Hi Subscriber First Name,

I hope you enjoyed the re-introduction last week, It was a temporary meander to give some context and one that's hopefully laid a solid foundation for us to push on into new territory together.

This week builds on that energy. So as I’ve re-introduced myself, maybe I should provide some context to the philosophy behind my business name.

I called it Daring Works for a reason. In my years in the corporate world, I kept watching people do the same thing and expect different outcomes as they were stuck in the status quo and playing it safe. What they needed (what we all need sometimes) is to be daring. It works.

And that's the question sitting with me this week, how do we find the courage to dare to create new things, when every safety instinct pulls us toward the well-trodden path?

Two things really brought this into focus for me.

The first might sound like a humble brag, I promise you it isn't meant to be. But I'm genuinely proud of what Kate and I created at Four Acre Farm on Friday.

The Longer Table is built on a simple philosophy ‘when you have all you need, build a longer table, not a higher fence’. It was a dinner in a field and a chance to sit together, feel into what we're sensing and hoping for. It’s a living experiment in what's possible when you test an idea and take it out into the world.

As you can see, it was a truly magical evening, captured beautifully by my friend and amazing photographer Patrick Frost.

It felt like a genuine success - the food was incredible (thank you Kate) and the conversations were rich. I'm deeply grateful to the people who joined us and dared to trust us. That's what we all need, not individuals being mavericks but communities choosing to build something together. Interdependence, not independence.

As a recovering perfectionist, I could write a long list of things to improve. And we will reflect on improvements and feedback before the next event on 10th July, that’s how much we care about creating the best occasions we can. But driving home on Friday evening I remembered something from my coach training - ‘appreciative enquiry’. It’s the power of starting with what went well and speaking to yourself the way you'd speak to someone you love. I'm definitely getting better at that but it’s still a work in progress.

And if I can be so bold: I'm proud of simply daring to give this a try. To build things that don't yet exist. To create spaces where we can come together as humans, trying to make sense of the craziness of modern life.

It’s also something that I think could work really well for things like team dinners or personal special occasions in your life. So by testing one thing, we can see the potential elsewhere. That’s the magic of seeing our individual autonomy within larger systems which is the power of the trim tab. And as Buckminster Fuller’s work was so influential to my business origins (including the icosahedron logo), it feels fitting to drop in a short quote:

I often think about that insight from Bucky. The power of letting go and sitting in true curiosity, without the need to know everything or prove your worth. Take note this week and see how many times you truly sit in wonder and awe of what could be around you rather than having to make sense of things.

That energy feel relevant as I share the next piece of news. I met with my great friends Tom and Vineeta Greenwood yesterday.

We were meeting as Tom has spent the past year writing his second book which is the mergence of something really rather special.

I had the privilege of reading an early draft and found myself genuinely moved by his bravery - his willingness to push at the edges of conventional thinking and sit with the big, uncomfortable questions of modern life.

Tom's first book was a pioneering exploration of sustainable web design. The logical sequel could have been more of the same. But that didn't fit where his journey had taken him. He needed to go somewhere harder and more honest. Into the tension between business, philosophy, ethics and spirituality. It's brave, it's daring and it's needed.

But Tom did something else brave. He asked me to write the foreword!

Of course, I said yes to such an honour. But then I started to research the true purpose of a foreword and that’s when I started to realise the importance of getting the tone and content right.

I became aware of a sense of importance of writing something that reflected my thoughts and support for what Tom has created. If I’m honest, it required me to sit with the anxiety, quieten the inner critic, and be brave enough to just begin. It was a pressure that I hadn’t expected as through this weekly newsletter, I’d been able to practice my writing. But when you’re writing for someone else and for such an important reason, the pressure on myself seemed to increase.

I’m pleased to say that once I started, I couldn't stop. I'm glad Tom liked what I wrote so it won’t be long until you can get your hands on your very own copy!

Upcoming Events

I’m lucky enough to be involved in some wonderful events soon. You can find the full calendar here.

We have the open day at Four Acre Farm this Saturday. It’s a chance for you to come and see what’s happening on the land. The weather’s looking great so if you’re anywhere nearby, we’d love to see you there. Tickets and details here.

And that’s not all. We’ve got lots of other great things coming up:

‘The Full Self’ with The Natural Network at Four Acre Farm.

26th June: 9.30am - 1pm. Tickets here (Discount code for newsletter readers: Naturalnetwork20)

We’re coming together for a gently structured workshop asking the questions of ourselves, our businesses and our lives to move forwards with clarity. It’s the 7th gathering in our wheel of the year and is an experiment in seeing what happens when we think differently and connect to something deeper than the constant noise and hustle.

The Natural Network at Patch

25th June: 10am - 12pm at Patch. Tickets here

This is our monthly gathering as a collaboration between The Natural Network and Patch. We're passionate about bringing people together to explore how we work, lead and do business in more sustainable, human and natural ways.

The Longer Table At Four Acre Farm

10th July: 7pm - 9.30pm. Tickets here

We’re back for our second dinner at the farm. This time our theme is related to our perception of ‘enough’ and why we sometimes buy things we don’t truly need. What might happen if we sat with the question with others?

Wrapping up

Courage has been the thread running through all of this.

I hope you can see that I’m not taking about the loud, heroic kind that can make it onto motivational posters. It’s the more subtle and more patient variety that says ‘I'm not entirely sure how this will go, but I'm going to try anyway’.

It showed up in a dinner in a field that didn't have a playbook. It showed up in a book that refused to be the obvious sequel. It shows up this Saturday in the simple act of opening a farm gate, inviting people in and seeing what happens.

I've said it before and I'll keep saying it, collective courage is what moves things. Not individuals being brilliant or brave alone but communities daring together and trusting each other enough to show up.

That's what Daring Works is really about. And that’s what created the path for me to co-create The Natural Network and to train in different approaches and work with such a variety of people. If this week has reminded me of anything, it's that the daring gets easier when you're not doing it alone.

So where can you be daring this week? Or maybe willing to be naive? Or maybe even, finding other people to nurture your courage together?

Thank you for being part of this.

Keep tending to those roots with compassion and curiosity.

See you next week.

Nick