Happy New Year to our friends and community members,
A picture of eight of our Colorado team members in festive gear at our annual holiday party
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to share a potluck meal and make 2026 vision boards and BINGO cards with some of my closest community members in Denver. In addition to creating art and talking through our hopes and intentions for the year, we spent much of the day doubled over in laughter, dancing to songs we wrote in the moment, crying about the state of the world, and celebrating our deep and lasting friendships. It was a day of joyfulness and levity, a day of reflecting on what keeps us grounded and safe during times that feel impossible, and an opportunity to explore a different news cycle for a few hours. It was a needed and welcome distraction.
2025 was a difficult year. Personally, professionally, for our sector. It was a year punctuated by grief and loss, fear and confusion, sadness and anger, and so many other emotions. The priorities of the current administration did not (and do not!) align with the priorities of so many communities we hold dear, and it felt like (still feels like!) the entire social change sector was under attack.
2025 was also a beautiful year. One that reinforced the importance of collaboration, vulnerability, honesty, and asking for help. One that leveled the playing field in many ways, and one that required each of us to dig deeper and find just a bit more energy and creativity.
I wish that I could say that I think 2026 will be easier. I don’t. BUT, maybe we can be easier on ourselves this year? As we continue to learn what the year has in store for us, I invite you to think about some things that I’ve been thinking about:
What can bring me joy or inspiration in this season? It’s easy right now (at least for me!) to feel completely inundated by the terrible things happening in our communities. What would it look like to hold space for the difficult news cycle, while also seeking moments of celebration, joy, and inspiration? What creativity is unlocked during your moments of joy?
How can I cultivate an abundance mindset? We know that funding will continue to be unpredictable and insufficient in 2026, and we know that financial sustainability for many organizations in the sector will continue to feel tenuous. We also know that a scarcity mindset tends to foster competition, fuel fear, and increase isolation, while an abundance mindset tends to foster collaboration, fuel innovation, and increase connection. What are your superpowers as a leader and an organization? How can you leverage your superpowers to creatively nurture abundance?
When am I making time to rest? I have a post-it note on my bathroom mirror at home (I know – so cliché!) that says: Exhaustion is not a status symbol. Rest is resistance. While I’m not always good at taking my own advice, I do know that my best thinking happens in quiet moments when my brain and heart have space to breathe. Our staff, families, and communities deserve our best thinking right now. They deserve our rested selves. And WE deserve to rest, to breathe, to make space.
Now, before you accuse me of being a total Pollyanna amid a complete existential crisis for our country, our communities, and our organizations…hear me out! The world is on fire, our country is caught in a terrifying power imbalance, and our communities are struggling—there is no denying these things. My invitation to you all this month is to allow those things to be true, and to allow yourself to come back to envisioning the world you want to live in. A world full of joy, abundance, and rest. We have to start somewhere, friends!
In the meantime, we remain humbled and grateful to be your partners in this work. Thank you for trusting us, thank you for continuing to show up for your staff and our communities, and thank you for continuing to fight for a better world.
In community and solidarity,
