Reflections from Danna, September 2026. "Second Harvest: Gathering wisdom to cultivate what comes next"
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September arrives with that unmistakable feeling of transition—and this month, I’m thinking about it as a Second Harvest: gathering wisdom to cultivate what comes next.
Here in Northern California, we’re entering what I think of as “fake fall.” The mornings and evenings cool down, the light begins to change, and for a moment it feels like fall has arrived—before our second summer inevitably sweeps back in and reminds us we’re not quite there yet. The rhythm reminds me of what’s often true about transition. We rarely move cleanly from one season of our lives into another. There are glimpses of what’s coming, returns to what was, and moments when we realize something has been quietly ripening all along.
That’s what Second Harvest means to me: a chance to gather again, this time with the benefit of everything the season has already taught us. To look at what has grown, what has ripened, what surprised us, and what we now know that we couldn’t have known at the beginning. I’ve been feeling that deeply in my own life and work this year. My word for 2026 is synergy, and lately I’ve been able to see it showing up in ways I couldn’t have fully understood when I chose it.
In January, I knew I wanted to bring my energy in and align it more deeply with what I truly value—and with the value I can bring. In that desire, things started falling away, and what followed became one of the hardest seasons of my life, personally and professionally. It’s also why I haven’t written here in several months. I needed space to emerge from it—to regroup and reorganize my life.
As I navigated the changes, including some really deep waves of turmoil and grief, I remembered an image from years ago that has always brought me peace: When the seas are stormy, dive under. Dive beneath the waves and sit at the bottom of the ocean for a bit. Be still, but be thoughtful. Reflective.
So I started asking myself questions. What do I know is true about me, my values, and my mission—and where have I wandered from that? Where have I consistently created value? Where do my experience, strengths, instincts, and energy converge? And when someone uses my name as a verb, what does that mean? (That has actually happened a few times recently, and it brought me some delightful insight.)
For a long time, the different parts of my career looked like disparate chapters. Operations. Brand and marketing. Building teams and systems. Coaching individuals. Writing a few books. Advising founders, CEOs, and executive teams. While looking back may have felt nostalgic, the reflection itself was strategic. And the throughline became obvious—not only in my own mind, but in what others were asking of me.
That clarity has led to a meaningful evolution of Luscious Leadership, with Strategic Advisory now at the center of my work. I’m partnering with leaders, organizations, and individuals navigating growth, building something new, or figuring out what comes next—bringing together the strategy, leadership, operational experience, and human understanding I’ve developed across my career and education.
Across more than 20 years, I’ve repeatedly stepped into moments when something needs to become clearer, stronger, or ready for what’s next. Sometimes that has meant building functions and teams from the ground up, creating infrastructure for growth, developing new revenue streams and experiences, or helping leaders translate a vision into something their people can actually execute.
And sometimes the work is quieter: seeing the pattern inside the complexity, asking the question that gets to the heart of something, separating signal from noise, or helping someone see what they may simply be too close to see themselves.
It’s been interesting to recognize that figuring out what’s next hasn’t required me to invent an entirely new version of myself. What looked like disparate chapters were actually part of the same story. It has asked me to gather the experiences, strengths, lessons, and parts of myself that were already there—and see them together in a much more refined, resurgent, and synergetic way.
That feels very much like a second harvest: gathering from what has already grown and discovering there is more there than I first realized.
The Field Guide words I’m carrying into September—Wisdom, Quintessence, and Discernment—bring this into focus.
Wisdom – Trust your lived experience.
Wisdom is the alchemy of time, trial, and truth. It can’t be rushed or faked—it’s earned and embodied. In life, it brings perspective. In love, it offers patience. In work, it guides with clarity and foresight. Wisdom honors the past while illuminating the present.
Almost always, the wisdom we need for what’s next is already sitting inside the life we’ve lived—waiting for us to gather it and grow from it.
Quintessence – Your sacred essence.
Quintessence is the purest expression of who you are—the distilled clarity of values, vision, and soul. In life, it’s shedding what isn’t yours until only truth remains. In love, it’s clearing the debris of old stories and wounds, so you can meet each other freely. In work, it’s leading from your zone of genius, where your unique strengths create effortless impact. Quintessence is your sacred essence—truth distilled into radiant presence.
In distilling our life experiences, seemingly random paths, and different chapters, we can begin to see what has remained essentially ours all along: how we see, contribute, and create value.
Discernment – Your sacred choice.
Discernment is the wisdom to separate signal from noise. In life, it’s choosing what aligns with your values. In love, it’s seeing the difference between projection and truth. In work, it’s knowing when to pause, pivot, or proceed. Discernment turns awareness into choices that steady your path with integrity.
And harvest requires discernment: knowing what has borne fruit worth carrying forward, what still needs time to ripen, and what is ready to become compost—returned to the earth so even what has completed its season can nourish what grows next.
Together, these three Field Guide words create the rhythm of September: Wisdom gathers the lessons of what has been. Quintessence distills what is essentially yours. Discernment helps you choose what comes forward. The synergy of these three has brought Luscious Leadership into greater clarity: thoughtful partnering with leaders, organizations, and individuals ready to align priorities, strategy, and execution to create momentum and meaningful impact.
So perhaps a second harvest is an invitation to gather again—with greater wisdom about what you’ve been through, where you’ve been, and how you want to consciously cultivate what comes next. Because sometimes the clearest direction forward is already written in the quiet, unnoticed signposts along the path behind you.
Let’s Light the Way Together,
XO, Danna
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