Diverse group in a circle

Imagine a region where there is synergy and unity amongst a vast array of leaders like you working for social change.

Imagine working with a spirit of joy, equanimity, and liberation. Imagine all of this culminating in a powerful force that is co-creating a more just, compassionate and sustainable region.

If you are a social change leader, you know that with shrinking resources, increasing complexity and great uncertainty, this work is becoming more difficult and unsustainable. You are probably yearning for support, tools and practices that will nurture your inner self, strengthen your leadership, and deepen connections with others. Our workshops, retreats, and individual sessions help you do just that.

Group discussing diversity at racial justice workshop

Love and justice are not two. Without inner change, there can be no outer change.

Rev. angel Kyodo Williams

Values

Equity

We commit ourselves to address the root causes of injustice so to promote liberation for all.

Courageous and Innovative Impact

We operate from a place of strength, heart, and possibility as we pursue excellence in leadership. We hold high standards for our work while balancing that with sustainable work practices.

Inclusivity

We make space at the table and engage people across all differences in the spirit of being better together.

Solidarity and Connection

We believe that we are interconnected and interdependent, and we value coming together to spark mutual success and to create something that is greater than our individual selves or organizations.

Integrity and Practice

We operate from our authentic true selves and live out what we say we believe; simply put, this means that what we say, mean, intend, and do is in alignment.

 Joy!

We strive to operate from a place of internal liberation, joy, balance and harmony. We seek ways for renewal so that we can sustain our spirits over the long haul. We appreciate what is good and focus on positivity and possibility.

Diverse group walking at retreat
From fragmentation to partnership, deeper trust, and systemic change
From burnout and frustration to balance and full engagement
From inefficiency and activity to alignment and clarity of purpose
From a sense of anxiety and scarcity to a sense of confidence and possibility

Values

Equity
We commit ourselves to address the root causes of injustice so to promote liberation for all.
Courageous and Innovative Impact
We operate from a place of strength, heart, and possibility as we pursue excellence in leadership. We hold high standards for our work while balancing that with sustainable work practices.
Inclusivity
We make space at the table and engage people across all differences in the spirit of being better together.
Solidarity and Connection
We believe that we are interconnected and interdependent, and we value coming together to spark mutual success and to create something that is greater than our individual selves or organizations.
Integrity and Practice
We operate from our authentic true selves and live out what we say we believe; simply put, this means that what we say, mean, intend, and do is in alignment.
Joy!
We strive to operate from a place of internal liberation, joy, balance and harmony. We seek ways for renewal so that we can sustain our spirits over the long haul. We appreciate what is good and focus on positivity and possibility.
Diverse group walking at retreat

Research

Our model is based on researching national programs, conversations with local program providers and interviews conducted in 2012 with nearly three dozen local social justice leaders. The interviews mirrored national findings:

Social Justice Leaders
  • Long for more connection
  • Have pride in their program accomplishments
  • Experience fatigue from funding challenges and the continual sense of urgency
  • Have a strong sense of vocation and purpose in their work
  • Have a desire for ways to sustain themselves, their teams and their organizations.
Main Themes that Emerged from this Assessment
  • Relationships, connection and trust are necessary on every level.
  • A strong desire for self-care conflicts with time pressures.
  • Scarcity is an obstacle, whether practical (lack of funding) or cognitive (as a “scarcity mentality”).
  • Collaboration is very important and also challenging because of resource and turf issues.

Contact Us

Get in touch! We would love to hear from you.

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Approach

We believe that to make significant progress in addressing today’s problems, leaders, organizations —and our community — need to take a balanced approach that includes:

Rest and Renewal
The constant state of urgency and need to “do more with less” leave many social change leaders on the verge of burnout and their organizations in frenzy mode. Taking time for rest and reflection is a key factor in helping to sustain our work, and ourselves. Our retreats in our Deeper Dive program give leaders this opportunity.
Reawakening and Reconnecting
With this rest and renewal we can reawaken our spirits, our visions, and see with new eyes the possibilities before us and areas in which we personally have to change and grow to bring about the change we want to see in the world. This includes tapping into our creativity, our inner wisdom, and leading from a place of love. It means integrating our whole selves into our work and our lives, and reconnecting with ourselves and each other at an authentic level. It means looking deeply at our biases, our power and our privilege in order to help heal ourselves and our world. And it means turning from a culture of fear and anger to one of love and possibility. Leading from the Heart provides practices and tools that will help you and your organization be more conscious, awake, and present.
Reimagining and Recreating
Bringing our future vision to fruition requires a new way of being. As Spirit in Action articulates (www.spiritinaction.net), “In order to generate a just world, we must be able to imagine what a society based on partnership, inclusion, and interdependence looks like.” Leading from the Heart’s Deeper Dive program provides an opportunity for leaders to imagine and create and new collective liberating vision and narrative for change.
Recommitting and Reforming
With this awakening and imagining, we come to the place of recommitment to change and reform both for ourselves and for society. We know that change happens at the structural and systemic level as well as internal personal level. Many of our systems and structures are broken. By being together over a period of time in our Deeper Dive program, you will have the opportunity to be open to potential organic collaborations that will get at the systemic change we want to see in the world.
Resources
Organizations and movements working for social change need a higher level of investment in their work, plain and simple. Leading from the Heart doesn’t have financial resources in which to support those involved in our program – yet. But it’s our vision to work toward engaging in deeper conversations to help make that happen.
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