The Overview Effect
Last week, we welcomed Quinn Tempest as guest faculty in The Impact Incubator. She mentioned “The Overview Effect” in her presentation and I was intrigued.
So I looked it up:
The Overview Effect is a term coined by space philosopher Frank White to describe the profound shift in perspective astronauts experience when they see Earth from space.
From up there, boundaries vanish, conflicts seem trivial, and the interconnectedness of everything becomes strikingly clear.
Imagine looking down at the entire planet and realizing just how small and fragile it is—and how much potential we have when we work together. It’s a perspective that changes lives.
So obviously, we connected this concept to our lives as entrepreneurs.
We can cultivate our own version of The Overview Effect by stepping back and taking a broader view of our businesses.
It’s so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind: the endless emails, the sales page tweaks, the marketing campaigns. But when we’re stuck in the weeds, we lose sight of the bigger picture:
Why did you start this business in the first place?
What impact do you want to make?
Who are you really serving?
And is all this actually adding up to a life you want to live?
I’ve found that when I take a step back—whether it’s through a quiet walk, a writing retreat (I try to take one overnight at a local hotel once a quarter), or just a few moments of reflection—I gain clarity.
I see opportunities I’d overlooked and problems that aren’t as big as they seemed. Most importantly, I reconnect with my purpose. That’s when the magic happens: when your decisions come from a place of vision, not just reaction.
TAKE ACTION: Make time for your own Overview Effect. Schedule regular check-ins with yourself and your team to zoom out and look at the big picture. We do this through our weekly Glows & Grows coaching session inside the Impact Incubator.
Ask yourself questions like:
What’s working? Where am I feeling momentum and energy?
What’s not working? Where am I feeling frustration or resistance?
What’s my ultimate goal and are my actions this week getting me closer to that?
And if you’re feeling brave, you can go even deeper:
What kind of legacy do I want to leave? Is what I’m doing now building toward that?
When you embrace this mindset, you’ll find that your work takes on new meaning. You’re not just building a business; you’re shaping a vision for the future.
And that, friend, is the kind of perspective that can change the world—just like seeing Earth from space.
It’s the kind of vision we are cultivating inside the Impact Incubator. All different industries, all different kinds of offers, all united in serving the world to make an impact in the way they know how– through their work.
THIS WEEK
The “People We Know are Doing Really Cool Things” Edition
LISTEN: Our friend and client Dayna DelVal launched a new podcast recently called Middle Ground. It’s fabulous, centered around how we can build meaningful relationships in a world so polarized.
READ: The Reunion Recipe by Mara Moody– my friend from high school wrote a delight of rom com– if you like pop star gossip and The Great British Baking Show, you’re in for a real treat.