i have always loved trying to understand systems, and the systems that built those systems. i spend a lot of time thinking about how to get there from here. I own/consult at futureemergent.com.
personal
A few years ago I read an article about how friends develop and strengthen their bonds. University of Kansas professor Jeffrey Hall described this in his study from 2018. Two people spend about 50 hours together to become more than acquaintances. These casual friends can spend 90 hours together to
working
I’ve participated in many structured conversations about race and equity. In these spaces, “the agreements” come up a lot. These are short statements that set ground rules for the conversations to come. Most DEI circles talk about agreements right after introductions. The exact number of agreements, usually 5-10, will
essay
No matter the activist circle you’re in, everyone wants to bring about change. How do we create the conditions for the world we want to see? Most groups try to court people where they are. If our change includes something the public wants, and we make it somewhat easy
personal
It feels great to be back and writing! I celebrated a milestone birthday earlier this month. I won’t say which decade I turned because I’m modest. That said, if anyone guesses “50” then I will be very distraught for a few hours. Over the last few weeks I
start the future
This is the first step in my series on how to create a cooperative. I’ll link to each post here as it’s written. In my last post, I combined information from many guides to create 10 steps. We’ll use these to launch our cooperative. Here’s the
start the future
No matter where you work, employers hold an incredible amount of power over the people who work there. It often goes without saying, even in our era of resignations, “quiet quitting” (not a thing!), and r/antiwork. It doesn’t have to be this way. Worker in a cooperative share
essay
this post is narrated! listen below… I’m still reading through the work of critical liberation theory. I shared my first reading on the topic a couple weeks back. Critical liberation theory was first proposed by Love, DeJong, and Hughbanks in 2009. In it, they articulate theories of liberation. They
working
“Being civil” is a hard concept to square up against. It’s like professionalism: who could argue against that in a workplace? But while both concepts may appear benign at first, these standards are set by people in power. The norms and culture they create is often rooted in their
walkthroughs
Last month I led a training where I invited attendees to imagine their future. I adapted a visioning exercise described by Tanuja Jaegernauth on a recent podcast. The exercise itself comes from Kristiana Rae Colón. She is an abolitionist, playwright, and co-founder of the Let Us Breathe Collective. My adaptation
personal
I grew up on the outskirts of a medium-sized town in central Texas. Where I lived, Austin felt to me like the biggest, coolest city around. The underdeveloped suburbs might not count as rural for everyone. I didn’t live on a farm, but I did spend a lot of
essay
I went for a walk last week. I wasn’t having a particularly good day and needed to go out into the world to help clear my head. I bought a paper from a local vendor. The sun was shining. It’s been cooler than usual here, but I like
working
Most of us need money—and by extension, an income—to live. I’ve written a few times about the great resignation, why you should stay, and why you should move on. While it may be easy to leave an employer, it’s not always clear-cut where we should go
