Autumn Awakening: Your seasonal blueprint for growth and renewal
Autumn is a vivid, sensory-rich season that beckons us to pause, reflect, and recalibrate. More than just a transition between the heat of summer and the cold of winter, it’s a prime time for a thoughtful reset — a chance to re-align our goals with the grounded, introspective energy that this season naturally brings.
Traditionally, autumn kicks off with the March or Fall Equinox in the Southern Hemisphere, and the September or Spring Equinox in the north — inviting us not just to admire its beauty but to internalise its lessons.
In the same way that animals prepare for winter through hibernation or migration, humans are also influenced by the circadian rhythms and seasonal cues that can affect our mood, energy levels, and even cognition. The shorter days and cooler temperatures of autumn signal a time to intentionally change the pace — a way of reminding us that our brains and bodies are intrinsically tied to the rhythms of the Earth.
Whispering a powerful message of change and transformation, this season visually and somatically urges us to reflect, recalibrate, and renew in sync with the world around us. It prompts us to shift the pace from running hot (aka summer’s high-driven output) into a different, slower gear that allows us to pay closer attention to change, let go off what no longer serves (much like the leaves falling from trees), and also see what needs extra layers (bring out the coats).
Against autumn’s backdrop, here are five ways to reset and recalibrate your pace and nurture your growth this season and beyond.
1. LET GO TO GROW
The concept of neuroplasticity — the brain's ability to reorganise itself by forming new neural connections — highlights the importance of letting go of old habits and thoughts to make way for new growth. Autumn serves as a metaphor for this process, reminding us to release what no longer serves us, thereby stimulating the growth of new neural pathways that can lead to innovative ideas and solutions.
Autumn is nature’s way of teaching us about the beauty and necessity of change. It's a reminder that letting go of the old is essential to make way for new growth, evolution and opportunities. By shifting our rituals, rhythms and routines and becoming more aligned with nature, we unlock a deeper well of growth, clarity, and wellbeing, supported by modern neuroscience and ancient wisdom alike. So how can you do this in your daily life?
💡TIP: Conduct a habit audit of your life and business practices. Identify habits, commitments, or thoughts that are no longer beneficial to your growth. Consider this a mental decluttering session, making room for new ideas and opportunities to take root. This is part of our monthly rhythms for SustainAbility, reflecting on where we’re at in order to take a bird’s eye view of what needs to change or focus. We also highly recommend getting yourself a copy of Jen Sincero’s Badass Habits to accompany this process.
2. HARVESTING INSIGHTS
Reflection and mindfulness can enhance the brain's ability to integrate past experiences with present actions — a process crucial for strategic planning and goal setting. By actively harvesting the insights from our past, we engage in a form of cognitive rehearsal that prepares us for future challenges and opportunities.
💡TIP: Create a ‘Harvest Log’ to jot down your key achievements, challenges, and the lessons learned each season. You can think of this log as both a BEing and DOing diary; a basis for setting informed, achievable goals for the coming season and turning reflections into actionable insights.
3. NOURISHING FOR THE NEW SEASON
The gut-brain axis illustrates how what we consume can affect our mental health and cognitive function. Autumn’s bounty of root vegetables, squashes, and nuts not only grounds us but can also boost our mood and cognitive clarity, preparing our bodies and minds for the colder months ahead. But it’s not just about changing what we eat…
There are so many other forms of nourishment that shape our daily lives: the media we consume, the content that fills our screens, the conversations that fill our spaces, the people we spend our time with. Each of these can have a profound effect on our mental health and cognitive environment. The shows we watch, the articles we read, and the social media we scroll through all feed into our mental and emotional states, influencing our thoughts, feelings, and overall wellbeing.💡TIP: Create a ‘Harvest Log’ to jot down your key achievements, challenges, and the lessons learned each season. You can think of this log as both a BEing and DOing diary; a basis for setting informed, achievable goals for the coming season and turning reflections into actionable insights.
💡TIP: Get more deliberate about the content you consume. Just as this season encourages us to slow down and turn inward, consider selecting content that reflects these values — stories that inspire introspection, films that celebrate change, documentaries that connect you with the natural world, or podcasts that delve into slowing down as a radical act. Whether it’s Brené Brown’s Call to Courage on Netflix or Adam Grant’s latest book Hidden Potential, pay attention to how you can mirror the richness of the season by feeding your mind with content that supports your personal and professional recalibration.
4. RECALIBRATE YOUR ROUTINES
In autumn, the sun shifts its position in the sky, and daylight hours get shorter, elongating our nights and giving us another opportunity to readjust our daily rhythms, rituals and routines. Consciously adapting your morning routines to the sun rising later, rather than wondering why you feel tired at 6am is the first step. Small tweaks can make a big difference. From moving the morning meeting an hour later to embracing a different daily movement routine, there are many ways to tweak your rituals to suit the season.
💡TIP: As the heat of summer fades, you might like to swap high-intensity indoor workouts for outdoor adventures. Replace Fiit classes with hikes through local trails and soak in the autumn leaves and changing scenery. Replace solo workouts with group sessions and tap into the communal spirit of autumn, with its harvests and gatherings. Or perhaps trade after-work bike rides for midday walks with a colleague to boost your mood, connection and productivity for the rest of the day.
5. CULTIVATING GRATITUDE + DEEPEN CONNECTION
Practising gratitude not only changes the structure and function of the brain to make us happier, but it has also been shown to reduce pain, release toxic emotions, improve sleep, and help us regulate our nervous systems. *Yes, please, where do we sign?*
However, while the research shows the overwhelmingly transformative power of gratitude, we must recognise that it is neither a panacea, nor a directive to paper over the raw, and often painful realities many of us face.
The way we see it — gratitude thrives not in denying the existence of pain, hardship, or injustice, but in coexisting with these truths. It offers a momentary respite, a gentle reminder that beauty and kindness persists even in the face of tragedy and adversity.
Cultivating gratitude isn’t about mandating a relentless search for the ‘silver lining’ in every situation, which can inadvertently minimise genuine feelings of hurt, loss, or frustration. Instead, it’s about allowing space for a polarity of experiences — acknowledging that it’s possible to hold gratitude in one hand and grief, anger, or fear in the other. In this way, the practice of gratitude becomes an act of gentle rebellion against despair. It’s an affirmation of our ability to find light without dismissing the shadows.
💡TIP: Use foundher.’s Daily Performance Planner to write down what you’re thankful for, and carve out space to acknowledge the small joys of your days, alongside whatever else is on your mind and on your heart. Giving yourself permission to feel everything — the good, the bad, and everything in between is a way of recognising that your own pain and suffering is not only valid but necessary. It’s from this place of acknowledgment that gratitude can emerge authentically, not as a forced counterbalance to negativity but as a genuine reflection of the complexity of life.
WHAT ARE WE MISSING?
As we consider the rhythms of the seasons and their influence on our lives, it's vital that we also recognise that the traditional four-season model of winter, spring, summer, and autumn most of us recognise does not universally capture the complexity of seasonal changes across the globe. This is especially true in Indigenous cultures where the understanding of seasons is deeply intertwined with local environmental cues, flora and fauna life cycles, and cultural practices that have been observed and passed down over tens of thousands of years.
“The Western four-season calendar, which divides the year into roughly four equal sequential phases (Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring) is not a particularly informative way of engaging with the weather and climate in Australia. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Australia’s First Scientists, have always held a deep understanding of the seasons, and of how to tell when seasons are changing.” — CSIRO
Over the past 15 years, Indigenous language groups from across lands known collectively as Australia have partnered with the CSIRO to co-develop seasonal calendars that share and teach us all about Indigenous knowledge and management of Country.
For example, the Noongar people divide the year into six seasons with Birak, or 'First Summer', characterised by dry and hot weather, which signals the time for burning off small patches of bushland to catch game more easily and to encourage new growth for the next year. In contrast, Makuru, known as the 'Fertile Season', is a time of cooler weather and increased rainfall, essential for the preparation of the land for the next cycle of seasons.
Acknowledging these diverse seasonal calendars challenges us to broaden our perspectives and recognise the depth of knowledge and understanding that Indigenous cultures hold about the natural world. It also extends us an invitation to observe the micro-changes in seasons and the more subtle shifts in nature in a way that deepens our connection with the environment, enhances mindfulness, and shifts towards greater sustainability.
💡How could you educate yourself about the local ecosystems and specific indicators of seasonal change unique to your area?
EMBRACING UNCERTAINTY IN AN EVER- CHANGING WORLD
In embracing a more inclusive view of the seasons, we not only honour the wisdom of Indigenous cultures but also the impact of climate change, which profoundly challenges our traditional understanding of seasons.
Across the globe, the predictable patterns of spring blossoms, summer warmth, autumn leaves, and winter chills are shifting, and seasonal demarcations are becoming increasingly blurred. The changing nature of these patterns means we, too, must realign our lifestyles, economies, and ways of being with the evolving rhythms of the world around us.
This doesn’t mean that our traditional distinctions between autumn, winter, spring and summer need to be thrown out the window, but rather that we need to adapt and expand these understandings to encompass the broader spectrum of changes our planet is undergoing.
Recognising the traditional seasons alongside the subtle and micro-seasonal shifts encourages a deeper engagement with the environment and acknowledges the complex impact of climate change on these cycles.
So, what does that look like in our business and in our lives?
EMBRACING AN ADAPTIVE MINDSET
Adapting to the ever-changing world around us requires a deeper introspection into our personal and communal lives — a renewed respect for nature's signals and commitment to finding sustainable and adaptive ways of living in harmony with the Earth and alignment with our values. Enter: the Inner Development Goals.
Right now, each of us is being asked to take responsibility for building the inner capacity to deal with the sheer complexity, uncertainty and scale of the challenges before us. And while this change isn’t easy, it simply must be done.
ARE YOU READY TO UPGRADE YOUR CAPACITY TO OPERATE?
If you want to reimagine new levels of success and sustainability, book a call with Elana and be somebody who finally does something about that.
For more in our seasonal rituals, rhythms and routines series, visit:
→ How to hit the ‘Reset’ button and flourish through the winter months
→ Five ways to help you rest, reset and revitalise over Summer
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