The Tower, The Star, and the Business of Rebirth

Losing my identity and how I came back home to myself.

The Desert Was Silent

The desert was supposed to give me answers. I had taken myself to New Mexico, to walk alone through its vast, open expanse. It was January, cold and stark, and I had just closed my design studio—a business I had built for nearly a decade.

I was waiting for something. Some sign, some revelation. A whisper from the universe about what was next. But all I got was silence.

At the time, that silence frustrated me. Now, I understand.

Because the silence was the message.

I just wasn’t ready to hear it yet.

My Tower Moment

For nearly ten years, JSGD was my identity. It wasn’t just a business; it was me—my name (it began as Jessica Sutton Graphic Design), my work, my creativity, my reputation.

But toward the end, something was off. I had spent a year working with an executive business coach to help scale—targeting bigger clients, growing revenue, pushing the studio forward.

On paper, it was the right move. On a soul level? It wasn’t.

At the time, I didn’t have the language for what was happening. I just knew I was exhausted. The stress was insurmountable. I was constantly getting sick. I had suffered multiple miscarriages.

My body was screaming at me. But I wasn’t listening.

And then, as the Tower card depicts, it all came crashing down.

I told the world I was “sunsetting” my studio. I framed it as a peaceful, intentional transition—one that would allow me to work more closely with my clients again.

But inside? I felt like I had failed.

Failed my team.
Failed my family.
Failed myself.
And worst of all—failed publicly.

I had spent my whole life protecting my outward image. Growing up as a pastor’s kid, I was conditioned to be perfect in the public eye. That pressure followed me into adulthood, into my work.

So when I closed my studio, I did what I had always done—I made sure it looked polished and purposeful.

No one saw how lost I felt.
How deeply I was grieving.
How profoundly I was depressed.

How I had no idea who I was without my business.

The Star Enters the Chat

Not long after closing JSGD, my former COO gifted me a framed illustration of The Star card in Tarot. At the time, I saw it as a sweet parting gift—a nod to my favorite Tarot card, a beautiful moment of possibility. But I didn’t yet understand what it really meant.

The Star follows The Tower.

It comes after destruction.
After collapse.
After the breakdown of something that was never meant to last.

And in hindsight, I can see it so clearly: the desert was quiet for a reason.

At the time, I was so frustrated. But now, I understand—The Star isn’t about grand revelations. It’s not a loud, triumphant rebirth. It’s about quiet healing. It’s about slowly coming back to yourself.

That time in the desert wasn’t about answers. It was about integration. And it prepared me for everything that followed.

I spent the next few years untangling my identity from my work.

I dove into ethnographic research, a field that fascinated me.
I moved west to Los Angeles.
I spent time listening—really listening—to my body, my intuition, my desires.
I became a mom.

Slowly, I started rebuilding.

Not just my career.
But myself.

The Business-Body Connection

Looking back, I see it so clearly: My body knew I was misaligned before my mind did. The sickness, the exhaustion, the burnout—they were all signals.

Signals I ignored because I was too caught up in performing success. Too caught up in growing my business in the way I thought I was supposed to, rather than the way my soul was calling me to.

And here’s what I now understand—through my own journey and through the founders I work with today:

Your business is an extension of you.

If you stop listening to yourself, your business will reflect that misalignment.

If you push forward when everything in you is saying pause, something will eventually break.

The Tower moment will come.

And when it does, you have two choices: cling to what’s falling apart or allow it to clear the way for something truer.

The End is Always Just the Beginning

I’m sharing this now because I’m not the only one who has been here.

And in many ways, this is the why behind Terre~Prana.

Maybe you’re feeling misaligned with your business.
Maybe you’re exhausted, burnt out, questioning everything.
Maybe your body is speaking to you, and you’re afraid to listen because you don’t want to admit that something has to change.

But here’s the thing—not every Tower moment is total destruction.

Sometimes, it’s not about closing your business. Sometimes, it’s about parting ways with a version of yourself that no longer fits. It’s about releasing a mindset that’s been holding you back. It’s about shedding the parts of your brand that no longer resonate—so you can step more fully into what does.

The Tower doesn’t always mean collapse.

Sometimes, it’s just a clearing.
A breaking open.
A necessary shake-up that makes space for something more aligned.

I see you.

And I want you to know—this moment isn’t the end. It’s the beginning.

The Star always follows the Tower.

You will come back to yourself.
You will rebuild.
And what comes next will be even more aligned than before.