In this socio-political moment, I’m noticing something steady—and strained—among equity-centered leaders and organizations.
They know, deep in their bones, that equity is not a side initiative. It’s not a trend. It’s not something they can pause until the climate feels friendlier.
Their leadership, organizations, and very lives are so rooted in equity and justice that there is no version of the future where they abandon the work and remain whole.
And still—this moment is heavy. So let's not go through it alone, k?
Leaders are navigating intensified violence, threats, uncertainty, overtly inequtable demands, and environments where talking openly about justice and equity feels risky, constrained, or not allowed. The work hasn’t disappeared, but it often has to move differently: more carefully, more strategically, more quietly—without losing its integrity.
What I’m seeing is not retreat. It’s discernment. Listening, learning, and working toward liberation together, learning from those that have gone before us, not reinventing the wheel.
Leaders are seeking guidance and accompaniment because the scenarios we’re facing are complex, charged, and exhausting.
And let’s be honest: who isn't exhausted?
Yet in this moment, at L3 Catalyst Group (learn. lead. liberate.) we are finding that leaders and teams are (re)committing and investing in
- Executive team development (how can we work more effectively)
- Healthy human and organizational culture work (how can we and our relationships be more healthy?), and/or
- Racial healing/anti-racism caucus (or affinity) inside-out and collective work—not as lip service- building real capacity, deepening accountability, and strengthening the skills and commitment needed for sustained anti-racist and inclusive growth, action, and outcomes.
This is about moving beyond beautiful statements toward practice.
Moving toward thriving individually and together.
Burnout, frustration, grief, and anger are everpresent—and increasingly, leaders are choosing not to hide that reality. Naming exhaustion is not weakness; it’s clarity. It’s a refusal to gaslight ourselves about the cost of resisting injustice while systems actively push back.
As adrienne maree brown reminds us, “What we practice at the small scale sets the patterns for the whole system.” Staying rooted in equity during injustice is a daily practice—one grounded in relationship, reflection, and courageous choice, mutual aid, community, and connectedness...not perfection.
And as bell hooks taught us, justice work divorced from care will not sustain us. Rest, truth-telling, and collective support are not luxuries; they are part of how liberation becomes possible.
If you are leading in this moment and feel worn thin, know this: your exhaustion makes sense. The pressure is real. The injustice is real. But it's actually not new to many. If it's new(er) to you: welcome awareness in community. You don't have to reinvent the wheel. You're not in this alone. We need you. Your continued commitment-to equity, to empathy, to values that refuse erasure-matters deeply.
Staying rooted is resistance.
Telling the truth is an act of love.
Curiosity is a superpower.
Choosing each other...again and again...is how we build a just future worth inhabiting, together.
What practices—personal or collective—help you stay rooted in your equity commitments when fear, fatigue, or backlash threaten to pull you away?
Reach out if you're looking for support, strategy, or thought-partnership.
Fellow leaders and learners, I wish you courage, rest, and Beloved Community for the journey. Together we catalyze a brave, bold, and liberatory future.
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References
brown, a. m. (2017). Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds. AK Press.
hooks, b. (2000). All About Love: New Visions. William Morrow.
Dee (Deanna) Rolffs (they/them), Owner & Principal Consultant at L3 Catalyst Group, is a coach, strategist, facilitator, and change agent applying the Process Consulting approach with anti-oppression and liberatory frameworks. Specializing in crisis and change leadership, they support brave and badass leaders and teams illuminate underlying issues, infuse learning, envision a just future, and walk a transformational path forward. Dee is committed to equitable systemic outcomes, healthy humans, and thriving teams. Dee serves on the board of their local Pride Center, is messily learning to practice medition, and is always up for truth telling about oppression and living life in liberatory joy.
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