In most systems of holistic medicine, seasons are fundamental to understanding pathology and healing.

But seasons aren’t just important in health…they’re also important in – you guessed it – your business and marketing!

Today I’m interviewing Beth Wood, founder of Rosewood Woman, to talk about aligning your life (and your biz) to the seasons.

If something is in (parentheses), it’s added in by me! 😊

---

🗣 Rachel: First of all, what does it *mean* to align your life and business to the seasons?

🍃Beth: Seasonal living and business to me means getting familiar with the rhythms that carry me through life. It means honoring the 4 biological seasons of my menstrual cycle, as well as the natural seasons outside influencing my body as the weather shifts from warm to cool and back again.

Energetically it means making space and learning how to embrace the seasons of life and business – the highs and lows, winters and summers. 

A business winter may look and feel very much like the winter outside – cold and unmoving but all the while brimming with some invisible life waiting to burst forward in the spring.

(Business winters can feel really hard, but they’re so important for sustainability and growth!!)

Summer during your menstrual cycle is your Ovulatory phase with high energy and expression while winter occurs during your bleed.  

Women in their postpartum season are experiencing a very real winter while their bodies are recovering from birth. Although they may not feel like they are doing much on the outside, all their energy has been drawn inward to heal.  

All things in life go through the life cycle of initiation, growth, maturation, and rest. Seasonal living honors the cycle of life in all things.  

🗣 Rachel: What are examples of the different types of seasons?

🍃Beth:

• Spring: Follicular phase of your menstrual cycle, the first trimester of pregnancy, natural spring season, maidenhood, a new business idea or project, the waxing moon.
• Summer: Ovulatory phase of your menstrual cycle, the second trimester of pregnancy, natural summer season, motherhood, the development of an idea or project, the full moon.
• Autumn: Luteal phase of your menstrual cycle, the third trimester of pregnancy, natural autumn season, Perimenopause/Queen phase, a project in matured and largely hands-off- you get to harvest, the waning moon.
• Winter: Menstrual phase of your menstrual cycle, the fourth trimester of pregnancy (aka postpartum), natural winter season, Postmenopause/Wise Woman, the end of a project that needs to be reassessed and possibly “composted” so that soil can be used for a new crop, the new moon.

🗣 Rachel: Why should you align your life to the seasons, and can you give an example of what it actually looks like?

🍃Beth: When we bring awareness of these seasons into our life and business we can make better decisions and create more ease and flow and sustainability. It creates a lifestyle that facilitates a healthy balance with adequate rest and then efficient and sustainable energy output.

It eliminates the misunderstandings many of us have, telling us to;

1. Be in a perpetual summer with constant output which inevitably leads to burnout. (ooof, I know I struggle with this one!)
2. Be in a perpetual autumn of harvesting (we see this often in the influencer market and the idea that we can put one product or service out and just reap the benefits forever without refreshing it).
3. Avoid rest because we think it’s “unproductive”
4. Rush a new idea and get it out as quickly as possible before testing the market and building a good foundation so our new idea can grow sustainably.

In my life, this practically looks like;

1. Cycle syncing with my menstrual cycle so I’m leveraging the gifts of each phase and the energy types that come with them.
2. Honor the seasons outside by putting an emphasis on eating food local to me and grown seasonally.
3. Looking at each of my business services/products quarterly to see what phase of the life cycle they are in and what needs more of my attention, what is maturing, and what needs to be recycled.
4. Allowing for sprint seasons and slow seasons in my business. I naturally have lower energy in the winter when it’s darker and cooler. I am more reflective and my energy is drawn inward so I let that lead me. Instead of forcing myself to launch new services in the winter, I go deep with my existing clients and focus on evaluating how the previous seasons have been, the lessons I’ve learned, and how to apply those lessons going forward.

🗣 Rachel: What’s the #1 mistake you see solopreneurs make when it comes to their schedules and balancing their workload?

🍃Beth: For women, it’s not taking into account how their bodies work. We don’t have the same hormonal cocktail as men who wake up each day with a dump of testosterone. We don’t thrive in a challenged, hustle-centric state.

There are a lot of hacks for “time management” but women need to focus on “energy management”. 

🗣 Rachel: If you were talking to a business owner who was starting from scratch, what would be the first 3 things you’d help them set up to honor their internal systems?

🍃Beth:

1) Lean into your biology. For women it’s to Cycle Sync or use the moon phases as a proxy if you have inconsistent or irregular cycles. For men it’s to learn about their 24 hour hormonal cycle so they can effectively manage their days.  

2) Learn how your subconscious and body are really running the show. If I could tell every entrepreneur in the world one thing it would be that 80% of business is an internal game.  

Your subconscious houses your beliefs, patterns, and programming. → The beliefs dictate your largely automatic thoughts. → Thoughts are energy which transform into e-motion. → Emotions inform our nervous system to respond or adapt to stressors. → Our bodies then create holding patterns, behaviors, and more which show up in how you behave in your business, symptoms you experience in your body, and so much more. 

If you want to change your business, look to the body first and implement strategies second. This is why I offer somatic coaching in all my programs!

3) Embrace and maximize the seasons. If you know you feel less motivated to do in-person events or increase your client load in the winter, then plan accordingly! How can you leverage the summer to carry you through the winter? Is there a passive income strategy you can put in place in the winter to carry you? Can you offer a higher ticket but lower quantity service? Each industry will look different. 

🗣 Rachel: Many solopreneurs don’t believe they can step out of the hustle and still be successful. What would you say to them?

🍃Beth: Biologically it’s important to remember that men thrive in a challenged state, while women thrive in a rested state. So hustle for men (to a degree) is not negative! If they are feeling challenged and on purpose, they may love the hustle. But for women, hustle actually cuts us off at the knees.

Remember what I said earlier about subconscious programming? The belief that you can’t be successful without hustling is just that – a belief. Rework that and you’ll be shocked at how easeful business can be. 

That’s not to say it’s not hard work, or that there won’t be seasons of sprinting. It IS to say you can embrace the season of sprint and then also have deeply rejuvenating seasons of rest so you can continue to scale without burnout.  

🗣 Rachel: OK, time for the fun questions! What reminds you most of home and why?

🍃Beth: Aspen trees. I was raised in Colorado and we had an aspen grove in our backyard where I used to just sit in the grass and dream. When I need to find peace within myself, that’s where my mind wanders. 

🗣 Rachel: What’s your favorite place in the world and why?

🍃Beth: Any place I feel in awe. This changes. Sometimes it’s the Gold Coast of Australia, sometimes it’s my home of Montana and the sharp peaks in contrast to the stretches of rolling hills and crystal blue lakes. Sometimes it’s places I’ve never been to but somehow they feel like home.

🗣 Rachel: What’s the most random or interesting fact you know that most people don’t?

🍃Beth: Men’s hormonal rhythms mirror the Sun while women’s rhythms mirror the Moon.

---

More on Beth: Beth Wood is a somatic coach and business strategist for women looking to honor their feminine nature in all areas of life from body to business. Her programs are infused with somatic techniques, subconscious reprogramming work, and strategy development for tactical steps forward. She offers a holistic approach through all layers of the human experience from psyche to spirit.

Her current offerings;

The Gentle Business Jumpstart: In this 12-week program, you will learn how to set up or scale a feminine-based business with tactical steps alongside somatic coaching to break through the glass ceilings you hit up against time and time again.

1:1 Private Coaching: Using a transformational technique called somatic coaching, Beth helps you tap into the wisdom of your own body and subconscious. You hold the keys to your healing, happiness, and freedom.

Evergreen: Beth’s brand new 8-week group experience! This program guides you through a journey back home to yourself through the lens of the feminine + nature’s seasons.

Cycle Sync For Life: This self paced course provides you with a foundational understanding of your menstrual cycle as a woman, each of the 4 phases, and how to utilize each phase and its gifts to find more ease, flow, and sustainable energy.