“How we are at the small scale is how we are at the large scale.”

“What we practice at a small scale can reverberate to the largest scale.”

- Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by adrienne maree brown (p.52)

As I talk about in the very first episode of the podcast, I started off my journey as an aspiring world changer actually just wanting to solve the problems that I’d seen in my community and my overcrowded high school as a student in Detroit. 

Driven at least as much by a desire to stick it to society for what I perceived to be its low expectations for me and people like me as by a desire to make my hometown a better place for my neighbors and myself, I wanted to be an academic and work in government. I wanted to figure out the answers to the problems that I’d seen around me. I wanted to study, become an expert, and then deliver solutions for the issues that mattered most to me.

Today, many years later, my ideas about my role in changing the world are very different. As a facilitator (both in the context of my work as a nonprofit professional and in my personal practice), it’s mostly my job to ask questions, not have answers.

I have the extraordinary privilege of helping groups of people who are all committed to creating a more humane, equitable world in their own way, work together to achieve big goals.

It’s exciting work, but let me tell you: collaboration is not an easy thing. Even among well-intentioned people who genuinely have a desire to do good, impactful work in the world.

Why is that?

Well, from my experience, when we, as well-intentioned, aspiring world changers come to the collective table to try to address the stuff “out there”, we bring along all the stuff we carry inside of us that perpetuates the status quo.

We show up to the task of tackling huge, complex issues (e.g., advancing racial justice or creating a more equitable economy) with our talents and highest ideals and desire for change just as much as we show up with our scarcity thinking, personal insecurities and ego wounds, internalized -isms, fear of conflict, and...fill in the blank.

In other words, we show up as human beings. Beautiful yet imperfect human beings.

As you listen to episode# 4, “Change: From the Inside Out”, I invite you to reflect on what it looks like, or could look like, for you to deal with any internal stuff that you might currently be bringing to a collective table (e.g., an organization, a committee, your family, etc.).

Also, zooming out:

How do we spend less time shaming and blaming ourselves and others when we sometimes show up in ways that aren’t perfectly aligned with our values?

How do we have grace for one another as we work to unlearn thoughts that we’ve picked up through socialization that cause us and those around us harm?

How do we create environments where people are willing to be vulnerable and dare to look inward?

Bonus: Have you read “Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World” by Anand Giridharadas? What did you think?

If you want to chime in on the discussion, the “I Want to Change the World Podcast Community” on Facebookis the perfect place to do so! You can also email me at  janai@gilmorefacilitationllc.com or drop me a line @missjanaiashley on  IG.