Why I Stopped Teaching Mindset and Started Teaching Presence
Updated: Oct 12
How flowers, horses and creativity helped me find my way back to myself—and shaped The Wildflower Method.
For years, I taught mindset.
I helped women and teens explore the beliefs holding them back, build confidence and give themselves permission to dream bigger. I loved seeing that moment when someone began to believe there could be more for her.
I still believe our thoughts matter.
The stories we tell ourselves can influence what we try, what we ask for and what we believe is possible.
But somewhere along the way, I began to notice something in my own life.
I could understand a limiting belief and still feel overwhelmed.
I could fill a journal with intentions and still struggle to hear what I needed.
I could leave a workshop feeling inspired, then find myself back in the same familiar patterns when everyday life became busy again.
Understanding myself was valuable.
But I also needed space to experience life differently.
And that space began to grow in the most ordinary places.
The quiet things were showing me the way
There were flowers to tend.
Horses to sit beside.
Papers to gather and journal pages to make.
There was meditation, Reiki, the sound of singing bowls and time outside with my feet on the earth.
For a long time, these felt like separate parts of me.
Different interests.
Different things I loved.
I wondered how they could possibly belong together in one business.
Then I began to recognise the thread running through them.
Each offered me a way to be here.
When my hands were arranging flowers, I noticed their shapes and textures. When I was making a journal page, I became absorbed in choosing a scrap of paper or finding a place for a pressed leaf.
Sitting quietly near the horses gave me something to notice beyond the thoughts circling in my head: their movements, the sounds around us, my own breath.
These moments asked very little of me.
I could arrive tired. Unsure. Without an answer.
I could begin exactly where I was.
Presence gave me room to listen
So much of my personal development had involved looking ahead.
What was the next goal?
What did I need to change?
Who was I becoming?
Those questions can be useful.
But I realised I was spending a lot of time working towards a future version of myself, while the woman living this day needed some attention too.
She needed rest sometimes.
She needed play. Quiet. Connection.
She needed to make something without turning it into an achievement.
Presence helped me notice her.
For me, presence means paying attention to what is happening now, with a little more kindness and curiosity. It might be noticing that my shoulders are tense, that I have rushed through lunch, or that I would love ten quiet minutes in the garden.
It also means noticing the good things I might otherwise hurry past.
The horse lifting her head when I arrive. A new flower opening. The pleasure of paper beneath my fingers.
Presence gives me a chance to respond to the life I am actually living.
This is where The Wildflower Method took root
The Wildflower Method grew from these experiences.
It brings together the practices I return to for calm, creativity and connection—and offers women different ways to explore that for themselves.
I think of them as six doors:
Create: Follow your curiosity through journaling, collage, colour or making something with your hands.
Move: Notice your body through a gentle stretch, a walk or movement that feels comfortable today.
Connect: Spend attentive time with yourself, another person, an animal or the natural world.
Energy: Explore a quiet personal ritual, Reiki or sound as an invitation to pause and notice your experience.
Be Still: Make room for a moment of rest, meditation or simply sitting with your tea.
Reflect: Listen inward through journaling and gentle Soul Inquiry.
You don’t need to open every door.
Some days, creativity is the easiest way in. Other days, you may want quiet, movement or company.
The invitation is to notice what draws you today and begin there.
A garden helped me understand growth differently
A garden has become one of my greatest reminders.
You can plant a seed with a beautiful vision of what it might become. But you still need to pay attention to what is happening around it.
Does it need water? More light? Shelter? Time?
I began to wonder what would happen if I brought that same care to myself.
Before setting another goal, could I notice what I needed to support it?
Before pushing through a difficult day, could I pause long enough to choose my next step?
There are seasons when I have energy to build and share. There are others when I need to tend what is already growing.
Making room for those seasons has changed the way I teach and the experiences I create.
I want women to have space to hear themselves, explore what matters and take a step that feels possible.
You can begin with fifteen minutes
This is why Find Your 15 sits at the heart of The Wildflower Method.
Fifteen minutes gives us a small, practical place to begin.
You might tear a few papers and make a journal pocket. Walk outside and look closely at one flower. Sit quietly near your animals. Write a few honest lines about how your day feels.
You don’t need to make something beautiful or have a meaningful realisation every time.
Some days, the value is simply that you paused and paid attention.
And if fifteen minutes feels too much today, begin with two. Let the practice fit the day you are having.
Try this today
Choose one of the six doors and give yourself a little space to explore it.
Then ask:
What am I noticing?
What do I need a little more of today?
What is one small way I could respond to that need?
Perhaps you need to stretch, ask for help, step outside or leave one task until tomorrow.
Let your answer be simple. Give it somewhere to go.
The work I want to share now
My work has changed because I have changed.
I still care about confidence, possibility and helping women take action. These days, I begin by making space for connection—with our hands, our surroundings, our bodies and our own voices.
That might happen through a journal page at the kitchen table.
A quiet moment with a horse.
A creative gathering.
A few minutes in the garden before the day begins.
This is the heart of The Wildflower Method.
Small practices. Room to explore. A little more attention to the woman you are today.
Because the dreams you carry deserve care—and so do you.
Let’s begin with one small moment
If you’ve been craving a little space for yourself, my free Wildflower Starter Kit is a gentle place to begin exploring The Wildflower Method.
Set aside a few minutes, bring your curiosity and choose somewhere to start.
Download your free Wildflower Starter Kit and Find Your 15 today.
Let’s see what grows.
With love,Jodie x
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