Root and Rise

Over the mid-winter holiday, spanning the solstice to the turning of the new year, I found myself gathering guideposts for the months ahead.

These moments of reflection whispered truths to me: to trust my intuition, honor our interconnectedness, and imagine a new way forward. I felt deeply aligned and grounded in the call to build something meaningful, something alive with my life and my business.

But then, the clarity I’d found dissipated just as quickly as I had found it. I fell headlong into a swamp of doubt. The interwebs led me to articles on the Cult of Online Marketing—a dark maze that reeked of manipulation, exploitation, and empty promises. It was so toxic, so predatory, it left me sick to my stomach.

For days, I wandered lost in a fog of doubt, questioning everything: What am I creating? What am I contributing to? Am I complicit in this grotesque system?

Eventually, the light began to filter through the shadows. Slowly, I returned to what I know to be true—I remembered my WHY. I remembered that I am not a part of that exploitive marketing system.

What I am building—and inviting others to build—is its opposite.

What I am creating is a revolution—a revolution that says you can reject the horrors of predatory marketing and still create a solid, thriving living. A revolution that honors your gifts, celebrates your integrity, and connects you to those you are meant to serve.

Marketing, at its essence, is simply about connection—about offering your gifts to those who need them most. It doesn’t have to exploit or harm. It can heal.

I’ll never forget when Melinda Laus told me—

“I can’t think of a time I’ve ever had an hour-long conversation about marketing that left me with happy butterflies instead of just sweaty palms.” 

Her words captured something I hear repeatedly: a longing for a new way.

That’s why I’ve worked so hard to distill my work into a system—a guide to help others build their businesses. Over the years, I’ve supported everyone from small business owners to New York Times bestselling authors in crafting businesses that thrive on compassion and heart-based integrity.

I genuinely believe that if more businesses begin to operate in this way, we can change capitalism itself. Imagine an economy built not on extraction but on care.

As Doug Tallamy reminds us, small changes ripple outward:

“If half of American lawns were replaced with native plants, we would create the equivalent of a 20-million-acre national park, nine times bigger than Yellowstone.”

Your business can be part of that ripple—a quiet but powerful shift toward a better world.

 

This vision is the heart of the Wildpreneur Ecosystem Business (WEB) Method—a framework inspired by the natural world. It’s not a rigid checklist or one-size-fits-all formula but a living, breathing map to help you build a business that feels like home. Each phase mirrors the rhythms of nature, where nothing is wasted, and every cycle nurtures the next.

We begin with Climate, grounding ourselves in our values and vision. What lights you up? What do you care about so deeply it hurts? This is the foundation of your business—the sun, soil, and wind that allow everything else to grow.

Next is Design, where you craft a plan that feels authentic to you. Forget the so-called “experts.” This is about creating a strategy that fits you as naturally as your favorite pair of boots.

Then comes Creation, where you start before you’re ready. Growth begins with courage—planting seeds, experimenting, and showing up.

Once you’ve begun, it’s time for Tending, the phase where you care for what you’ve grown. Sustainability doesn’t come from endless pushing; it comes from consistency, reflection, and care.

Listening follows, inviting you to tune into the whispers of your intuition and the feedback of your community. This is where alignment takes root.

As your work aligns with your heart, you enter Flourishing—not someone else’s idea of success but your own. It’s here that your business finds its natural rhythm, supporting you, your community, and a vision of the world that thrives on harmony rather than domination.

Finally, there’s Harvesting, where you pause to celebrate, reflect, and gather the lessons of your journey. Every harvest holds the seeds of a new beginning.

This isn’t just a method; it’s an invitation. It’s a call to step out of the toxic noise of traditional marketing and into a quieter, more intentional way of doing business.

Together, we can create a new pathway forward—one where compassion, integrity, and connection guide every choice. 

Over the coming months, we’ll explore each phase of the WEB Method in depth, walking this path together.

 

So as we begin this new year, I invite you to pause. To listen. To dream.

What part of this vision speaks to you?

Which phase feels most alive for where you are right now?

Share your reflections with me in the comments. 

Let’s create a space for meaningful growth, where your business not only thrives but also helps reshape the landscape of capitalism itself—not through force, but through care. Let’s dream and build something beautiful together.