Reader, I’ve been sitting with some hard truths lately. Systems are complex. Dynamic. Interconnected. Working together in a coalition to change those systems is hard. Slow. Complicated. That’s just the reality of what we’re trying to do. So for anyone else who’s feeling stuck, but not ready to give up (I’m definitely not!) - I thought I’d share some simple questions I go back to when I’m trying to dig myself out of the ditch and get us back on a path to action. (And let me be clear, I mean...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
If you, like me, are distressed about what’s happening at the CDC, what’s happening around vaccines, what’s been happening with public health grants and research being terminated, and more - I see you, Reader. I shared my thoughts in the wake of the shots fired at the CDC here, and even just since then, we’ve seen top CDC officials resign after their director was ousted. When systems are collapsing around us, it can be even harder than usual to answer the question of: what next? What should...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Reader, when you hear the phrase “reinventing the wheel”, how does it make you feel? I’ve always thought of it as a bad thing, something to be avoided, a sign that I’m doing things wrong. In my work with coalitions, I’ve talked about the need to avoid reinventing the wheel - after all, why waste time and resources reinventing something that already exists, that someone’s already figured out? So imagine my surprise in a recent meeting with a school mental health coalition I work with when one...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Reader, do you feel like attendance at your coalition meetings is dwindling, or that everyone’s logging onto Zoom but multitasking during the meeting? Or maybe folks are showing up and engaged, but it feels like pulling teeth to get anyone to provide input or take action between meetings? If you’re having troubling engaging coalition members, there’s likely one thing you’re missing. SPECIFICITY. Specificity shows up in a number of different ways in coalition work. Here are some ways to get...
4 months ago • 3 min read
Reader, our family spent the last week at an all-family violin camp in the Blue Ridge mountains, and it brought us some much needed peace, joy, and community in these tumultuous times. It was our 8 year old's first time playing in an orchestra (the beginning orchestra teacher introduced them to "Monsieur Baton", and all kinds of antics ensued, with the kids learning many lessons about following the conductor and playing together without even realizing it). It really made me think about...
5 months ago • 2 min read
Reader, maybe I've worked with your coalition directly and maybe I haven't and maybe we haven't even met -- whichever group you are, I know someone you are most likely missing at your coalition table: a local historian. Here’s the thing -- none of us can do work in our communities effectively without being grounded in our communities. And understanding local history is a big part of that. I have the fortune this year of being part of the Seeding Disruption fellowship in DC through my work on...
5 months ago • 3 min read
Our political and business leaders may be failing to center humanity right now, Reader, but that doesn’t mean we should too - in fact, I think that means we should be even more intentional about centering humanity. Our work is in community, where we are striving to advance health and well-being. To do this, we have to intentionally, explicitly center humanity in a world where political and technological headwinds are working against us. How do we do this? Here are some ideas: 🤝🏽In your...
6 months ago • 2 min read
Reader, growing up, were you, like me, always told to work hard? It’s advice I’ve come to question over the years. Don’t get me wrong, I still have deep respect for a strong work ethic. I just wonder if we’ve gotten overly obsessed with the idea of working hard instead of working strategically, smartly, efficiently. Which sometimes means the work is actually…easier. Faster. More fun. Let me give you an example, courtesy of our school PTA. Last week, as I was running into my daughter’s school...
7 months ago • 2 min read
Are you a math person, Reader? This Pi day, the giving circle I’m a part of hosted a screening of the documentary Counted Out, which explores how, “in the 21st century, fueled by technology, data, and algorithms, math determines who has the power to shape our world.” In the small group discussions following the screening, the facilitators began by asking everyone to share whether they consider themselves a math person or not, and let me tell you, it turned into something akin to a therapy...
8 months ago • 3 min read
