Thank You, Trees
Breathing life into a dream to connect people with the outdoors
Creating and building Nature’s Playbook has been a roller coaster of emotions from the start, and yet it’s only just beginning. I started working on the concept with my mom, Gen, in 2020 as I was finishing school at the University of Colorado Boulder (sko Buffs!), starting my own little family, and of course as the pandemic hit when everyone was really needing to find more ways to explore outdoors. It was an idea that my mom had probably 15 years earlier, so I heard about it growing up and we decided to resurface it for a school project. The timing inspired us to dive in as people were fighting isolation, burnout, screen fatigue, and a society that nowadays is so quick to give a cold shoulder rather than a helping hand. The hustle and bustle is actually forcing us to NEED quiet time, to slow down and enjoy the little things, to encourage and be encouraged, and to spend time (any time) outdoors.
One of my favorite bands, especially at that time, is NEEDTOBREATHE. I’m not sure why they always capitalize it, I’ve never looked that up. But I assume it is to capture the urgency and deep necessity of taking a breath physically and theoretically, and all that goes into daily life (which is really, quite simply, quite a lot). They have many analogies in their lyrics to nature and the breadth of life, and I can’t help but think about the symbolism of even the name. Most days, we just need to breathe. How do we breathe? With oxygen! (That’s right, homeschool mom here and I do indeed know the answer to this one). How do we get oxygen? From the trees. Taking a step outside to get air. Have you ever noticed how often we just breathe, and not think about the power of a plant to give us that breath? Trees are there, they are steadfast and strong, beautiful, and loving. The world is perfectly designed for nature to steadily grow and communicate and care for itself and each other, taking care of us in the meantime. Thank you, trees, for helping me breathe today. Thank you, God, for designing it this way.
I’ve always said I would journal and record the journey of our company, the growth of this “hobby” company as some have titled it. To be clear, it is not a hobby company. Gen and I have always intended it to be a full operation, with purpose and presence in the outdoor industry. But, surprisingly, it is really tough to make money by giving free resources and services to anyone and everyone — who would have thought? So, here we are and five years have flown by as we have grown and encouraged others, uplifted businesses and organizations, and tried to make an app an operable tool to share experiences and to explore! In that time, I forgot to journal :) Ironically, starting a company that encourages people to take a step back, breathe, and get outside, got me caught up in all the hustle and bustle!
To be honest, I think that we have succumbed, as many founders and creators do, to wanting our product to be perfect before going to market. If you are starting a company, here is my biggest piece of advice: don’t do that! Invite people on your journey and share your product or service as much as you can, even if it’s not really come to fruition yet. I have watched so many popups and startups begin with nothing, and they are really doing something, they are really making an impact on their respective communities, sometimes even before they have a tangible product or service. It is such a beautiful thing to see community grow and encouragement seed. Even in our own company, so many people along the way gave us hope and shared our story, even when we felt it was nothing worth sharing yet. Thank you to each of you who did that!
Now we have a pretty capable platform (if I do say so myself), a few people on our bus, and the same mission to connect everyone to the outdoors. Nature’s Playbook serves as a tool for connection — to nature, to each other, and to impactful organizations. Whether it becomes the next unicorn app or maintains a small following of friends and family, may we never lose sight of what’s important. I am excited for our team to continue uplifting others in their journeys, encouraging growth (in individuals and communities), togetherness, and sustainable tips for exploring the earth!
So this is my official invitation: please join us and follow along on the journey! <3
About the Author
PJ is the CEO & co-founder of Nature’s Playbook. She strongly believes in the power of getting outside and enjoying the little things in life, and the little things in nature, that can bring a smile to somebody’s face.