The Restoration Project

What does “Taking the Pause” look like? ⏳It can be a quick 5 minutes in the car. ⏳It can be removing ourselves from our current space and setting up camp somewhere new. ⏳It can be making a new connection and exploring a future friendship. ⏳It can be taking an hour off and reflecting upon what’s working and what’s not. 👉 “Pushing Through” is often the chosen route for motivated, ambitious leaders, but it’s not sustainable. ✨ “Taking the Pause” is the courageous path. It helps when you have a leader that models this behavior. In one of my first professional roles post-grad (👋 hi, it’s me: Sarah, Creator of Calm), I had a leader that reminded me often, “You’ll never get to the end of your life and say, ‘I wish I would have worked more.’ Remember that.” ✨ My leader was right. She also was a role model for this mantra. She would often pop over to my desk in the middle of the afternoon and kindly force me to step out of the office and go for a brisk walk together in the parking lot 🏃♀️ 👉 She left work on time 90% of days and rarely worked in the evenings, even before she had kids. 👉 She simply prioritized “Taking the Pause” and practiced it every week. “Living with Courage” is one of core values at The Restoration Project. This includes: 👉 Working to keep an open heart in all situations 👉 Moving quickly from resistance to acceptance 👉 Always seeking ways to better ourselves In my experience “Taking the Pause” on a daily and/or weekly basis has made a positive difference in my ability to ‘Live with Courage’ in professional and personal settings. One of my favorite ways to “Pause” is by taking a walk in the rain; I enjoy it. 🌧☔️ Grab your umbrella and try it someday. When life is raining and our environment is saturated… it’s the best time to take the pause and come up for air, explore new environments, and seek out new relationships. 📲 Read more from Sarah in her blog “Pause to Live with Courage” at the link: https://lnkd.in/gGv_6um2

Have you ever taken a walk in the rain? 🌧 Not a torrential downpour, but a soft light rain where the droplets touch your cheeks, the wind blows on your face, and the air smells like new speckles of life + nature’s beauty. There are very few adults (that I know of) who love to walk in the rain, but it can be quite magical. While walking in the rain you may notice something that as adults, we forget about. The worms. Children spot these right away on the sidewalks, driveways and streets. 🪱 In our youth, many of us were told that worms come up for air when it rains so they can breathe better and avoid drowning in the saturated soil, but that’s not entirely true. 👉 There are a few reasons worms venture out when it rains. One of the most common reasons is disbursement and relocation. Essentially they’re seeking new mates and new territory. Plus, according to The Nature Conservancy, “They can migrate much longer distances than they ever could underground.” Coming to the surface is not an easy feat. They often encounter predators, but most survive. ✨ As adults we often pile more and more into our lives, and when life is raining and our environment is saturated…we forget to take a pause and come up for air, explore new environments, and seek out new relationships. 👉 Why? 1️⃣ We’re busy. 2️⃣ We ignore the signs from our body and mind. 3️⃣ We choose our ego over the opportunity to become self-aware. 4️⃣ We believe in the ‘push through’ mentality. 👉👉 But it leaves us unsettled and struggling for air the next time it rains. And this perpetuates.... 📱 Read more from Calm Creator, Sarah Watson, in her blog "Pause to Live with Courage" here: https://lnkd.in/gGv_6um2

✨ Courage: Mental or moral strength to persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. The quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc. in spite of fear. 👉 In 2024, we’ve been encouraging many leaders we work with who have good hearts and positive intent to stand up and speak out, find their voice, and share their ideas and opinions. The world needs people who have the greater good in mind and are willing to work toward unity instead of division. But the process can be scary, we know. 👉 If you want to affect positive change but find yourself hesitant, then this month's theme EXPANDING OUR CAPACITY FOR COURAGE is for you. Living with Courage is one of the core values we've adopted in our life and work here at The Restoration Project. Each of our collective team members have a responsibility and desire to walk this out in real time, which includes: 💛 Working to keep an open heart in all situations 💛 Moving quickly from resistance to acceptance 💛 Always seeking ways to better ourselves Throughout the weeks ahead, we will demonstrate what it looks like to EXPAND OUR CAPACITY FOR COURAGE as leaders at The Restoration Project, and we'll share a few strategies and practices to help you do the same along the way. 👉 Be sure to follow our social media channels for updates or get on our email list for updates: https://lnkd.in/gyzSPaPU

👉 Who is a collaborative leader you've learned from or been mentored by on your leadership journey? ✨ Today, Lindsay Leahy shares one leader who demonstrated collaborative leadership in a way she has never forgotten. ✨ From Lindsay: "The first person who popped into my mind as a collaborative leader was someone who was my direct boss for just a short time but served as a mentor to me when I served in a new and expanded role inside of GreatAmerica, Jim Burns." "Jim demonstrated collaboration first by being real. He was honest, humble, and fun. Jim had a distinct personality and was just someone you want to spend time with. He made me feel very comfortable asking questions and admitting what I didn't know. " "Instead of giving me answers or directives, Jim invested time to help evolve my thinking. He asked great questions, reflected my good ideas back to me, offered me new perspectives, and empowered me to make decisions. He also allowed me to deal with the consequences of my choices and learn from my mistakes - which is so hard for leaders to do but really helped accelerate my growth." "What I appreciated most about Jim was the way he worked hard to get information into the hands of all of us who were closer to the frontline so we could make solid, informed decisions. This allowed us to grow, develop and execute well and quickly. He was always there to coach and support, and point us back to the overall vision, mission, values and key metrics. " 👉 Who is a collaborative leader you'd like to recognize for their impact on your life? Tag them in the comments or send them a quick note of thanks on your own in honor of the impression they've made.

✨ MEET Molly Knuth, our NEW Fractional CMO at The Restoration Project! While Molly has been managing our socials for a little over a year now, April marks the first month of her stepping into all things marketing at The Restoration Project. Some of you may have seen her at our April 11 Intentional Insights, as she moved about the room capturing photo and video, but we thought now was the time to make it "Facebook official." ✨ A Little More about Molly In the past 7 years Molly has gone from a stay-at-home mom to a freelance social media marketer to running a social media agency and hosting The Found Podcast at Molly Knuth Media. She now works as a fractional CMO, consulting and advising businesses on all things marketing. She and her husband Ryan have four kiddos whom they raise on their little farm in Eastern Iowa alongside cats, chickens, corn, and cows. What she’s learned in her time in business is that it’s not just about going full force or any one-size-fits-all strategy for success in business or in life. It takes you leaning into your unique gifts, intuition, and goals, and learning about who you are as a person along the way. ✨ How clients describe Molly ▫️ Creative ▫️ Action-oriented ▫️ Helpful ▫️ Effective ▫️ Meets clients where they are ▫️ Leader ▫️ Connector ✨ What Molly is passionate about ▫️ Sharing stories and transformations of The Restoration Project clients ▫️ Using short-form video to capture attention and inspire action among followers ▫️ Crafting the TRP values and resources into shareable posts and (coming soon!) self-guided educational programs ▫️ Growth, evolution, and change, and encouraging others to do the same ✨ A few of Molly's favorite things: ▫️ Reading, especially romantasy books right now (ACOTAR, Fourth Wing) ▫️ Music of all kids. Her favorite playlist right now is "Retro Prom" on Spotify. ▫️ Astrology, Enneagram and Human Design ▫️ Flowers, especially her spring tulips ▫️ Gathering eggs from her family's chicken coop every day ▫️ Early-morning weight lifting workouts ▫️ Spending time with her husband and kids, especially getting ready for summer and 4H/County Fair season ✨ Help us welcome Molly in the comments below!

At The Restoration Project, we aren't just committed to enhancing collaborations in our client's workplaces, we also work to enhance collaboration throughout the communities we care about ✨ That's why each member of TRP is active in a variety of community nonprofits and organizations. ✨ TWO community organizations our Calm Creator, Sarah Watson, is proud to recognize are the organizations we partner with in our Intentional Insights and Courageous Leadership Workshops: Indian Creek Nature Center and Matthew 25. ✨ When asked why she is proud of partnering with these organizations, Sarah said: ✨ "Indian Creek Nature Center is a very beautiful place, and they really care about sustainability. They're definitely a leader in our community in terms of preserving nature and taking care of the beautiful spaces and places that we, work, live and play." ✨ "Matthew 25 and their space Groundswell have a pay it forward program. So anytime a customer chooses to leave a tip, the tip does not go to the staff of Groundswell cafe, that tip goes into a tip jar, essentially a collection. That collection is gathered so anyone can walk into Groundswell and get a meal for free at any time. No questions asked. I really love their pay it forward program. When we do our TRP events at Matthew 25, we love contributing to the pay it forward program and knowing that then someone else can come into Groundswell and get a meal or two or three for free." ✨ "We're very proud to collaborate with them and we enjoy working with them." Our thanks go out to Indian Creek Nature Center and Matthew 25/Groundswell; all their volunteers, team, and benefactors; and to Sarah for being an exceptional leader in and around the community!

At The Restoration Project, we aren't just committed to enhancing collaborations in our client's workplaces, we also work to enhance collaboration throughout the communities we care about ✨ That's why each member of TRP is active in a variety of community nonprofits and organizations. ✨ One community organization our Dream Builder, Lindsay Leahy is proud to be part of is Waypoint Services. ✨ When asked why she is proud of her relationship with Waypoint, Lindsay said: ✨ "I have loved working with Waypoint in a variety of ways over the past few years. I admire how they lead the way in collaboration within our community. We have a large number of nonprofit organizations in our market, which can (and often does) cause confusion and duplication. I appreciate the work Waypoint puts in to (1) ensure that the services they offer continue to evolve with community needs, (2) include other adjacent service providers to tackle problems more holistically, and (3) identify the right organization for the job so we are stewarding time, money and energy well in our community. I'd love to see more nonprofit leaders follow their lead. ✨ "I also appreciate how Waypoint collaborates with volunteers in a thoughtful and inclusive way. I became trained through their domestic violence advocacy program a few years ago. The training was high quality, and the way they work with and communicate with us as volunteers makes us feel part of the team, more connected to the mission, and keeps us learning as they learn. ✨ "I have also appreciated how Waypoint role models collaborative leadership internally and focuses on being an example for the type of leadership they want to see. I got to witness this firsthand as The Restoration Project worked with their leadership team on how we can continue to grow and develop with intention, and stay aligned to the organization's core values. " Our thanks go out to Waypoint; all its volunteers, team, and benefactors; and to Lindsay for being an exceptional leader in and around the community!

At The Restoration Project, we aren't just committed to enhancing collaborations in our client's workplaces, we also work to enhance collaboration throughout the communities we care about ✨ That's why each member of TRP is active in a variety of community nonprofits and organizations. ✨ One community organization our Energy Builder, Brooke Fitzgerald, is proud to be part of is the Cedar Rapids Downtown Rotary Club. ✨ When asked why she is active in Rotary, Brooke said: "Rotary is an international organization that aligns with some of my personal core values such as service above self and empowering each other to build connections and enrich lives. Collaborating on service projects, fellowship between members, and learning about the happenings in our community here locally and abroad is very rewarding!" ✨ The Downtown Rotary organization has been present in the community for over 100 years. Its members have a passion for service and a willingness to lead, and its chapter is among the top 25 largest clubs in the United States. ✨ Downtown Rotary has been part of several improvement projects in recent years, including: 👉 New Bo City market capstone sponsor 👉 Cedar Lake trail system improvements 👉 Winnebago full of medical supplies to Central America 👉 Freshwater wells in Africa and Haiti 👉 $750,000+ towards project in the club's first 100 years 👉 $200,000+ to "Polio Plus" to eradicate polio in the world 👉 Sponsor of many area high school initiatives 👉 Prospect Meadows Miracle Field Pavillion 👉 Prospect Meadows Rotary Recognition Wall 👉 Ponsetti Clubfoot initiative 👉 Cedar Rapids Art in the Parks 👉 Czech Village Kosek Bandstand 👉 Taylor Elementary School playground upgrade Our thanks go out to the Downtown Rotary, all its members, and to Brooke for being an exceptional leader in and around the community!

We want to hear some of your real-life examples about collaboration today! 👇 Tell us about a collaboration struggle you or your team experienced in the past, and how you worked through the challenge to overcome it.

There are 3️⃣ common mistakes leaders make related to collaboration that signal their beliefs may get in the way of a truly collaborative experience for their team: 1️⃣ Don't get input or bring others along early on 2️⃣ Don't set clear roles, goals and expectations 3️⃣ Don't give themself enough time to bring people together and get it right ⚠️ These can be warning signals for leaders that it’s time to dive deeper into their beliefs. When it comes to being collaborative, there are some beliefs that we must hold true as leaders: 👉 "We" is as important as "Me 👉 Trust and relationships must be built before we can do anything 👉 Everyone's voice is important 👉 There is no such thing as failure, only learning 👉 Growth is more important than comfort 👉 l am here to learn and to serve (vs. know and do) 👉 I don't have to have all the answers 👉 I don't have to be in control 🤔 What beliefs may be holding you back from being collaborative, or which of these do you needto lean into to become more collaborative? 📬 Reach out to us at info@the-restorationproject.com to explore individual coaching options if you could use support in this journey.