January

“There’s no prayer like desire.” Tom Waits

As we navigate the world as it is and as we hope it will be, I am in discernment about what it means to hold on and how to know when to let go. 

Thank you for all the support you have provided Beyond Conflict over the last 5 years. I am especially grateful for the clients who pursued collective liberation work even as you lost funding or faced the threat of losing funding. How deeply we must strive to hold on to our humanity. 

The philanthropic sector has not been a bright light for racial justice, and still, it seems to be abandoning its moral compass even now when we need it the most. 

And still. So many people are circling up and building for collective liberation. In so many forms. 

Now is the time to be bold with our love. With our dreams. Now is exactly the right time to name for ourselves what we desire. I hold that no matter how vulnerable I am in the world, I have the power and agency to build community in ways that reflect back to me my heart, my light. I dream of this for us each and all. 

These resources have bolstered us even as we swerved left and right to maintain our balance. 

Five Resources for Staying the Path to Collective Liberation!

1. The New Legacy Lab is a project of Hilary Pollen’s. I am thrilled by Hilary’s prophetic voice for inspiring people with access to wealth to think critically about what it means to move resources to the people who need it the most. In December, I participated in a giving circle where we collectively moved over $150,000 to local organizations doing beautiful, courageous, bold work. 
2. Bold wins! Keep communication with stakeholders honest and beautiful, take some risks, and wow! What designers can learn from Zohran Mamdani's historical campaign | by Merilin Ekzarkova | Nov, 2025 | UX Collective
3. Targeted Universalism gives way to weave meaning based on desire. This beautiful framework from John Powell and colleagues at UC Berkeley's Belonging Institute.
4. Roberto Che Espinoza’s brave and vulnerable voice shines for me in so many ways. Please check out Our Collective Becoming and consider a paid subscription. 
5. Kim Krans’ work on archetypes inspires me. I appreciate her deck and have found it a terrific space to explore desire, challenge and growth.  Three ways to work with me!  

Three ways to work with me! Please consider how I can serve you or a community you care about! Also, do share this newsletter with your people! 

1. Leadership Coaching: Imagine the ultimate accountabilabuddy! Whether you want support for the team or for an individual —> I hold what is possible and support you to imagine the best version of yourself! Together, we create the grooves you want to see manifest in your world. My clients want to center collective liberation and experience the fullness of their own capacity for change. They are people and project managers, coaches and healers, and community organizers. Sign up for a free ideation session here. 
2. Organizational Culture Refresh: Hello, culture! That elusive combination of people, policies and practices is a never-ending opportunity to increase belonging, joy and productivity. Ever wonder how it’s going? Reach out and let’s see about giving your team a check-up. 
3. Transformational Retreats: Give us a day, and we will give you back a deep connection to your mission, a team culture that is equal parts joy and responsiveness, and a fresh start to achieving your goals. We bring the magic markers and the activities; you bring yourselves. Let's have a conversation about a transformational retreat for your team.

Poem of the Month

Burning the Old Year

By Naomi Shihab Nye

Letters swallow themselves in seconds.   

Notes friends tied to the doorknob,   

transparent scarlet paper,

sizzle like moth wings,

marry the air.

So much of any year is flammable,   

lists of vegetables, partial poems.   

Orange swirling flame of days,   

so little is a stone.

Where there was something and suddenly isn’t,   

an absence shouts, celebrates, leaves a space.   

I begin again with the smallest numbers.

Quick dance, shuffle of losses and leaves,   

only the things I didn’t do   

crackle after the blazing dies.

Provocations and Nourishment

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Sacred Grief, Sacred Rage, Sacred Play April 17-19. Join me! I am so excited to do this beautiful work… Right here in North Carolina, at Haw River State Park: Sacred Grief, Sacred Rage, Sacred Play – Haw River State Park 

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Resource toolkit for hosting a world cafe!

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What's so hot about Heated Rivalry? : It's Been a Minute

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Take Your Time by Aurenza.

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Upcoming Opportunities

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Support makers of color by subscribing to my Subscription to Love & Justice. $18 a month gets you four lovely seasonal boxes containing a book and a range of delicious and whimsical items created by people of color. 

See an unpacking video here. 

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Sacred Grief, Sacred Rage, Sacred Play April 17-19. Join me! I am so excited to do this beautiful work… Right here in North Carolina, at Haw River State Park: Sacred Grief, Sacred Rage, Sacred Play – Haw River State Park 

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The School of Making Thinking

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2026 Intention Setting

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Skill in Action Mentorship & Community of Practice:  

A 6-week mentorship for yoga practitioners, teachers, and spiritual activists cultivating equity, justice, and collective transformation.

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Visioning for Democracy – Vision Board Workshops: Cindy Ballaro’s Visioning for Democracy project moves into Phase 2. Create Vision Boards inspired by the shared themes that emerged from the Phase 1 surveys. All are invited to take part in this process! Workshops are free and will be facilitated by VDF creator, Cindy Ballaro. No worries if you didn't participate in the survey - all are invited to join in this collective visioning process. In-person and online options are available. Join others in imagining what we want for our democracy. RSVP HERE

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Toward Justice,

Evangeline

Please forward this blog to any of your friends working to build more just communities and organizations.