Own Your Power

You Don’t Have to Own the Business to Own Your Power

A Conversation with Nancy Lyons

Most people think of entrepreneurs as a rare breed—those willing to take risks, weather uncertainty, and step into the unknown with a mix of courage, grit, and (let’s be honest) a little bit of insanity. But what if that same mindset was available to everyone, no matter their job title?

In a recent Escape Velocity episode, I sat down with Nancy Lyons—CEO, author, and unapologetic truth-teller—to talk about ownership. Not of a company, but of yourself, your career, and the impact you make.

And that’s where most people get stuck.

Agency Is a Choice, Not a Title

“The difference between entrepreneurs and everyone else?” Nancy said, “They had a bright idea and did something about it. Most people lack the grit—because grit is a mix of courage, stupidity, and risk tolerance. But what we all have is agency over our own lives, careers, and purpose. You are not a victim of work. You are driving it.”

That hits hard. Because it challenges the learned helplessness so many people feel in their jobs. We’re conditioned to believe that we have little control, that we’re at the mercy of company decisions, industry shifts, or economic trends.

But what if that wasn’t true?

What if work was something you actively shaped, rather than something that happened to you?

The Fallacy of Work-Life Balance

For decades, we’ve been sold the idea of “work-life balance” as if we could clock in and out of our identities like the workers in Severance. But the truth is, work and life don’t exist in separate silos. How we work affects how we feel. How we feel affects how we show up in the world.

And yet, many people still choose comfort over curiosity, predictability over possibility. They want stability—even when stability is an illusion.

“We are naturally entrepreneurial. We are wired to be curious, to grow, to ask ‘what if?’ And yet, we fight against that instinct because change feels scary.” - Tracey Halvorsen

That’s the tension. We want meaning, but we also want certainty. We want to take risks, but we also want guarantees.

Nancy believes the old guard of leadership is still clinging to control, forcing people into outdated work structures that no longer serve them. But as the future of work shifts, the people who embrace agency—who choose to be active participants in their careers—will be the ones who thrive.

Owning Your Choices

The reality is, most things in life and work are not in our control. Layoffs happen. Clients pivot. Markets shift. But the one thing that is always within our control is how we show up and the choices we make.

As Nancy put it, “Joy is an act of rebellion. Choosing to be present, to find purpose in your work, to own your role and your impact—that is how you reclaim power.”

That’s a message worth repeating.

Because work isn’t something that happens to you. It’s something you actively shape.

Even if you don’t own the business, you own your choices. And that changes everything.

Listen to the full conversation on Escape Velocity with Nancy Lyons here.