This is day 1 of our special week-long series on The Grove, an immersive experience on designing for meaningful change.
Dreaming of brighter futures
Yesterday, we talked about stepping out of the frenzy of oppressive systems. We embarked on a narrow trail that leads us to a quiet grove of trees.
As we start to move forward, you notice the quiet crunch of twigs underneath you. You feel yourself slightly sinking into the damp earth beneath you. It feels comforting — moments of peace aren't always easy to come by.
And in this moment, dreaming of brighter futures free from oppression feels a bit more possible.
When our hopes meet oppressive realities
But in the stillness, you feel a tightness in your body. Where is that coming from?
Well, surviving inside repressive systems heavily weighs on our bodies and minds. Let's not even talk about the weight of trying to make change within these systems...and holding onto hope in the process.
You may have experienced those tensions when you raised a concern about harm during a brainstorm and were met with silence — or worse, ridicule.
Or when you brought up accessibility, equity, or inclusion with leaders and got brushed off: “We don’t have time for that.”
Perhaps you've gotten a sinking feeling in your stomach about what will happen when your team or client ignores the voices of marginalized communities.
These tensions start to build up over the years. And they sometimes reach a breaking point. For some, it turns into numbness or total detachment. For others, it leads to burnout, flareups with chronic illness, material losses, or even worse.
I know this from personal experience, having experienced capitalism-induced burnout and chronic illness flareups repeatedly over the past 10 years.
You're not alone
If any of this resonates, you’re not alone. These are the signals of values misalignment and trauma of oppressive systems. Where your body tells you something isn’t right, even when you don’t yet have the words for it.
Sometimes, it's subtle. Sometimes, it's glaring. It's important to tune into those sensations and to hold them with care and respect.
I'll share more in the coming days about how The Grove can serve as a contemplative space for that — and how it can support you to reclaim your power to make change sustainably.*
Gather with us
In the meantime, I'm convening a gathering on Wednesday, July 9th for folks across all stages in their career to connect and reflect on what values alignment could look like in your work — and your life. I'll tell a few stories of what that's been like for me.
Join us if it speaks to you.
Until tomorrow, I'll leave you with one question: What have you been carrying that feels heavy to hold alone?
