What You Need to Live Your Life with Intention - Episode 68

Setting and staying true to our intentions is an integral part of our lives. We’re always looking for ways to keep our intentions at the top of our minds. We know firsthand that living with intention helps you live a more meaningful, balanced, and peaceful life.

On this week’s podcast, we’re sooooo excited to introduce you to our friend Natalie Glover, who not only feels the same way, she's taken things to a whole new level.

Natalie has spent over 20 years helping organizations discover the potential that lies within them, their people, systems, and ideas. She is the founder and creator of LumenKind, which is a system to help you shine your brightest in every moment with simple and beautiful reminders to be present and true to your intentions.

We’re obsessed with LumenKind’s signature product, Mindful Marks, also known as meaningful temporary tattoos. They are a fun and brilliant way to keep you connected and present to what matters most. And they work!

We're talking  about intention, staying present, centering yourself -- and we'll share practices that will help you illuminate your brightest being!

Become part of Natalie's monthly world because it really will help change your life.

SPECIAL OFFER FROM NATALIE + LUMENKIND
Natalie has been generous enough to offer all of our listeners a free trial of Lumenkind for a limited time while supplies last through this secret link.

If that offer is expired, use the code: SEEKINGCENTER on lumenkind.com for 15% off your first order.

You can also follow @lumenkind on Instagram.

Visit theseekingcenter.com for more from Robyn + Karen, plus mega inspo -- and the best wellness + spiritual practitioners, products and experiences on the planet!

You can also follow Seeking Center on Instagram @theseekingcenter.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction
• 0:43 What You Need to Live Your Life with Intention

Transcript

Robyn: [00:00:00] I'm Robyn Miller Brecker, 

Karen: and I'm Karen Loenser. Welcome to seeking center. The podcast,

Robyn: join us each week as we have the conversations and weed through the spiritual and holistic clutter for you, we'll boil it down to what you need to know. Now 

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We'll talk to the trailblazers who will introduce you to the practices, products, and experiences. That may be just what you need to hear about to transform your life. 

If you're listening to this, it's no accident. Think of this as your seeking center and your place to seek your center. And for even more mega inspo sign up for seeking center.

The newsletter at seeking center 

Robyn: Setting and staying true to our intentions is an integral part of our lives. Karen and I are always looking for ways to keep our intentions at the top of our minds. We know firsthand that living with 

intention helps you live a more meaningful, balanced, and peaceful life, and [00:01:00] we are so excited to introduce you to our friend Natalie Glover, who not only feels the same way, she's taken things to a whole new level.

Natalie has spent over 20 years helping organizations discover the potential that lies within them, their people, systems, and ideas. The secret has always been honing the power inside and then letting it shine through. She came to realize that the same holds true for each and every individual.

Growth, evolution, even joy must come from the inside out. So Natalie embarked on a journey to unite a values aligned tribe and arm them with tools to help realize their potential. She is the founder and creator of LumenKind, which is a system to help you shine your brightest in every moment with simple and beautiful reminders to be present and true to your intentions.

Karen and I are obsessed with their signature product, which are mindful marks, also known as meaningful temporary tattoos. They are lumen kind's, [00:02:00] fun and brilliant way to keep you connected and present to what matters most. We can tell you that they work. We're gonna talk about intention, staying present, centering yourself, ancient wisdom and share practices will help you illuminate your brightest being.

Let's get talking. Hi Natalie. Hi Natalie. 

Karen: Hello. What a 

Natalie: joy to be with you guys today. Thank you. Thank you for the opportunity to this conversation. Oh, 

Karen: We're just thrilled to have you here. And you're from almost my sister neighborhood, Austin, Texas. 

Natalie: Yes. Here 

Karen: we're so let's start at the very beginning. Intention. It's one of our very favorite words. It really does guide a lot of the things that we do. tell us your definition and how it's impacted you. 

Natalie: Thank you for that question because what I find with the word intention and as we walk into this new world of the way that people are, words tend to change definition, So we get to evolve what they mean. and so what I would also offer is what I believe in intention is can be what you want it to be, or it [00:03:00] can be something totally different, intentionality for me is about the way I want to show up in the world.

And a lot of times we think about intentions as a future aim. So if you look in the, textbook definition, tension is purposed and tension is your aim. And yes, it is that, and. You can imagine that as something that's farther out, right? I have an intention to be the greatest doctor in the world, or I have an intention to create this business or whatever it might be.

And those are all beautiful and wonderful. And what I've learned in my journey of living and in mindful and intentional way and seeking , my next step and my higher purpose and is that when I. See those bigger picture things, they're wonderful. And also what I've realized is that oftentimes I can get caught up in the how, once I get to think about that longer term intention and then I'm missing the moment.

I'm missing the, here I am actually living into this being. So for me, intentionality and intention is about how do I want to show up? How do I want to be in this next moment? [00:04:00] And so my intentions over the years have changed from. Certainly I still have vision and I still think about the future and dream and see these possibilities.

And now I also am more rooted and connected to how do I wanna show up in this moment, in this era, in this time in my life. And focused in more on the virtue of who I am as an intention, versus the outcome of my work. So that's my journey. And I can tell you a little bit more about the way that intentionality impacts my life.

Karen: I think intention can be such a lofty word for so many people. It does feel like a goal or a north star, but I just love how you brought it back to the being in the present moment. I haven't heard anybody put it exactly that way 

Robyn: before.

So I want ask too, just when you put it that way, Can you give someone an example of a daily intention 

Natalie: for yourself? I would love to, and actually this is a fun one to share with you guys and with your listeners right now. So one of the things that our company does, our brand does, that I do personally is every month we [00:05:00] choose an intention

we choose a focus and. This month's intention is communicate, and it is all about this idea of self-expression and opening yourself to listening inwardly or externally but also really sharing from an authentic place. And I'll tell you that this particular intention, this focus is one that honestly has been a part of my life lessons, a part of a place where I get to learn and grow and have lots more opportunity to learn and grow.

So when you guys offered the opportunity to have a conversation with you, I was like this, I'm normally back here making things happen from another place. But wow, what an opportunity and what a place for me to step into in terms of self-expression.

So my intention, Is to communicate to be focused on this idea of self-expression and listening in an open way. And so when opportunities arrive, then I have a moment to say, take a deep breath. And yes, the answer is yes, I'm excited about it and I'm excited about being here because this is who I have chosen to be.

This is my intention of the way that I want to be and to [00:06:00] evolve into my space and to who I am. So that, that is one example. I love 

Robyn: that. and, just to piggyback off of that, for Karen and I know for myself, I set intentions every day in terms of what I have coming up.

Like do a broad certain intentions for the overall day. I then look at every meeting. Or every encounter that I know of, at least. Yeah. I set intentions for those. And then what I wanna say is that then, Because we are utilizing Lumen Kind and the marks and just the intention that you've set for the month.

What I get to do is then, and we're gonna talk about Lumen Kind and what it is, how it came to be and so forth. But the idea that you just talked about that communicating openly and freely, because I have a reminder to look at, I get to say, okay, how am I showing up and communicating with the intentions that I've already set for myself for that day?

And so I just wanted to present that now, because as we continue to talk about [00:07:00] all of this in this episode, people can be thinking about that. And again, to your point you can always have a long-term intention, but we're talking about how you use these on a daily basis.

Natalie: Totally because where else is there right then, right here, right now. And so to be able to bring those truths that you hold dear into action and to light and to your day is the gift that we have being here, So yes, we are all singing the same song. I love it.

Let's 

Karen: maybe take a little step back then and talk about, around how intention actually impacted your life. Natalie, , how did you get to LumenKind and what brought you to 

Natalie: that place? So this story actually LumenKind is the grand point of, all right, intention, Natalie, this is where we're going.

And not to say that intention wasn't a key part of my life before. And very much like Goals and strategy planning. This is what I did for my living, This was it. I love goals, I love objectives. I love being able to map out how we get there. I love systems, very outcome focused as maybe one way to put it.

So that's all really good. and also what I've [00:08:00] realized is that in that work, I got to a place where I, like many people who are on their journey of transformation and seeking burned out, Eventually you get to the point where you're like, okay, yes. it's fun. And we can do some really awesome things when you are in doing mode.

However, there's a point, even if you were being successful in that, And you feel like you are accomplishing. And those are some air quotes things according to what our society feels like are good things to accomplish that may not be the fulfillment that you're seeking. And so I paused at one point in my life when things were doing that moment of okay, I'm working my tail off and I'm getting things done, but like, where am I?

What is actually happening that makes my heart sing? And that was a big moment for me. and at that pause I thought, wow, okay, I've hit this point before in minor ways, and what I've done to fix the problem is I'll just do some more. And so at this point in my journey, I said, all right, we've done this a few times.

And there's that definition of insanity. You can't fix things if you just keep doing the same thing again, which is [00:09:00] more doing. So I said, I'm gonna do something totally different. And that is. Nothing I'm gonna not do. And it was a very counterintuitive, scary. choice to make, but it felt like that was what needed to happen.

So what I did at that point in my life, as I said, I'm gonna take a deep breath and I'm gonna flip my hands upside down and put them in a allowing position. And I am going to listen and I am going to be, and I am going to be present to what shows up and open and that positioning in my life.

That subtle shift was The opening for everything that has occurred since and ind. So that moment of shifting from I am a doing person who's gonna solve my lack of fulfillment by, and my lack of peace and whatever it is that I was seeking by doing I decided, nope, we're gonna do the opposite.

We're gonna be for a little while. And after, honestly, it was almost immediate that I could feel that. And by being, just to give you some examples, that was things like every day I [00:10:00] was making the time and space for myself in the mornings, Getting that morning routine where I have my meditation, I have my time to sit and just reflect for a moment.

Before I started, I would, rather than filling my schedule full of all of these meetings that I wasn't really sure how they connected the dots on, I paused. And again, I just wanna be clear, this was not a rational thing. you could look at, there was plenty of reasons for me not to be in a allowing non-doing position.

So it was a little scary, but I stuck with my process and within six months, opportunities came to me. And when I say immediately, within six months, things had transformed, but opportunities came to me that I had not anticipated. Clients that were more aligned with who I wanted to be engaging with and supporting people that I wanted in my life.

it was a full flip of my existence of feeling valued in my work. was the moment where I was like, okay, not only was this a incredibly powerful experience in terms of when you set an intention and what can transform and how you can transform by being [00:11:00] clear about. What you are seeking in your life at a much larger level.

Not I'm seeking a new car but I'm seeking to allow and create space for whatever the highest possibility may be. Ultimately, I also learned that in that period of time, the hardest thing was remembering that was my intention, was to Totally, yep, totally. Yeah. I've set this big, esoteric, lofty being, journey.

And then I would be, in my, middle of the day, hadn't gotten to lunch, and I'm like off to the races trying to get some more doing happening, or I'd end the day and my husband would say how was today what happened? I'd be like I wasn't really that present to it.

And so I'd have to start the next day resetting myself and reorienting. And so it was these two lessons happening all at the same time and culminating towards the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017 of wow I have really learned a lot about this idea of focus and really being able to be purposeful with your life and also just how hard it can be to [00:12:00] prioritize that.

And I was very fortunate for the opportunities I had to be able to focus. And yet, It was hard. It's hard to focus on yourself even when, that was my number one thing. 

Robyn: And the question I have too is had you already had a meditation practice? how did you know how to even get quiet? 

Natalie: Yeah, so yes, the answer is yes.

We started a meditation practice 10 years prior to that probably. So I, it's been a long time and just playing with different things and exploring it, experimenting with it. So meditation was not foreign to me. It was something that I had stepped into. I'd do it for a little while, step out of, but this was the first time that it became a priority and it was the priority and then everything else, it flow into it.

And so it was not novel in that way. 

Karen: In listening to you think I'm almost getting anxious because I'm putting myself in your shoes. I'm having that same time, and I'm such a day filler. Robyn knows that she calls me out all the time on it. Because it's just something that's so habitual.

[00:13:00] And so part of your day to day, and I'm just trying to imagine how, okay, once you got past the meditation, then you had the rest like, 

Robyn: hey. Yeah. 

Karen: how did you purposefully manage that without just trying to fill up the time with things that took you potentially off course? 

Natalie: That is a great question.

I think that the way that. Helped me because at the time I didn't have my tools lumenkind was still being birthed, in the air and the ether. So the way that I was able to do it was on a daily basis.

It started adding up. Allowing position each day. I could become more that. And that wouldn't mean that wouldn't just fall off the rails. But at least I could reflect on that previous day. So by the end of the day, I could come back to, how'd that go? Okay, terrible. I did terrible job at that.

That's okay. We're just gonna move on. We got another, we have this evening and we have tomorrow. We can into that next possibility of creating a little bit more space and shifting back into a little more allowing and even looking at the whatever might be possible for the next day.

maybe somebody does call me and says, let's go to lunch. Or, here's this new business, fun thing I wanna talk to you about. Or like there's things that I can say yes to[00:14:00] and also just to be clear, it doesn't require this grand kind of spaciousness.

What was the reality for when we need to make a shift? Sometimes you are in a nonstop position with your work, with your family, whatever it may be. And that doesn't mean there isn't still opportunity for space. So even though there's a lot of fullness and everything feels really constricted, just shifting your mindset to where are those openings?

And just becoming a little bit more So to answer your question, it's the, is there a little bit more? So each day you're just looking for a little bit more. So it's not like a light switch happens and you become all of a sudden this allowing, I am easygoing and I have no problem not having my schedule.

Karen: So talk about now, how did lumenkind 

Natalie: come to you? How did it come to be? So in 2017, I. Clear that this was something that needed to be shared. And what I hadn't seen was not a whole lot of conversation yet about meditation and mindfulness. This was all still, new age, a little bit weird, [00:15:00] still, we were getting to the place where we could actually tell people that you meditated So I hadn't really seen that paired with this idea of intentionality. So you have the creating the space is what I see. Meditation is creating the mind space. It's just offering yourself space to be, and intentionality was never really in my mind, seated in a way that I could get.

To bring those two into one focus. And so lumenkind came to be by allowing this idea of intentionality, knowing that there's something that I wanted to hold onto. So for me, my focus was if I woke up every day, and I knew my job was to allow to receive, to be, then I had a focus for myself.

 That allowed me to be more into that present moment space. And by having both of them, it gave me a thing to hold onto. As I was stepping into this idea of present moment awareness, I had something more tangible. Still an esoteric range, something more tangible for me to hold onto, to say, here's your focus, Nat

you're here and your job right now is to learn how to allow, to learn how to receive, to learn how to be. And so when you combine those two, That's really where [00:16:00] LumenKind came from is recognizing that there's these two pieces that can come together to make it even a more whole and potentially more inviting experience for people that want to start the journey as it was for me.

Can you 

Robyn: talk about what it is and really how you created a whole system and that 

Natalie: tangibility? Yeah, so the way I think about Lumenkind is an invitation. It's an own open invitation to be yourself, to be in the moment, and even if you've been practicing mindfulness for your whole life, every day is a new invitation.

Every moment's a new invitation to step back into. Your deep breath step back into the moment, step back into the beauty that's around you. And so that's really what LumenKind is about, is helping other people have that open invitation, And so the highest level, it's about that. And knowing one of us, if we are stepping into the present moment, we're stepping into our highest power, our brightest being, then ultimately that is what creates more peace and at a macro [00:17:00] level.

And so that's the big lofty way to describe Lumenkind. And then when you bring that down to okay, , that helpful We really thought to. Incorporate this idea of how do we help people remember cause I think that's what this is all about.

The great remembering who am I? how am I bringing all this to fruition and being helpful and how can I stay on my path? that's where mindfulness marks came in. And they're little tangible reminders like you shared with folks that help people take in a very simple, quick way, an opportunity to ask themself that question during the first time they're greeted with this invitation.

do I wanna focus on? What could it be? what is my intention? So that a lot of times for folks this is a new thing they haven't asked themselves this in years and forever. Yeah. And so starting with that and for me, I also recognize that can be overwhelming for people who haven't ever asked that.

Like, how, what is an intention? I don't even know where to begin. So we created a little menu. That's what I like to say of things that were helpful for me. There's eight core intentions and things like, breathe, I'm fully present in this [00:18:00] moment and flow, which is about being adaptable and embracing what the world has to offer.

So we keep going up those intentions, but the idea is that within that spectrum, within that set of marks 

, so like people who are just, this is the first time they've had the opportunity to think about what is my intention. I give them some options, things that were helpful for me, and from there, then being able to say, all right, these are little temporary tattoos.

They're fun. we don't have to get so heady and like scary about this. And by the way. They're cool. right, cool, and they're cool. We gotta keep it cool and classy and modern and all these things. So taking that and simple and then allowing them to create space.

So especially for people who have never even stepped into a meditation mindfulness practice. When you apply temporary tattoo, you gotta wait. you gotta put it on your skin and you gotta put some water and you, it doesn't happen immediately. A part of it is that has to transfer onto your skin.

And so during that wait time while you're got the water and you're holding a pressure point, potentially, some people put these on [00:19:00] there acupuncture spots. You'll hold it gently and you're taking those three deep breaths. So you're using that time, that space to allow whatever thought you, or whatever intention you had, or maybe just focusing on your breath.

And so it's, the second piece is just this little light introduction to mindfulness, to meditation, to your breath, creating that space. And then the third piece of it is, okay, so once you're out into the wild, you're back into the busy, crazy world that is, and you're moving, how do you stay connected to yourself, to your breath, to that intention that you set?

Now you have this little reminder with you, and it's with you a way that's subtle. And that's what's really, another thing that's really important to me about this is that these are your promises to yourself. This is not everybody else's, but if you wanna be everybody else's business, then awesome.

there it is for you to share and to light up and talk about it, whatever your intention may be. But it also can be something that's really private to you and that when it's time, you can take a glance at it, you'll see it, take a deep breath, let it go. Reconnect to that. And then you have all of these pieces starting to [00:20:00] fold in together to incrementally little tiny bit by little, tiny bit adding up giving you and putting you on a path that feels more true and authentic for who you are.

Your brighter being. 

Karen: Natalie, can you just talk a minute for those who haven't seen the packaging and the experience when you 

Natalie: receive 

Karen: the LumenKind package in the mail. Just talk a little bit about it. Cause it's so beautiful and when I received mine it was just, Fun. Like you just wanted to explore it all.

Natalie: Yeah. So the idea is and what we didn't mention is when you're choosing, the menu of options in terms of your intentions and these marks, they're designed as hexagons. They're all about the size of a dime.

And we've got them designed in a way that they each reflect whatever that intention might be. They're purposefully, intentionally designed to be agnostic in a way that they are not tied to any particular religion or spiritual belief, their art that is reflective of a particular intention.

So you're able to explore and get into the product in a way that true to you. And you can ignore all the words if you want to, and you [00:21:00] can just look at the cute designs and decide which one resonates, and then pick something that you want to be focused on. But it really is the experience about.

Receiving an invitation from a friend, from the universe, however you wanna look at it. Being able to open it up, seeing some possibilities for you to be able to hone your heart, your mind, to focus your life in a way that feels true. And then, using them in whatever way feels fun, everybody has a different process of using these, and that is the one thing I can say for sure is all of this, everything about LumenKind has been about, as I mentioned, about allowing and everything about creating this product has been about co-creation with the people who are choosing to shine their brightest, who are choosing to put meaning in them, They're nothing without. You guys saying, you know what, this is something I wanna focus on and deciding, what, this is what this mark means to me, and I'm gonna use this to take a deep breath, and I'm gonna use this to take my life in the direction that I want it to go. So that's the theory behind all of the packaging and the way that we put it together is that it feels like a sweet invitation to yourself, to your [00:22:00] nature.

Robyn: And then how do you come up with each month's 

Natalie: intention? So funny story on that one. We started, we've been doing our monthly mark now since 2019. So it's every month we've had a different intention and it has been a lot of fun. And I guess it was about a year into it, cause every month I'd think about what was the next one and I would really give a lot of thought to it.

And then I create all the things that correspond with, we create articles and materials and then and then it occurred to us. So he like, maybe there's a possibility we could start to map out the whole, next, year or two or whatever just to see. And I was like let's just, let's play with it.

Let's see what happens. So 2020, my husband and I, my husband Dale is my thought partner in all of this. My life partner, thought partner, everything. And deserves a lot of credit for lumenkind and what it is today too. we're sitting there, we map this 32 month. Schedule out, thinking about, all right what would be a good intention if it's summer In the United States, we have people from all around the world, but in the United States, the weather is warmer.

So maybe the intention we might choose play for that month. We have 32 different marks in our library. So we have [00:23:00] eight core intentions. And then after a while we realized, you know what? There's more to expand on. More to explore. So we added three to each of those intentions. And what we found is. Without knowing. Each one of these has somehow been so perfectly aligned where you're just like, and it's for us personally, and we had no idea. But then the second piece of it is I'm constantly getting feedback from people being like, how did you know this is what I needed to be working on?

I'm like, I, hey, I have, it was this moment in life where all of these things lined up. And the other thing I would say is when we were laying them out outside of thinking about during the holiday season, maybe people would wanna be feeling more peace or joy. And so we created some of the marks in a way that would link to that.

But we also look at each one of the core intentions is focus on a different energy center in our body. So might be called chakra, but just different perspective to life, right? Centering, which is how our connection in January, mark of the month centers when I meet you guys. Of course. So fun. so on purpose. Yes. I love intentional. Yes. [00:24:00] So intentional or just divinely connected. But orchestrated. Yes, exactly. So what we found is that by setting these with. A focus on going up and down that energy center. So you might start by center, something that's really a grounding focus and maybe then you practice going into for the next month something that's more flowing, adaptable, and helps you in that space.

And then the next month maybe it's about energizing and action. And then the next month is about kind of it moving back into a space of gratitude and holding that lighter energy. And then the next month, ah, communication and expressing and listening. And how do you bring that heart and that love and that sense into the external space.

And then so on. It's the journey, and over a long period of time, you get to discover all kinds of nuances. It's almost like each month putting on a different pair of glasses into your personal journey, into your growth and into the world around you really.

Karen: And did you all design all of these symbols or are they based on something from [00:25:00] ancient 

Natalie: times? So they are all purely all of our marks. So all 32 marks within the library are designed based on the intention. And they're all suggested intentions, so I always tell people, you get to choose what you want these marks to mean.

But the suggested intention inspired the art and inspired the little hexagons. So one of the reasons why I created Lumenkind is cuz I wanted to connect with other people like you guys. And I wanted to connect with other people who were inspired to live their best life, And to tap into and to seek what is next and how to grow more. And it occurred to me that one of the ways from a design perspective, we could share that truth and that purpose behind lumenkind is by creating a hexagon. Shape. And the reason for that is because of all the shapes you can have a hexagon is the one that you can fit the most of on a plane, so think about a honeycomb or the way that the hexagons together.

no gaps. There's no space in between. So we are all connected in this way. And so the idea is that we fit together as we're [00:26:00] taking our deep breaths. We're all in this, this space of interconnectivity in the work. But yeah, so that's the theory behind some of the symbols.

They're all inspired in a way from art itself and and from the intentions. And it's done specifically not to tap into the ancient symbols. And there are so many beautiful ancient symbols. So I recognize that. But it is important to me that LumenKind is seen as a global brand, something that anybody could take on and feel like they could own it, and that it doesn't live within a certain religion or a belief system.

Or a language, So we have people around the world that are using these, and I don't speak the same language as they do, and so I think, but what I do speak is human right. And they That's right. So there's something really fun about that idea of just keeping it something that we can all connect with just as humans, connect with within ourselves, connect with others.

Karen: They're beautiful. 

Natalie: Thank you. Certainly a co-creation. Every step of this process and every step of [00:27:00] lumenkind feels very much like I am the shepherd of it. I am the channel of it and not the genius behind it. Cuz it is a tribe of people you included that are creating this and certainly something much greater than me that is, has allowed this into existence.

 As we created all of this, every step of the way, I kept peeling the onion and being like, okay, now what is this again? Let's continue to go, let's continue to go until finally it starts to all make sense. But each of those steps, it was never perfectly clear. And I know that the next step is still, there's still more to, to evolve, still more to grow.

And I can't see all of that. And I know that. That's because this is not my creation. This is our creation together. 

Karen: for us, you have to be willing to go you are willing Natalie to do it, and you put yourself in a position where you could be open to the receiving, and so that, that deserves a little credit.

Robyn: the, allowing for it to evolve. And I think for anyone who sets an intention or has desire to create something out in the world for others as well, it is that [00:28:00] reminder to allow and it goes back to not being tied to exactly what that outcome Yes.

Looks like. you've allowed it to grow and become. What it is supposed to. And then there's more to that and we'll continue to be more to that. I just think of Karen and I and the journey that we're on, it applies to anybody and anything is what, I guess what I'm trying to say because what you just said is so helpful and a wonderful reminder for us as we're in the allowing of the evolving of what we're working on.

 And so often I think we as a culture do get tied to this is exactly how it's gonna look. This is exactly how it's gonna play out. This is the exact timing and so forth. And when things don't go that way, there's that frustration. It can lead to so many other lessons for sure.

However, if you just have a different kind of openness to it, what can be unveiled to you and the world can be so much bigger than you could ever 

Natalie: imagine. Totally, I 

Karen: was just thinking about the word inspiration there. That's almost [00:29:00] what you were describing, Robyn

it's like when you don't have it a fixed vision it does allow that inspiration 

to come in and really create 

something potentially bigger than you can have even imagined. What have you heard back from people as a result of integrating 

this into their daily practice?

Natalie: one of the things that was potentially the most lovely When lumenkind got to the point where, and that's another story I can share with you, but got to the point where all of a sudden we had thousands of people using them all at once.

I would get feedback and every day I would have tears in my eyes. The way that people would describe with how they were using this tool. It was their creation, right? was their choice of the way that they were using it. So some of the things that people have used it for that still bring tears to my eyes today.

So we have mothers who've used it as a tool to communicate with their children. So opportunity for them to build a relationship, to have a discussion about how their kids are feeling to weekly choose their marks together. And to be able to communicate with kids who are struggling [00:30:00] and to help them when they're not away, if they're leaving so knowing that there's this connection between moms and their kids and being able to have that meaningful conversation has been a huge, powerful point for me.

And recognizing just what a gift to be a part of this. And then I've also heard from people on the other side. Of having just lost someone and their family and that these mindful marks they're saving grace just to keep going and to be able to work through their grief and their healing.

And, knowing that this is a human that is doing the work, right? but to know that just a teeny tool, like a little mark, we've got your back. Like we're a community of people who know this is not always easy, but you're making a choice here.

And that choice is to keep breathing and know that can make it through it. So you have these two sides and then you have people that are using them and maybe more what you might consider practical ways, but they're using them And training. , I think, mindful marks. I don't know how many marathons we've run at this point, but [00:31:00] I know of at least three.

And so as tools to help inspire and keep people on track and I think a lot of times what happens things that we are working on. There's directions, there's challenges in life. That's the richness of it all. And sometimes we need to be reminded of why. And so some people use mindful marks just to reconnect with the why.

So when things are really tough, they can go back to that and they can click off that meaning for them. And then there's some people who are using them in a way that is within their day to day. Personal evolutions. It's just more a practice. They're people who have decided, you know what?

I'm somebody who is on this journey. I'm constantly seeking to grow and evolve in whatever way. And so this is a part of, I'm just gonna continue learning about myself. And so they choose to. To use mindful Marks as a part of their toolkit. So I think a lot of the LumenKind community are folks who really they not only are working like me just doing our very best to seek and grow and learn.

And they're also people who are interested in sharing [00:32:00] that and bringing other people along with them. And so I've loved hearing about people using them as a way to spark conversation within their communities, within their schools, within their work sites, within the events that they're having. Just to be able to begin this conversation with people who haven't thought about the idea of setting intention or haven't had a chance, or nobody's invited them to ask about what matters most in their life.

So those are the stories that have just been. So inspirational and just total honor to have any role in that experience of their life. So 

Robyn: meaningful.

And a question that I know Karen and I have for you is, have you always been open to looking at the world in this way of asking in the question, why am I here? What else is out there? Is that something that you grew up thinking about? 

Natalie: So I was very fortunate to have two parents that are public educators, retired now.

I think that gave me a lot of opportunity [00:33:00] and space to be a kid, which. It is a gift. And in that I don't know how old I was, 7, 8, 10, 12. They're they all smushed together when you're a kid. And I remember I had decided what I wanted to be when I grew up as a philosopher.

Karen: What's Natalie? 

Natalie: Okay. But what I realized is that as we get older, and I know that you guys have spoken about this with some of your other folks that you've had on the podcast, cuz I think it's so true is that there is so much. That we have as a child, all of us. And that's a core tenant of my belief system.

And I think what has inspired me to continue on this path is we have this brilliant light. We are, you have it. There's no giving it away. It's in there. Everybody's got it, and I think that's where, as a kid I had the opportunity to see that in myself at least for a little while.

and needing to reconnect to that. So for me, nkind, I had no idea that it would ever look anything like this. However, as a kid, there was something there that knew I was supposed to participate in something that would help [00:34:00] other people. And part of that is you gotta, learn your own life lessons and be on the journey yourself and through that you can support other people in their work.

So yes, I was open to it and I was fortunate to be in a position to being open, but that doesn't mean I didn't jump right into the go go do hamster wheel world to shut it down. Which is essentially what I did, which is essentially where burnout happened, which is then the beginning of where lumenkind story starts with the allowing.

Karen: One of the other questions that we love to ask is, are there spiritual practices that you. Integrate into your life on a daily basis, to really stay present a above and beyond mindful 

Natalie: marks that you have. lots of different definitions of meditation, mindfulness, present moment awareness, and for me, the most important part, yes, I have my practice of waking up and meditation is really important to me, and a seated meditation is a part of my life and a part of something that's very helpful.

And also I, roll outta bed in my pajamas and do some stretching in the morning. Maybe you call it [00:35:00] yoga. Maybe you don't like, I, but it feels good, And so these are really like, it's gosh, of all the practices, Stopping and breathing and rolling around the floor in your pajamas are those have been really powerful. But I think actually the third that is often overlooked. But so subtle and so powerful for me in terms of keeping my center and being able to continue learning on this journey as we meet our challenges and meet our opportunities.

And that is tapping into nature because if this is all about reconnecting to our true nature, our authentic nature, then. There's something about being in nature and seeing and connecting with nature. And to me that can mean, in some people's world and maybe in mine at some point, but it's they're taking trips and they're, going and visiting some beautiful beach and some we, wonderful space.

And that's all lovely. But often nature is the plant that's sitting on your desk. They're, the squirrel that I saw this morning sitting in the tree getting sun on one side, and then I saw her [00:36:00] shift and get sun on the other side. And, it's these things where you're just like, that's so cute.

And it's just, it just warmed your heart you see these little gifts of nature. even if you have a crystal, . Crystals are beautiful, they're beautiful. Even if you're not into the other side of all the power of what crystals may be like at minimum, looking at a crystal, but looking at wow for the first time that I'd never seen that line that way, or that color is just stunning when the light hits it like that.

So those times where you can really find yourself just absorbed in nature and our natural world, even in an urban environment, there is nature. And to just take that tiny second, that moment, that deep breath to honor it, I think there's something really powerful about that and how it's honoring you at the same time that the you the true nature of you.

So that's my third piece. So there's the stopping and breathing and rolling around on the floor on your pajamas and then. After that, as you go about your day, finding whatever bit of [00:37:00] nature you can to honor it as you honor the nature within yourself. 

Karen: Natalie, one quick question that we didn't ask and maybe you adjust it. I just wanna make sure, where did the name lumenkind come from? What does it mean? 

Natalie: So lumenkind was, A name that, as you're beginning to think about what you want your business to be, sometimes the name comes first.

And I remember going for a walk, actually around Lady Bird Lake and just that flash of Okay, I, because LumenKind was in my mind, like I had this name, but I didn't know what was supposed to attach to it. Wow. So LumenKind, the name came first. So I am and have always been super passionate about light and lumen is a measurement of light.

it's brightness in science, And what I learned recently, which is. The craziest story because this is like five, six years after I've created this business called Lumen Kind that is all about mindfulness, taking a deep breath, reminding people to connect with [00:38:00] themselves. And I'm talking to a woman actually at the Amazon return desk, just having a quick check with her about, oh, what's LumenKind?

That's cute tattoo too. And, having that. And she's oh yeah, I'm a respiratory nurse. It was essentially what her other career was. Previous career. She's so what's the name of your business? She's, and I was like, LumenKind. She's oh, lumen, like Air passageways. And I was like, what?

What, so six years after I created a business about lumen kind name lumen kind, I have, and I did it all for this idea of brighter being. And because I love light and it's a measurement of light, it all makes sense. And when you say it lumen kind, it's like humankind. So it's this brighter being how fun.

And here I am chatting with this woman who's now just blown my mind because how could I possibly not have known that lumen? And when you look it up, and I look up every word, but apparently I didn't do this one. I know the Latin root of lumen is an opening. So an opening is where light comes through.

So in the medical world, [00:39:00] lumen is an opening. A passageway. So air passageway. So I'm in this mindfulness business, all about breath, to using your breath to take a moment. And I didn't even know the name of my business was actually. Wow. But 

Karen: it gives it another dimension. 

Natalie: I know. Wow.

And it's about an opening, right? The allowing. So I was like, come on. So that is an example of something that came to me, six years ago or seven years, whenever that moment was, I had no idea how right it was. And still continued with the business for six years and still had no idea how right it was until somebody offhand mentioned oh, of course Lumen.

That makes sense. But was thinking about it in terms of air, passageways, and the way your body operates and an opening rather than light. And I was like, okay, this is clearly coming from somewhere else.

So fun. 

Karen: I just wanna say, as you're talking about all these things, I can just think of so many uses. Yes, use it for yourself, but I'm just thinking about even just today, like a friend of [00:40:00] mine's father has just been diagnosed with something and she has to go into the hospital and how nice it would be to be able to give her this.

Just to let her know that I'm thinking about her as she goes to this experience. Or my daughter today, for the first time, had a babysitter come to the house cuz she has to go back to work and so being able to put something, give her one of these to remind her that I'm thinking of her as she's going back into the office.

 such so many use. There are 

Natalie: so many. Yeah, those are great examples. And even today, right before we got on, I just got a note from a woman who decided, she's the head of internal communications for a large company. And they had a week about mindfulness. And so she offered to her entire 300 person staff or whatever it was, everybody got a little packet of mindful marks and they got a little note card that they could all choose an intention.

And it was an opportunity for them to engage even with their own teams around what their focus is and how they're really using mindfulness. So I was like, wow, what a genius [00:41:00] idea. I see everyone else is coming up with all the good ideas. I love it. 

Karen: That's your, 

Natalie: that interconnectedness.

Yes. It's so good. It's so fun. Oh, Natalie, 

Robyn: thank you for. Following the thread, thank you for listening and for being and allowing this to come through you, and then creating and sharing this with the world. You are truly lighting up the planet. 

Natalie: You are, oh, all of us. Be 

Robyn: brighter. And I have such gratitude for that.

Natalie: Thank you ladies, and as I shared before we began this chat, but I do wanna just share again, thank you for sharing your gift and lighting other people up. It is clear and just having this space with you and this conversation. I feel myself being brighter just being in your presence. And I know I hear that when I listen to your other conversations with other folks in this space.

And I I encourage you to continue doing what you're doing and continuing to let other people explore and [00:42:00] discover and seek because there are so much goodness out there. You're bringing it together. So thank you. Thank you. I am just so excited and energized and can't wait to continue the conversation.

Much more to discover and share. Absolutely. 

Robyn: Absolutely. I agree. Natalie has been generous enough to offer all of our listeners a free trial of lumankind for a limited time while supplies last through this secret link, , lu mankind.com/seeking center, all one word.

 If that offer is already expired, use the code seeking center all one word for 15% off your first order. Become part of Natalie's monthly world because it really will help change your life. You can also follow at LumenKind on Instagram as well.

Thank you. 

Natalie: Thanks, Natalie. Thank you.