Tell me more about the newsletter.
You got it. Every issue has five sections (with no filler, ever.)
Here's where I'll ramble a bit about a business realization, a learning or life experience - it'll be a little unpolished, but I promise there will always be a takeaway relevant to you as an entrepreneurial type with many interests.
Take a deeeeep breath, and enjoy the art that I curated for you. Slow your pace for just a moment.
The internet is overwhelming - so I want to share resources that I think will actually be helpful for you.
A spotlight on someone worth knowing - could be you! Community and collaboration are so key these days.
Where the 2-way conversation starts, with a poll and a prompt - hit reply and let's chat!
Let me tell you a story.
I wake up, look at my phone and see the dreaded “NETWORKING EVENT - 6 PM” on my calendar. My stomach turns to knots and the self negotiation starts - is it really necessary for me to go? I probably won’t miss out on anything anyway… but you really should go because visibility is important, how will people know what you do if you don’t go? Ok FINE, I’ll go.
I show up at 6pm wearing the same casual clothes I wear every day and immediately feel out of place. Ugh should I have worn more “professional” clothes? Just doesn’t feel like me… anyway too late now.
The icebreaker activity starts - why do these always have to be so cheesy? Then come the breakout groups - everyone using big words and trying to sound smart and prove they’re having an impact through their work (is this real life LinkedIn?).
Finally, I meet someone who is also wearing more casual clothes and we connect over our shared interest in painting. I feel myself relax and start speaking like myself again. The first real conversation I’ve had all evening.
When I get home, I collapse on my couch and take what feels like the first deep breath all day. Why do work spaces always have to feel so uncomfortable?
Maybe what we need is a different kind of space.
One where the personal and professional are not separate. Where you can show up, wear what you're actually comfortable in, and talk about the things that genuinely interest you - art, philosophy, social impact, entrepreneurship, and more.
A place where blending personal and professional means more than just the company slack channel #petpics.
A space where you can talk about a hard client situation, a book you loved, and a question that’s been keeping you up at night — all in the same conversation, without anyone looking at you sideways.
So, welcome to The Meristem Letters.
A weekly newsletter designed to make you pause, take a deep breath, and perhaps shift your perspective on something. It’s also a growing community where we come together for roundtables, events, and gatherings where different people with different worldviews have the kind of conversations that usually only happen by accident, at the end of a long dinner when everyone stops being professional.
Hi, I’m Nina.
A quintessential millennial woman born and raised in Toronto, with a Danish mom and a Greek dad. As a kid I needed a reason for everything. If you asked me to do something, I'd ask why? — and as long as I got an answer, we were fine. Nothing has changed, tbh.
So naturally I studied Philosophy and Psychology, then fell into digital marketing, moved to South Korea to teach English, went back to Toronto to study International Development, and ended up working in communications and fundraising at a women’s equality nonprofit in Guatemala. Eventually I started my own communications agency, Sunflower Communications, working with global impact organizations on narrative development and communications strategy. I also mentor early-stage entrepreneurs, students, and creatives — and have a side project called studio eleven where I share my drawings, paintings, and writings.
I live in Mexico City now, and Meristem is, in a lot of ways, the project that brings all of it together.
Ready to join?
Subscribe below and become part of the Meristem community. In your inbox, every Wednesday (...half way between personal & professional 😉).
If you've been looking for a space that takes both your work and your inner life seriously (and not so seriously) — this is it. No spam, no LinkedIn speak — just honest writing, real conversations, and a community of open minded people.
The first letter drops when we get to 100 subscribers! 🌻
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