Rooted in Change

As the leaves are falling from the trees around me, I’m reminded of just how necessary it is to embrace change. Each year the trees go through a cycle. They must shed their foliage so that during the winter the trunk is reserving nutrients to then again grow new buds in the spring. We humans work a lot like the trees. We are in constant change and our growth comes from letting go, focusing internally, then emerging anew.

This year I felt that cycle more than anything. This past spring I knew what was coming this fall. I embraced all that summer had to offer and soaked up every last minute I had doing something I was so passionate about for the past 15 years. Now, Fall is here and I have shed a job that I have loved to create Rooted Willow Collective.

I have been working up to this moment for the past 4 years. Spending time taking online certifications/courses to gain knowledge on all things health. When I signed up for the very first course I had no idea what it was going to turn into. I just wanted the knowledge as I was going through my own health journey of symptoms. The more I learned, the more excited I was to share with others. I signed up for two more courses. Once those were completed I decided to teach a class at our home town Pulaski High School. It was called Real Not Perfect Nutrition. We met once a week and I began to share my knowledge about nutrition. I loved it! It was an 8-week course and I had 9 students. Once that class was finished, I was given great feedback and the program that offers these community courses asked me to come back. My students also asked for a 2nd course. Then, Covid happened. This made me realize that a school setting wasn’t something I wanted to rely on. I wanted to have my own business.

Huge U-turn and one day a couple of friends and I were talking and came up with the idea to start our own local coffee shop/cafe in our community. We did the research and even looked at buildings that were available. Nothing seemed to fit what we were looking for. Then, each for different reasons, both friends no longer felt aligned for a coffee shop/cafe which left me. I knew I could do it on my own, but just really didn’t have a space. A local community member reached out to me to run a coffee shop in a future project in our community and I considered it. As time passed, my excitement for the coffee/cafe fizzled out. I thought about how much time I would be investing into it. I wanted to influence people with health and it no longer felt like the right path. I didn’t want to be away from my family, working long and late hours, and being on the clock for a business 24/7. I respectfully declined the offer and was back to the drawing board.

My struggle was that I loved what I did so much that I wasn’t going to change unless it was for something that I was equally passionate about. I thought often about how health is so important to me. My days spent with the kids were my driving force. I wanted to teach the children how to be healthy. We would take daily walks, learn about nature, play and feed animals, put our bare feet to the ground, have healthy snacks, and prepare healthy balanced lunches. I would teach them to always use their words, and that it’s okay to tell a friend you need space. There was so much we would pack into our days. I wanted to continue to share my knowledge but the timing of all of my daycare kids going to 4K helped me decide that even though I loved what I did so much, the universe aligned things to say, now is the time for change. I could feel it. I was grateful to be leaving what I have known for the last 15 years on a high. I had amazing families and amazing kids that I was so lucky to have cared for.

As I shifted into a mindset that NOW was the time. I began to dream of what my next business was going to look like. Where would I work? Do I lease a space? Should I buy land and build something? What did I want to do in regards to health? It was months of pondering and talking with my husband and friends. In the midst of all these thoughts, I came upon a gut-healthy course that really spoke to me. I gave it some time and things kept coming up in my life that said to call and inquire. So I did. After talking to the Lead Coach Educator, I felt this program was the missing piece I have been searching for. I talked with my husband about the cost and time and he said, ”You never waste money on knowledge. Even if you do nothing with it.” He couldn’t be more right. I signed up and began my 4th course.

I started to brain dump all my ideas I had in regards to starting my business. If I had a thought, I would grab a piece of paper and jot it down. This was a great way to get it all out. I was not organized very well, so when I would sit down to turn it into an actual idea I would look at the pages and just stare. I was talking to friends and family and I kept feeling a pull to do lifestyle/Wellness Coaching. My prior courses offered some structure to creating a business but I felt like it just was geared more towards athletic trainers, not really what I was looking for. It was overwhelming to look at all the steps to creating a business. I just sat with my thoughts on it all. One day, a friend was over because her boyfriend was installing our upstairs flooring. We got chatting and thought it would be fun to meet for coffee as we were talking about what we each were looking to do for jobs in the future.

I never thought that one cup of coffee would be this aha moment. She was a Business coordinator and helped woman-owned businesses get going. I didn’t even know that was her job! I mean, I knew she was helping people but in all the years of being connected through her brother, I didn’t know much details on her job. We had such a great conversation and she offered me her services.

I wasn’t quite ready to commit. It was a lot to take in, and it was another investment. I took some time but made the choice to hire her and start to bring this dream to life. It has been so rewarding taking this on. I have learned so much, and I’m so grateful for how people show up in our lives at the exact moment they are meant to. I have been in the process of grieving the end of an era. I’m not going to lie, it has been tough. I miss their hugs and I love you’s daily and am now navigating ways to stay part of their lives. I also accept that we are not meant to stay where we were yesterday. We must change to exist and I fully welcome that. We had an Appreciation party for all my daycare families through the years and it was so emotional looking at everyone and seeing just how many lives I have touched. Very humbling to know that I have helped to shape their little lives. It gives me excitement and hope for just how many more lives I’m meant to shape in the future. The process of creating Rooted Willow Collective has been nothing short of intentional. There have been so many great moments and I have had such an amazing support system. It is becoming everything I dreamt it would be, and I’m just getting started. I know this is my purpose. I have a gift that is meant to be given away.