How my Grandma's love for African Violets taught me about growth

While I don't have a photo of my Grandma's table full of African violets, my Mom was able to send me over her very own African violets - with the top left (purple and white) one being from my Grandma's original ones! - Feel free to enjoy their beauty.

Hey Reader,

A couple of months ago, I decided to replant my African violets because they hadn’t gotten flowers in over a year.

Turns out…they were actually rotting. No wonder nothing was blooming.

African violets are special to me. My grandma grew them like a pro, BUT they’re notoriously finicky...and I’m notorious for a black thumb…*AKA* the plant grim reaper.

They need:

just the right light
water from the bottom
the perfect soil blend
an afternoon soap opera (General Hospital, ideally)
and maybe even a goodnight kiss on the leaves

But my grandma? She could take one down to its last sad little leaf and make it flourish.

When I bought mine, I made a pact: I’d do whatever it took to keep them alive. So when I realized they were rotting, I had to get creative. That’s when I hired my already unpaid intern: Chad. (You might know him as ChatGPT.)

I’ll spare you the gritty details, but here’s the short version:

Starter pot → hopeful progress → got cocky → repotted too soon → almost killed it again → emergency restart → makeshift greenhouse → and now… BAM. Baby leaves everywhere.

Chad told me this process should only take a few weeks. False promises. Around the 1.5 month mark when things looked worse, I started spiraling:

Am I doing it wrong?

Did I push too fast?

Am I holding back too much?

Is it the wrong environment?

I almost threw in the towel. But I held out just a little longer…and that’s when the abundance sprung up.

Lean in with me…

Growth doesn’t always look like growth. Sometimes it looks like rot, or failure, or backsliding…or crying hysterically alone at your steering wheel while the neighbor kid stares at you awkwardly on his motor scooter...*oof*... Sometimes it takes way longer than the “guidebook” says. But usually, the exact moment you’re ready to throw it all away is when something new is about to break through.

So how do you apply this?

Take a page from my grandma’s violet playbook this week:

Water from the bottom.

African violets can’t handle being drowned from the top - they thrive when the roots quietly soak up what they need. Same with you: 5 minutes of deep belly breathing with your feet planted. If it’s warm enough - before you start your day, go outside and plant your bare feet on the ground while doing this breathing exercise. The earth produces electromagnetic frequencies that have been proven to help us as energetic beings. If you stick around, you’ll learn more about this.
The root check.

Before you chase the next big thing, pause and ask:
- Do I actually have the bandwidth for this right now?
- What supportive measures (sleep, nutrition, boundaries, routines) do my “roots” need before I expand?
- Would staying smaller for another season make me stronger in the long run? This isn’t about shrinking your dreams - it’s about strengthening your roots so the next pot doesn’t swallow you whole.
Find your light.

My grandma always knew which window was “the spot.” Too much sun burns, too little stunts growth. For you, that might mean moving your body outside, shifting your environment, or saying no to one thing that’s dimming your energy.
Spot the baby leaves.

At the end of the day, name one tiny sign of progress you might have overlooked. (Did you handle stress 10% better? Did you pause before snapping? Did you make it through a meeting without spiraling?) These are your baby leaves - acknowledging them is important for progress.

Because sometimes the best thing you can do isn’t to hustle harder - it’s to repot smaller, water smarter, and wait for the abundance to come in its own messy, beautiful time.

And if you’re curious, check out the progress of my African violets

- Renae

PS - See you next Wednesday - and if you liked this, forward it to a friend so they can join the fam, too.