Hi Subscriber First Name,

I hope you don’t mind but I’d like to start with a question for you this week.

How comfortable are you to go with the truth?

I mean it, pause for a second and think about that.

How often do you really think for yourself, listen to your intuition and go with what feels true for you?

It might make you challenge the status quo, it might make you feel uneasy and it might even mean going against the grain.

I’ve talked a lot about these themes in my newsletters. The balance of attachment vs authenticity, trusting our gut, being ready to stand up and call out the things that just simply don’t feel right.

And I think we’re living through an interesting time for this.

There’s a lot of noise, a lot of certainty and a lot of people (and algorithms) telling us what to think, what to believe and which side we should be on.

But what happens when we step away from all of that and actually give ourselves permission to think?

To be curious, to ask questions, to explore ideas that might feel uncomfortable and maybe even to change our minds and opinions.

At a time of increasing division and volatility, I think this is one of the most important things we can do right now and it reminds me of something my hero (and inspiration for this newsletter) Buckminster Fuller once said:

Daring to think and daring to go with the truth has become an increasingly radical act. It’s the roots of my business Daring Works and is where I see change happening with the people, teams and businesses I work with.

I’ve also realised that some of the best thinking I’ve done hasn’t happened on my own, it’s happened with others.

I’ve been lucky to have people in my life who I can talk to about things that aren’t fully formed. People who challenge me, encourage me, make me think again and occasionally tell me I’m talking complete rubbish.

My great friend Tom Greenwood is one of those people.

Tom is launching his second book this week, Overton’s Garden which can be pre-ordered here. Tom was one of the people who encouraged me to start writing. A few years ago he asked me to be a guest writer for his Substack and somewhere along the way, I discovered that I really enjoyed it.

That eventually became this newsletter.

Since then we’ve had countless conversations about sustainability, business, the future, society and all the things that don’t quite make sense.

Plenty of those chats have started with one of us saying, “I’ve been thinking about something slightly weird…”

That’s where I think something really exciting happens, not having all the answers but in having enough trust with someone to explore the questions.

That’s what Tom’s book explores through the philosophical idea of the Overton Window and what happens when we move in to the garden, past the boundaries around what society considers acceptable to think, say or believe.

The theory of the Overton Window can be considered the blinkers we use at a macro level in society but it’s just as relevant in relation to our own lives too.

It relates to the things we believe are possible, the things we’ve decided aren’t for people like us and the ideas for changing things we’ve already ruled out without ever really questioning why.

Sometimes we need someone else to help us push at those edges.

And that’s a big part of the work I do with leaders and teams too. Creating the space to slow down, think freely, ask better questions and explore what might be possible beyond the stories we’ve inherited.

It’s also what sits underneath the gatherings we create at Four Acre Farm and through the Natural Network.

It’s based on my belief that we need more spaces where we can step away from the noise, have good conversations and think together.

I’m incredibly honoured that Tom asked me to write the foreword for Overton’s Garden. It feels like a lovely full-circle moment given that he was one of the people who encouraged me to start writing in the first place.

Tom will be our guest speaker at the Natural Network gathering in October so maybe you can even get your copy of the book signed.

Upcoming Events

Before we get to Tom’s appearance in October, we’re gathering at Patch in September, come and join us…

The Natural Network at Patch

24th September: 10am - 12pm. Tickets here

Our monthly gathering at Patch, exploring how we work, lead and do business in more sustainable, human and natural ways.

Wrapping up

So perhaps the question I’d leave you with this week is:

Who are the people you can really think with?

The people who give you permission to explore an idea without needing to defend it, push at your own edges and ultimately, make you feel more like yourself, rather than less.

I think we need more of those people and more spaces where those sorts of conversations can happen.

Maybe daring to think doesn’t mean standing alone, maybe it means having the right people beside you, giving you the confidence to follow the thought a little further.

And perhaps that’s where the real magic sits?

With compassion and curiosity,

Nick