About
Mission | Background | Framework | Strategic Pathways | Timeline | Founder
Mission
Soularly’s mission is to imagine, illustrate, and co-design a regenerative creator economy through a “truly” sustainable lens.
Background
A regenerative creator economy does not separate humans from nature. Consciousness is woven into everything we see; therefore humans— with our evolutionary creative free will and cognitive capacity— have a responsibility to care for all life.
regenerative creator economy
Ideas are currency in the Regenerative Creator Economy. Social systems and partnerships are rebuilt from the ground-up to support the continual process of learning, creating, developing, and sharing ideas. Regeneration is a natural occurrence when humans are balanced with their inner and outer Nature.
Science has shown that love and compassion have a positive influence on well-being, starting in utero. It is life’s default to create, die, and recreate. It is what makes us human to strive for connection despite the certainty of our death.
The Regenerative Creator Economy is the antithesis of the Attention Economy and the extractive GDP economy.
image of the future
In 1955, Fred Polak’s core concept in Image of the Future (IF) became a landmark for the futures thinking field. According to Polak, we each have an IF in our mind’s eye — we may mentally paint the future in a positive light, or a negative light, and ultimately our IF changes from stress, politics, mood, and the tolls of life itself.
He theorized that a civilization’s collective cultural IF communicates a story about that society as a whole.
This would mean how the future appears in media, memes, conversations, job markets, curriculum, etc. all collectively represent our cultural IF.
What is your image of the future? What are others’ images of the future? What is the world’s Image of the Future, and what does it mean about where we’re headed?
Or a bigger question is, what should be our image of the future? What masterpiece story should the world be telling?
“True” Sustainability
If “true” sustainability were possible, what would it look like? What would it mean to experience the ultimate preferred future, out of all the potential Images of the Future?
The truth isn't a thing of fact or reason. It is simply what everyone agrees on. - “The Wizard”, Gregory Maguire.
What If we believed in a reality where every life has their needs met, and we defined and agreed on those needs. Suppose we rewrote our ancient social contract, kept the best learnings from civilizations past, and left what hasn’t served us behind.
It may sound outlandish. It may sound impossible. But the idea of “true” sustainability can be as real as “tomorrow”. Even if it exists only in our minds as a symbol of the future, and we never stop chasing it, we never stop believing in Tomorrow.
Quotations around “true” help accept, embrace, and imply paradox. They grammatically point an ironic finger at true sustainability’s possible impossibility, suspending our disbelief, liberating our imagination from the shackles of the present.
Detour to explore “true” sustainability
Soularly ® Framework
SCALES
“True” Sustainability is relative
personal
We are the creators of our own reality. Thus, the baseline scale for “true” sustainability is ourselves and our own evolution.
communal
Humans are social creatures. Connections are not only essential for our well-being, but our preferred futures depend on collaboration.
cosmic
Humans create our own meaning through cooperative determination. Optimistic nihilism demands we consider what we decide to do with our limited existence in the cosmos, so too does cosmic “true” sustainability.
Stages
“True” Sustainability is intentional
GROUNDING
Minds create reality. In a moment, we experience a memory as it is created, sensing and interpreting to form a cohesive narrative of what the world is.
The grounding symbol represents Experiencer and Experience. At first glance it seems like the dot and circle are separate. But the circle is always around the dot and the dot is always in the middle of the circle. We are always a part of reality as reality is a part of us. Together, this image is powerful for considering our perception.
regulation
Life is a complex experience constantly in flux. We thrive when we regulate the dynamic flow of our ever-changing soul, our thought-ridden mind, and our biological body.
The regulation symbol builds on the previous to include a wave, illustrating the ever-changing nature of reality and self, and how the two influence each other to achieve a state of balance. It is influenced by the yin and yang symbol that represents eternal balance and change.
manifestation
You are a force of nature with untold potential. Manifestation involves empathizing with your future self to jumpstart an ideal reality through today’s actions.
The manifestation symbol places a dot outside the realm of reality to indicate an imagined creative act that transforms consciousness into that which seems impossible.
strategic pathways
Initiate the Regenerative Creative Economy with courage
Directly support creators, artists, healers, and teachers
Empower a creative path beyond the labor norm
Center on nature’s regeneration through authentic, action-oriented strategies
Advocate for time-off for all workers, and mandate rest season for Soularly employees and partners
give more value back to the community
Provide resources directly to people living in dangerous or undignified conditions, victims of domestic violence, refugees, the sick, disabled, or elderly
Sell and promote valuable designs, art, programs, and experiences that contribute to Soularly’s core mission
Divert wealth away from the attention economy by protecting safe online spaces, restricting Soularly advertisements, and promoting individual creators and platforms that directly support creators
Seek out, bring attention to, and intentionally incorporate the most ecological and socially mindful business practices available
foster deep healing & transformation
Inspire and deliver empathically designed & intersectional healing opportunities and tools
Commit and advance ongoing internal leadership training
Share free knowledge on pathways towards “true” sustainability
Distribute accessible research and education
Offer well-being resources for individuals and organizations
governance
Soularly is a participatory governance model with a hybrid codified charter which updates via collaborative townhalls and strategic foresight board meetings.
The hybrid codified Soularly charter combines both legally binding, clear and unambiguous rules with non-traditional values and rituals that uphold a transdisciplinary, adaptive legal structure.
Structure
townhalls
Townhalls are designed to collect feedback on the previous version of the charter, capture rediscovered shared meaning, and conduct strategic foresight towards the next 5-10 years.
Townhalls include these practices and lenses,
Yoga and meditation - one of the most ancient and accessible tools for wellness.
Foresight - a science and art for creating the future.
“True” Sustainability - Soularly’s North Star
Deep Listening - attunement to social and Natural cues
Participatory Governance- democratic participation for the members of the board, and other initiatives.
Join the first townhall
Timeline: Inception
2018 - 2023
Research and develop the Regenerative Creator Economy vision and “true” sustainability
“Temple of Sustainability” c. 2018
“Temple of True Sustainability” c. 2021
“Cyclical True Sustainability” c. 2022
Soft Launch
2024-2025
Strategize the business model, define the “true” sustainability North Star, and draft the initial strategic plan
Design the Soularly brand; coordinate events and design initial offering prototypes
Set up the Soularly legal structure and write The Charter v. 1.0
Launch the Soularly digital website; host an online space that offers accessible connection, wellness, and learning opportunities
Initial investment $3,000 | Revenue to date: $16,000
See Soularly project portfolio below
2026 - 2034
Pilot
Conduct an in-depth Doughtnut Economics City Portrait, as well as present robust scenarios that showcase the multiple alternative futures that are possible and preposterous for the city of Gainesville, Florida.
Leverage Gainesville’s vast, innovative network of non-profits and university students to research, discuss, and plan a pathway towards Gainesville as Florida’s first Thriving City.
Gather community leaders and young passionate thinkers within a series of workshops that both build futures thinking capacity and coalesce into foresight scenarios.
Earn funding from Florida and Southeastern sustainability and resilience equity firms and grants to further the output from the City Portrait’s research.
Establish a wellness sanctuary for yoga, meditation, healing arts, holistic health practices, educational opportunities, learning circles, and co-working spaces in Gainesville.
Grow an online space that diverts momentous traffic away from attention-colonizing algorithms
Invest in a recycling facility to manufacture stationery and educational content with recycled materials
Establish the Soularly Foundation to funnel wealth allocation to non-profits on a larger scale
Goal: 2035
Brick-and-Mortar
Expand a media arm focused on producing independent films, documentaries, animations, and online content that promotes Soularly’s mission and values
Generate global influence through strategic partnerships with thought leaders and activists
Showcase narratives and stories that are oriented towards restructuring economic norms
production studio?
Looking to 2050 and beyond
founder
Ashley Paige is the founder of Soularly Wellness Collective, a holistic, community-first model with a mission to initiate the regenerative creator economy. She is a futurist and healer certified in yoga, fitness, meditation, and Ayurvedic nutrition. She’s the Communications Director and a facilitator for Climate Café Gainesville.
She holds a Master of Science in Sustainable Agriculture and Environmental Science (University of Texas) and a Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Architecture (University of Florida).
founder’s creed
I, Ashley Bowers, promise to uphold the mission, values, and responsibilities as written in The Soularly Charter.
I commit to maintaining an open-mind even if it means departure from as Soularly’s director.
I commit to continue learning, unlearning, and relearning as a vehicle for personal and organizational progress.
I commit to respect and love the people who join Soularly in every and any capacity.
I commit to advocating for all workers and the most-vulnerable of society, namely oppressed, disabled, elderly, impoverished children, food insecure, ex-communicated LGBT+, homeless, agricultural laborers, and sex workers.
I commit to supporting the transition to a regenerative creator economy through my role at Soularly and in my personal life.
I will never consciously allocate revenue for personal use.
I will always prioritize the creators, healers, and parents who work at Soularly.
I commit to walking a personal and executive path towards “true” sustainability.
May the spirit that ties Nature together forever bless this organization, may Gaia deeply inspire this organization, and may Love be abundant through and by this organization.
- Ashley Paige Bowers