Regenerative Futures & Holiday Spending
Black Friday Reflections
I’m awake before dawn on Black Friday, and
and I are planning on spending the day walking around a northern branch of the Everglades here in Florida with our friend . We will inevitably be sharing with one another about the work we each do in the subtle dimensions of cultural transformation. (If you don’t follow either of them here on Substack, I warmly welcome you to check them out.) We won’t be spending money today, but I’m thinking of everyone who is, and I’m thinking of everyone including myself who runs a small or microbusiness.This year I learned the term “microbusiness“ from , a term which describes any business that makes less than $350k a year or employs less than 9 people. That’s definitely me, and most people I know who are in business. When you’re operating at that level, every single sale means the world to you. Just this morning I saw one more person register for my workshop Syntropy Sequence this coming Sunday, and my heart leapt. The workshop is just $36, but as a microbusiness owner and as a mother and as someone devoted to the long game of regenerative culturework, anytime anyone spends any money or any time engaging with my work means the world to me. That includes you, reading this, now. Thank you. Thank you for spending any of your precious resources with me. I truly honor that choice with immense gratitude.
The spending cycle of the holiday season gives us, each year, a powerful moment of choice: we can perpetuate the extractive cycles of consumerism, or we can step into a different story—one of regeneration, community, and care for the living world.
So here are some invitations to invest in shaping a better future. If you’re planning to spend money this holiday season, here are ways to make your dollars count toward life-giving, sustainable, and regenerative practices.
1. Exchange with Others
This one costs nothing. Next week in my town there’s a toy + clothing swap at a local park, and all items that are left after the swap (and there tends to be many) get donated. Every year after the holidays, a ton of donations of toys get sent to different organizations, but really this infusion is most needed before the holidays, so that families can make the holidays special for their kids on the day of, not weeks after. This swap is a practical, community-building way to declutter, rotate out the things your kid has outgrown, connect with others, and circulate good quality items that will bring joy to children. I’m sure there are many such events all over, and I encourage you to find them!
2. Support Indigenous Artisans in Your Bioregion
Today is Native American Heritage Day. I know I’m not alone in finding it quite grotesque that such a day is more well known for rabid consumerism. We can do our part to shift that. Indigenous communities carry deep knowledge and cultural wealth that connect us to the land and each other. Seek out local Indigenous artisans, purchase their handmade goods, donate to their organizations, and learn about the stories and traditions behind their work. This is an invitation beyond commerce—let’s nurture genuine connection and relationship.
3. Plant Native Ecosystems
Find nurseries that sell native plants and trees specific to your bioregion. Use the holiday season as a time to restore ecosystems by planting and tending to life in your yard or community. Regeneration starts with the soil beneath our feet.
4. Buy from Local Farmers and Makers
Farmers markets, craft fairs, and small local shops are brimming with creative, dedicated people making meaningful contributions to their communities. Supporting them keeps wealth circulating locally and nurtures relationships that grow resilience.
5. Gift Knowledge for a Regenerative Future
Books are seeds for transformation. Consider asking for or gifting works like Designing Regenerative Cultures by Daniel Wahl, Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, or Nature and the Human Soul by Bill Plotkin. These books and ideas help us to become more completely ourselves, which is exactly what the world needs now.
5. Deepen Regenerative Living
Committing time, energy, attention, and money into the question, “how can I become an agent of regeneration“ has consistently brought the greatest returns on investment of anything I’ve ever done in my life.
This coming month, I’m creating two opportunities to learn and grow with me in this way, two opportunities to deepen into regenerative living:
• The Syntropy Sequence Workshop: This Sunday, nurture your capacity to respond regeneratively in moments of chaos. This sequence of simple embodied practices creates a new pattern within your being that will ripple outward for the rest of your life, as inevitable experiences of chaos present themselves to you.
• The Art of Regenerative Living: A three-month collective wisdom council to move through the winter months with peers committed to more beautiful futures. This intimate group will support each of us in remembering who we truly are, in reconnecting with the living world, and in regenerating our place within the family of life. You will become more fully yourself, and gain a depth of clarity and confidence in your unique contribution to the Whole that can only come from living the questions and weaving collective wisdom within a sacred container of true depth. This is limited to 12 participants total.
Both programs are designed to help you cultivate a regenerative way of being—turning inward to deepen your alignment while outwardly contributing to a world that thrives.
When we choose to spend consciously, we align our actions with our values. This holiday season, let’s step away from the noise of endless consumption and into the quiet power of creating a better future.
Let’s invest in the living world, one choice at a time.
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I’d love to hear your reflections. How are you planning to divest from destruction this season? Drop a comment below or share your ideas—I’m all ears.
I appreciate the attention given to small decisions daily that can make things better