What's your version of fertile soil?

I've seen it on the cutesy tearaway calendars.

Painted on little wooden boards in the TJ Maxx home art aisle.

Even garden stakes.

"Bloom where you are planted."

In Outgrow the Grind Episode 7, called "Blossoming Beyond What Impresses Others", my guest Denitresse Ferrell "calls BS" on that suggestion.

In my interview with Denitresse, she shares how she's received a lot of validation for being "the rose that grew out of concrete".

Denitresse shares: "Yes, that rose that managed to get just enough sunlight, water and nutrients and all those things is exceptional, but what would that rose have been if it was planted in fertile soil? What if you found the place where you were nurtured and developed and you could really just thrive?"

Tune in to a little snippet of Denitresse's powerful interview here:

My favorite part of that snippet: "I can't let you being impressed by a fraction of what I'm supposed to be cause me to settle for that." What Denitresse said in our interview was SO good, I had a hard time choosing only one snippet to share with you in this email!

​Listen to the entire 36-minute episode right here.

Some food for thought...

• Where in your life are you settling for what others are impressed by?

• What would impress YOU?

• Who do you feel the most nourished and supported by?

• What spaces feel like fertile soil to you?

If there's any support I can provide to you as you explore your very own unique version of fertile soil, one that feels nurturing to you and encourages your growth, please let me know. It's one of my greatest honors to help my clients shift from settling for blooming where they're planted to making the choices that allow them bloom in more fertile soil.

And because I just can't get enough of garden metaphors (😜), here's one of my favorite snippets from a favorite poem by Sonya Renee Taylor (it's from her gorgeous poem called Evolve)...

"Evolution is the insistence that we must grow or die. Which is why, we are here today. Redefining the way we see each other; with wider vision. Carrying a great grandmother’s mission forward, like a seed tucked in the pocket of humanity. We are not tasked with the awesome calling of building a tree. We are tasked with the noble work of nurturing good soil. A place where we each might grow and toil toward a self determined truth."

Cheers to you and your blooming, 🌻

Stacy