Hustle vs. Creativity: Business Lessons from Nature
I write this to you from The Daintree Rainforest in Far North Queensland Australia, the oldest continuously surviving rainforest in the world (10 million years older than the Amazon!!). The biodiversity in one hectare here is half of all the biodiversity in the United Kingdom. The nature here has deep wisdom to share, and intelligence to tap into. When it comes to the energy of creation, we have a lot to learn from an ecosystem of this pedigree.
Ever since I arrived in Australia a few months ago, the rainforest has been drawing me in. There’s just something about the trees. The green. The ancient-ness of it all. In nature I feel the most myself. Whether here or on the banks of my beloved Squamish River which brings tears to my eyes as I write this – how can a river play such a significant role in someone’s life?
This rainforest holds a different medicine, just as the river and mountains of the West Coast hold such a strong and stable force, the rainforest is intoxicating… her mighty ferns, her silent power, trees that feel older than time itself. Unlike the material world and the busy-ness of our modern culture, the medicine of nature is subtle. It doesn’t jump up and down or try to be more compelling. It just is, and slowly we open to it.
For me the process of connecting with nature has taken some time, and it mirrors by own personal journey transitioning from a high-performing, ambitious and resourceful A-type, to an embodied woman with a deep connection to the natural way, to the wisdom of my body, to the energy of creation. Mother Earth continues to invite me into new depths of wisdom and alignment.
And though I still identify as being ambitious, resourceful and high-performing, it’s now sourced from a completely different energy. The old version of me was high-performing as a mechanism of proving and gaining approval, my ambition was tainted with seeking and external validation, and my resourcefulness was out of scarcity and lack instead of the weaving and co-creation that it feels like now.
Nature taught me a different way of being, it revealed to me all the parts of myself that were not real or true. Through the elements I learned the power of healing alchemy. It brought me home to myself, my wholeness and put me in sync with the natural rhythms within and around me. It showed me the power of working with the energy and intelligence of creation itself. Something most of us have forgotten.
In a world where hustle is glorified and burnout is endemic, many of us have forgotten our natural state as creators. Hustle culture emerges at the intersection of post-industrial and technological revolutions—a collision that transforms hard work and independence into a relentless performance race. Our capitalist society amplifies this dynamic, exploiting the fundamental human wound of “not being enough.”
The result? Men and women grinding through 60+ hour weeks, chasing status symbols (false idols) and vision board fantasies while completely missing the essence of the human experience: finding joy and presence in this moment, right now.
Biochemically, this constant striving floods our systems with stress hormones. Our nervous systems remain locked in fight-or-flight mode, never returning to the rest and restoration we desperately need. This creates burnout—a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion that leaves us feeling depleted, cynical, and disconnected from our purpose. This state keeps us trapped in consumerism, apathetic to positive change, and disconnected from who we really are.
What we need to remember is simple: how to slow down, ask deeper questions, listen, and orient our lives around what truly matters—health, family, connection, service; time in nature is an important ally to this shift.
When we make this shift, we’re shown everything that needs to be released in order to reclaim our vitality. We discover an energy far more powerful than the physical force of our actions—the energy that comes from aligning with creation itself.
This is life force energy. Source energy. Some call it the divine or God. It’s the same energy that creates worlds, births life, and grows trees from seeds. When we connect to our bodies and to nature, we tap into this fundamental creative power that flows through everything.
Life force energy represents one of humanity’s most enduring concepts for understanding the vital essence that animates all living beings. Across yoga, shamanism, and Daoism, this energy is seen as the fundamental principle connecting mind, body, spirit, and the natural world.
In yogic philosophy, prana is the universal life force that flows through all existence. More than just breath, prana is the subtle energy that sustains life itself. Shamanic traditions worldwide recognize life force as the animating spirit present in all things – plants, animals, stones, waters, and weather patterns. This energy isn’t abstract but tangible, interactive, and intelligent. In Daoist philosophy, qi (chi) is the primordial energy from which all existence emerges. Qi is both the substance and the process – simultaneously the building blocks of reality and the dynamic force that moves through constant cycles of transform
Nature and the energy of creation guide and inspire my life everyday. In this Substack article, I discuss the 7 lessons nature has taught me about my Body of Work. These are simple and profound truths that act as my personal GPS for alignment in my mission, impact and business from how I have designed my marketing agency, Presence Media, to how I work with clients in helping develop their Bodies of Work.
And as the rainforest continues to initiate me in new and profound ways, as our family continues our adventure in Australia (we have just bought a 4WD and rooftop tent, and are entering the season of over-landing adventure – follow along on Instagram here), I will bring more stories of how nature continues to inspire and impact my creations, writings and work in the world (here it my last article on Head+ Heart, all about Sacred Simplicity which I wrote on a creative retreat at The Mother’s Temple on The Atherton Tablelands of Australia).
Want to check out the Daintree yourself? Here are some top accommodations and retreats I recommend:
Daintree Ecolodge – Eco-friendly bungalows, rainforest dining and the most picturesque creek that runs behind it. Perfect for a solo retreat, a family holiday or an intimate escape.
Prema shanti Yoga & Meditation Retreat – The only yoga meditation retreat in Australia and the world situated in the heart of two world heritage listed ecosystems, The Great Barrier Reef & The Daintree Rainforest. The natural setting of this space is world-class.
Silky Oaks Lodge – A peaceful retreat set amongst the rainforest treetops with forty luxury treehouses
Noah Beach Camping – Prefer a simple and cost effective option? Noah Beach Camping is beachside, jungle camping fully immersed in the elements of the Daintree.
_ _ _
By Meghan Zuvelek, founder of Presence Media + Marketing Director & Curator at Head + Heart. Meghan helps businesses define and bring forward their body of work in the world, with marketing and visioning that’s soul-aligned. Connect with Meghan here.
