The Justice Walk - Feb 2025

Picking Up the Pace 🏃‍♀️(Sustainably)

February 11, 2025

Leadership support rooted in equity and justice

A photo of Abby with her chin in her hand looking up and off to her left. Abby is a white woman with freckles and long brown hair pulled back from her face. We can see the necks of a plum turtleneck, and green sweater.

"Maybe my anxiety *should* be pride?”This thought stopped me while I was out for a walk.My anxiety had been a struggle for the past couple of weeks. Partially because of my brain and partially the flurry of executive orders prioritizing and requiring division and othering.Walking along the road though, I suddenly remembered how much we can learn about our impact by recognizing who we make uncomfortable and angry. I work for liberation, justice, and belonging. As an individual and as my job. Yes, that’s “DEI.” The kind that transforms systems. That gets at root causes. That requires radical re-imagining. The most powerful man in the world has declared that the values and outcomes I am working towards are "illegal and immoral".He is BIG MAD. We must be doing something right!We must be having an impact!People don't try to decimate things they don't believe are a threat. Maybe my discomfort is rooted in my default and socialized urge to people-please.A person in a position of power, a man, is mad at me! My knee-jerk reaction is to feel guilt and shame. (Even though I'm a tiny part of a huge movement, it feels personal).But, I disagree with everything that powerful man stands for and espouses. Him being mad about the movement I'm involved with is a Good. Thing. I'm intentionally working to re-frame my anxiety as pride. As motivation. As an indication that we're collectively having an impact. As a signal that it's time to double-down. To pick up the pace. (Without burning ourselves out).LFG. Who's with me?

A blue square board in a silver frame. There is a message in white block letters that reads: Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion. bell hooks

Healing is essential.Othering, personally and systemically, is rooted in fear. In woundedness.Healing allows us to be rooted in love.It sounds "woo woo." I used to roll my eyes at the "nice, but unrealistic idea" of rooting our core in love.Then I started my own healing work.It's hard. AND, as I heal, my feelings of fear and shame have been decreasing in size. My sense of communion with other people has grown. I find it easier to move, act, and speak in service of belonging.Healing is personal. It happens in community.It's contagious.It's courageous.It's counter-culture.It's available.Every person's healing journey is unique. I can offer a few books that might (or might not) be helpful for you:

The sun is setting over a marina without any boats. We see water but there are trees at the horizon line. The sky is orange right above the trees, then light yellow fading to light blue and then darker blue higher up.

A beautiful sunset over a marina around the corner from my house. Lots of ducks visit only in the winter and I like to go spot them.

Mariame Kaba says "Hope is a discipline."St. Thomas Aquinas said, "Joy is the noblest human act."Committing to rooting ourselves in joy and hope when things are good and easy involves going along with the prevailing winds.Finding joy and practicing hope when things are hard...that's the nitty-gritty work.I'm not promoting toxic positivity.I am promoting the kind of joy and hope that names the hard AND claims the beauty.

a picture of a cat on a leash outside in the snow. It looks like it is frowning. At the top, white type on a black background says, "Me going for a stupic walk in the stupic cold for my stupid mental health.

Going for stupid walks in the stupid cold for my stupid mental health is one way I'm finding beauty. I get to see sunsets like the one above and learn that male ruddy ducks have completely different coloring in the winter than they do in the summer.I'd love to hear how you are practicing naming and claiming beauty and joy these days.

Strengthening Your Team

Could your group use some tools to work together with more intention, togetherness, and joy?My friend, ala ochumare, of Liberation U, and I co-facilitate personalized workshops focused on how to foster belonging and transformative relationships in organizations and communities.Sound interesting? Get in touch, we're booking for winter/spring 2025 now!

To learn more about my coaching and consulting, and find out if I'm a good fit for you and your org, email me at [email protected]Quick reminder to follow me on Linked In - button below.

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