The central question

Building a values-based business requires you to ask a lot of questions and return to them often. It is mightily courageous to boldly voice your beliefs, while also holding them loosely so that they can be altered as your life circumstances, experience, and worldview change. Being willing to re-examine, question, and adjust is the cornerstone of this audacious work.

The one question that drives everything we do here at Brave & Well is…

How do we ground our business in something that’s bigger than us?

**Here’s what I know for now…**

It takes time and practice.
It requires you to practice stillness.
It asks you to allow things to break so you can figure out how to rebuild them stronger—and yes, sometimes even tears will be shed.

So many of us start a business based on what others tell us to do. That’s what I did! I found a checklist, and I implemented all the things. I followed someone else’s process because I thought that was the right thing to do. I hadn’t yet learned to trust my intuition as a business owner. It all felt too daunting, too complicated.

When I finally allowed myself to sit in the stillness and ask myself if this was really working for me—that’s when I discovered my inner voice! When I finally got quiet enough to listen to my own wisdom, it was so very clearly telling me that what I was doing was not working. Why? Because I didn’t want what others had. I had started to build something that ultimately didn’t light me up.

At that point, I had to double down and bet on myself yet again. It required me to not only listen to myself but also to ignore the feedback that was simply not meant for me. I did not have to implement everything everyone else thought I should. I got really clear that I am the owner of my business, the lead designer of my life, and so my business is inevitably going to look different than everyone else’s.

And this, my dear community, is why defining your values is so unbelievably important.

Because when you do, they will be the pillars guiding you every step of the way. And in order for us to do this big, bold, brave work of decolonizing mental health, we have to have a rock-solid foundation on which to stand.

So take time to slow down and discover your “why,” identify your values, but most importantly, listen to yourself when something doesn’t feel right. Be honest with what doesn’t feel true anymore. Allow yourself to change course, always with your values leading the way. Take risks even when you don’t know how things might end up. It’s never too late to try something new.

With all this talk about values…

You may be wondering what our values are.

There is a certain level of risk required to go on this entrepreneurial journey. Everyday requires you to be brave and afraid at the very same time.
Marketing is connection. Connection builds community. Connection is a basic need we have as humans. The people you surround yourself with and the community you create will be one of the things that sustains you in this process of being a boss.
We are all made uniquely different. It’s crucial that we build businesses, practices, and policies that give us space to practice empathy while holding others accountable. While everyone’s needs might be different, the expectations and heart of your business should be felt throughout the work you aim to deliver.
Give yourself permission to be seen and see others for who they are. To be alive is to be vulnerable. Starting a business is an incredibly vulnerable and scary thing to do. Be open about what your needs are and how you’re feeling throughout this process. You deserve to take up space and be cared for. Ultimately, we can’t get to connection without vulnerability.
Clear is kind. Do the right thing. There is a lot of decision-making that happens in this process. If you can stand by your decisions and go to bed at night knowing and believing that you’ve done the best you can with what you have while honoring your values, you are standing in your integrity. And if you mess up, circle back, apologize, make amends and try again.