Welcome to Still Hopeful

Natalie Parker is a transformational leader, storyteller, and wellness advocate who turned burnout and grief into her breakthrough. After years of navigating the nonprofit and business worlds —from multimillion-dollar grants to high-stakes leadership roles —she realized true success isn’t about achievement; it’s about alignment. Through her ventures, Still Hopeful and Rural Grant Resources, Natalie helps women, entrepreneurs, and changemakers rebuild from the inside out, blending structure with soul and strategy with self-care. Her journey from exhaustion to empowerment inspires others to find calm in their chaos, reclaim their energy, and lead with authenticity, grace, and grit.

I no longer measure success by how busy I am,
how many plates I can spin,
or how much I can give before I collapse.

I measure it by how calm I feel when I wake up,
how deeply I breathe before I say yes,
and how present I can be with the people I love.

I’ve spent years proving my worth; in boardrooms, in grant proposals, in conversations that demanded more than they returned.
And now, I’m done performing.
I choose peace over perfection. Purpose over pressure. Alignment over approval.

Wholeness is not a reward for exhaustion.
It is the foundation of everything good that grows.

This is the new hustle.
One built on boundaries, breath, and bold authenticity.
It’s the slow, sacred reclaiming of your own rhythm.
It’s learning that your value was never tied to your productivity; it was woven into your being all along.

So here’s to the women rebuilding from the inside out.
To the leaders who’ve been told to shrink.
To the healers who forgot to rest.
To the dreamers learning to receive as easily as they give.

May we rise rested.
May we lead softly.
May we finally believe that wholeness is the new hustle.