The word mastermind has been diluted. It used to mean something specific: a small group of people working together at a high level, with a facilitator who has actually done what they are teaching. Now it gets applied to any group program with a Zoom call and a Slack channel.
I want to be honest with you about what a real mastermind is, what it is not, and what to look for before you invest in one.
What a Mastermind Actually Is
A mastermind is not a course. It is not a membership. It is not a coaching program where you watch pre-recorded videos and submit questions in a portal. A mastermind is a live, intimate container where the work happens in real time, with a group small enough that every person in the room is seen.
The original concept was built on the idea that a group of minds working together creates something greater than the sum of its parts. That is still true. But it requires the right conditions: a small group, a skilled facilitator, and a shared commitment to the work.
In 2026, the best masterminds are defined by three things: intimacy, specificity, and the quality of the facilitator's own results.
What to Look for in a Women's Mastermind
Intimacy. If the group is larger than 20 to 25 people, it is not a mastermind. It is a group coaching program. There is nothing wrong with group coaching, but it is a different experience. In a true mastermind, you are known. Your situation is tracked. The facilitator remembers what you said three weeks ago and holds you to it.
A clear methodology. The best masterminds are not just accountability groups. They have a specific framework, a specific outcome, and a specific reason why the work is structured the way it is. If you cannot articulate what you will have built or shifted by the end, the program does not have a clear enough spine.
A facilitator with real results. This is the one I feel most strongly about. The person leading the mastermind should have done the thing they are teaching. Not read about it. Not coached other people through it. Done it themselves, in their own life and business.
A cohort you respect. The other women in the room matter. You will be sharing real things. You will be held by these women. The calibre of the group is part of the investment.
What the Soft Power Mastermind Is
The Soft Power Mastermind is a four-week live container for 20 women. It runs on Tuesdays at 12 PM CDT: June 30, July 7, July 14, and July 21, 2026.
Each call is 75 minutes. The work is nervous system-based, which means we are not just talking about strategy. We are working at the level where the patterns actually live. The women who come through this container leave with a different relationship to their own decision-making, their pricing, their presence, and their capacity to hold what they are building.
I have run this container before. The results are real. 37 women have raised their rates and doubled their income within 60 days of working with me. One woman sold her house and moved to Miami. One asked for the promotion she had been sitting on for two years. These are not outliers. This is what happens when the internal state shifts.
The investment is $1,997. There are 20 spots. Details and enrollment at shaniakhan.com/mastermind.
A Note on Timing
The women who get the most from a mastermind are the ones who are ready to be in the room, not the ones who are waiting until they feel ready. There is a difference. Feeling ready is a nervous system state. Being ready is a decision.
If you have been thinking about this kind of work, that is information. Do not dismiss it.