Move. Think. Rest.

Dr. Natalie Nixon has never been easy to put in a box. She’s been a fashion executive, an anthropologist, a professor, and now runs her own company, Figure 8 Thinking. But beyond the titles, she’s a lifelong dancer, an open-water swimmer, and someone who has dedicated her work to helping people reconnect with creativity in everyday life.

Her new book, Move. Think. Rest., reimagines productivity not as a grind but as a cycle of movement, reflection, and renewal. At a time when so many of us feel stretched thin by burnout or the pressure to “always be on,” Natalie offers a gentler, more sustainable alternative: flourishing through balance.

We sat down with Natalie to explore her journey, the ideas behind Move. Think. Rest., and how FLOWN helps her turn those ideas into practice.

When people ask what you do, what’s the answer that feels most “you”?

I am a creativity strategist - which means that I help leaders and teams connect the dots between creativity and business results. The goal in my work is to change lives with ideas and to help build a capacity for creativity so that they can consistently and sustainably innovate.

You describe yourself as a “Creativity Whisperer to the C-Suite.” Can you share an example of what that looks like in action/what that means to you?

Some - not all, but some- C-Suite leaders do not self-identify as being creative. They think that only artists are creative.  But the truth is that creativity is part of our birthright as humans. When I explain to them that creativity is our ability to toggle between wonder and rigour to solve problems, deliver novel value and produce meaning, it's like a light bulb goes off! They begin to reframe how they think of themselves as leaders and how they approach their work. They dare to reimagine what’s possible, essential and transformative in their work.

What does a perfect workday look like to you?

I get up early enough in the morning to begin my day with a 15-minute long body stretch. I would do my deep thinking work in the morning and manage to be really focused and get something significant completed on two projects - without trying to do a lot of little things. I would clock off by 2 pm. I have at least one 2-minute-long daydream break- ideally standing by a window, watching clouds drift. I would have a full 60-minute lunch break, and I would spend 30 minutes in the afternoon to read fiction.

For those new to it, how do you explain the Move. Think. Rest. approach?

MTR (pronounced “motor”). is an integrative human-centered approach to our work day that requires us to bake in movement hygiene; thought modes encompassing backcasting and forecasting; and intermittent resting. It’s a model that requires us to ask ourselves “What might I cultivate today?” instead of asking “How might I be more productive today?”.

When we take on the cultivation approach it’s a both-and approach: we value quick spurts of growth as well as slowing down;  we value working solo in addition to working collectively and collaborating; and we understand that we must measure what we see but we also acknowledge that a lot is getting accomplished during dormant times when we need to sleep on it and let things percolate.

What sparked the MTR framework – was there a personal burnout moment or a client story that showed you we need a new operating system?

Both. It’s rooted in my own personal burnout experience when I was a professor and had to reckon with a sense of misalignment internally. It also came from doing consulting work in the Innovation space in the early years of building Figure 8 Thinking where some clients would confess to me that they were dying a slow death at work. That was very meaningful for me to hear because as a creativity strategist I know that using creativity as a strategic competency in our teams and our organizations necessarily means we do our work with meaning and purpose.

Which of the three – Move, Think, or Rest – do you personally struggle with the most, and how do you try to protect that space?

I feel relatively balanced but I am most deficient at rest. I build in times into my schedule... called “BUFFER” which are my signals to go for a short walk or to have a daydream break. Otherwise I will work through the time. It feels counterintuitive in a culture where we value “pushing through”, but my work suffers when I don’t take intermittent breaks.

On FLOWN

How did you discover FLOWN and what was the main reason for trying our platform? What keeps you coming back?

I met Alicia Navarro after interviewing Nick Begley of Illume for Move. Think. Rest. I then interviewed Alicia and decided to give FLOWN sessions a try. I was very sceptical at first. But after my first drop-in session, I was convinced! Maybe it’s some sort of subtle peer pressure at work, like when you walk into a hushed library.

How do FLOWN sessions help you put MTR into practice? Can you share a specific example?

I like the way FLOWN builds in play in the form of puzzles and games as options when you take a break. Play is the ultimate MTR activity because it literally requires us to move around a bit; it challenges to imagine or get deeply curious and to reframe our thinking and it's a really nice break or rest from the work we've been focused on.

Have you discovered unexpected benefits, like collaboration or new ways of approaching rest or deep work, since joining FLOWN?

The FLOWN Drop-In sessions have a wonderful accountability built into them. When you share your intention, it is so helpful.... whether it's to answer emails or complete a project proposal, we have a shared mission.

Looking ahead

If organizations and individuals embraced both MTR and tools like FLOWN, what would the future of work look like to you?

The future would have workplaces designed in biophilic ways, acknowledging that organizations are organisms. They would have a diversity of space design that could accommodate the different thinking styles and rhythm of work, or collaboration styles needed situationally, depending on the work project.

What’s next for you, and where can people follow your work?

People can follow my work by signing up for the WonderRigor™ newsletter at www.figure8thinking.com. I am amplifying the ideas in Move. Think. Rest to start a MTR movement, for individuals and for teams.  I'm also launching more courses on the Figure 8 Thinking website so that these ideas will stick and people can operationalize the exercises shared in the book.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give someone who wants to cultivate creativity in their daily work?

Start by scheduling in micro-breaks every 30-40 minutes. If you work in an organization explore with your colleagues the possibility of experimenting with how you design and run meetings.

Is there anything else you want to mention or promote?

Yes, please purchase Move. Think. Rest. for yourself and a friend! And share a review online as well as feedback with me directly. Thanks!

Natalie’s work reminds us that productivity isn’t about doing more, but cultivating the conditions where creativity, connection, and well-being can thrive. Her Move. Think. Rest. framework, and her use of FLOWN to put it into practice, offers a roadmap for anyone looking to flourish in the Imagination Era.