The Power of Your Thoughts
The secret to unlocking your full potential
This week’s:
Affirmation: I have the power to shape my reality by choosing thoughts that uplift, empower, and inspire me to reach my full potential.
Quote: "Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right." — Henry Ford
Book: The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Dr. Joseph Murphy.
City: I visited Warsaw for the first time the past weekend and was blown away by its beauty.
The Power of Your Thoughts
It’s incredible to realise that the average person has around 60,000 thoughts a day (according to Dr. Fred Luskin at Stanford University). What’s even more surprising? About 80% of those thoughts are negative, and 90% are repetitive. That means many of us spend most of our days stuck in a loop of the same unproductive or even harmful thinking patterns. Now, imagine what we could achieve if we learned to consciously shift those thoughts toward positivity and possibility.
As Marcus Aurelius wisely said already a long time ago, “Your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.” It’s a powerful reminder that the thoughts we allow to dominate our minds have the power to shape our experiences, decisions, and ultimately our reality.
Neuroplasticity: Rewiring Your Brain for Success
The good news? You have the power to change your thoughts and, in turn, change your life. One of the most fascinating aspects of the human brain is its ability to change and adapt, a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity. Unlike the outdated belief that our brains are fixed and unchangeable after a certain age, neuroplasticity proves that our brains are incredibly flexible, even into adulthood. This means we can literally rewire our brains and create new neural pathways based on our thoughts, behaviors, and experiences.
Think of your brain as a network of roads. The more you travel the same route (thought patterns), the more worn-in that path becomes. This is why negative, repetitive thoughts can feel so hard to break—they’re like well-traveled highways in your brain. But here’s the exciting part: neuroplasticity allows you to build new roads. By intentionally shifting your thoughts from negative to positive, you begin to construct new neural pathways, making it easier to think more optimistically over time.
This ability to reconfigure your brain means you’re not stuck with old patterns of thinking or limiting beliefs. Every time you challenge a negative thought and replace it with a positive affirmation, you’re actively reshaping your brain. Over time, those new neural pathways become stronger, and the old, negative ones begin to fade.
Here’s how it works:
Breaking the cycle: Each time you interrupt a negative thought pattern and replace it with a positive one, you’re breaking down the old neural connections that reinforce negativity. Imagine you’re stepping off the well-trodden highway of negativity and forging a new path toward positive thinking.
Building new pathways: With repeated effort, your brain starts to recognise and prioritise these new, healthier thought patterns. It’s like building a new road—at first, it may feel unfamiliar and uncomfortable, but the more you use it, the easier and more natural it becomes.
Reinforcing the new: Consistently practicing positive thinking, mindfulness, and affirmations strengthens these new neural pathways. Over time, your brain starts to default to these new, positive thought patterns, making optimism and resilience your new normal.
So how do we start this reprogramming process? Mindfulness is one of the most effective tools to help you become aware of your thoughts. By observing your thoughts without judgment, you gain the power to interrupt negative patterns and choose a different, more empowering thought. Through consistent mindfulness practice, you become more conscious of what you allow your mind to focus on, and over time, you can retrain your brain to think more positively and productively.
Here are some simple steps to start transforming your thoughts:
Become aware of your thoughts: Start by observing when a negative thought pops into your mind. Don’t judge it—simply acknowledge its presence. Awareness is the first step to change.
Challenge your negative thoughts: Ask yourself if these thoughts are truly based on facts, or if they’re just old patterns replaying. For example, if you often think, “I always mess things up. I’ll never be successful,” pause and reflect—are you really defined by every mistake?
Shift to positive thinking: Now that you’ve challenged the negative thought, replace it with a positive affirmation. In this case, instead of focusing on failure, try saying: “I am learning and growing with every challenge. Each step I take brings me closer to success.” This subtle shift reframes your mindset from self-defeat to self-compassion and progress.
Practice gratitude: By focusing on what’s going well in your life, you can shift the mind toward abundance and positivity. Each day, write down a few things you’re grateful for—it’s a simple practice that helps retrain your brain to see the good.
Use mindfulness techniques: Meditation, deep breathing, or mindful awareness help you stay grounded in the present. The more mindful you become, the easier it is to notice and change those negative thought patterns before they take over.
ICYMI
Women’s health startup Maven Clinic closes funding at $1.7 billion valuation. Read more about Kate Ryder and Maven Clinic’s founding story below.
Emma Watson invests in reproductive health company Hertility.
WVC:E released the report Investing in Women: The Untold Stories of Mothers in VC. According to European Women in VC, the venture capital industry in Europe is still heavily male-dominated. Women make up one-third of investing teams and represent only 16% of European GPs.
Jessica Campbell made history as the first-ever female assistant coach in the NHL.
Marie Leblanc is stepping down as CEO of Victoria Beckham after five years in the role.
Mytheresa to acquire Yoox Net-A-Porter from Richemont. Richemont will take a 33% stake in German luxury fashion platform Mytheresa in exchange for 100% of the share capital of YNAP.
Mark Zuckerberg redesigns Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT into a minivan for his wife Priscilla Chan.
Watches Of Switzerland acquires popular watch website Hodinkee.
Unilever has named Mary Carmen Gasco-Buisson the new CEO of its Prestige division.
The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced the theme for the 2025 Met Gala: Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.
Founding story of Maven Clinic
When Kate Ryder founded Maven Clinic in 2014, she was tackling a problem she had personally experienced. Conversations with friends revealed a common struggle: accessing high-quality, specialised care during crucial stages of family planning, fertility, and postpartum. These issues were deeply personal, and as Ryder entered her 30s, she saw a clear opportunity to solve them—not just for herself, but for millions of women.
As a former journalist and venture capitalist, Ryder had unique insights into the healthcare industry. In 2013, she noticed that telemedicine was starting to gain momentum, but women’s health was still underserved. Recognising this gap, Ryder began conducting focus groups with over 50 women to validate what she suspected: healthcare was failing women when it came to access to specialised care—from fertility treatments to mental health support. These conversations helped her hone in on a major problem that was ripe for disruption.
Finding product-market fit
What set Ryder apart was her user-first approach. As both the founder and target customer, she had deep empathy for the problems women faced in healthcare. She validated her assumptions with real-world feedback, testing early ideas with women who were struggling with access to the care they needed. This groundwork led to the development of Maven Clinic, a virtual health platform that gave women direct access to specialists such as OB-GYNs, midwives, and mental health professionals—all through telemedicine.
By focusing on community and engaging users early on, Ryder didn’t just create a product—she built a support system for women. This community helped her iterate and improve Maven, and it also served as proof of concept to attract early investment, allowing Maven to raise over $1.2 million in its initial phase. The company became a unicorn in 2021—the first in the women’s health category—and has raised $425 million in total over the past decade.
Key takeaways: lessons from Kate Ryder’s journey
Be your own customer: If you have firsthand experience with the problem you’re solving, you’re in a unique position to build a better, more authentic solution.
Validate before you build: Real-world feedback is crucial. Don’t rely on assumptions—talk to your target audience before diving into development.
Create space to pivot: Especially in complex industries, be open to adjusting your product as you learn more about the market and your customers.
Build community early: Engaging with your user base from the start helps you gather feedback, improve your product, and build loyalty.
“A woman’s place is anywhere she has ambition to be. Until we live in a world where every woman, everywhere is free to dream up and chase down her own future, our global community is falling short of its potential.”
- Kate Ryder
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