The journey of transformation
Insights from my 6th Dream Builder experience
Hello beautiful souls,
Just over four weeks ago, I found myself once again immersed in a transformational experience that has become an important part of my journey - the Dream Builder Live virtual event with the Brave Thinking Institute.
Some of you might remember my January post where I mentioned traveling to Los Angeles for a 3-day event. I didn’t share many details then, but that was the event I was attending - my first in-person one after attending virtually four times before. So that weekend marked my sixth time participating, and I am finally ready to share what this program is all about and why it continues to impact me so deeply.
For those who haven’t heard me mention it before, the Brave Thinking Institute is a transformational education organisation founded by Mary Morrissey. For over 40 years, Mary has been teaching principles that blend practical psychology, results-oriented spirituality, and success principles to help people create lives they truly love.
Dream Builder Live is a 3-day immersive experience designed to help people create a clear vision for their lives, break through limitations and step into greater possibility. And even though I’ve been through this experience multiple times over the past 2.5 years, each one feels like both coming home and discovering something entirely new.
The beauty of returning
There’s something profound about returning to the same teachings again and again. The words haven’t changed. The format is identical. But I’m different each time I show up.
The first time I attended, I remember feeling this strange mix of longing and resistance. Part of me desperately wanted to believe in the possibility of creating a life I truly loved, while another part was terrified of hoping for too much and run the risk to be disappointed.
Sounds familiar?
That first year was all about giving myself permission to dream. To create a vision for my life that I was genuinely in love with, rather than one that seemed “reasonable” or “practical.”
Now, six events later, I’ve gained a deeper understanding of how the journey of transformation truly works. It’s not a one-time event where everything suddenly clicks into place. It’s more like layers of an onion being peeled away, revealing deeper and deeper truths each time.
The inside-out journey
What I find most fascinating is how these teachings have moved through me:
✨ First, they lived in my mind as intellectual concepts I understood but hadn’t fully embraced
✨ Then, they began to take root in my heart as beliefs I could feel resonating as true
✨ Now, they’re becoming embodied - showing up in how I naturally move through the world
This is the power of repetition - immersing myself in a community that lives and breathes these transformation principles, and embedding the teachings into my daily routines.
One of the most fascinating insights from Day 2 was about the law of polarity. To quote Matt Boggs: “There are no one-sided coins,” meaning that if you have the desire for something, the possibility of it happening must exist in the universe. My mind is still having a hard time with that one if I’m honest. But if that were true (notice the resistance!), wouldn’t that be a comforting thought?
Your longing itself is evidence of possibility.
I’m going to let that one sit for a while.
And then Mary Morrissey shared a simple, but quite profound statement:
“If you could’ve done it, you would have.”
Meaning, if we could have created the changes we desire using our current thinking patterns, we would have already done so. Transformation requires new thinking, not just more effort with our old patterns.
The good vs. great dilemma
Another brilliant takeaway was this idea that “the enemy of great is good.”
Once again, my mind knew it - but it’s another thing to experience it.
When things are just good enough, we rarely risk them for greatness. We get comfortable. We settle. We tell ourselves to be grateful for what we have (and gratitude IS important!) - but sometimes that very gratitude becomes our excuse to not reach for more.
Jim Carey put it perfectly:
“So many of us make decisions out of fear disguised as practicality. Fear is going to be a player in your life. But you get to decide how much.”
How often do we label our fear-based decisions as “being practical” or “responsible”?
I see this so often with the people I work with - intelligent, educated professionals who intellectually understand all the principles of growth and transformation (myself included!). They can articulate them beautifully! But there’s a world of difference between understanding something and embodying it.
As Jennifer Joy Jimenez reminded us, “Our issues live in our tissues. And we need to feel it to heal it.” True transformation isn’t intellectual - it’s a full-body experience that reshapes how we show up in every aspect of our lives.
And one of my favourite insights from Day 3:
Often, the reason not to do something becomes the very reason you should do it.
Think about that for a moment. The very things holding you back might be precisely what’s calling you forward.
The question that changes everything
One of the most powerful moments of the weekend came when we were asked:
“If not now, when?”
It’s such a simple question, but it stops you in your tracks, doesn’t it? Because we all have those dreams we keep putting off for “someday.”
But as I heard someone else say just a few days ago:
“The road to ‘Someday' leads to a town called ‘Nowhere’!”
I believe he was quoting Tony Robbins.
So here’s what I’m sitting with now, and what I invite you to consider:
Are you expanding and growing... or are you shrinking, contracting and dying?
It sounds stark when put that way. But there’s profound truth here. Life is never static. We’re either moving toward greater aliveness or gradually dimming our light.
As Matt Boggs shared: “Fear is the doorway to a new life.”
Usually, when big ideas come, we don’t feel ready, it’s not convenient, and we have no idea how to bring it about. And this is good news! Because, this is a sign that life is calling us to grow beyond our current limitations. And the very things we’re most afraid of often hold the keys to our greatest transformation.
Building a dream isn’t just about creating something wonderful - it’s about discovering who you really are in the process and what you are really capable of.
How much are you willing to pay?
There’s a cost to everything, including doing nothing. As Henry David Thoreau so wisely put it:
“The price of anything is the amount of life you are willing to trade for it.” 🤯
Even when we get things ‘for free’, there’s always a cost - our attention, our time, our life force. Everyday that you breathe, you are creating another day of life. And what life is that?
Is it a life of safety, security and comfort? Or is it a life of adventure, growth and contribution to the greater whole - a life of infinite potential?
Are you living within the confine of the life you’ve been given or think you deserve? Or are you creating a life you love?
What are you trading your precious life energy for right now?
A gift for you
If something in this letter is resonating with you, and you’re feeling that gentle nudge toward creating a clearer vision for your life, I have something that might help.
I’ve distilled some of the most powerful visioning practices I’ve learned into a simple guide to help you clarify what you truly want. It’s free, and you can download it here: Creating Your Life Vision Guide
Join me next Friday!
And if you’re already a member of our beautiful Replenish and Rise community, don’t forget that there no gathering this week. But we’re gathering next Friday at our usual time to practice these principles together. I’d love to share more insights from my weekend and hear what’s alive for you right now on your journey.
🌟 Replenish and Rise Community Gathering
Friday, 6th June at 1:30pm UK
Link will be posted in the Replenish and Rise community
If you’re not yet a member but feeling called to join a community where we practice transformation together rather than just talk about it, now is a perfect time to join us. We’re creating lives by design, not default - and there’s a place for you in this journey.
With love and gratitude,
Nathalie 💫🌱
P.S. I’d love to hear your thoughts on transformation. What area of your life is calling for renewal right now? Comment below or hit reply and let me know - I read every message personally.
