2026 Is the Year of Energy: The One Filter That Will Decide Which Businesses Fly (and Which Ones Struggle)

Let’s be honest. Most business predictions miss the point.

They focus on platforms, algorithms, tactics, or shiny new tools. And while those things matter, they’re not what will actually separate thriving businesses from struggling ones in 2026.

Because the real differentiator isn’t what you do.

It’s the energy behind how you do it.

If there is one word I believe should become the filter for every offer, launch, content strategy, and business decision you make in 2026, it’s this.

Energy.

Human energy. Lived energy. Relational energy.

And once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

Why Energy Is the Real Scarcity in 2026

We are not living in an information-poor world.

If anything, we’re drowning in it.

There are more podcasts, courses, carousels, free guides, PDFs, Substacks, blogs, and “value posts” than any human could ever consume. And much of it is repetitive, generic, or disconnected from real-world application.

At the same time, something else is happening.

People, especially women, are chronically exhausted.

• We’re parenting more actively and more consciously

• Many of us are caring for ageing parents while raising children

• We’re holding emotional labour at home and mental load at work

• We’re navigating political, economic, and social uncertainty

• We’re expected to be present, productive, regulated, visible, and resilient all at once

The result?

People are not craving more information.

They are craving support, proximity, and aliveness.

They want to feel accompanied, not educated from a distance.

The Shift: From Information Consumption to Energy Transfer

Between 2020 and 2022, the market was information-seeking.

People wanted:

• Knowledge

• Frameworks

• New skills

• Big identity shifts

But as we move into 2026, the dominant desire has changed.

People want transference.

And yes, that’s not a fluffy concept. It’s well documented in psychology, neuroscience, and behavioural science.

When someone with grounded, confident, regulated energy enters a space, it influences others. The nervous system co-regulates. Belief transfers. Confidence transfers.

This is why:

• Being in the room with the right mentor changes things faster than watching a course

• Live experiences feel different to prerecorded ones

• Community accelerates results more than content alone

In 2026, people will choose businesses where they can feel something.

What This Means for Your Business Model in 2026

If energy is the filter, then every part of your business needs to be evaluated through that lens.

Ask yourself:

• Where does my audience actually feel me?

• Where does human connection happen?

• Where does momentum, confidence, and belief transfer?

Let’s talk about what I am convinced will work exceptionally well in 2026, and why.

1. Live Conversion Events Will Outperform Evergreen Alone

Live webinars. Live challenges. Live masterclasses.

Not endlessly. Not chaotically. But strategically and consistently.

I believe 2026 will see a strong rise in what I call an “always-on live funnel.”

This is not:

• A massive, exhausting live launch every few months

• Nor a cold, fully automated evergreen machine

It’s the middle ground.

What This Looks Like in Practice

• A live webinar or challenge run weekly, fortnightly, or monthly

• Delivered live, not prerecorded

• Feeding directly into your signature offer

• Repeated enough that mastery compounds

If you ran the same webinar live every week for 12 weeks:

• You’d know exactly where people drop off

• You’d anticipate objections before they’re spoken

• Your delivery confidence would skyrocket

• Your conversion rate would improve naturally

Live delivery sharpens your message in a way automation never can.

And importantly, it creates energy exchange, not just information transfer.

2. In-Person Experiences Will Become a Premium Differentiator

Human beings are wired for proximity.

In-person experiences, especially intimate ones, are becoming more valuable, not less.

VIP days. Retreats. Small masterminds. Private intensives.

These work because they offer something AI, automation, and content cannot replicate.

Presence.

The closer and more intentional the experience, the greater the perceived value.

This is why we’re seeing:

• A return to retreats

• Smaller, curated rooms outperform large events

• Premium pricing attached to intimacy, not scale

People want to be in rooms where:

• They feel seen

• They can exhale

• They can think clearly again

That’s energy.

3. Conversations and Relationships Are No Longer Optional

This has always mattered, but in 2022 or 2023, you could get away with avoiding it.

You can’t anymore.

Not every conversation needs to lead to a sale.

But every business needs to be relationship-led.

That means:

• Replying to stories

• Sending voice notes

• Having real conversations

• Investing in peers, collaborators, and communities

The businesses that win in 2026 will be run by expanders, people who actively build relationships, not just audiences.

This is also why masterminds remain one of the most powerful business containers when done well.

Not broadcast-style groups.

But spaces that facilitate:

• Collaboration

• Conversation

• Shared identity

• Mutual elevation

If your mastermind feels like a one-person show, it’s time to evolve it.

4. Memberships Are Resurfacing, With a Caveat

Memberships are seeing a resurgence for one reason.

Community.

People may join for content, but they stay for the vibe.

However, and this matters, memberships only work when there is enough energy in the room.

In my experience, 100 members is the tipping point.

Below that, it’s hard to create the momentum and interaction required to reduce churn.

If you don’t yet have the audience size to sustain that:

• A smaller, premium, high-touch container will outperform a low-cost membership

• Intimacy beats scale every time

Again, the question isn’t “What’s popular?”

It’s “Where does energy actually move?”

5. People Need to Feel Like They Know You

In 2026, your offer alone will not carry your business.

Your personality, perspective, and lived experience matter more than ever.

People need to be just as invested in you as they are in the transformation you sell.

That means:

• Long-form content that carries your voice, such as a podcast or YouTube channel

• Visibility that shows more than polished graphics

• Behind-the-scenes context

• Story, not just strategy

Static content alone doesn’t do this.

We want to hear you think.
We want to feel your conviction.
We want to see how you live what you teach.

This is why:

• Talking-head video outperforms static posts

• Behind-the-scenes carousels are rising

• “Low-reading” photo-led content is converting

People want to feel like they’re on the journey with you.

AI, Automation, and the One Thing They Can’t Replace

AI is powerful. Automation is useful.

But neither can replicate:

• Presence

• Embodied confidence

• Emotional intelligence

• Lived experience

The businesses that rely only on automation will feel increasingly hollow.

The businesses that blend:

• Smart systems

• Live connection

• Relational depth

will scale with both peace and profit.

That philosophy sits at the core of this brand and everything we build

The Simple Question That Should Guide Every 2026 Decision

If you take nothing else from this, take this question.

“Does this increase or drain human energy, mine and theirs?”

Ask it about:

• Your offers

• Your launch strategy

• Your content

• Your delivery model

• Your community spaces

Because in 2026, energy isn’t a nice-to-have.

It’s the strategy.

And the businesses that understand that, and build accordingly, won’t just survive.

They’ll fly.