Somehow, the one-year milestone of writing this newsletter slipped right past me.
About a year ago, I started sharing these weekly reflections. At first, it felt a little like a personal experiment. I simply wanted to pause each week and capture what working in the garden was teaching me about caring for people, nurturing relationships, and leading companies.
Looking back, this newsletter has essentially become a public journal.
It’s a place where I try to pay attention to what nature quietly reminds us about how life and work actually function.
Before going further, I want to thank Lisa McGuire, Ed.S.. She didn’t tell me to start a newsletter, but she deeply influenced why it exists. Lisa often talks about bringing your full, integrated self into business relationships. That idea stuck with me.
I realized that if that belief was true, then I shouldn’t separate my love of growing healthy food for my family, friends, and neighbors from the way I show up in business. Those two parts of my life are connected.
This newsletter is the result of that realization.
A small confession about encouragement
A quick personal side note.
My wife and I recently attended a couples event about the 5 Love Languages, and I discovered something about myself. My primary love language is words of affirmation.
That discovery made me smile, because recently several people have reached out to tell me they enjoy this newsletter and look forward to reading it each week.
Those comments mean more than people probably realize.
They have been the fuel that keeps me writing.
And I suspect for every person who says something publicly, there are probably ten or twenty more quietly reading along each week.
So thank you for being part of this little experiment in paying attention.
Three lessons the garden keeps repeating
Over the past year, a few themes have surfaced again and again. If you haven’t read these earlier articles, I’d encourage you to circle back to them. They capture some of the core observations that shaped this newsletter.
1. How You Run Your Garden Is How You Run Your Business
(From: How You Run Your Garden as a Business)
One of the first realizations that struck me is how similar a garden and a business actually are.
Both require:
• Patience • Risk management • Consistent attention • And the humility to adapt when conditions change
In the garden, weeds don’t wait politely. If you ignore them, they quietly take over and compete with what you actually want to grow. The same thing happens in organizations.
Small problems, unclear priorities, or neglected relationships can slowly crowd out the things that matter most.
The lesson is simple.
Success in both environments usually comes from small, consistent care rather than heroic bursts of activity.
2. Healthy Soil Creates Healthy Growth
(From: Gardening: A Metaphor for Creating a Healthy Work Environment)
One of the most important truths in gardening is that the real work happens underground.
Before you ever plant seeds, you have to prepare the soil.
In organizations, culture plays the same role.
If the soil is depleted, even the best seeds struggle. But when the environment is healthy, growth happens naturally.
Leaders often focus on performance, results, or strategy. Those are important. But the farm keeps reminding me that the environment determines what is possible.
Healthy soil produces healthy plants. Healthy cultures produce thriving people.
3. Joy Matters More Than We Admit
(From: Joy in Work and in the Garden)
Another lesson that keeps resurfacing is that joy isn’t a luxury.
It’s a signal.
When we find joy in the work we are doing, it usually means we are connected to purpose, relationships, and meaningful contribution. Whether that joy comes from growing vegetables, serving clients, coaching a team, or sharing a meal with friends, it reminds us why the effort matters.
Work will always have pressure, deadlines, and responsibilities.
But when we stay connected to the purpose behind the work, those tasks start to feel less like burdens and more like contributions to something meaningful.
The garden keeps speaking
One of the reasons I love working on the farm is that nature has a way of repeating the same lessons over and over until we notice them.
Patience. Care. Relationships. Environment. Joy.
These are not complicated ideas.
But they are easy to forget in the noise of daily work.
That is part of why I keep writing these reflections. It forces me to pause, observe, and remember what the garden is quietly teaching.
A question for you
As I look back on this first year of Sowing Success, I’m curious about something.
What is one place in your life or work where nature, a hobby, or a passion outside your profession has quietly taught you something about how to lead or care for others?
Sometimes the most important lessons are hiding in plain sight.
This post first appeared on March 6, 2026 in Sowing Success, my weekly LinkedIn newsletter on leadership and organic farming. Read the original on LinkedIn.
