Greetings from Global Focus Coaching. We hope that you are healthy and safe, and managing to find small moments of joy and light in these turbulent times. The past few months have been a chaotic, heartbreaking, and sometimes terrifying.
In the US, we’ve been watching students and activists get arrested and targeted for political dissent and standing up for human rights while funding is slashed for basic human services. The definition of who counts as a human being, already too narrow, excludes more and more people every day. Around the world, people already suffering from illness, famine, and war are finding themselves crushed underfoot by the whims of a few reckless billionaires.
We feel fortunate to be a part of community of educators, healers, activists, and leaders who are working to imagine and plant seeds for a better future. These people already had a lot of work to do— and many have been thrown into survival mode in the past few months.
Veterans of social change work know that inflicting trauma and fomenting chaos and division are well-known techniques for oppression. And it works. As this Forbes article so aptly sums it up: Fear shrinks your brain and makes you less creative.
In times like this, all of us have instinctive responses. Fight. Flight. Feign. Isolate. But when we take the time to slow down and breath, we can get organized. Get connected. Take care of each other.
Over the past several months, the two of us have taken some time off to reflect, ground, and direct our energy where it felt urgently needed. For Briana, who recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, this has meant spending time nourishing her growing family. Jenny and her family recently said goodbye to the sacred month of Ramadan, a time of reflection, gratitude, and prayer in a moment where faith has been an important anchor.
We’ve also been reflecting on what we’re doing, and why. We still believe that coaching is a powerful tool for dismantling oppressive systems from within and designing imaginative actions. Two years ago, we created our Coaching for Complexity program to put transformative coaching skills into the hands of people who are improving their communities.
With renewed purpose, we’re gathering a new cohort in October. Will you join us? Because that’s exactly what corrupt and exploitative leaders don’t want us to do— start imagining a world that is radically kinder, gentler, more just, and more beautiful.
Briana & Jenny