Rest is not a luxury, a reward, or a productivity hack. It is a refusal to accept systems that demand constant output at the expense of our bodies, our communities, and our humanity. Rooted in Black liberation, rest as resistance asks us to slow down, ask harder questions, and reclaim our right to be human in a world that was never built for our softness or our survival.

A Back to Basics Reset doesn’t start with sweeping change. It starts by looking closely at the everyday systems we rely on - - forms, workflows, and language - - and asking whether they still reflect who we are and what we value. In Part 2 of this series, I explore where to begin and how a DEIBCA lens can help turn small, practical changes into meaningful shifts in how people experience work.

What we often call burnout doesn’t fully capture the weight many care workers are carrying. Moral injury names the harm that occurs when people are forced to act against their ethics because of systemic constraints. This article explores why naming moral injury matters — and how solidarity, not isolation, helps us resist it.

2026 already feels heavy. In this piece, Amy reflects on burnout, moral distress, and the quiet work of bearing witness. She explores the three Cs of change - - connection, care, and collective liberation - - as a path toward sustaining ourselves and our movements.

The title of this article is intended to be provocative. Yet, our team conversations, conference discussions, and partner engagements have consistently grappled with questions relating to changing political and societal landscapes, both locally and globally. Many leaders are now asked to work differently, pivot,  and to reframe their “heart work” in ways that create a tension between providing services and maintaining values. Decisions often feel heavier in today’s context; strategic or operational decisions that once felt technical now feel like they carry greater consequences for people’s safety, dignity, and belonging. In this context what is “good work”?

Over the next few months, I’ll be sharing a three-part reflection on something I’ve seen make a real difference in organizations of all sizes: taking the time to reset the foundations we often take for granted.

This series isn’t about sweeping change or shiny new systems. It’s about slowing down just enough to ask whether the forms, workflows, and practices we rely on every day still reflect who we are, how we work, and what we value — especially as we step into a new year.

In this first piece, I’m focusing on why a Back to Basics Reset matters and why now is such a powerful moment to do it.