@Erin Corine Johnson has been so gently encouraging as I've deep-dived into absolute survival mode since February, working 2.5 jobs while refusing to give up on creating a more humane future than my present conditions. 🥰 Today, I opened my new store, RealBelonging.shop. (You can like/follow on www.facebook.com/realbelonging and Instagram @real.belonging!) A separate post in Identity & Belonging Lab is coming, with lessons learned along the way about DEI delivery and audience outreach, as Erin and I have discussed some in DMs. It's been a couple months straight of 17 hour workdays, learning new graphic design tools to upskill my drawing, learning to create and run an online business with no startup money, and 💯 walking by faith and not by sight. In celebration of this event, I just want to remind each of you today, as much as myself, that whatever is happening in your world right now: You deserve joy. You deserve cuteness. You deserve respect and nurturance. And if it's nowhere to be found right now, you have the power to create it. We will all have good things by creating them, and investing our energy in them, rather than in their opposites. I am grateful to be among this community of folks who bring so much goodness to believe in and to feel encouraged by, and who have sparked my creative resistance strategy engines (thank you, @Paul Johnson ) ... even when I disappear underwater and hold my breath for a few months to survive the waves. Coming up for air on the other side of acute struggle is always worth the swim.

If you came to today's AM office hours, you know that I tunneled DEEP into the netherworld of YouTube banners this morning. Getting the hang of the dimensions can be massively annoying, which is why I was avoiding it. However, I am SO proud of how this first iteration turned out. Check it out at https://www.youtube.com/@IdentityBelongingCoach! There are tons of old videos here that will be going unlisted soon, so feel free to check them out—but I'm preparing to finally jump off into the deep blue of YouTube and I'm actually... Sort of excited about it. Let me know what you think if the aesthetic, and give me a follow if you're on! Happy Thursday and hope to see you all at the meet & greet today at 1:30 Central US/8:30 Central Europe!

Most of you would have seen this in LinkedIn, but just in case you missed it, u GOTTA read this. I’m left with 1,000 thoughts, parallels, and quite honestly energised to get my own writing finished and published. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/flight-united-states-bbmac-bed-board-media-agency-for-c-aijme

Temperature check. How are we doing? How are YOU doing? And when was the last time you shut off the news for three weeks straight? For those of you that have been checking in since the summit, I just want to say thank you. I cannot overstate the importance of caring for yourself (or trying to, anyway) following the inevitable crash after huge exertions of energy, brainpower and honestly, mental stability like this. Once the magic of being surrounded by likeminded individuals that share your vision of a liberated existence for all, not just some, begins to fade... Things can get dark. Really, really dark. Full transparency, this is why I actually hated DEI consulting. It wasn't for me. The idea of putting every skill, strategy and instruction manual I could recount into a bucket with holes in the bottom was depressing. Unfulfilling. And obviously, ineffective. One thing the summit did do for me, however, is show me how much I've grown my network, my audience and my community. The rooms were buzzing. Our guests were shining. The audience was equal parts captivated and catalyzed to go out there and do their part—even if it would take the rest of their lives. I'm still processing it all. And you can forget about any elaborate post-summit upsell scheme because I have nary a spoon for anything remotely strategic. I'm trying to just find a few to get The Reparations Race 4th Edition on the map so I can now REALLY dig into my purpose, which has become even more clear to me since the summit—as in, I understood MY assignment. And that's to help changemakers generate the money they need to make the impact they want to make without burnout, without fancy titles, without having to bend to the will of performative socio-politics. To those waiting for me to excitedly follow up with next-steps and save-the-dates, I promise they are coming. All of what I'm writing here is really barely scratching the surface on the fatigue I'm recovering from. But for once... It isn't fatigue from trolls or the walls burning down around me.

Hi all, With permission from Erin, I'm putting an ask out to anyone who identifies as a white activist/ally/accomplice: I’m writing a book exploring how shame, perfectionism, and religious conditioning show up in white folks doing social justice work, particularly how these forces limit, distort, and hinder our activism. I’m looking to interview white activists who are open to reflecting on their experiences with these dynamics. If you’re willing to share honestly, sit with some tough questions, and contribute to a resource that aims to help others deepen and sustain their practice, I’d love to talk with you. Interviews are confidential and conversational. Feel free to message me or comment below if you're interested—thank you in advance! Paul Johnson