There’s something about walking through the Palm House at Kew Gardens that always fills me with a quiet sense of awe.  The air is warm and heavy with moisture - be prepared if you go in the winter you'll need to strip off layers the minute you walk through the door because of the heat (especially if you're suffering hot flushes).   But, I think it is always worth a visit.   On the ground level you feel like your are in a tropical forest somewhere exotic, and then when you climb up into the canopy the view from the balcony is striking - the way the light filters through the glass, bouncing off the massive palm leaves is incredible.   It feels abundant, life giving and somehow perfectly in rhythm - it's why it is one of the places I return to again and again for calm and for inspiration.

It not just the beauty on display, it’s knowing that every leaf, every flower, every towering palm had a beginning we never saw.  For some of these plants their beginnings were hundreds of years ago.  There was a time when these impressive plants were nothing more than a small seed beneath the surface, the early plant hunters took a chance on these unknown seeds hoping they would establish themselves in what was an alien environment.  It took courage and patience, nurturing every small promise of growth for the jungle we see now in this greenhouse to establish itself out of those tiny seeds.    

🌿 The unseen progress that happens during growth

It also makes me reflect on how we can learn a lesson from this passion and commitment.   So often, we measure progress by what can be seen on the surface without looking underneath for the real change that has to happen first within ourselves.   We crave the proof that something is happening, judging is based on the outcome, the visible change - without stepping back to check on the unseen progress.  It is through this desire for concrete reassurance that we can also give up too soon out of frustration or fear, if things aren't happening quickly enough or in the way we expected.   

It can be that all or nothing mentality, the idea that big change has to show up as "Big" change right away - or else it's a "failure".  And then as women we can be especially hard on ourselves. the perception that everything has to be perfect or done now means we take the idea of a failure personality - holding onto it as a reason not to keep going or try again. 

Even if we're not naturally perfectionists, there is sill that over expectation of how something should materialise or feel - and believing it is somehow a fault within us that has prevented it from getting to that level or outcome we were demanding of ourselves.   This irrationality doesn't leave room for learning, for finding your own truth and for sometimes getting messy so we can prune our journey more authentically to us.  

When you are trying to shift into change, most of the time the growth is quiet and unseen.

- It’s those mornings when you wake up and think, “I don't know what to do next”,  but you still get up and try something. 
- It’s when you acknowledge you've outgrown something - a job, a role, a version of yourself, but you're not sure exactly what comes next so you instead start making small changes until the truth becomes clearer.
- It’s when you’ve stopped pretending you’re fine and start digging into what hasn't been serving you. 

All of this is growth, it might not have a clearly defined journey or end point just yet but you are trusting that the bloom will materialise with the kind of growth that reshapes you from the inside out.

🌸 Creating the right environment

What makes the Palm House so extraordinary isn’t just the plants themselves, it the acknowledgement that they need very specific conditions to support their growth and allow them to thrive.  Every plant is unique, just like us, so there is adjustments made to their environment to embrace this uniqueness and allow them to grow.  The warmth, the light, the moisture, the space - everything has been designed to help life flourish and continues to be monitored and maintained on a regular basis.

It’s no different for us, we have to create the right environment for us - acknowledging that we are completely unique as well so we need to create the right environment that allows us to thrive.   That is not  can create the right environment for growth to happen.

For many of us in midlife, that means re-learning how to care for ourselves, after years of caring for everyone else.  It means learning who we really are and want we really want,  and un-learning the old beliefs on how we "should" live and what we "should" want that have been imposed on us by others over the years. For some women this can be disorientating, because it is the first time in their lives they have actually stepped back and asked themselves "but, do I really want this?"

It also means noticing where we are not providing the right conditions for our own growth.   This is even more relevant as symptoms through menopause are likely to have impacted  on you physically and mentally, which means noticing when you're exhausted, overstretched, or surrounded by noise that drowns out your own voice.  It means building gentler routines that suit your needs and your energies, protecting yourself and spending time with people who inspire rather than drain you.

Sometimes it’s as simple as admitting: “I’m ready for more, but I need the space now to create this for myself".  

🌷 The beauty of slow unfolding

Growth has its own rhythm, and it rarely follows our initial plans to the letter.  Some seasons feel full of momentum; others feel like nothing is moving at all - but that is just life in general. 

Maybe you’ve been working quietly on something for months, an improvement in your health or planning for a new project or adventure - but it might still feel like you are standing still.   But, it is very likely that if you are being authentic to yourself and consistent in your actions then under the surface something deep will be growing.   It often takes a deeper more focussed analysis of what has changed already for us to realise that we are not standing still, we just having been taking enough notice of what is already changing - those little shoots that are visible but you have to be looking.   

And then one day, almost unexpectedly, that first major shift will happen.   You say yes to an opportunity that scares you. You handle something with more calm than you thought possible. You notice that the voice in your head is kinder than it used to be.  You materialise something that you have been working towards. 

That’s when you start to bloom and it will be deeply real.

It’s the moment you realise all the unseen work has quietly been leading you towards this day, and things can only get better the more you nurture that growth. 

🌼 Let it unfold delicately

If you’re in a season where you can’t yet see the results of your efforts, trust that there’s something meaningful happening beneath the surface. Keep nurturing what feels true to you — your ideas, your boundaries, your energy, your self-belief.

There’s no timeline for becoming who you’re meant to be. There’s only this steady process of unfolding — delicate, patient, authentic.

Just like the blooms at Kew, your own transformation will appear in its own perfect time — shaped by everything you’ve learned, cared for, and tended along the way.

🌸 But, if you are feeling stuck or disheartened then the support within True Woman Rising could be exactly what you need to take you there.   I created it exactly for women like you who need the teaching and guidance on how to find their true selves and take that journey, backed up by a community of likeminded women to support and share your journey.   Click the link below to find out more about how we can help you in your transformation. 

 Marie x

✨ Personal Reflection

Think about where in your life might growth already be happening?  Look carefully, there can often be small changes we haven't yet noticed.