Welcome to the Blooming Mindset, a weekly dose of clarity, mindset, and practical wisdom to help you stay consistent, think more deeply, and build a life aligned with your identity and purpose. I'm ​Ruth Rieckehoff​, and I'm so glad you're here. ​Please share this newsletter with a friend!​

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Beloved Architect of Identity,

I watched them ruin a perfectly good turkey.

Not metaphorically. Literally.

Years ago, I used to attend a 3-day event that landed on a long holiday weekend. All meals were provided.

The first night was special. Formal dinner. Donated mains. The good stuff.

One year, the main was turkey. And for some reason, I volunteered to cook one.

I’m Puerto Rican. Turkey isn’t my first choice of holiday food.

We roast pork or pork shoulder. These require marinating for days.

So that’s what I did. I treated that turkey like pork.
Garlic. Oregano. Time. Patience.

I shopped early. Marinated on Wednesday. Woke up before sunrise on Friday.

When it came out of the oven, it was beautiful.
Crispy skin. Juicy meat. Deep flavor.

I was proud.

I dropped it off on time and went back to the event.

Later, a friend from the organizing team pulled me aside for help. We walked past the kitchen.

That’s when I saw it.

They had no system to keep the donated turkeys warm.

So they were reheating them…
By throwing them into giant pots of boiling water.

I froze.

All that seasoning? Gone.
The marinade? Stripped away.
The crispy skin? Destroyed.

They didn’t mean harm.
They just had a process.

But that process erased everything that made my turkey mine.

I lost my appetite. I lost my desire to donate. I didn’t cook another turkey for years.

And, I am telling you this story because, in essence, it is so similar to what often happens in business.

We season our work carefully.
Our ideas. Our voice. Our history.

Then we hand it off to systems, templates, platforms, and “best practices” that promise efficiency, but quietly boil the flavor out.

We follow blueprints we didn’t design.
Publish in spaces that flatten nuance.
Optimize until everything tastes the same.

Then we wonder why our content doesn’t connect.
Why our copy feels hollow.
Why we’re tired of creating.

It’s not because you lack skill.

It’s because somewhere along the way, you stopped being the head chef.

You started cooking for someone else’s kitchen.

What changed everything for me wasn’t learning a better recipe.
It was realizing I could choose where and how my work was served.

Direct channels.
Intentional formats.
Assets that stay seasoned.

No middle pot. No boiling water. Just ownership.

2026 doesn’t need a louder version of you. It needs your flavor, intact.

Cook your turkey the way you were taught.
Or the way you discovered on your own.

And protect it all the way to the plate.

Until next week! Keep blooming!

Ruth

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Reflect

1. Where in your business have you followed a process that quietly stripped away your voice?
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2. What part of your work used to feel alive, but now feels boiled down and bland?

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Reframe

Old belief: “I need proven templates and platforms to succeed.”​
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New belief: “I decide how my work is created, distributed, and preserved.”

You’re not here to feed the masses the same meal. You’re here to cook something unmistakably yours.

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Product & Resources

​Reflection to Revenue - A rapid-response GPT that turns any setback into a clear action plan or monetizable asset in minutes. Setbacks → Clarity → Action →Revenue

​Rooted Flow System - Design systems so you can stay consistent, manage your energy, and grow your business without losing your peace.

​From Reactive to Rooted - Tired of putting out fires? This mindset and action guide helps you shift from scattered to strategic, so your days flow from clarity, not chaos.

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P.S. What is your holiday favorite main dish?

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