Difficult Conversations in 2026: Knowing When to Divulge and When to Defer as an Ally
We had a fabulous inaugural town hall & support session today. Appreciate these lovely ladies for holding it down when I needed to step away to put out a small family fire! While we didn't record the whole session, there was a really great question/reflection that I wanted to be sure to capture. With permission from @Cheryl Wozniak and @Kristin Bigras, I wanted to share this clip. In matters of accompliceship in turbulent times when it seems like no one is being spared, it's important for us to remember that no matter how close an incident hits to home, social dynamics continue to exist. While we are all impacted and no two lived experiences are exactly alike, recognizing these dynamics and knowing when to decenter (and stay out of the center, period) is critical to the effectiveness of your advocacy. While you may *feel* a sense of identity, deep empathy or parallelism with a particular struggle, it's not always right for the moment to lead with this conversation—especially if you are of a predominantly privileged background or are in a position to guide or coach others through a difficult experience. It IS, however, important to use that gut emotion as information to guide a line of questioning that keeps the marginalized individual at the center of the issue being discussed. Use empathy as a catalyst, not a cover. Let me know what comes up for you as you hear this clip. 💛 A reminder that we'll be back next Thursday 1/22, same time (1pm CST/8pm CEST) for our next session. Link to register in the calendar tab. Looking forward to seeing more of you there!