We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Heather Neff. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Heather below.
Heather, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
Lately, I’ve realized I am more creative when I carve out the space to simply be. Creativity doesn’t come when you seek it out, it’s not linear but instead a natural process that ebbs and flows. And I let it! I plan out blocks of time with no specific agenda and the downloads just float in. Sometimes that space looks like taking a vacation to a new or unfamiliar area, sometimes it’s a window of time spent in the woods of my backyard. I find that traveling usually lends itself to creative exploration, even in the sky. There’s something about gazing for minutes at a time at big puffy clouds or the wake of a boat that draws me into the present moment. Something shifts inside my inner landscape when I drop into a state of wonder and awe. I also don’t make it wrong to rest. Earlier in my career I thought vacations and rest were a luxury to enjoy when I had completed the work in front of me, now I see that they are a necessity in order to keep the innovation flowing.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I co-own and operate Sterling Forest Lodge, which is a luxury boutique lodge and wellness retreat nestled in the Green Mountains of Stowe, Vermont. We (my partner Blake and I) believe strongly in both the power and medicine of retreating and strive to expose more to all that it offers . I’ve experienced an invaluable amount of healing and education throughout the communities and retreats I have been a part of throughout my life, and now it is my turn to serve others through this path. We are creating a movement within the experience of a retreat with a focus of authenticity, sustainability, and conscious community.
We curate and host our own programmed retreats where we focus on the practices and rituals that have been most influential and healing in our own lives. And we rent the space out to other teachers and leaders while supporting them in their own offerings. During our “Weekend Getaway’s” we teach others how to live more consciously through a number of modalities including yoga asana, mindful outdoor experiences, hydrotherapy (including wood-fired hot tub and sauna), ayurvedically inspired local nourishment, and soulful conversations.
Currently, I wear many hats, too many if I am being honest! From managing staff, to menu creation, to teaching yoga, and everything in between, it’s all a labor of love.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Patience, passion, and working in a restaurant. The first two are obvious, the last one is humbling and important. I think everyone should work in a restaurant for at least a year or two. It exposes you, teaches you what you are made of and what your limits are. It’s a dysfunctional culture that needs a lot of re-building, but it gave me many of the skills that I depend on today.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
I simplify. Our bodies are not designed to endure all the input and noise that we are exposed to each day, so I try to keep that in mind. When I start to feel like its too much I cut back. I eliminate anything on my schedule that is not absolutely necessary, I enjoy warm cooked food, tighten up with my daily ritual practices like meditation and yoga, and spend time in nature with my partner and my pup. I focus on the sweetness in life, and then I reflect and take inventory on what needs to be rearranged to reduce feelings of stress in the future.
Contact Info:
- Website: Sterlingforestlodge.com
- Instagram: sterlingforestlodge
Image Credits
Ali Kaukas, Luna Munn, Danielle Rabidou
