Developing a Growth Mindset

It’s hard to believe we’re about to spring into summer. I love this time of year. Everything is turning greener, flowers and trees are blooming, and gardens are beginning to grow. Nature continues to offer signs of life. The seasons are nature’s guides, if we choose to see them that way.

There’s a time to begin, to grow, to harvest, and to rest. And in every season, we have a role to play: planting new habits, tending to our thoughts, pruning what no longer serves us, and pulling the weeds of old beliefs.

Just like in nature, growth requires our participation. Each stage asks something different of us. Each stage offers something different in return.

It’s easy to believe life will follow that rhythm too, a beautiful, steady process that leads us to grow, blossom, and live happily ever after.

But of course, that’s not reality.

Life can be challenging. Disappointments happen. Setbacks arise. It’s not always as straightforward as it is in the garden.

Focusing on the process is key. It’s the journey we need to fall in love with.

Overcoming Challenges

Have you ever had someone make an assumption about you based on your past? I have.

Once, someone told me, “You’ll struggle all your life.” They were referring to my financial situation at the time. (I’d been in and out of jobs, often working on contract. I was a single mom.)

At first, I was angry. Then defensive. I wanted to list all the reasons their assumption wasn’t fair. Moments of success, hard work, a freshly earned degree. But underneath all that was something deeper: the fear that maybe they were right.

That’s what struggle can do. It stirs up old stories. Challenges our sense of worth.

What helped me shift was this: every experience, whether it felt like progress or setback, was offering something.

A chance to reflect.

A chance to grow.

I don’t have to understand every hard thing I’ve been through to find meaning in it. But I can choose to keep learning from it. I can choose to grow.

Struggle → Reflection → Growth

One of the hardest parts of moving through a challenge is accepting that it's happening in the first place.

We often don’t see the growth until we’re looking back at it.

But just like muscles grow by stretching and repairing, we grow through struggle, when we allow space for reflection.

That’s where strength builds. Where resilience takes root.

Aristotle said, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” And it’s true.

Struggle invites us to get curious.

To ask, What is this teaching me? How do I want to show up here?

You don’t have to avoid struggle. But you do get to choose how you respond to it. How you frame it. How you move through it.

That perspective can be more powerful than the challenge itself.

Looking back, I’m grateful. Even for that offhand comment, because it gave me an opportunity to do the work. To pause. Reflect. Grow.

Retreat Reflection

Last month, I co-facilitated a retreat focused on nervous system healing through breathwork, reflection, and regulation. One of the key elements of the day? A cold plunge.

Now, I know, it sounds intense. But here’s the thing: cold exposure is more than a physical challenge. It teaches the nervous system something vital. That we can feel discomfort and still stay present. That we can breathe through it. That we’re safe.

Twelve brave participants showed up, each carrying their own stories of struggle. We gathered in a circle to share, breathe, release tension, and support one another through the day.

And when it came time for the plunge, the encouragement was palpable. Some went in alone. Some held hands.

And the energy that followed? You could feel the shift as they realized they could do something hard, and come out the other side stronger.

It was beautiful to witness. And a powerful reminder: growth often begins in discomfort. But it doesn’t end there.

Cultivating a Growth Mindset

A growth mindset doesn’t just happen. It takes intention.

Our culture often pushes us to conform to narrow definitions of success: career, finances, relationships, and appearance.

But those expectations weren’t chosen by us. They were inherited.

That fixed mindset (that belief that things are the way they are and cannot change) is deeply rooted.

But a growth mindset is different.

It says: You are capable. You can learn. You can grow. You can choose.

For many of my clients, a growth mindset helps them rewrite intergenerational stories, especially those rooted in trauma.

It might seem simple, holding your breath or sitting in cold water for two minutes, but it’s often the smallest steps that lead to transformation.

Try Something New

Want to make a change? Start small. Drink more water. Take a morning walk. Read a book. Watch a video on a topic that lights you up.

I was 39 when I started my degree. I finished it in 6 years, one course at a time. I started my private practice at 48. That’s not what I was taught “success” looked like. I did it anyway.

What’s something you’ve always wanted to try? Have you told yourself it’s too late? Has someone else?

Whatever it is, begin. You don’t get good and then start. You start, and then you get good.

A growth mindset keeps you grounded in the process. It builds resilience.

This summer, try something new.

Learn to swim. Try paddleboarding. Read under a tree. Start small. Just plant a seed.

Remember: struggle is part of the process. Lean in. Reflect. Prune what no longer serves you. Watch your mindset shift. Watch it bloom.

And most of all, enjoy the ride.