In my first post, “Refresh Your Roots, Renew Your Soul: Creating Space for Intentional Living,” I wrote about slowing down and finding small ways to reconnect with ourselves in a world that constantly asks us to do more.
Not dramatically.
Not perfectly.
But intentionally.
Today feels like the beginning of the next part of that story because Root & Soul is officially open.
But as I've been building this little business, I've realized something.
I don't want Root & Soul to just be a store.
I want it to become a place to connect.
Because Life Isn't Always Peaceful & Pretty
It's easy to talk about intentional living when we picture quiet mornings, beautiful gardens, journals, candles, and cups of coffee.
Real life doesn't always look like that.
Mine certainly doesn't.
I have ADHD, which means sometimes my brain feels like it's running in fifteen different directions at once. I get excited about new ideas. I start things. I get distracted. I hyperfocus. I overthink. I make plans and then change those plans.
Sometimes I'm incredibly motivated.
Other times, something that should be simple feels ridiculously hard.
And that's part of my life too.
I don't want to create a space that only shows the beautiful finished product while pretending the messy middle doesn't exist.
I want to talk about the middle.
The days when you're overwhelmed.
The project that didn't work.
The garden you forgot to water.
The hobby you were obsessed with for three weeks and haven't touched since.
The dream you've been thinking about forever but are afraid to start.
The days when you feel like you're growing—and the days when you feel like you're starting all over again.
Because I know I'm not the only one.
Maybe We Need More Places to Be Real
One of the things I hope Root & Soul becomes is a place where we can share those experiences.
I want to share what I'm learning, but I also want to hear your stories.
What are you struggling with?
What are you working toward?
What have you started over?
What makes you feel grounded?
What hobby have you picked up lately?
What have you planted?
What have you created?
What are you proud of—even if it seems small?
And what are you still trying to figure out?
You don't have to have everything together to belong here.
I certainly don't.
Refreshing Our Roots
I'm starting to think that refreshing our roots isn't about completely changing who we are.
Sometimes it's simply coming back to ourselves.
For me, that might mean getting outside, putting my hands in the dirt, writing down the million things bouncing around in my head, sewing something, creating something, or stepping away from everything for a while.
Your version might look completely different.
That's what I want us to explore here.
Not “This is how you should live.”
But instead:
“What makes you feel like you again?”
Renewing Our Souls
And then there's the soul part.
I think we sometimes make self-care much more complicated than it needs to be.
Renewing your soul can be taking a long shower after a terrible day.
It can be planting a seed.
Writing one page in a journal.
Learning something new.
Making something with your hands.
Going outside.
Laughing until your stomach hurts.
Sitting quietly.
Or finally giving yourself permission to do absolutely nothing for a little while.
Those little moments matter.
Especially when life feels heavy, busy, confusing, or overwhelming.
So Yes, Root & Soul Is a Store—but I Hope It Becomes More
You'll find things here that I've thoughtfully chosen to encourage some of those moments—journaling, growing, creating, reflecting, and caring for yourself.
But the products are only one piece of Root & Soul.
The bigger part is what I hope we build around them.
I want to share the behind-the-scenes of building this business.
The good ideas and the questionable ones.
ADHD and trying to work with my brain instead of constantly fighting against it.
Gardening.
Creating.
DIY projects.
Learning new skills.
Trying things that may or may not work.
Personal growth.
Hard days.
Good days.
And probably plenty of moments where I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing.
I want you to be part of those conversations too.
Because Root & Soul doesn't need to be a place where one person has all the answers.
I'd rather it become a place where we figure some of this out together.
Today, We're Planting the First Seed 🌱
Opening Root & Soul today doesn't feel like I've reached the finish line.
It feels like I've finally planted the first seed.
I don't know exactly what this community will grow into.
And maybe that's the beautiful part.
We'll grow it as we go.
We'll talk about the things that work and the things that don't.
We'll celebrate progress.
We'll probably change our minds.
We'll start things.
We'll abandon some things.
We'll try again.
And hopefully, somewhere along the way, we'll remind each other that growth doesn't have to be perfect to count.
So if you're trying to build a life that feels a little more like you—even if you're still figuring out what that looks like—you have a place here.
Come grow with me.
Come share your story.
Come exactly as you are.
Let's build our roots, renew our souls, and see what grows from here. 🌿
Refresh your roots. Renew your soul.