Hey Subscriber First Name

I’m feeling excited today as the time has come to launch something new. And you’re the very first people to read about it!

If you remember, last week I wrote about meeting new people, doing interesting things and generally tending the soil. At the time it felt hopeful but a bit intangible - now it feels like the first shoots have poked their heads up.

Which is interesting because the first half of January was low-energy for me. In the past, I’d have shamed myself for not doing ‘enough’ and then may have blamed it on seasonal affective disorder (SAD) as if there’s something wrong with me or that I need fixing.

During my corporate days, my body was telling me I needed to slow down and to get some daylight but I didn’t have time to listen. So I pushed harder, bought a SAD lamp and treated the symptoms. Needless to say, it never worked.

What I can see now is that my body was doing exactly what bodies are meant to do, responding to the conditions around it. We love to label the symptom but rarely re-design the system. As soon as I slowed down, stepped outside more and paid attention to natural rhythms, something softened. And then, things started moving again.

So here’s a reminder of the natural rhythms I follow with my work…

Life wasn’t meant to be relentlessly hard. If you look at humans through an anthropological lens, we didn’t thrive by hustling, we thrived by operating to the original instructions of life - relationship, reciprocity and paying attention to the living world around us.

Somewhere along the way, we forgot. Now it’s time for the remembering and I think that’s why more and more people are feeling the call back to nature. Whether that be through sea dipping, hiking, paddle boarding or maybe even through the NHS ‘green social prescribing’ which is all helping us to feel more alive.

From a systems point of view it’s pretty simple, give anything the right conditions and it will flourish. People, ideas, businesses. So this isn’t woo-woo or hippy, this is simple common sense. And my work is to help people remember that innate wisdom.

So before I share some news, here’s some wise words from Mary Oliver:

This is one of my favourite poems. I love how this poem reminds us that we don’t need to prove our worth or effort. We all carry stories, scars and wisdom and we all belong somewhere in this messy universe. We are all part of the wonderful web of life.

That sense of belonging sits at the heart of what we’re building with The Natural Network.

The world feels heavy right now, there’s no need to pretend otherwise. We can stay busy treating the symptoms and remain stuck in the fear and despair or we can tend to the systems we’re part of (nervous systems included). And when we settle, neuroscience tells us we become wiser and more effective.

So, with all of that said, this is why I’m so excited about the news I want to share with you.

The time is right for us to launch a new and additional format of our nature based gatherings - ‘The Natural Network at Patch’.

I’ve been hosting events at Patch for over a year. I love the people and the space so it feels amazing to be bringing The Natural Network to the high street :)

I’ve co-created these new events with the amazing Patch Site Director Karley Woodford. We’ll be exploring many of the themes I write about here and will be featuring guest speakers, brilliant local businesses doing great things and space to connect with others.

At the same time, the deeper, slower work continues with the wonderful Kate at Four Acre Farm. Those half-day gatherings give us the time and space to go properly offline, connect with the land and let things emerge.

All of this is deliberately woven together.

Whether you’re reading quietly from afar, joining us at Patch for a couple of hours, spending a morning at the farm or going deeper with me through 1:1 coaching, leadership gatherings or nature-based retreats, you’re equally part of this. No hierarchy or pressure, just a deep sense of belonging and my gratitude for you being here.

Events & gatherings

This feels really cool - my events section is getting more varied! We have a choice of events, either at Patch or at Four Acre Farm.

The Natural Network at Four Acre - ‘The Tending’

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

Not long to go now and we only have a couple of tickets left.

As winter softens and the first signs of growth appear in the land, we too are invited to pause, reflect and plant the seeds for what comes next. Where our earlier events explored gratitude and release, 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.

This is more than an open chat. 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!

Launching things used to make me tense. I still worry about their success but I’m now able to trust that things will be ok. Everything we do is a learning opportunity and it’s better to get something launched than to wait for the myth of perfection.

So this time, things feel different and more like setting a table than sounding a klaxon. I’ve been building trust in myself and hope for the future.

I’m really seeing now that not everything new needs to arrive loudly to be meaningful. Some things just need the right timing, the right people and a bit of trust.

So this week, you might ask yourself:

‘what am I bringing into the world right now and does it need more push or simply better conditions?’

I’d love to hear how this all lands with you. Or maybe we can talk about it during one of the events :)

As always, with curiosity and a deeper appreciation of patience,

Nick

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

Here’s how we can continue the conversation:

• If you like this newsletter, please share it with someone who might like it too.

• If someone forwarded this to you, please Click here to subscribe.

• If we’re not already connected on LinkedIn then come and find me here.

• Instagram more your thing? Please come and follow me at Daring Works.

• Looking for a deeper connection and would like to work with me? Just reply to this email or click here to start a conversation.