Hi friends,

Listen.

We’ve come to a point in our relationship where I can’t lie to you.

I know I’m always popping into your inbox, talking about how social impact work is a key component of saving the world, and how you, as its leaders, thinkers, funders, and builders, are its heroes.

Which I do believe! But real talk? I have been no stranger to doubt these past few months.

Are we, as a workforce, looking at permanent shrinkage? And can I afford to stick around and find out?

Will I ever get used to this version of ‘democracy’ in the States, where we have to worry that commonplace advocacy endangers people more than it did before?

What’s the right move here — continuing on as we always have or drastically shapeshifting based on what we’re facing now? Do we even know how to do either?

But a benefit of freaking out at this stage of life is knowing enough to understand that if I’m feeling a little unsteady, the rest of my community likely is too.

Which is why I was so motivated to pull together our latest podcast episode and the theme of last month’s Issue Space event, “Impact In Flux: Surviving a Chaotic Impact Era.” It’s a conversation for all of us wondering, ‘Am I — are we — going to make it through this okay?’

In this roundtable chat, we sit with Kym Watson of Graham, Nagela Dales of OpenHouse, and Omar Hakim, LMSW of Apicha Community Health Center to mine our community’s own wisdom:

Looking back on our work in community advocacy, systems design, and mental healthcare, what lessons can we lean on to help us navigate this moment?

And as our guests aptly pointed out, “this moment,” with its political volatility and heartbreaking headlines, is hardly the first of its kind. But for many of us whose careers have unfurled in the U.S. over recent decades, this might be the first time we’ve so keenly experienced the realization of cultural dynamics and political postures we’d long feared, let alone in a way that impedes how we drive campaigns, support clients, and communicate with the masses on our impact goals.

Is our conversation all Unshakable Confidence and Expert Tips? Definitely not. There are enough triggers and pain points to remind us that we’re truly all facing our own uphill battle in this work.

But there’s also perspective and encouragement to send you back into the field just a little bit bolder and more believing than you might have been before.

You can watch the live podcast episode on YouTube / below or stream it where you like. 

But before you drop in — did you take our attendee survey from the event where this show was captured? If you were there, let us know! Your POV helps shape this Space and means a LOT. 💓

As always, you have my support and solidarity as we navigate these waters and try to do the work. Explore our latest conversations and, if you and your organization are interested in curating your own Issue Space conversation, don’t hesitate to reach out.

In community,

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