Growth comes from within
What I learned about internal strength and courageous inspiration from nature.
While walking past a line of local trees in my neighborhood, I observed their trunks closely and something special came to mind. A tree’s success is partially due to outside factors: weather, light, water, soil, and care (some need more pruning than others) but most of it’s growth comes from the magic that happens within. That realization hit me so directly, I stopped for a moment to ponder a little longer and broke out into a joyful smile. Anyone watching must’ve thought I was a weirdo, but honestly I’m claiming that more and more as I get older.
How incredible was this realization!
Once again nature had provided a powerful reminder. That my greatest strength comes from within me. And yours is within you too! Our thoughts, choices, and decisions impact the trajectory of our future. We can choose our path despite everything from our past.
There’s magic inside you
We have magic within that is just waiting to be released. Just as some seeds are resilient enough to grow despite the environment they landed in: between cracks, in dry earth, and even in crooks of other plants—people can find new life in unexpected places too.
I’d be remiss not to mention that some people are born with better chances of finding success than others. We all have varying levels of privilege that impact our future growth trajectory. Just as scattered seeds may land on hard or fertile ground, some taking root and others short-lived, I have to believe that we all have the power within to find the sun and grow.
Surround yourself with people supportive of the future you envision for yourself because they are the ones providing that outside nutrients that helps improve our chances of future growth.
Working with a mentor or coach can be helpful, there’s a lot to learn from people who’ve been where you are. They can help us skip over some painful lessons or guide us in a direction that leads us to growth. Just be wary of people trying to determine your path for you
Some of the best support I’ve gotten is from friends reflecting back what they’ve heard me say. We have a natural intuition that gently guides us in the right direction, but we have to take the time to slow down and listen. We sometimes need to be reminded that we have the tools, resources, and connections we need to reach our goals. And if we don’t yet, we have the power to gather them.
Uncovering that internal wisdom and strength can change your potential for growth.
A life-changing realization
In a similar way, some sparks of inspiration can take root to turn into something beautiful, while others dry up pretty quickly.
When inspiration strikes, it’s up to you to do something with what you’ve been given. You have to choose to plant the seed and find a place where it can survive. And if you hold yourself back from finding a place for planting, then an opportunity for growth is lost. No one else can overcome your fears, problems, or concerns (though it does help to ask for help when you need it).
Fear still holds me back from making progress some days, but I’m slowly recognizing them and putting them to rest.
So, if you’ve been holding onto ideas like a squirrel preparing for winter, I encourage you to choose one to take action on. Find a place to plant your seed.
As someone whose done this a little more often this year (let’s be honest I would burnout if I pursued every idea), it’s worth it. You might surprise yourself with how brilliant you are.
That thing you’ve been sitting on might be the solution someone else is looking for. Creation is good for the soul, it brings people together and allows us to release feelings that are trapped inside. You might change someone’s life, even if that life is your own.
Studio and life updates
After lots of internal reflection and observation, I’ve found more clarity in my niche (branding) and am happy to announce that my focus is on supporting nature-centered businesses, foundations, and organizations preparing for sustainable growth. I’ll continue to offer branding, consulting, and design services but my offers are getting clearer too.
You might be wondering how I got here, so let me share a bit more. With a slow start to the year (thank you economy and AI obsessions), I was given time to consider:
What keeps me inspired?
What matters most?
What types of clients bring out my best efforts?
What is the through line within my personal and professional work?
What concerns have come up in client conversations?
What gaps can I fill?
And many, many more. I kept coming back to nature.
I love spending time outside and I want to make sure my work strengthens the impact of the people working to protect this beautiful planet before it’s too late. Maybe that sounds extreme to you, but I saw a map of temperatures around the country yesterday and that shook me a bit. The extreme heat in nearly every state is wildly concerning. I’m a creative strategist and I have skills that can change the trajectory of a business, organization, or foundations success. Why not hone in on what matters most to me, so I bring my absolutely best every single time.
Something new from RLC
Alongside all that reflection, a few sparks of inspiration found me. I’ve been building a new offer that I’m bubbling over with excitement to release. The service provides focused support for environmental organizations and sustainably minded businesses who’ve recently rebranded.
The goals?
To help you maintain forward momentum after an exciting rebrand.
To reduce internal task lists, so your team can focus on securing funding, exploring partnership opportunities, and writing proposals for projects that make a difference in your community.
To provide guidance that allows you to direct your energy into sustaining your mission instead of deciding what rebrand updates to delegate next.
To help you make the same impact big brands make, without the extra ad spend.
Of course I’m biased because I’ve been working on bringing this to life for a month or so now, but it sounds pretty great, right?!
New website pages and copy updates will be LIVE next week to reflect this realignment—the new offer will be shared too. The sustainability and community impact page is already up to celebrate this big update!
If you or someone you know is a director at an environmental organization or founder behind a nature-centered business going through a transition, I’d love to connect. Drop a comment tagging them below or send me a direct message
Upcoming Events
Another idea spark has been planted and taken shape in the last few months. Back in May I started a monthly networking event series called “Nurtured in Nature.” Created for founders in all stages of business who identify as trans, non-binary, femme, Two Spirit, and women (both trans and cis). Once a quarter, we open this event invitation up to any founder to join us, which is what we are doing this month.
We gather every third Wednesday of the month for a wandering walk through a local Portland park while sharing about our latest business challenges, successes, and dreams. The unique setting provides icebreakers and allows everyone to relax right from the start.
It’s the perfect event for people who don’t love traditional networking for one reason or another. Too loud. Too crowded. Too stuffy. Too corporate.
Join us for Nurtured in Nature on July 15th at 4pm at Gabriel Park Tennis Courts as part of Pacific Northwest Climate Week.
Coming up the first week of August, I’m hosting a collaborative workshop with Victoria Proppe from Imagine Marketing Strategies that’s all about Branding and Marketing with Intention to help you connect with the right people.
This is a great one for you if you're a purpose-driven founder or sustainably-minded director with concerns about your team's branding or marketing efforts. We will be teaching the foundations of branding and tips for getting your marketing strategy aligned, so you can connect with the right people without extra effort.
By spending your energy where it matters most, you'll learn how to simplify your systems by sharing about your mission with intention.
If you want to spend less time fussing over what fonts and colors to choose or deciding which are the right words to talk about what you do, we'd love to have you join us on August 4th from 10:30am till noon, Pacific Time.
Can't join us for this virtual workshop LIVE? You'll miss out on asking direct questions, but we will send you a recording after.
Lots of seeds being planted and ideas being brought to life, I hope the last couple of months have been providing you with as much inspiration as they have me.
Sending you a touch of courage to do something with those genius ideas of yours, may you find all the resources you need to give them life.
Renee
Psst… if you’re looking for more consistent updates from me, I’m most active on LinkedIn lately. And Pinterest is where I share a lot of my most recent design work.
Weird is awesome!