How to synch your productivity, strategy and leadership with Nature's seasons so you can be successful in business without burning out as a female founder and leader

Whether this is your first business after leaving corporate or your third, I know from the clients I work with that one of the biggest things that keeps many impact-driven female founders and leaders stuck and prevents them from achieving their vision is the fear they will burn out again.

When your business feels all consuming, it can put too much pressure on your mental and physical health and relationships.

You can end up feeling like you want to quit, and wonder why you keep repeating the same patterns of going for it 140% and then collapsing for two or more weeks. 

You may even feel like you are a failure in some way, and are letting down future generations because your desire to role model a different way keeps missing the mark.

If this sounds like you, and you can be your own worst critic, then I want to reassure you there’s nothing wrong with you. 

You are in a rut. But the groove has run so deep you may not realise what's happened.

If an eagle was flying overhead, they would noticing you walking up and down the same old road, wondering to yourself why you kept falling down the same old hole.

They’d swoop down and lift you up, giving you that birds’ eye perspective that there are multiple different paths you can travel.

And many different ways to create success with your much-needed work in the world.

Unlearning Burnout 

With patience and through learning to trust yourself and your intuition once more, you can develop new brain patterns, habits and behaviours that enable you to lead your business with the confidence that you can take care of yourself financially, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Anyone who has grown up in a Western patriarchal culture, has been schooled in linear progress, and started their business in a climate of growth at all costs based on the extraction of natural and human resources – with the added obstacles of gender, neurotypical and other biases – will question whether it’s really possible to be successful without compromising who you are. 

Thankfully, you don’t have to look far for inspiration that challenges those norms and an infinite source of wisdom that can guide you towards making new choices that enable you, your business and clients to flourish and thrive. 

It’s called Nature, and it’s who you are at your core.

Synching your productivity and strategy with Nature’s seasons and cycles can help you to identify and plan for the best times of the day, month and year for different types of activities in your business. 

While aligning your decisions with natural rhythms can help to elevate your leadership, enabling you to feel greater peace and ease in yourself, with others and in the world. 

Nature’s Cycles

For as long as humans have been around, 200,000 years or more, the sun has risen, made its way across the sky, and set again on the horizon. This cycle is part of your DNA and your body and mind are instinctively moved by the changes in dark to light and the shifts in the seasons. 

When you are feeling overwhelmed, exhausted and anxious, pushing yourself to do more to achieve more, it’s because you’ve been taught from childhood to override your instincts and ignore the signs that your body and mind is giving you.

This is why it can feel hard to trust that if you slow down or stop, your business won’t collapse. When I work with clients in this way, they find that their business actually prospers, and they do too.

Many Indigenous peoples around the globe built their culture and communities based on close observation of Nature. For instance, the Celtic Wheel of the Year is well known as a model for understanding the creative cycles and energies of the seasons. 

Along with the Celtic wheel, the model I have been exploring and use with clients where appropriate is the 8 Shields.

It was first developed by tracker and nature connection mentor Jon Young, and has since been influenced by 1000s of people. I find it helpful because it was intentionally designed as a universal approach that doesn’t appropriate any culture, and is constantly evolving and emerging. 

(Especially important for these times as the seasons change with climate change and other environmental factors such as the collapse in biodiversity.)

The 8 Shields model is very much alive and based on direct observation of nature, which makes it empowering and accessible for everyone. You don’t have to be an expert – you can bring your questions, curiosity and intuition and see where it takes you! 

With a basic understanding of the principles, you can plan your productivity, leadership and strategy around the seasons to make the best use of your time, energy and resources. And tap into a limitless well of energy, creativity and motivation you may not even realise you had access to. 

Mapping Your Success 

The 8 Shields model is cyclical and non-linear, and offers a map for you to refer to whenever you feel off kilter or want to know how to make the most of the time and energy you have available. 

It’s based on the directions of the compass. Each direction represents a time of day, season of life, aspect of the creative cycle and energetic archetype.

If you have, or have ever had, regular periods free from the influence of contraceptive hormones or Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) you may also notice similar energetic patterns throughout your menstrual cycle.

As you’re connecting with each direction, notice what comes up for you and what types of task and activities you feel would work best for you and your business at each phase of the cycle. 

This version of the 8 Shields model relates to the seasons of the Northern Hemisphere.

North East

Pre-dawn, Early Spring, germination, conception, awareness, creativity.

> A time to (re)connect with your Why, quieten your mind and notice what new ideas are emerging, following your creative urges and callings.

East

Sunrise, Spring, new shoots, birth, inspiration, excitement, welcoming and inviting.

> A time to feed your inspiration, start bringing to life the ideas that feel most exciting, opening to possibility and potential, and inviting collaboration.

South East

Mid-morning, late Spring / early Summer, rapid growth, happiness of childhood, movement, direction, adventure, vitality.

> A time to build strong foundations for success and move towards your goals with a sense of playfulness and adventure, providing direction and facilitation for yourself and team.

South

Noon, Summer, blossom and bloom, adolescence, sexuality, commitment, listening, mentoring.

> A time to bring projects into full flower through focused attention, listening unconditionally to yourself and others for what’s needed to achieve your goals, regularly slowing down to speed up.

South West

Mid-afternoon, later Summer / early Autumn, inner strength, maturation, rest, attention to detail, connection, embodiment.

> A time to strengthen systems and structures for challenges ahead, to nap or take a siesta and come back refreshed so you can pay close attention to detail and move towards completion, feel and nurture every decision you make.

West

Sunset, Autumn, bearing fruit, returning to roost, gathering around the fire to share stories and meals, nourishment, offering your gifts, community.

> A time to bring projects to fruition, harvest and celebrate everything you’ve achieved individually and as a team, to offer your gifts and contribution in service to and as sustenance for yourself, others and the world.

North West

Twilight, late Autumn / early Winter, decay and compost, moving on, honouring what’s passed and the people who’ve gone before you, feeling fully alive, sacredness of life, helping and supporting.

> A time to reflect on projects, appreciating everything that’s made it possible for you to arrive at this place, to let go and release what’s no longer needed to prepare for the ground for the next cycle, to open fully to life and support and help others rooted in gratitude.

North

Midnight, Winter, seed, potential, elder hood, leadership, guidance, integration love, wisdom.

> A time to let everything except the essential fall away, to rest and be with what’s left and to find the gold in that, to integrate and step into your full potential and leadership.

Doing Less

Next time you feel like you’re approaching or close to burn out, you can use the 8 Shields to tune into what it is you need to bring yourself back into balance today, this season, this year. 

You could experiment with small steps like starting a morning routine that helps you to quieten your mind and awaken your creativity in the spirit of the North East.

Noticing when you’re pushing through mid-afternoon and taking a nap so you can come back rested enough to focus on what you want to get finished that day in alignment with the energy of the South.

Or making space to celebrate your successes at the end of the working day in a success journal, with your team or around an evening meal with friends and family.

When you adjust your productivity, strategy and leadership to synch with Nature’s seasons and cycles and you will start to feel more calm, peaceful and intrinsically motivated.

You will also be more connected to your intuition, helping you to increase your impact and income doing less. 

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