Structure That Serves Instead of Stagnates

The most important truth about structure is this: no two people thrive within the same one. Not if it actually functions. Think about nature.

Each bird lives on its own latitude and longitude.
Each flower grows in its own ecosystem.
We are no different. We each need a structure that reflects the ecosystem of our own lives.

For me, the old structure was corporate America. A calendar packed back to back, Monday through Friday, with maximum stress layered on top. Once I decided to leave private equity, I knew I did not want to carry that forward. I wanted flow. I wanted an ecosystem rooted in rest and relaxation.

Martha Beck says you would never want a heart surgeon who is nervous and frantic. You want the calmest, coolest cucumber in the room. That truth shaped how I wanted to show up as a coach. My best work comes from calm presence, not stress.

When I left private equity, I thought I would take a three-week break before starting my business. That was three years ago, and in some ways, I am still in that “break.” Yet here I am with a full-time coaching practice and a concept I absolutely love in The Out Beyond. That pause became the foundation for the structure I live in now.

The tricky part about structure is that sometimes it sits so close to us we cannot see it, like holding an object an inch from our eyes. Even as entrepreneurs, even when we think we are doing what we love, our structures can create suffering.

How to know your structure has become stagnation:

• You feel resistance or avoidance
• You feel dread when you look at your commitments
• You are forcing yourself to show up in ways that drain you
• You no longer feel excited for client facing calls or delivering your good/service

A structure that serves is not about rigid templates or fantasies of four-hour workweeks. It is about aligning with your energy, rhythms, curiosity, and cycles.

For me, I was able to create the ecosystem that serves my best work. That ecosystem includes intentional rest. It includes saying no to things I do not want to do. It includes working with therapists and coaches. It includes learning my Human Design, studying my astrological natal chart, completing Martha Beck’s Wayfinder Life Coach Training, and returning again and again to divine timing and trusting myself.

One of my favorite things to do with clients is to help them create a 360-degree view of life. A way of working where they can carry out their mission and also enjoy life with less stress.

Structure is not about how tightly you can control yourself. It is about creating the right ecosystem for your own unfolding. Out Beyond, that is the work.