This is such a beautiful book.  Smart Growth takes us on a journey and  captures so many beautiful pieces from Whitney Johnson’s Disrupt Yourself Podcast. Honestly Whitney Johnson’s podcast is greatly influencing my reading list. As I read this book I was reminded of all the amazing conversations.  The richness of Smart Growth are the stories and how each different person navigates through The Stages of Growth.  It is by sharing our lessons in wisdom as we are going through The Stages of Growth we grow and then in turn help our people grow.

Smart Growth follows the S Curve from the Launch Point, through to the Sweet Spot and into Mastery. Whitney Johnson shares the six stages of growth which include Explore, Collector, Accelerator, Metamorph, Anchor and Mountaineer.

The theme throughout the book is around the S Curve of Learning and the importance of being true to who we want to be.

If reading another book feels like too much. Whitney has captured summaries at the end of each chapter. Choose one chapter at a time. If you have not discovered her podcast, listen to one discussion at a time as highlighted throughout the book.

As you move through your S Curve remember to celebrate. Love how Whitney Johnson speaks to this in the Mastery stage and such a great reminder.

“Sometimes particularly when we’re tired, its easy to forget what we did well, what we accomplished in our most recent waking hours. Self criticism can convince us the day was a failure, a waste. Remember to applaud the little victories. “

Over the past two years many of us have been riding many different waves.  In the Mastery Phase, Whitney Johnson compares the S Curve to a wave rising, cresting, crashing and washing into share.  This thought by Laird Hamilton, American big-wave surfer captures this so well:

Every wave is the beginning.  The ride, then the kick out, which is the end, and every wave is its own learning curve because every single wave is different.

The epilogue is beautiful as Whitney Johnson shares some of her insights from working with Clayton Christensen and his theory of disruptive innovation.

Highly recommend taking time to read Smart Growth. There is so much to savour in this beautiful book and one I will return to.

To the love of reading.  Be inspired.  Stay curious. Keep learning.

At The Nourished Executive we partner with business professionals and share strategies to invest in wellbeing, manage stress and prevent burnout.

Our founder, Sharon K. Summerfield,  is a Wellbeing Coach and a Holistic Nutritionist, with demonstrated success in nurturing healthy employees and high performing organizations. 

We have a strong commitment to giving back, investing in local community creating space for all students to consider careers in construction, science, technology, engineering and math.