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We’ve reached a milestone this week - the one year anniversary of this newsletter!

When I started, this newsletter was sporadic and I didn’t have a planned cadence. Now I enjoy my weekly rhythm and I’m so pleased that more of you have chosen to join (and stay) for the ride.

There have been weeks that I didn’t know what to write but I learned to step away from the desk and change my conditions. A walk, a conversation, a book or even just pausing to think, has always led me to find inspiration.

I knew that forcing creativity wouldn’t work. I found that my writing became stronger, the more flexible and curious I became.

So, in the spirit of reminiscing, we’re going old school this week. In the early days of this newsletter, I’d begin each edition by returning to the question I left you with last time. So let’s do that again today.

Last week, the question was this:
”What am I bringing into the world right now and does it need more push, or simply better conditions?”

That question feels especially relevant right now. Seasonally, we’re in the space between winter and spring. In nature, this is the moment when seeds begin to wake up - not yet ready to emerge but no longer dormant either. Something is stirring.

It’s a theme we’ll be exploring more deeply at our Natural Network gathering on Thursday but it also reflects what many of us are living through in these times of increasing volatility and uncertainty.

I hope you’ve been able to offer yourself some compassion over the winter months. Resisting the urge to push when energy is low isn’t a lack of ambition, it’s wisdom. Choosing rhythm over relentless output is part of building something that lasts.

As the light returns, it’s natural to start imagining what you might want to grow this year. But this stage isn’t about speed, it’s about planning.

That idea has also been shaping my own reflections on resilience.

For a long time, I thought I was resilient. I’d endured heavy things, survived, kept going. I wore my busyness (and my capacity to cope) as a badge of honour while being in ‘back to back’ meetings, thinking I had no choice. But ignoring my needs came at a cost and at times, I found myself in dark corners of dissociation and powerlessness. My body was keeping the score and if I’m honest, I nearly didn’t make it through.

What I called resilience was often just survival - pushing on, shutting down and confusing toxic stoicism with strength. Modern working culture can reward these coping strategies, which makes it even harder to see them clearly.

And yet, these are testing times. For individuals, teams and organisations alike. So resilience matters, perhaps more than ever but only if we’re clear about what we mean by it.

And when the headwinds are strong, it’s so important to create healthy conditions…

That feels like a useful insight right now.

We don’t know exactly what’s coming next. But we do know what becomes possible when people, ideas and organisations have the resilience to weather uncertainty. Healthy resilience isn’t just about getting through, it’s about staying in relationship with truth, limits and life so that what wants to grow actually has the chance to do so.

In nature, resilience isn’t about standing rigid in the face of uncertainty, it’s about having foundations that allow response. Roots don’t stop the wind, they make movement survivable.

For me, healing (and creating a healthier relationship with resilience) began with learning to tell the truth about what was happening and what it was costing me. Then asking a second question about what choices I actually have.

That combination of acceptance and change is something we see in approaches like Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) which can be used to help us build emotional regulation, distress tolerance and mindfulness. And these skills are influenced from what nature is always teaching us and how much more choice we hold when we respond to reality as it is, not as we wish it to be.

We can learn to pause, set boundaries, listen when our body says no and when appropriate, to leave environments that cause harm rather than growth.

Which brings me to a few practical reflections:

1. Resilience starts with conditions, not effort.
   Nothing in nature grows because it’s told to try harder. Growth responds to safety, nourishment, timing and environment. In business and leadership, this becomes a strategic question - are we designing conditions that support sustainable performance or asking people to compensate for poor conditions with personal grit?

2. Strong roots are built below the surface.
   Nature invests early energy underground. In human systems, roots can be our purpose, values, principles and boundaries that reduce constant reactivity. When these are in place, decisions become steadier and energy is used more wisely.

3. Adaptation is intelligence, not weakness.
   Healthy systems shed, pause, reroute and conserve. Resilience isn’t persistence at all costs, it’s the ability to respond wisely to changing conditions. Sometimes that means staying the course. Sometimes it means stepping back. Either way, it’s an active choice.

Events & gatherings

In nature, resilience is never a solo act. Forests share nutrients through underground networks and mycelium redistribute resources. When one part of the system is under strain, the load is spread.

The same is true for us.

Individual resilience has limits. When uncertainty is high and pressure is constant, it’s not realistic or healthy to carry everything alone. Community is not a nice-to-have, it’s a resilience strategy. Networks create space for reflection, perspective, shared sense-making and support. They allow strength to circulate rather than concentrate.

Teams and organisations that can share load, think together and respond collectively are far better equipped to navigate volatility than those built around individual heroics.

This is why I keep returning to the importance of intentional networks and gatherings - spaces where we can slow things down and connect in person.

Much of this thinking is what shaped the philosophy behind The Natural Network. It’s the idea that connecting and belonging is where we can walk shoulder to shoulder as we prepare for whatever comes next.

So with that in mind, we have these two events coming up soon:

The Natural Network at Four Acre - ‘The Tending’

12th February: 9.15-13.15 at Four Acre Farm. Tickets here

We’re down to our final tickets for this. We have a wonderful group of people coming together to explore what we’re tending to within ourselves and the work around us.

The Tending calls us into action for a season of awakening ideas, clarifying priorities and nurturing connections that will flourish in the months ahead.

Workshop, delicious lunch, connections and follow up 30 minute coaching conversation with me.

Don’t forget that as an email subscriber, you can use the code Naturalnetwork20 for a £20 discount. We’d love to see you there.

The Natural Network at Patch - ‘Emergence’

27th February: 10am - 12pm at Patch. Tickets here

And here we have the details for our launch event.

Each gathering is carefully curated and facilitated exploring themes, sense-making and understanding how we navigate these complex times with compassion, curiosity and impact.

This first event will be an introduction to the series with facilitated discussion, a celebration of our community and time to coconnect with others. All aligned to the seasonal energy of 'Emergence' and a delicious treat, hot drink and facilitated discussion.

We’d love you to join this launch event!

This week has been a reminder that resilience isn’t about pushing harder but about paying closer attention to what’s true, what’s sustainable and what needs support.

We don’t know what’s coming next and some things will inevitably change. But strong roots give us the confidence to face it - to bend, adapt and respond without losing what matters most to us. And by staying connected to others, we don’t carry the weight alone.

If anything here has stirred something for you, perhaps the question to sit with is this:

”what might be shifting around you and how can you stay rooted while it does?”

As ever, with compassion, curiosity and care,

Nick

Well that’s it for another week. But we don’t have to stop there.

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