Remote Working

Autonomy published their blueprint for remote working; The New Normal authored by Francesca Farruggia, Phil Jones, Julian Siravo and Alessandro Bava. Ways of working continues to change and statics indicate that since Covid, remote working is on the rise. Access to remote work is in actuality a statutory right, available to any employee that has worked in their current role for at least 26 weeks. With social distancing measures likely in place at least until 2022, many will continue working from home for the foreseeable future.

Working from home has its benefits but there are also negative impacts like extended boundaries between work and leisure becoming blurred. The UK labour force survey found that 80% of overtime carried out from home goes unpaid, compared to 60% of office work. During the pandemic, the average workday increased by 8.2% – nearly 50 minutes.

Community Coworking

Tribe has been built on the benefits of local, community working. The value of being able to physically separate work from home, connect with others and build your professional networks are easy to demonstrate. We have, until the pandemic, mostly catered for freelancers-providing a place of work and combat isolation. We are now seeing enquiries from employed individuals who are finding working from home impossible or challenging. The meshing of employed and self-employed opens up new collaborations and opportunities yet to be fully realised.

Revitalise the high streets

Other perks of local coworking spaces have shown that remote workers generally prefer to shop locally.  This shift represents a significant opportunity to restore the UK’s failing high streets. Tribe really hopes that once our local cafes, deli’s, restaurants, library and shops are fully open, the larger number of at home workers and the community from Tribe, will help rebuild our local high street businesses.

If you have thoughts or ideas regarding Portobello’s local businesses, we would love to hear from you.

Let the light in

There was a moment, and I mean about 13 seconds, of sunshine the other day and it hit me like a bolt of lightning. My body reacted, I felt lifted and brighter in my chest, all before my mind knew what was going on. The realisation that a moment of sunshine could impact me so much was joyous and a reminder of the darkness.

I was surprised by my instant happiness to the light as I claim to quite like the winter season and the idea of wintering. A time to go inward, slow down and meander in the dark. Perhaps the combination of lockdown and the Scottish winter (limited daylight and wet for those who don’t know) has made this time of year particularly challenging.

In the cold, short days of winter, the darkness outside seems to correlate with a darkened mood within us; it’s an observation that goes back at least as far as Hippocrates.

According to Maya Kroth, darkness can affect us all, and in surprising ways. Science suggests that darkness can do all kinds of things to the human body and brain: It can make us more likely to lie and cheat, make mistakes at work, and even see things we don’t normally see.

 

“Darkness is like a mirror: It shows you what you don’t want to see.” -Anoula Sifonios

I have been researching different biological rhythms, otherwise known as chronobiology. It examines the effects of time on biological events and internal biological clocks.  Physically, without bright morning sunlight to reset it every day, your internal clock will increasingly run out of phase. For most people, that means they get up later and later.  This would explain why my 15 year old would rather wake up at 4pm than 8am.

The best part about the darkness is how it helps me look at the light.  Your internal clock gets activated when light coming in through the eye stimulates a part of the hypothalamus called the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which is responsible for controlling circadian rhythms. As all of the rhythms are part of chronobiology, it is no wonder how lightness and darkness effects us in so many ways.

 

Going even deeper than a good night’s sleep is understanding your own light.

What role can you play in creating, bringing and being the light?  I’m inspired by my best mate’s 2021 purpose: to bring the light and actively seek out opportunities to bring the light to challenges at work.  Knowing that you can create the light and even be the light —well, that is illuminative.

 

In these dark times, where can we find light?

From small adaptations like hygge (the Danish concept of intimate coziness and warmth), to seeking out opportunities at work to be the light, and even courageous acts from having an open, light heart. These acts and moments of light shine even brighter in these especially dark times. Trusting that we all can be a light in so many different ways is hugely comforting.

Here are some superb words about how to find light from darkness by Parker Palmer;

“Suffering breaks our hearts, but the heart can break in two different ways. There’s the brittle heart that breaks into shards, shattering the one who suffers as it explodes, and sometimes taking others down when it’s thrown like a grenade at the ostensible source of its pain. Then there’s the supple heart, the one that breaks open, not apart, the one that can grow into greater capacity for the many forms of love. Only the supple heart can hold suffering in a way that opens to new life.”

As always, I would love to hear from you.

Keystone

June 1991, I can still remember the bright sunny morning, driving under the arch of the wooden Keystone Wye bridge with the feeling of delight and a new found sense of freedom. I was on my way to my first official job having passed my driver’s test two month’s prior.

Keystone was and still is a small, ex mining town in the Black Hills of South Dakota and about 20 minutes from where I grew up in Rapid City. When I say small, I mean it has a population of 340 year-round residents. Keystone’s origins can be traced back to 1883, when it was founded as a mining settlement and later became one of the richest gold-mining areas in the Black Hills.

For the three months of summer, I would drive my light blue Honda Civic Hatchback to Keystone and clock in (I can still remember the time card machine chomping down on my card— there was no way to cheat it if you were late) at 7am and chomping out at 12noon. 

Even though I was just cleaning hotel rooms at the not so glamorous Rushmore Express, and getting up at the crack of dawn, I felt liberated.  At the ripe old age of 14 years old (yes it is legal in some states to get a full licence at 14 years old),  I was proud to be earning money for myself.  I was finally grown up — I had transitioned into the world of employment; or as us Americans have been sold, into the land of opportunity.  Saying that, I know now my race to adulthood was based on achieving, pleasing others and escaping some aspects of home. In any case, it felt brave and exhilarating. 

What is a career path exactly?

Like most people, I am both the same and completely different from my 14 year old self. Who we are and what we do are so connected but yet when we are growing up, we are usually asked ‘what do you want to do or become?, not ‘who are you?’.  Maybe because most perceive young people can’t really know who they are; but I think it is mostly because we have based our career cultures around chasing outside things and to seek approval.  We are rarely encouraged to, or shown how to go inward.

For example, have a quick search for career path and you get neatly wrapped up choices — as if we all fit into ’10’ different career boxes.  At best, you will get reassured that your career path might not be linear but winding.  Most career advice centres around how to get noticed, or go that extra mile and how to have a CV which stands out. This approach focuses on all of the details and misses out the big picture.

 

Finding Your Spark

Jonathan Fields, founder of the Good Life Project has developed a business around supporting a good working life.

“Work that lets us wake up in the morning and know, deep down, we’re doing what we’re here to do. Work that sets us ablaze with purpose and, fully-expressed in a healthy way, becomes a mainline to meaning, a pathway to that transcendent state of flow, and a gateway to connection and joy. Put another way, work that “sparks” us.  We call this imprint your ‘Sparketype‘ (well worth doing their free test if this is of interest to you).  Your Sparketype reveals the essential nature of the work you’re here to do. Once you discover it, there is an immediate, intuitive knowing. An undeniable truth that explains so many past choices and outcomes, and empowers you to contribute to the world on a very different level. To spark your life, and ignite those around you.”

So at 14 did I know what I wanted to do because I knew my sparktype? No of course not, but I bet if I was asked what brings me joy or when do I feel most alive, my career journey would have looked differently.

 

How do you want to feel?

Who gets asked this growing up or even as an adult? Most of the time, at least in my memory, I was told what to feel, not asked how I wanted to feel.  Imagine if we were asked, ‘how do you want to feel as a student’, or ‘how do you want to feel as an employee in this company’  or  ‘how do you want to feel in this relationship’?  These are much better questions than what do you want to be when you grow up, or what kind of job do you want to have, or what kind of partner do you want.

The other good question we should ask ourselves, especially when we are adults is ‘Where does it hurt’? What do you need to attend to so that you can better answer the question, who am I and what do I want to do?  Civil rights legend Ruby Sales learned to ask “Where does it hurt?” because it’s a question that drives to the heart of the matter — and a question we scarcely know how to ask in public life now.  Sales says we must be as clear about what we love as about what we hate if we want to make change.

 

Three Buckets to Life

Jonathan goes on to say you should think of your life as three buckets; vitality, (the state of your mind and body), connection (relationships) and contribution (how you contribute to the world).  The fuller your buckets, the better your life.  How to fill up those buckets and finding ways of stopping any leaks is in the doing. That takes effort, awareness, intention, and I for one in up for that work. Looking after those buckets should be the challenge of life, not figuring out the importance of the buckets in the first place. How can we align our culture and education better or maybe we are in the process of doing so already? Hopefully the post industrialised society with its increased valuation of knowledge will go even further, or rather back to its centre, the importance of all living things.

 

The Journey to Keystone

Perhaps that joyful freedom and itch for adventure was ignited with that first job. That pairing of freedom and work might have been what later led me to move 2000 miles to North Carolina and again a further 3,000 miles to settle here in Scotland.  I love that my working life started with that journey to Keystone and the significance of a keystone. It is the most important stone — a bridge or stone arch gains its stability from the placement of the keystone and holds all of the other stones in place.  I believe my curiosity and commitment to my working life was started back then.  Maybe the keystone has finally just been placed and all the other bits are now held and strengthened — that feeling of freedom and exhilaration fortified. 

In some ways, that drive on US 16 represents all of me so well. Portions of that road are called the Keystone Wye and portions are known as the Iron Mountain Road. The highway runs near Mount Rushmore National Memorial, and its eastern line extends to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, near the edge of Badlands National Park.

I no longer think of my career as a destination but more of a mix of the new, the sacred, the wild, the unknown and most of all, the beautiful, long, winding road. 

Perfect Gifts

Tribe Porty Member Makers

 

Give the Gift of Juggling for Christmas!

Offer the aspiring juggler in your life all the kit and skills they need to learn to juggle a three ball cascade, as part of an exclusive Learn to Juggle intensive learning experience this January. Our gift set is perfect for any would-be-juggler (we recommended it for ages 8 and upwards). There are Juggling Gift for One and
Juggling Gift for Two.

MORE HERE

 

Adopt a Tool this Christmas! 

Each one of our tools plays a part in supporting the local community – from our Tools for Life program which mentors and trains disadvantaged youth, to our most borrowed tools which not only help houses become homes, but help the planet with their carbon footprint too.

Whether it’s your way of giving back, a gift for a tool-loving companion, choose the tool you want to adopt, pick a donation plan that suits you and together, let’s build a shared future. Adopt here.

You can also, Gift the experience of working with your hands and making something new out of everyday materials. This pre-recorded workshop is £5 and will be available from Nov. 28th – Jan 31st.

Last but not least, memberships to the Tool Library make excellent gifts!

 

Give the Gift of Healing

Would you like to help someone clear away the energies of 2020? Check out root at the link below and get in touch with Molly Shanahan if you would like to gift a shamanic healing or energy healing session to a friend or family member. It is a great way to release this year and step anew into 2021!

MORE HERE

 

Prints from Kirkcudbright

Limited Edition Prints from Kirkcudbright, Portobello and Falkland books are available via Peter’s etsy shop along with the books themselves. peterjoneshouses on Etsy

House Portrait and Book Portrait gift vouchers are also possible, please contact Peter directly with your enquiry here.

 

Cards worth Talking About

IL Design Studio has designed a series of cards to highlight the subject of men’s mental health and the view that men have greater difficulty talking about their feelings and struggles than women do. The aim is to encourage men to talk, express their true feelings, be there for each other and never feel afraid to speak up or ask for help.

All orders over £10.00 receive a 10% discount. Code: THANKS10

Order HERE

 

Capturing Dani

On the back of my last #100dayproject drawings, I have created lots of illustrated prints. There are 30×30 prints and three sets of 8 different postcards available. To order, go to Capturingdani.com and use TRIBE for a 20% discount on all purchases.

See more here.

 

Pilates with The Pilates Studio

Click here or email Sabrina@thepilatesstudioedinburgh.co.uk to buy gift vouchers for:

Find out more here.

 

Jenny Pope

Jenny Pope, artist and coach, is offering a one off Coaching sessions for £60 – making it an ideal gift to someone who wants to start 2021 with a plan, to review what 2020 has meant and what to take forward into the new year.

Jenny is also offering Collage Kits for £10 each plus p&p, a hand curated collection of beautiful papers to create your own special artworks.

For more info and to purchase go here.

 

Photography Workshops

Supportive photography workshops led by professional photographer, community collaborator and experienced educator Alicia Bruce. Full-day courses also have complimentary hot drinks from Little Green Van and Civerinos pizza delivered for lunch. There’s also new 90min morning and evening photo walks.

Gift vouchers available here.

 

Seascapes

Photographer, Jo Tennant’s, fine art seascapes can be bought here – shot from the sea in Porty and off the west coast of Scotland- they make a beautiful present for the sea swimmers, sea lovers and selkies in your life.

 

Darkness & Light

A year ago I sat in the rocking chair breastfeeding my baby, whilst my three year old walked across the hall to fetch something from her bedroom. It was late afternoon and suddenly all the lights went off in our flat and in every building down the street. Even the street lights went off. Unexpectedly we found ourselves in complete darkness. I have experienced power cuts before, and for much longer periods in Ghana, but never have I experienced such pitch black darkness in residential Edinburgh. For my three year old it was slightly terrifying, suddenly separated from me and unable to see anything. Yet now it’s just a memory of an unusual, but brief, power cut. She occasionally asks ‘Mummy, remember when all the lights went off?’

In Malawi, 14.9 million people still have no access to electricity. That’s almost three times the entire population of Scotland! In fact only 10% of Malawi’s rural population currently have some form of electricity access, which is not necessarily reliable. Lack of electricity results in extreme darkness when the sun goes down, meaning there is no light to study or work after dark, no cold chain for vaccines nor power for medical devices. I wonder if my daughter could comprehend that some children her age encounter such darkness every single day, when the sun goes down until it rises again the next morning? Could they imagine that for my daughter such darkness was brief and is just a distant memory?

Light for Life

CREATIVenergie, a Portobello based charity, is passionately committed to unlocking sustainable energy for abundant life. We have collaboratively developed the Solar Light Exchange, a solar charging hub from which people can rent and recharge portable battery packs to power lights or charge mobile phones. The solar power can also be used for other appliances, e.g. to aid agriculture and business. We are partnering with Scottish Charities Love Ghana and The Kerusso Trust to set up Solar Light Exchanges in Ghana’s Volta Region and the Blantyre Region of Malawi.

As we enter the Christmas season and draw closer to mid-winter, so many of us decorate our houses with extra lights, shining brightly into the darkness. This Christmas, could you partner with us so that communities in Malawi and Ghana can experience the transformational impact of Light for Life leading to a more abundant life this coming year and in the years to come?

How to give…

From 1st December to 8th December 2020, donations to CREATIVenergie can be doubled if given via The Big Give Christmas Challenge. That’s one donation, twice the impact! We are grateful to Tribe Porty for supporting our campaign as a match funder. If you would like to support our Light for Life projects too, please donate via https://bit.ly/givelight4life There is a short video on the donation page explaining more about Light for Life.

Alternatively, you can set up a one-off or regular donation anytime via www.give.net/creativenergie (full Gift Aid terms are available through the link).

We will be happy to provide a ‘gift card’ for you to pass on to friends and family if you choose to make a donation instead of purchasing a gift for them this Christmas.

Find out more…

If you would like to sign up to receive our news or prayer points emails please contact Joel and Esther Chaney via info@creativenergie.co.uk

You can find out more stats on electricity access via https://trackingsdg7.esmap.org/ 

Scottish Charity No. SC047910 www.creativenergie.co.uk

Esther Chaney
Program Coordinator
CREATIVenergie

Compete with yourself

There are two major types of social comparison: upward comparison, when people compare themselves to people who are better than they are, and downward comparison, when people compare themselves to those who are less proficient than they are. Both upward and downward comparisons have strengths and weaknesses and in some ways unavoidable; our minds want to quantify. Our minds want to rank and file and organise information and understand where we fit into the scheme of things.

I think if we can be more aware of how we are comparing ourselves, we can take back some control and use it to our advantage. There is no denying that we all do it, so if you tell yourself you don’t, then you’re kidding yourself. Comparison can also be a liar who says your best won’t ever be good enough. Especially in the world of Instagram realities, measuring your success through comparison is an easy way to feel unhappy.

The best way to stop comparison’s green monster from taking hold is to focus on your own path.  Use that comparison energy for your own life. You can learn to redirect the comparison to a past and a present self and keep the comparison within.

“We last longer if we compete against ourselves for the good of others instead of competing against others for the good of ourselves.”

—Simon Sinek

What are you doing today that you couldn’t have done five, three, or even one year ago?

We are always becoming more. Who you are today is a result of the decisions you made yesterday. We are always in a state of creation if we choose to be. And be sure to be kind to yourself. This is radical self motivation in the most nurturing way with positive self talk and behaviours. Ask yourself these questions if you need some prompting;

Celebrate other people’s successes

Through community we can expand our individual shared identities. We are separate AND one community, and through each other, we learn more about ourselves. Nurturing relationships can help us see our interior world in the larger context and a shared space can be a platform to lift off from and come back to when needed.

Let’s stop comparing ourselves to each other and start competing with ourselves and cheer on one another from the sidelines.

How do you compete with yourself? Would love to hear from you.

by Dani Trudeau

 

What We Think We Are Worthy Of

Our calling, work, conviction, purpose

Whatever you call it, is most often, a big part of our life and identity. There is tension between who I am without my work and living out my values and purpose.  I have learned to trust that when there is tension, I am on to something good.

I have to agree with Simon Sinek and his views that you only have one why, personally and professionally. You are who you are in all places and products. If you change your why in different places, you are living a lie somewhere. By knowing what you believe in and following your values, your actions will reflect your why. However, I am only speaking from my own experience and know that plenty of people do a job and find purpose elsewhere; I acknowledge a level of privilege this view has. On the other hand, I also know that far too many people fall into their work — thinking that it is separate from who they are and this can lead to unhappiness and being unwell.

I have been reading and rereading David Whyte’s book, The Three Marriages. Whyte is a poet and his writing is wonderful, which does mean it takes me twice as long to read his books. Each sentence is so beautifully crafted, I have to write it down, or find something to underline sentences with and often a paragraph sends me into an open field of swaying thoughts for 20 minutes or even days. For example, Whyte writes,

“We follow this constant internal seasonal round of living and dying throughout our lives, trying to understand what it is we need, what is coming to fruition and what we have to let go of.”

Whyte writes about love, work and self and articulates what I have been thinking in terms of the inadequate phrase, ‘the work/life balance’. He says,

“The current understanding of work-life balance is too simplistic. People find it hard to balance work with family, family with self, because it might not be a question of balance. Some other dynamic is in play, something to do with a very human attempt at happiness that does not quantify different parts of life and then set them against one another. We are collectively exhausted because of our inability to hold competing parts of ourselves together in a more integrated way.”

I love the idea that we should fall in love with work. Getting to know so many freelancers here at Tribe, I am lucky to see the wide variety of professions. People in love with adventure, the Gaelic language, the way light plays upon surfaces, or even turning their discomfort of otherness into a creative observer.

The last of the three marriages, is the marriage to self, the most difficult of the three. Whyte writes,

“This willingness to look at the transitory nature of existence [is] not pessimism but absolute realism: life is to be taken at the tilt, you do not have forever, and therefore why wait? Why wait … to become a faithful and intimate companion to that initially formidable stranger you called your self?”

Ask yourself, ‘What do we think you are worthy of?’ In life, in work, in love and to yourself? These are tough questions and not many folk are comfortable answering them honestly. How often do we wait for what we really want to do? I appreciate it is not always that simple but actually making the decision to pursue what you want, is, well at least in theory just a question away from reality. The how is another matter.

Parker Palmer writes about self,

“Afraid that our inner light will be extinguished or our inner darkness exposed, we hide our true identities from each other. In the process, we become separated from our own souls. We end up living divided lives, so far removed from the truth we hold within that we cannot know the “integrity that comes from being what you are.”

Fulfilment doesn’t come from finding a work/life balance but living out your true worth.

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts.

by Dani Trudeau.

Window of Tolerance

Accepting pain in my body for the past 15 months has taught me so much about myself, the way I move through the world, how I have changed over time and who I am yet to become. Before that acceptance came, for 9 months, I kept asking myself and medical professionals what I needed to do to fix it. I have learned a better question is, what is my body trying to communicate and how can I rewire my nervous system?

It has almost been 6 months now that we have all been in lockdown. Not a huge amount of time but definitely significant enough to develop coping strategies and new patterns of thinking. The current pandemic has been traumatic for many. When we experience trauma, it pushes the activation of the nervous system beyond its ability to self-regulate. When a stressful experience pushes the system beyond its limits, it can become stuck on “on.” When a system is overstimulated like this, we can experience anxiety, panic, anger, hyperactivity, and restlessness. A regulated nervous system experiences a stress and calming response throughout the course of a given day. Dr. Dan Siegel of UCLA coined the term “window of tolerance” to describe this space in which we can regulate ourselves without too much effort.

How can you discharge the traumatic stress and transition back into the window of the regulated nervous system? Understanding the function of how people are responding and what may be needed to effectively shift this emotional state is critical for finding effective strategies to shift arousal that don’t lead to further harm to self or others or leave the individual with a sense of shame. This can be referred to as a false refuge in that it provides the “illusion” that it is helping but in the end the problem is still there and maybe even bigger and now we have layered on shame, guilt, a sense of failure etc, as we have responded in a way that we didn’t want to.

A “true refuge” is something we do for ourselves that effectively allows us to shift towards our optimal arousal zone while building competencies and taking care of ourselves in a manner that feels good. There are some common strategies but the key is finding what works for you. With schools starting back, it is also a time to observe and support our young people in getting to know their emotions and equipping them with helpful tools.  When providing support to others, it is important to recall that trauma is marked by a loss of control, therefore the ability to establish control and experience a sense of safety and empowerment is of priority in the face of real or perceived threat. For more about supporting a young person, check out this article here.

Good Therapy recommends the following tips;

  1. Seek safe relationships. Being with someone who is safe and soothing will help your nervous system settle and create a safe space for you to connect and share your experience. We are social beings and we heal in relationship, so if you find yourself isolating or pulling away from social contact, consider instead seeking out people who feel supportive.
  2. Practice mindful breathing. This trauma response is connected to the brain stem (basic physiological regulation) and the limbic (emotional) brain. Practicing mindful breathing helps connect a basic physiological process (breathing) with your prefrontal cortex (thinking brain), which helps integrate and shift our neurological state. To put that more simply: breathing has a HUGE capacity to calm the brain and regulate the nervous system.

For me, I am happy to share that I had a moment of gratitude this week for the consistent lack of pain. All of the breathing, meditation, homeopathy, nutritional support, writing and talking has gotten me to the other side. I have learned some big lessons and am forever changed, although fully aware the journey is far from over. I also know that I could not have done it alone.

So how can we show up for one another right now? In these times of stress and change, can you be that supportive voice, championing another being back into their window of tolerance? We all know that a small act of listening or kindness can make a big difference and now is the perfect time to be that warm face and warm voice.

Pause & Reset

Covid-19 has shone the light on lots of cracks, many which have been there for a long time but somewhat covered up or perhaps time just makes them easier to ignore. Loneliness, health inequality, race inequality, food inequality, gender inequality, just to name a few. People who have been worst affected by the virus are generally those who had worse health outcomes before the pandemic.  The scandal is not that the virus has disproportionately affected certain groups, but that it has taken a global pandemic to shine a light on deeply entrenched inequalities.

Before you slump further down in your seat, I am aware that we don’t need to pile on more fear and despair, so, at this moment how best can we take in the lessons and make real positive changes?  If we don’t make a real shift, we will perpetuate a sense of helplessness at best and more of the same inequalities at worst. Our broken systems have been highlighted and the value of community has never been more obvious than right now. Holding our values higher and stronger than ever feels like one way forward.

So what does that look like for me? I sometimes worry I am a broken record, but every time I tackle a big question like this one and have an ah-ha moment, the answer is undoubtably simple; finding community. This is a unique opportunity to reshape our world views; one that puts people first.  We have a chance to reflect on our choices and how they impact on others and the world. Current times could give people a chance to unleash creativity, which in turn could help lead us to live our best lives.

For now, I am going to take the moment to rethink and adapt the present to reshape our future. When thinking of this time as a fortuity, it feels less scary and more like building resilience.

I would love to hear your thoughts and how you have grown through this crisis.

 

by Dani Trudeau

Pick it up

If you don’t pick something up, you don’t know how heavy it is.

I keep thinking about this. The weight of shame and those people who choose not to pick it up. We are all victims and victimisers in a racist system. Some feel it everyday in every part of their body and some are completely blind and untouched.

We are all hurting. Yes in very different ways and by no means do I pretend to know the pain of being a person of colour, but racism hurts us all. If you don’t take this time to think, listen, talk, read, learn, explore, challenge, you will miss out and you will also remain part of the problem. None of us cannot afford you to stay silent. Yes it is awkward and if you are white you might be worried about saying the wrong thing, but that is a small price to pay, part of the long overdue relearning and it is also your privilege.

Resmaa Menakem‘s language and approach to racism and trauma really speaks to me.

“Creating community and a somatically attuned life helped me achieve positivity while challenging my own limitations around race and trauma.  I want to inspire my community and humanity to acknowledge their “white-body supremacy trauma” and find pathways to heal. I want to help you metabolize the decontextualized internalized “white body supremacy” energy to create fuel for freedom.”

We must all be antiracist. Investigate what this looks like for yourself- this work is for you, for me, for everyone. Things cannot go back to the way they were and change is an action. It takes effort and movement and if you are sitting still and looking the other way, you are dragging us all behind. If you don’t know where to start, read our newsletter and check out some of the leaders like Ibram X Kendi, Resmaa Menakem, Robin Diangelo and many more.

This is close to my heavy heart.

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