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The Quiet Season: Grief, Deep Work & the Rebuilding of Intrinsic Maven

  • Writer: Mary G
    Mary G
  • 4 days ago
  • 3 min read

For much of this past year, I’ve been quiet.

No big launch.

No public wins.

No new clients.

Just ... quiet.


Grief. Reflection. Deep, slow rebuilding.


This wasn’t burnout. It was something deeper, a personal and professional shift that began early fall last year, and deepened after I lost one of my best friends, Eri.


Her passing changed everything: my energy, my pace, my capacity.


It reminded me how fragile this all is, how much time we spend doing, and how rare it is to actually be.


So I paused.


I served existing clients with the care and support they're accustomed to.

I scaled back on content, outreach, and external growth.

I turned inward, toward my home, my studio, my heart.


What looked like silence was actually deep work

I’ve always been reflective by nature, but this season pushed me into a new kind of clarity. Inspired by the book Deep Work by Cal Newport, I gave myself permission to step away from the noise and dive into focused, unhurried thinking.


What started as grief became a kind of strategic sabbatical, not away from work, but into the core of the work.


Behind the scenes, I was:

  • Reimagining what I want Intrinsic Maven to be

  • Refocusing our services and offerings

  • Realigning how I show up, as a strategist, creative partner, and founder


I didn’t just revisit our frameworks and processes; I began to reframe them.


What used to focus primarily on strategy now expands into something deeper:

Legacy. Purpose. Self-development.


I’ve always believed branding was about more than aesthetics, but this season pushed me to go even deeper.


In the past, I focused on traditional strategy: mission, vision, positioning, and audience. But now, I see the even bigger picture. Real brand clarity comes from within, through alignment, identity, and long-term impact.


It’s not just strategy anymore. It’s self-development branding.


When you build in the dark, you emerge with direction

We talk a lot in branding about “clarity,” but the truth is, clarity often requires discomfort.


It’s not found in productivity hacks or constant posting. It’s found in stillness. In grief, in asking hard questions. In walking away from what’s easy to make room for what’s true.


And from that place, something new started to take shape, both for Intrinsic Maven and for me as a creative leader.


The new direction (& what's coming)

Intrinsic Maven is no longer just a branding studio.


It’s a space for strategic brand transformation, blending deep thinking, long-view brand development, and intentional design.


What’s coming next:

  • A refined brand philosophy built around Clarity, Expression, and Stewardship

  • Our new offerings, including legacy-driven brand strategy, identity design, and long-view consulting

  • Case studies that show what happens when businesses align from the inside out

  • Personal reflections from the founder’s seat, including more behind-the-scenes looks at what it means to grow quietly, deeply, and intentionally


This work may not always be loud.

But it’s always done with care.


I’ve also started shaping a new reflection practice, something I’m calling GCMH: Gratitude. Creation. Miracles. Health.


A way to track what I’m grounded in, what I’m building, and how I’m staying well as a founder. I’ll be sharing more about that soon.


If you’ve been in a quiet season too…

You’re not alone.

Maybe you’ve been grieving.

Or shifting.

Or simply outgrowing what used to fit.

I see you.

And I want to remind you: you’re not behind. You’re becoming.


Stay connected

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing more about our rebrand, our refined services, and the values that guide everything we do at Intrinsic Maven.


If you’re curious about branding from a deeper place, one built on purpose, identity, and long-term vision, I’d love to have you along for the journey.


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