Paris reminds us that reinvention is always possible. In this episode of GenerateHER, we explore how the seasons of nature mirror our own cycles of growth, rest, and transformation. From role models like Edith Piaf and Marie Curie to everyday signals in our lives, we see that reinvention isn’t about erasing who we are but building upon it. Discover five timeless lessons to help us embrace change with authenticity, curiosity, and courage.
Episode breakdown:
Welcome: 00:00:00
Lesson 1 –  Turning weaknesses into strengths: 00:16:39
Lesson 2 –  Remaining authentic: 00:18:20
Lesson 3 –  Elevating others by elevating yourself: 00:19:21
Lesson 4 –  Being a voracious learner: 00:20:45
Lesson 5 –  Curious and adaptable: 00:21:59
Final thoughts: 00:23:07
Links:
Connect with Jane Bertch:
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Produced by Jane Bertch. Edited by Taisa Echterhoff.
Bonjour friends. Welcome back to Generator. So happy to have you back. Welcome if you’re new here. I want to talk today again about the Rontree, but I want to look at it from a different view. I feel like we’re still in this season and we’re going to glean the best of it. And the best of it for me is that the Rantree represents reinvention. And I love that. That gives me hope. There are so many things that we can look at around us that remind us that reinvention is a normal constant state. Somehow though we manage to talk ourselves out of thinking that applies to us. The whole world can change around us. The people can change around us. The seasons change around us. Nature changes around us. So we have all of those truths to remind us that reinvention is constant but for us somehow it seems unattainable. And I want to put that aside. I want us to remind ourselves that reinvention for us is a birthright. And whether or not you want to reinvent dramatically, I can tell you you reinvent every day. Just from a physical point of view, your skin is different, your cells are different. Hopefully, your mind is different because you’ve come across new ideas and new people and you’ve challenged yourself. But the question is, how can we apply that to a new version of us that we hope to be? And I want to look at nature for a second. Because one of the things I constantly hear and I tell myself and I’m trying to pull myself out of this is when I look at reinvention, I tend to anchor it in time and that’s a disservice. So if I look at nature, nature has no time. There is no set time. What nature does have is seasons. And that’s something we can learn about. And those seasons change. I cannot tell you a specific date that the cherry blossoms will appear in Paris. I will be guided by what Paris says, by what the climate says. The trees will evolve and change and blossom when they’re ready. There is no specific date. So, one thing I’d love for you to ask yourself is, what season are you in? Are you in a winter where you need to buckle in and refresh and give space and time but still plan? If I’m looking at nature and gardens and farming, one thing we can learn is that the winter isn’t about nothing happening. The winter is about things happening differently. We rest, but we plan. Are you in a winter? Are you in a spring where you’re ready to plant seeds? Where you’re ready to get your germination box going and you’re ready to plant all of these seeds and ideas to see what happens. Is that where you are? Or could you be in summer? And summer for me represents tending that garden that you’ve planted and working on it and seeing how things evolve, seeing what performs, seeing what beautiful flowers come out of it, see what seeds did not grow this season. Or maybe you’re in harvest where you’re now recouping all of the efforts and the learning and the experiences that you’ve had and the seeds that you’ve planted. Now perhaps you’re looking at them and seeing what worked well, what didn’t work, what do I want to replant for the year ahead, what do I want to plant a new for the spring. And guess what? That brings you back to winter. But the real example that we need to learn from is that we can’t stay in one season forever. And I find a lot of people stay in the winter and I can get stuck there as well. And the winter is I can’t do anything, but I’m going to plan and I’m going to plan and I’m going to plan and I stay in that thought process without ever jumping into my spring. And that is not natural. That’s something that we can’t stay in. Nature is a great example of that. So when we feel stuck in that winter, it’s up to us to push ourselves into the spring. And what tells us it’s time to push? We don’t need these very traumatic big life events, and I hope not for you. But we do need to listen to those signals. Sometimes they’re very weak and quiet, but they speak to us. They tell us that we’re not happy. We find discomfort. We’re having difficulty connecting with joy and enthusiasm. Perhaps we’re having difficulty connecting with others. Those to me are the signals that tell us it’s time for us to make change. So, let me bring you to Paris because I know a lot of you love Paris. And I do know that Paris is a beautiful city and it’s a wonderful example of how you can have something incredibly old and somehow here it’s charming and beautiful and elegant. Isn’t there a great lesson? That to me is a extraordinary lesson. But when you look at Paris in this wonderful liinal space it is, I see so many people that come here and seem to reinvent themselves for just that small window in time. So the way they feel, the way they show up, the way they present, how they behave is so different than when I see them at home. While I find it beautiful, it makes me sad because often times I sense that they leave that version of themselves here and they return to where they are and they continue to hope of the Paris visit that makes them feel magical. And you don’t need the Paris visit to feel magical. I would think you’d put yourself in a constant state of frustration if that’s the case. But what I do think you need that Paris represents is putting yourself in a new space. Putting yourself in a situation where you’re able to see things a new. That’s the difference. And how often do we do that? How often do I do that? I’ll confess to you, and I’ve talked about it openly. After 20 years of living in Paris, I probably don’t see Paris the way somebody will see it for the first time. And that’s totally normal. And instead of feeling bad about myself for that, because that sometimes is very hard to manage when you’re living and working in a city and everyone around you sees this enormous beauty and way to reconnect with themselves and you don’t. That can be difficult. So I try to find my ways to do so. So that’s a testament that we all can do that. And what are the ways that I do to dream and find future versions of me that I maybe don’t explore anymore in Paris after 20 years. I look at role models. I look at people who I love what they represent and how they represent it. And I use that information to tell me what that signals that I would love to be or do. And then I study it and I see can I recreate little bits of this for myself. That’s something that any of us can do anywhere we are. The other thing I do and you know I’ll talk about it openly. My journaling, my daydreaming. If I didn’t have that that moment in my mind to step away from the dayto-day, not only to evacuate all the concerns and the anxieties and the fears that I have, I then go into what is it I would love. I get rid of the trash and then I go into what is it I would love? What are the ideas and dreams that come to mind for me? And then I try to act on them. That’s the only difference. I’ve learned through all these years never to discount them because those role models, those dreams, those ideas, those are future visions of who we can be or who we want to be. So, they’re precious and dear and I listen to them and I hope you do the same. And I will say reinvention and transformation is hard. Nobody has all the answers. If you know exactly how things are going to turn out, you’re probably wrong. And by the way, I would say this to anybody that’s starting a business. If you feel that you have all the answers and you know exactly how it’s going to go down, I would never invest in you because you don’t. There’s no way you can. And that tells me that you’re not open and ready to be adaptable. No one knows how things are going to turn out. So leave yourself open to explore and see what comes and know it’s going to be a hard process along the way. That’s normal. So is it hard? Yes. Is it possible? Absolutely. I don’t have to tell you my story. I hope you know it. But the real moral of it is I came from a background where I didn’t have the same experiences, where I didn’t have the same education, the language, the business acumen, and I was able to do it. And if I can do it, anyone can. And I can and you can do it again and again and again as much as you want. And I also know that because that’s a state where I am right now. I am in a transitory period. I have a business in Paris that’s been wonderful. It’s connected me to so many amazing people. And I’m not going to destroy the foundation of what I have there. But I also know there’s more for me. And that’s what I’m working on now without having a 100% clear picture. Absolutely not. I want to see how things evolve. I want to explore different versions of me. I want to try them on. I want to see how they fit. And I encourage you to do the same because we know it works. And we know that you can go from zero to one if you put time and effort. And I think we have here in France and I’m sure you have all over the world wonderful examples of that. And the first one that I might give you is Edith Pia. If you don’t know her name, you certainly will know her music. Edith PF was the singer of Levon Rose, possibly one of the most played songs that is heavily associated with Paris. Edith Poff was homeless and poor in the streets of Paris. Homeless and poor. She sang in the streets of Paris. She reinvented herself into France’s most iconic singers. That has endured through decades. So, it can be done. And if I think of Marie Scudlowska, I may not be pronouncing her given name correctly, but you certainly know who she is. She came to Paris from Poland. no money, no relationships, no networks, and reinvented herself into one of the most important women in French history. We know her as Marie Cury, so it can be done. And the last one I’m going to leave you with, you may not know her, but I would encourage you to look her up. She’s got a pretty salacious background, which makes me love her even more. Madame Depador. She had no official title, none at all, and became one of the most influential women of her time. I’ll leave you, I hope, to just dig into her a little. Such a fabulous story of reinvention and she’s just a very interesting character. So, I will leave it at that. So, we know it can be done. We have all of these signs around us. You know, none of these ladies are with us anymore, but there’s so many present day people that we can look at. And they don’t have to be in Instagram. They can be in our own communities. They can be our political figures. They can be our teachers. They can be our fathers, our mothers, our cousins. But we have to open our eyes and look around us to see them because they are people that give us hope. They help us expand our view of what’s possible. And I’d love to talk to all of these people, particularly those three that I mentioned, and see what was their formula. What was their magic formula? I’m going to say that there probably is no magic formula. The magic formula is the one that works for you. That’s always the most important. But I do think there’s key elements. And I think there’s five of them. There’s many more, but I’m going to distill it down to five. And I want you to get a pen and paper. And I want you to write these down to remind yourself. And not just write it down and fold it away, but I want you to write it down. And then I want you hopefully to go back again and again and again and ask yourself questions of, am I doing these things? Am I putting in the work to reinvent and transform myself into the person I hope to be? Number one, all of these people, the three I mentioned or the hundreds we have access today, they turned their weaknesses into strengths. They turned their weaknesses into strengths. Edith Poff singing about misery in the streets of Paris, those became her songs. Those became how she spoke to people. What are you doing to turn your weaknesses into your strengths? Because I can tell you they are. And I’ve talked about this before, but to remind you, if I pick on myself, I’m just going to pick on one. I have hundreds of weaknesses, but one is, if you want to see it that way, I will never speak French eloquently. I’m okay with that. I will never have the accent of a French-born native. And I’m okay with that, too. For a long time, I wasn’t, and I tried to correct it, and I felt insecure about it. But you know what? Now, it’s my strength. Now, it can be a fun launch point for a discussion of the person I’m talking to because inevitably they’re going to want to know where I’m from. It can allow me to make mistakes without feeling bad. It can often lead to a laugh and a chuckle and perhaps be the start of building a relationship. So I no longer look at that as a weakness. I look at it as a strength and an opening to a discussion. So that’s number one. Number two, I think all of them remained authentic to who they are. They remained authentic to what was important to them. And to me that is truly reinvention. And reinvention for me is never about destroying the foundation. Absolutely not. It’s about continuing to build upon it. And we see that in cities and we see that in nature and we see that in people. How can you continue to build on who you are and still remain who you are and be authentic? You don’t have to pretend you’re someone else. You’re not. You may have different versions of you, but the foundation is still the wonderful, beautiful person you are. And own it and build upon it because that’s your secret weapon. Nobody else has the foundation that you do. Number three, I think they all elevated others by elevating themselves. That is a golden ticket. All of the ladies that I mentioned, they had great and farreach impact. And I think about that because Edith PF was not saving society. She wasn’t saving lives, but she was giving joy. She was giving hope. What can we do in our daily lives to elevate ourselves and have it elevate others? And I tell you, the first thing you can do is share your dreams. Let people know around you that it’s okay to dream. It’s okay to have interests and that you’re here to hear them. What are you doing to help support the dreams of others in your circle? What are you doing to allow them space to dream and a safe place to dream? Because I can tell you that’s something we all need. I too need to have a space to feel safe to express what I hope to have. Even if it looks so different from what people expect of me, what are you doing to create that environment? What are you doing to show up for your relationships? You don’t have to come to Paris to do that. Number four, they were voracious learners. They were constantly learning. And I’m not talking about just going to classes. When I say learning, I’m saying learning about themselves first and foremost, learning about others around them, learning about how the market changes, learning about how to connect with people, and yes, of course, reading, writing, seeking culture. I talk about these things over and over because those help you learn. They help you learn about yourself, how you’re triggered when you read something new. Perhaps it’s even data that you can use later in your personal or business life. What are you doing to learn? Ask yourself that. And as much as I can get stuck in it, too, there’s very little that I learn from Instagram. It’s a fun diversion. And I challenge myself to find the people in that wonderful online community that are sharing messages that inspire and help me learn. So, we all have access to the same tools. It’s about how we use them. Number five and last one on my list today. They were curious and adaptable. This to me is paramount. You can’t come out of your shell and your cave unless you stick your head out. You have to be curious to see what will happen next. What will happen if I dare use that curiosity to drive you? Tune in to that childlike curiosity that was so beautiful when we were younger. Tune into that to explore. On the other hand, partner it with adaptability. You don’t have to stay on the same path. If you’re curious enough to turn down that road and halfway down you think, you know what, I don’t like where this is going, know that you can be adaptable. Not just that you can be, but it’s expected and it’s okay to say, I’m not taking this direction. I’m going to adapt and change and be curious enough to see where the next path takes me. So those are the things my friends that I hope when we think about Laurentree yes it’s a wonderful time of year it’s filled with energy but for me it represents reinvention and how do we do that we have the choice to do that every day and I hope I’ve given you a few tools and thoughts just to prompt you to think about how you manage yours because you can do it passively or active ly, but you can do it. And I hope you choose to do it every day because I know every time you do, it’s going to be something even more beautiful than the last. So, my friends, that’s it for today. Sending you love and magic from Paris. If you’d like to reach out to me, don’t forget you can find me on Instagram. You can also find me on my Substack newsletter, Prompts from Paris, or send me a note through my website. I’d love to hear from you. I hope to see you next time. Thank you for joining me on this episode of Generate Her. If something sparked your curiosity or took root in your imagination or helped you to see possibilities just a tad bit clearly, I’d love to hear about it. Don’t forget you can always connect with me via my website jane birch.com or on Instagram. My handle is my name, jane birch. And if you’d like to go deeper, don’t forget to check out my newsletter, prompts from Paris, my retreats here in the city, journal prompts, and more that you can find on my website. Until the next time, may you keep tending your jardon, listening to your inner courage, and shining brightly right where you are. May tummy.