Honestly, that feels like the most fitting introduction to a goal setting circle built around cycles, seasons, and the radical idea that we are not machines. Sometimes things land when they land. This is landing now. And if you needed permission to be a few days behind on something yourself.. consider this it.

So we opened. We breathed together.

It was an honour to hold space for what unfolded. Here is a recap if you don’t have time to watch the one-hour replay :)

We started with a cycle check-in

It wasn’t about what day of your period are you on.. but in a widee sense:

What surfaced in the room was a beautiful, honest mix of seasons.. no two were the same.

There was the energy of summer hyperdrive: too much moving at once, exciting things in motion, but the body quietly asking can we slow down just a little? There was the energy of spring uncertainty: seeds planted, nothing fully formed yet, that uncomfortable in-between where you know something is coming but can’t quite see its shape. And there was the tension so many of us know well .. the creative work pulling you forward while the old professional brain whispers but is it growing fast enough?

What struck me is how many of us are holding more than one season at once. Spring in the work, summer in the body. Winter in the energy, but forcing ourselves to perform like it’s harvest time.

And me? I’m in spring. Planting a lot. Tending a lot. Reminding myself I’m not growing a garden, but a FOREST! This takes time. That’s not a problem. That’s the point.

Where are you right now? Before you press play, take a moment with that question. (Around the 4-minute mark we go around the room — it’s a beautiful place to start.)

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The logic of life.. and why it matters for your business

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Two links broke before I could get on. I was frazzled. And I sat there thinking - is this not meant to be? What if no one shows up? What if this whole thing is just me, talking to myself?

And then I thought: that’s exactly the kind of story I’m here to help us unlearn.

So I opened my laptop, took a breath with whoever was there (7 wonderful women! Thank you for joining LIVE!), and we talked for an hour about regenerative leadership - what it actually means, how I live it, and the questions our community has been sitting with quietly.

Here’s what I want you to take away.

Why I keep using the word “regenerative”

There are a lot of definitions floating around. But I always come back to the simplest one: to replenish. To restore what’s been used.

I connected that word to leadership because in 15 years of social impact work, I kept seeing the same pattern: people who loved their work the most were the ones burning out the hardest. Not in spite of their passion, but because of it. They were overextending, over-giving, carrying the weight of the mission alone.

I was one of them.

In the recording, I talk about what that actually looked like for me - the specific beliefs I had about my own indispensability, and the moment it all caught up with me. If any of that sounds familiar, that part is worth a listen. (Around the 3-minute mark.)

The three living pillars

What came out of my burnout was a framework I’ve been quietly building ever since. I call them living pillars because they’re allowed to evolve — just like we are.

ROOTED WHOLENESS is about knowing who you are so clearly that no storm can uproot you. Not rigidity, rootedness. Your why stays standing even when your how has to change. For the founders I work with, this is often the missing piece underneath comparison, FOMO, and chasing every trend. When you know what you’re here to build, other people’s journeys stop threatening yours.

RECIPROCAL RELATIONSHIPS is about your ecosystem. No animal thrives alone. No vision scales in isolation. But there’s a nuance here I’m careful about - you can’t give from depletion. Resource yourself first. Then open the flow. I go into what this actually looks like in practice during the session, including the mycelium network analogy that keeps coming back to me. (Around the 13-minute mark.)

RHYTHMIC WISDOM might be the most countercultural of the three. It’s about trusting cycles - your body’s, the seasons’, the moon’s, whatever rhythms resonate with you.. instead of fighting them. It’s about building reflection into your life so you’re not just running, but occasionally asking: is this still the right direction?

The woman who does underwater diving and thinks in tidal cycles instead of seasons - she came to mind when I was talking about this, and I share that story in the recording. It’s one of my favourite reminders that nature already knows the rhythm. We just have to tune back in. (Around the 19-minute mark.)

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On urgency — real versus perceived

One of our community members asked: How do I tell the difference between real urgency and the kind I’m just manufacturing?

My short answer: almost all of it is manufactured.

The test I use is blunt. I ask myself: is someone going to die if I don’t do this right now?

If yes, run.

If no, there’s room to breathe.

I go much deeper on this in the session, including the part about how urgency relates to seasons.. because yes, there are moments that genuinely require you to show up more, push harder, build faster. But those are seasons, not a permanent state of being. (Around the 25-minute mark.)

On being in an industry that doesn’t feel kind

The second question that came in: I’m in a women-dominated field and I feel a real lack of genuine appreciation between peers. How do I navigate that?

This one landed with me. Because I think it’s not just one industry - it’s the culture we’re all swimming in right now. Egocentric, comparison-driven, more focused on what we have than what we can offer.

But I also think something is shifting. And in the recording I talk about what I’ve actually seen work - which is less about changing the people around you and more about being the person who goes first. (Around the 30-minute mark.)

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And then someone asked about being an immigrant

This came up live, and it’s the part of the conversation I’m most glad we had.

Yes .. being an immigrant adds a layer. So does being a woman, a person of colour, a person with a disability, someone who came from scarcity. All of it is real. None of it should be minimised.

But at some point — and this is what my mentor says in a quote I kept trying to get right --

Accept your reality. Don’t ignore it. But don’t live there forever.

That exchange happens near the end of the recording, and it felt like the most honest part of the whole hour. (Around the 42-minute mark.)

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One thing to carry with you

Your mind is a cheerleader. It will find evidence for whatever story you feed it.

So be careful what you’re telling it.

If you’re telling it this industry is unkind, I’m always behind, I’m not enough — it will bring you proof. Every single time.

If you tell it I am building something, I know who I am, I trust the pace I’m moving at — it will bring you that instead.

This isn’t toxic positivity. It’s about being intentional with the narrative you’re running on. You get to choose the story you cheer.

Next month’s coaching hour is at the end of July. If you have a question you’d like me to dig into — whether or not you can join live — send it my way. I read everything.

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And if something from this session is sitting with you, drop it in the comments. That’s what this community is for.

Get more from Pukhraj Ranjan in the Substack app

Available for iOS and Android

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On finding her path as a founder

Sophie’s entrepreneurial spirit was seeded early, watching her mother sell watercolour paintings at craft fairs. Her first “real” business was teaching yoga — which, like so many wisdom-based ventures, ended in burnout. “We have a way of taking these incredible wisdom teachings and through this capitalist mindset that so many of us are living in — totally burnt out.” That burnout became her initiation into a deeper way of working.

On women supporting women

Rather than competing, Sophie has built what she calls her “wolf pack” — a circle of women who get what she’s doing and keep her moving through the harder seasons. Drawing on her years at Tree Sisters and with the Awakening Women Institute, she describes consciously unlearning the patriarchal conditioning of comparison: “When I meet a woman now, I immediately look for — okay, she’s my sister, we’re family. How can I help her?”

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On being a mother tree

Central to everything Sophie teaches is the metaphor of Suzanne Simard’s research on forest communication.

In practice, this means generous content marketing, conscious collaboration, and doing the inner work on our own scarcity stories.

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On the seasons of business

One of the most resonant frameworks Sophie shares is mapping business growth onto the natural seasons — visioning in winter, planning in spring, building in summer, harvesting and composting in autumn.

On the menstrual cycle as a compass

After 15 years of cycle tracking, Sophie credits menstrual cycle awareness as the reason she no longer burns out. “I yield to the call to rest before my period... it replenishes me every month and then it’s like I get to tank up a little bit.” For Sophie, this natural rhythm is a built-in operating system that shows where boundaries are being crossed and needs aren’t being met.

On rewilding your work

Sophie’s newest offering brings all of this together — practices like walking barefoot in the river, visiting a dedicated “soul tree,” placing nature on your desk as an altar, and paying attention to dreams. “I just thought, why am I not talking about these things? Because these are the actual things that are helping. Marketing strategy — yeah, it’s good. But these are the things that make it all happen.”

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Resources Sophie mentioned

• Book: Finding the Mother Tree — Suzanne Simard

• Book: The Dreaming Way — Toko-pa Turner

• Book: The Woman’s Quest — Alexandra Pope (early edition)

• Podcast/Organisation: The Menstruality Podcast — Red School (Alexandra Pope & Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer)

• Teacher: Chameli / Awakening Women Institute

• Organisation: Tree Sisters (reforestation charity)

• Practice: Falling — taught by Christy Animas

• Model: IFS (Internal Family Systems) / Voice Dialogue

• Substack: Drew Dellinger (poet/philosopher)

• Teacher: Charlotte Friedrich — the fertile dark

Sophie Jane Hardy works with founders to build sustainable businesses that honour both purpose and profit.

The Rewild Your Marketing Retreat - June 8th - July 10th 2026.

Join Sophie and a circle of like-minded teachers, healers, coaches and creatives for a month of remembering the soul of your work. Through creative writing, ritual in nature, community care and somatic practices you’ll be guided to untangle fears, unearth your authentic voice and invite nature’s infinite intelligence to stream through you - to create resonant marketing that you can’t wait to share with your community.

Find her work at www.sophiejanehardy.com and on Substack.

Get more from Pukhraj Ranjan in the Substack app

Available for iOS and Android

Get the app

You’ve made a decision that felt right at the time… but also noticed that parts of you still feel connected, curious, or unfinished.

If this has ever happened to you, write me a comment.. I want to hear your story :)

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Back to this episode..

You want clarity, certainty, a clean narrative…

But instead, you find yourself revisiting the past, questioning your choices, or seeing things differently with time…

Because growth doesn’t just change your path — it changes how you understand it.

In this episode of the Regenerative Women Podcast, I share a more personal chapter of my journey - closing my fashion business and the evolving relationship I have with that identity.

From declaring “I am not a fashion girly” to slowly recognizing that the truth was more nuanced, this is a reflection on what was really underneath that decision.

We look at how this is shaped not just by external circumstances…

But by the internal patterns many of us carry — the need to prove, to do more, to move faster, and to escape discomfort when things feel slow or uncertain.

And what shifts when we begin to sit with that discomfort… instead of running from it.

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Nature doesn’t rush resolution.

It allows things to unfold, to transform, to compost before something new takes shape.

Not everything needs to be abandoned — sometimes it simply needs to be understood more deeply.

What if the parts of you you’ve tried to disconnect from… are still holding something valuable?

What becomes possible when you stop needing a perfect narrative…

And instead allow your perspective to evolve?

This episode is an invitation to sit with your own story — and listen for what is actually true beneath it.

🎧 Episode 6: The Truth About Why I Walked Away is an invitation to look again at the decisions that shaped you… with more honesty, compassion, and depth.

Listen in… and notice where your perspective might be ready to soften or shift.

🌱 In this episode, we explore:

• Why we often create simplified stories to make sense of complex decisions

• The role of discomfort, overextension, and burnout in leadership choices

• How making space for reflection can reveal a deeper, more honest truth

If this is a space you are in — re-evaluating your path, your identity, or your work — this is the kind of inner leadership we explore inside Root to Rise™.

And as you listen, you might ask yourself:

Where in my life have I created a story… that might be ready to evolve?

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You’ve built a life that looks stable, secure, even successful… but also noticed moments where something feels distant, muted, or not fully alive.

You want to feel content, grounded, at ease…

But instead, you find yourself craving something deeper — more connection, more meaning, more aliveness…

Because somewhere along the way, we learned to measure life… but forgot how to fully experience it.

In this episode of the Regenerative Women Podcast, I reflect on living in Finland, named the happiest country in the world for nine years in a row now.. and the deeper questions that arise when we look beyond the metrics.

I explore the contrast between external stability and internal experience… and what it reveals about how we define happiness in the modern world.

We look at how this is shaped not just by geography or culture…

But by a broader way of living that prioritizes logic over intuition, independence over connection, and efficiency over presence.

And what shifts when we begin to see life through a more regenerative lens… one that brings us back into relationship with ourselves, each other, and the natural world.

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Nature is not just something outside of us.

It is something we move through — in cycles of rest, growth, expansion, and release.

You can walk through a forest and still feel disconnected…

But when you begin to reconnect with your inner landscape, something starts to soften.

What if the aliveness you are seeking is not out there… but within your own nature?

What becomes possible when you move from “me” to “we”…

From managing life to actually feeling it…

From functioning well to living deeply?

This episode is an invitation to question what happiness really means — and to reconnect with the parts of you that may have gone quiet.

🎧 Episode 5: The Gap Between Happiness and Aliveness is an invitation to look beyond what is working… and listen for what is missing.

Listen in… and notice where you might be craving deeper connection — within yourself, your relationships, and your life.

🌱 In this episode, we explore:

• Why happiness as a metric doesn’t always translate to feeling alive

• The subtle disconnection between logic and intuition in modern life

• How reconnecting with your inner nature can shift how you live, lead, and relate

If this is a conversation you are in .. where life looks “good” but something deeper is calling — this is the kind of inner and relational work we step into inside Root to Rise™.

And as you listen, you might ask yourself:

Where in my life am I functioning… but not fully feeling?

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You’ve been building, creating, showing up… but also sensing that something in you needs rest, space, or a reset.

You want to keep the momentum going…

But instead, you find yourself slowing down, stepping back, or even questioning your pace…

Because deep down, you know that constant doing is not the same as aligned growth.

In this episode of the Regenerative Women Podcast, I reflect on what it means to truly make space for what we want to grow.

This isn’t from a random theory but from my life at the start of April - where I listened to my body when it asked for rest, embraced the Finnish concept of “Takatalvi” (the return of winter), and allowed myself to pause instead of push.

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We explore how this is shaped not just by personal habits…

But by a culture that equates productivity with worth, and teaches us to keep going even when our system is asking us to slow down.

And what shifts when we begin to trust that pausing is not falling behind… but actually creating the conditions to receive.

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Nature doesn’t constantly produce.

It rests. It replenishes. It creates space before it creates more life.

Even spring asks for clearing — removing what no longer belongs so that something new can emerge.

What if your leadership, your life, your work were allowed to move like that too?

What becomes possible when you stop filling every space…

And instead begin to clear, release, and make room for what truly wants to come in?

This episode is an invitation to embrace both the pause and the practice of letting go.

🎧 Episode 4: Making Space for What Wants to Grow is an invitation to step out of constant doing and into intentional clearing.

Listen in… and notice what in your life is ready to be released so something new can take root.

🌱 In this episode, we explore:

• The hidden power of pausing and how it opens space for unexpected opportunities

• The concept of “Takatalvi” and embracing the return of rest, even in seasons of growth

• Why spring energy is not just about planting… but also about clearing what no longer serves

If this is a season you are in where you’re being asked to slow down, release, and trust — this is the deeper work we step into inside Root to Rise™.

And as you listen… you might ask yourself:

What am I ready to let go of, so that something new can truly enter?

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You’ve said yes to a new idea, a deeper calling, or a more honest next step… but also found yourself wondering why nothing seems to be happening yet.

You want to trust the process…

But instead, you find yourself checking for signs, questioning the timing, or doubting whether what you planted will ever grow…

Because growth asks something that can feel deeply uncomfortable: patience, faith, and the willingness to keep tending before there is visible evidence.

In this episode of the Regenerative Women Podcast, I reflect on the kind of patience and courage that are required when we plant new seeds in our lives, leadership, and work.

This isn’t from theory… it’s from lived experience — from launching the May cohort of Root to Rise, navigating the quiet spaces that come after putting something heartfelt into the world, and learning again that not every seed sprouts on my timeline.

We explore how this is shaped not just by personal impatience…

But by the culture many of us have been conditioned in — one that teaches us to expect immediate results, visible momentum, and constant reassurance that our efforts are paying off.

And what shifts when we begin to understand growth through a regenerative lens… where tending matters just as much as blooming, and where trust becomes part of the practice.

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Nature does not rush a seed.

It does not demand visible proof by tomorrow.

A garden asks for preparation, nourishment, patience, and steady care before anything breaks through the soil.

What if your leadership, your dreams, and your becoming were allowed to unfold like that too?

What becomes possible when you stop measuring growth only by what is visible…

And begin honoring the courage it takes to plant, to wait, and to keep showing up?

This episode is an invitation to trust what you have already planted — and to stay in relationship with it, even when the garden feels quiet.

🎧 Episode 3: The Patience of Planting Seeds is an invitation to remember that real growth is not rushed.

Listen in… and notice what in your life is asking not for more force, but for more faith, care, and courage.

🌱 In this episode, we explore:

• Why planting new seeds in life and leadership requires patience and trust

• The courage it takes to keep tending something before results are visible

• A simple somatic and journaling practice to reflect on the soil, seed, and care your growth needs right now

If this is a season you are in — where you know something meaningful is taking root, but it still feels tender, slow, or unseen — this is exactly the kind of inner leadership work we deepen inside Root to Rise™.

Comment below to connect and learn more..

or simply enjoy the episode for what it is!

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You’ve been holding a vision for something meaningful… but also noticing that your pace feels slower, quieter, or even uncertain.

You want to take action, to build, to grow…

But instead, you find yourself pausing, questioning, or not moving as quickly as you “should”…

Because somewhere deep down, you sense that forcing it might not be the way.

In this episode of the Regenerative Women Podcast, I reflect on what it means to grow our dreams in alignment with the seasons we find ourselves in.

This isn’t from theory… it’s from lived experience — moving between India and Finland, feeling the contrast of seasons in my body, and noticing how deeply our energy is shaped by the rhythms around us.

We explore how leadership is shaped not just by strategy or ambition…

But by the systems we’ve been conditioned in - ones that reward constant output, speed, and linear growth.

And what shifts when we begin to see leadership as a living system… one that moves through cycles of sowing, tending, harvesting, and composting.

Nature doesn’t rush into bloom.

It moves through seasons - wintering, softening, emerging, expanding, and returning inward again.

A tree doesn’t question its worth when it’s not producing.

What if your leadership, your projects, your dreams were allowed to move like that too?

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What becomes possible when you stop forcing growth… and start tending to it?

When you recognize that not every season is meant for visibility or output… but each one has its own role in the cycle?

This episode is an invitation to meet your work where it is, and support it accordingly.

🎧 Episode 2: Growing Your Dreams in Seasons is an invitation to step out of linear pressure and into cyclical, regenerative leadership.

Listen in… and notice which season your ideas are truly in right now.

🌱 In this episode, we explore:

• The four phases of regenerative leadership: sowing, tending, harvesting, and composting

• How your energy mirrors both nature and your inner cycles

• A simple reflection to understand what your projects actually need right now

If this is a conversation you’re in, and you’re feeling the pull to lead and grow in a way that actually sustains you, this is the deeper work we do inside Root to Rise™. Comment below to connect and learn more..

or simply enjoy the episode for what it is!

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You wanted it to be thoughtful. Polished. Meaningful. So you refined… reconsidered… reworked…

And then quietly didn’t do it at all.

Perfectionism often disguises itself as high standards. But underneath, it’s usually fear — of being judged, misunderstood, or seen before we feel fully ready.

In this first episode of the Regenerative Women Podcast, I’m not speaking about this from theory.. I’m inside it. This episode almost didn’t happen because I was trying to get it “right.” Instead, I chose to record with messy notes, an open heart, and a willingness to be present rather than perfect.

That choice became the message.

We explore how perfectionism is shaped not just by personality, but by the systems many women were raised in.. where worth gets tied to performance and approval. And we gently question what becomes possible when we loosen that grip.

Nature doesn’t strive for perfection.
She strives for aliveness.

A tree grows crooked branches, sheds leaves, has abundant years and sparse ones — and is never called a failure.

What if your leadership, your work, your voice were allowed to be alive like that too?

🎧 Episode 1: Presence Over Perfection is an invitation to stop waiting to be flawless and start gathering evidence that it’s safe to be seen as you are.

Listen in.. and notice where perfection might be quietly delaying your joy.

I have some exciting news!

I have been struggling with my Instagram.. one, the algorithm. Two, I feel like apart from maybe carousel, Instagram doesn’t allow for deeper conversations.. and I have a lot to say :)

So I have launched the Regenerative Women podcast right here on Substack! This new audio space allows me to move past quick posts and share comprehensive, heartfelt conversations that truly help us transition from overload to sustainable influence.

My very first episode, ‘Welcome: Lead with Clarity, Rhythm & Impact (No Burnout!)’ is ready for you to listen to now.

In this episode, I share my personal burnout-recovery story and introduce the regenerative leadership framework that I now use to guide purpose-led women toward deep clarity, sustainable rhythm, and burnout-free impact.

I will be sharing new audio episodes whenever inspiration strikes, allowing us the room to dive into cyclical living, ancestral wisdom, and the powerful tools you need to stop burning out while changing the world. You can listen on the go, right from your Substack app!

(P.S. If you prefer video, this same episode is also available on my YouTube channel.)

I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this new format. I’ll see you in the comments!

Rooted & Rising,

Pukhraj