"Bloom Where You Are Planted."

This week on WORDS MATTER, Deanna Ley, The Catalytic Coach, shares the story of a pumpkin plant that refused to quit — and how its journey mirrors our own growth. The episode’s quote is one you’ve likely heard before: 

“Bloom where you are planted.” — widely attributed to Saint Francis de Sales, and made popular by artist and illustrator Mary Engelbreit.

An old pumpkin became a powerful reminder that growth often starts in hidden places, survives hard seasons, and blooms when conditions finally support it. It’s about resilience, choosing your soil wisely, and recognizing that “bloomthroughs” — gentle, intentional moments of growth — can be just as life-changing as big breakthroughs.

What Listeners Will Learn:
 • How seasons of breaking down and unseen work lay the foundation for growth
 • Why the brain’s Effort-Reward Cycle and Stress Inoculation make hard seasons worth enduring
 • How to identify the difference between toxic soil and fertile soil in your own life
 • What makes a bloomthrough different from a breakthrough and why it matters
 • How daily, intentional choices rewire your brain for progress and resilience

Memorable Quotes:
 • “Bloom where you are planted.” — widely attributed to Saint Francis de Sales, made popular by Mary Engelbreit
• “Sometimes the most unexpected blooms come from the places we least expect to grow.”
• “Growth rarely happens in comfort.”
• “Overcoming the odds literally rewires our brains for resilience and confidence.”
• “If your environment is toxic, your bloom will struggle.”
• “Am I in a soil that is helping me bloom or a soil that is steadily stealing my light?”
• “I like to think of small moments of growth as bloomthroughs.”
• “Each bloomthrough tells your mind — growth is possible.”
• “The world needs the bloom that only you can bring.”

No matter where you’re planted today, you have the power to choose how you grow.

Your WORDS MATTER, because YOU MATTER.

❤️❤️❤️

Transcript

Well, hi there, friends! Hello! Hello! Welcome back to another episode of WORDS MATTER.

Today's episode is built around a quote I'm sure you've heard before. But of course I want to take it deeper.

The quote is, “Bloom where you are planted.”

Now, while it's widely attributed to Saint Francis de Sales, I have always heard it from one of my favorite artists and illustrators, Mary Engelbreit.

It's a phrase that sounds simple — even a little cliché — until life gives you a front row seat to see what it really takes to bloom and why that matters.

This past spring, I got my own reminder in the form of a pumpkin plant. See, last November after Halloween, we set our pumpkin out in the ivy bed at the base of the tree in our front yard. We didn't just toss it there to forget about it. We put it out intentionally as a little gift for the squirrels, the birds, and the rabbits that live close by. And for weeks they feasted on it. Slowly — but surely — the pumpkin broke down into nothingness. Or so we thought.

By the time winter had settled in, it seemed like it had completely disappeared into the soil and the ivy. But then something unexpected happened.

This spring, that old pumpkin started to sprout — against all odds. And today, as I record this podcast, it is a full-blown pumpkin plant curling around the ivy, covered in blossoms, and producing new pumpkins of its own.

Now, here's the thing... That pumpkin had to go through so much to get to that moment. It had to be broken down, piece by piece. It had to endure months of darkness and cold. Its seeds had to rest hidden in the soil, doing the silent, unseen work of germination. And only after all of that did it bloom into something new.

And that pumpkin plant has taught me something powerful in this season.

Sometimes the most unexpected blooms come from the places we least expect to grow.

Our lives are a lot like that. Growth rarely happens in comfort. To bloom where we're planted often means we're enduring seasons that feel impossible. It means trusting that our messy middle — the breaking down, the waiting, the unseen work beneath the surface — is part of the process that allows us to become something new.

Now you know how I love brain science, and there's some good stuff behind this. Our brains are wired to notice risk and discomfort before reward. Because that's how we survive. But research shows that overcoming the odds literally rewires our brains for resilience and confidence. Every time we push through a challenge, our brain's dopamine system lights up, reinforcing the belief that we can do hard things.

Psychologists call this the Effort-Reward Cycle. And it's that same principle that makes finishing a tough workout or completing a project feel so satisfying. Our brains reward effort and that reward strengthens our motivation for the next challenge we might face. And when we bloom in hard places, we're literally building neural wiring for future growth. Small, survived stresses create what scientists call Stress Inoculation, meaning we become stronger for the storms ahead.

And the pumpkin plant is a perfect metaphor. Against freezing nights, wildlife nibbling, and heavy ivy — it didn't give up. Its resilience became its bloom.

And every time we overcome something in our own lives, our brain takes note. It learns. It adapts. It prepares us for the next season of growth. But there's another side to this truth. We hear “Bloom where you are planted” and it can sound like we're just supposed to stay put — no matter what. But the soil matters, friends. If your environment is toxic, your bloom will struggle.

Seeds can sprout in poor soil, but they'll never thrive the way they could in the right conditions. And the same is true for us. Toxic soil in life can show up in so many ways. It can be relationships that tear you down instead of building you up. It can be workplaces that drain your energy and make you doubt your worth. It can be habits that quietly sabotage your health or your happiness. It can even be a mindset that feeds fear, shame, or comparison. You might technically survive there, but you'll never truly flourish.

Fertile soil, on the other hand, feels completely different. Fertile soil is full of people who believe in your growth and cheer for your blooms. It's the environments that give your creativity and your confidence room to expand. It's the daily habits that nourish your Whole-Self Health — mind, body, and soul. When we place ourselves in fertile soils, our roots grow deeper, our blooms last longer, and our brains thrive because they are supported — not sabotaged.

This is why self-awareness is so incredibly important.

We need to ask ourselves on a continuous basis, “Am I in a soil that is helping me bloom or a soil that is steadily stealing my light?”

If we are in toxic ground, blooming where we are planted isn't about staying put. It's about having the courage to replant ourselves in soil that will actually sustain our growth.

I like to think of small moments of growth as bloomthroughs. I came up with this word because a bloomthrough is very different than a breakthrough. See, a breakthrough is often dramatic. It's a big life-changing moment of progress that feels like fireworks and lots of WOWs. A bloomthrough, on the other hand, is gentler, more intentional. It's the small, daily choice to grow right where you are.

It's when you pause and decide, “This is my soil. This works for me. And I will grow here.”

Maybe your bloomthrough is speaking up in a meeting where you usually stay silent. Maybe it's taking a 10-minute walk on your lunch break to reconnect with yourself. Maybe it's saying yes to an opportunity that scares you or no to a commitment that drains you. Maybe it's simply choosing to water a friendship, a dream, or your own body with the care that it needs. What's amazing is that our brain loves these moments. Each bloomthrough tells your mind, Growth is possible.

Each one builds momentum, strengthens resilience, and opens the door for bigger blooms in the future. Your brain wires itself for progress, and the more bloomthroughs you practice, the easier your growth becomes.

So friends, I want to leave you with this today. I'm going to gift you an invitation. Take a look at your life — right where it's at. Where are you planted? Are you in a season of being buried, where the work is happening under the surface and it feels like no one sees it yet? Are you ready to bloom where you are — letting your roots take hold and your resilience show? Or is it time to replant yourself in healthier soil so your growth can finally match your potential?

All paths are valid, friends. All of them are brave.

They will all teach you who you really are. But remember my pumpkin plant. Remember that unexpected growth comes to those who endure, adapt, and reach for the light even when no one is watching. So take this with you today. “Bloom where you are planted.” Bloom in the hard seasons. Bloom in the hidden places. Bloom in the fertile soil that feeds your soul.

And if the ground around you is toxic? Have the courage to move.

Because the world needs the bloom that only you can bring.

Friends, the words we see and read, the words we hear, and the words we say to ourselves and about ourselves — about what we're doing and how we're doing it — they all matter.

Your WORDS MATTER, because YOU MATTER.

Have a great day.