The 3Cs of Success: A Survival Guide for Recovering Overachievers
Going it alone isn’t the flex you think it is.
I’ve been gathering people in various capacities since I was a child—from Goosebumps book clubs at recess in elementary school, to extracurricular clubs in middle and high school, to volunteer and activism groups in college, to professional development memberships in my twenties, and to entrepreneur communities in my thirties. I have always loved forming cohorts of like-minded humans who share similar missions, interests, and goals, bringing them together to support one another in our pursuit of whatever.
Now, at 40, I can clearly see that what little Baily was doing from day one was preaching the gospel of community, connection, and collaboration. The 3Cs, as I now refer to them, have been ever-present in both my career and personal life—long before I had the words to articulate what I was doing.
It’s always been obvious to me that we achieve more when we work together and share resources, ideas, and energy. Not to mention, collaborating lightens the mental and spiritual load of existing in a world that often promotes individualism and self-sufficiency over collective action and mutual support.
But here’s the kicker: I spent much of my adolescence and early adulthood striving in silos—acting as a team of one in group projects and politely declining offers of assistance out of fear that my success wouldn’t count if I didn’t achieve it fully on my own.
Talk about a disconnect.
My patient, wise inner voice always nudged me toward the 3Cs, but my impatient, impulsive conscious brain spoke over it time and time again. It convinced me that while it was acceptable (and even noble) for me to build community and help others, I wasn’t allowed to be the recipient of that same support.
That is, until my back was against the wall and I had no other choice.
When I returned to entrepreneurship at the end of 2023 after being laid off from my job as a Community Strategist & Operations Manager, my inner voice encouraged me to do what I’ve always done when faced with a challenging situation or moment of transition—enlist the power of the 3Cs to help me find my way through.
The 3Cs: What They Are and How They Work
If you’re unfamiliar with the 3Cs, here’s a quick breakdown:
🤝 Curate Community: Get out there (online or IRL) and introduce yourself to strangers who might become new connections, collaborators, or friends. Some call it networking—I call it curating community. The art of community curation is heart-led and strategic. It’s about putting yourself in spaces where your people are already hanging out, so you waste less time in places where you’re just counting down the minutes until you can escape the stilted small talk. Growing your community doesn’t have to take a ton of time, but it does require intentionality.
🤝 Cultivate Connection: This is how you deepen bonds with the people you meet and nurture existing relationships. It’s where you “seek the overlap” with someone—figuring out shared interests, goals, life experiences, and values that create a foundation for a meaningful relationship. Cultivating connection moves people through the Zones of Connection™, ultimately leading to collaboration and mutual support.
🤝 Catalyze Collaboration: This is where reciprocal relationships move from theory to practice. Cultivating collaboration can look like introducing someone to a new contact, brainstorming ideas together, opening doors to aligned opportunities, or partnering on a project. When you support one another in tangible ways, it deepens the connection and allows everyone to benefit from the “helper’s high”—that deep sense of satisfaction we feel when we’re able to help someone we care about.
The 3Cs aren’t a funnel where community sits at the top, connection happens in the middle, and collaboration emerges at the bottom. Instead, it’s a never-ending circle:
When you curate your community with aligned people, you increase the likelihood of cultivating deeper connections with them. This, in turn, creates the potential to catalyze collaboration, which often introduces you to new people (curating community) with whom you can cultivate connections with, and the cycle continues.
And sometimes, the support offered and received during the collaboration phase leads to deeper connection—exactly what happens with me almost every time.
The 3Cs in Action: My Post-Layoff Comeback Story
From day one post-layoff, the 3Cs emerged as the theme of my new business, Overlap Collective, and I got to work putting them into practice. I knew that only with the support of my people could I withstand the waters of uncertainty and navigate toward solid ground where a successful business could take shape.
But here’s the thing: While I had built an impressive network throughout my career, most of those relationships had been neglected during the two years I worked in-house. No longer an entrepreneur, I hadn’t quite figured out how to show up online or in my communities, so…I didn’t. I went silent on social media, stopped sending newsletters to my audience, shuttered my podcast, and slipped into the shadows of my 9 to 5.
For the first time in my life, I wasn’t an active member of any communities—and the isolation weighed heavily on my spirit. The greatest irony of all? I was working for—wait for it—an online community hosting platform. 😂 I was literally teaching people how to create virtual communities all day every day while feeling completely disconnected.
Rebuilding with a 3Cs Strategy
Once I returned to working for myself, I shook off the stagnation and began crafting a 3Cs Strategy for myself. This included:
🤝 Curating Community: Joining well-aligned online communities and mastermind groups and reviving my online presence on LinkedIn and Instagram.
🤝 Cultivating Connection: Having over 300 conversations with friends new and old throughout 2024.
🤝 Catalyzing Collaboration: With the support of my community, I was able to:
🎤 Be invited as a guest on 25 podcasts
🎓 Book 20 speaking + workshop facilitation gigs
🎙️ Launch my podcast, The 3Cs Digest, and this Substack
📈 Grow my LinkedIn by 660+ new connections and my Instagram by 7,000+ new followers
Most importantly, I stopped feeling so damn alone.
I remembered that any level of success tastes so much sweeter when it’s achieved in community with people who genuinely want to see you win. I’m still on the journey of fully rewiring the belief that “if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself,” but I’m much closer than I was a year ago.
What I Now Know For Sure
🌟 Success shouldn’t be a solo journey. Having the right people around you is everything.
🤝 Relationships are the best investment. When you show up for others, they show up for you.
🔥 Collaboration beats competition. There’s more than enough room for everyone to win.
To My Recovering Overachievers/Solo Acts
If you’ve been sold the lie of individualism and want to try another way, take it from me: You don’t have to do it all alone.
Before you go about your day, I’d love for you to take a deep breath, set down your “I have to do it myself” armor, and imagine what it would feel like to know that—no matter your goals or ambitions—you have a community full of wonderful humans who’ve got your back and will go to bat to help you succeed.
Sounds pretty damn good, right?
This is why I love teaching people how to unlock the potential of their relationships to achieve their biggest goals, create meaningful impact, and build a network where they feel truly seen and supported. It’s the calling of a lifetime, and I’ve happily and enthusiastically answered the call.
If you’re ready to experience the magic of the 3Cs in your own life, hit ‘reply’ and say hello! I’d love to help you build a thriving, supportive network that has your back in every season of life.
Until next time, have a great weekend and happy connecting!
Baily Hancock is a Connection Strategist, Keynote Speaker, and Host of the “Seeking the Overlap” Podcast. She helps ambitious professionals go from overachievers to Overlap-Seekers, finding the people and partnerships that make success sustainable and burnout a thing of the past. Learn more at OverlapCollective.com and connect with her on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Threads.