve been successful and you’ve been successful. And yet we both know deep in our guts that we have more to become in this world. So we both come to the table to share our success and combine our strengths. As a result, we multiply our results—both achieving more, faster than we ever could have alone. In a mastermind, the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts.The result is exponential progress. 

Or as our members themselves would say:

“Thrive Mastermind was the best decision I could have ever made. In one year, I have a new online institute, website, I finished my first book proposal and got a great literary agent! My business surpassed 7 figures for the first time and we now have a team and platform that can support that growth. All of this and I actually have more time for me! What Kris Carr and the Thrive Mastermind have given me is priceless.”

—Suzanne O’Brien, Doulagivers Institute

“The guests that Kris has brought into our group are seriously the best in the industry. During this year, I brought both my companies to a 7 figure level for the first time. With Kris’ support, I launched my online membership. And because of Kris, I was able to get a book deal that was 10x my other offer. Kris is the real deal—the most genuine and caring mentor you could hope for. The moments with her and our group are some of the dearest moments of my year.”

—Nicole Burke, Gardenary

“If you are considering joining Kris’ mastermind, I would highly, highly recommend it. It has been one of the best investments I’ve ever made. Go for it!”

—Jennifer Joy Jiménez, Brave Thinking Institute

Yes, you should join a mastermind.

The bottom line is that if you can afford to join a mastermind, you absolutely should.

Business masterminds like Thrive are often a substantial investment—yet healthy masterminds also create an exponential return, like Suzanne, Nicole and Jennifer just described. If you don’t have the funds available to join a paid mastermind, look for a free peer mastermind in your industry or start your own. But if you’ve met with success and you do have the resources available, even if it feels like a stretch, there’s nothing I’d recommend more highly than investing in a mastermind like Thrive. It will fast-track your progress, multiply your results, and deepen the joy in your work like nothing else. 

I shared earlier about how I sold my apartment in New York City and used the profits to start my business twenty years ago. That one investment changed the course of my whole life. It’s led to multiple bestselling books, an award-winning documentary, an appearance on Oprah’s stage and, most importantly, millions of lives touched with a message of empowered wellness. When I planted that seed all those years ago, it felt like a big risk—but I knew in my bones that life was calling me to level up and that only a brave investment would kickstart that journey.

Joining a mastermind is like that.

Your current know-how has brought your business to this stage of success. Brava to you for that! But those same resources won’t take it to its full potential—they won’t get you to scale.

A mastermind is the treasure trove of tools you’ve been missing. It’s the rocket fuel that will make your dreams a reality in record time. And it’s the circle of talented souls who will make the journey feel fun again. So make that investment in yourself. I promise, you’ll be blown away by the return.

Your turn: Still have questions about masterminds? Share them with me in the comments. 

Blessings & brilliance,