“I heard the tiny voice of a little kid – probably between 4 and 6 years old – I didn’t open my eyes to verify. This young person exclaimed, “Look Mommy, all those people are resting together.”

Given the world we are living in, where we are pummeled with news of cruelty and violence and everything we should feel afraid of, last Wednesday, I lay in the grass with a bunch of strangers, and we rested – unafraid – and together.

Sometimes, simply being in the moment and engaging in a deeply present experience is a wonderful way to be part of the larger human experience…”

“I’m pretty sure our desire to avoid change is hurting us.

I am noticing a resistance, a distaste for, an avoidance of change and evolution and I think it’s doing a lot of damage.

In moments of crisis and pain and confusion I have to remind myself –this is temporary.

folks are having a helluva time navigating change.

And that’s a problem.

Because change is constant…”

“What I deeply believe we can and must do better, especially as white Americans, moving forward.

• we can choose to get our shit together and reckon with the specificity of our own learned anti-Blackness.

• Rather than being reactive and defensive and throwing your hands up in the air to say, “I didn’t do it!” or “My relatives weren’t even here, yet – we didn’t do it!” to take a deep breath and reckon with the reality that we are alive and living at a time when U.S. systems still preference white people.”

“A couple of weeks ago, I felt compelled to grab a piece of 8.5 x 11” paper from my printer tray and sketch out what I’m calling “Trina’s Summer Bingo Card.”

I want to be crystal clear: this slap-dash bingo card is NOT a to-do list.

I have fun, laugh, and seek out good times, but it’s way down on my list of shit-to-do.

Let me know what you put on your own Summer Bingo Card –things you want to remember you could do this summer. You can reach me at trina@trinaolson.com.”

““RECEIVE and BELIEVE.” One way we can be better listeners and understanders of other people’s experiences with racism and sexism is to receive and believe what this incident is feeling like from the inside out.

Rather than guessing or thinking I could possibly read someone’s facial expressions, body language, and vocal tone, I can check-in. What size is this???”

“How did the Enneagram come into my life?

I’m glad you asked ;)

We had lost Proposition 8.

It was devastating. We had tried – hard. We were tired – like bone and soul tired.”

“This is Essay #26. The goal I set for myself was to share one essay per week - for one year - publicly. That means, as of this week, we’ve reached the halfway point!

I like to check in with clients and friends by asking this three-part question, “How are you doing – Head? Heart? Body?”

So, Head? Heart? Body? Here are my essay project mid-point reflections:…”

"My understanding is that compared to the rest of the globe, people living in the U.S. (me included, obviously) are conditioned to be not just individualistic, but hyper-individualistic. Focus is on self—me, mine, I.

instead aim for something more like – “how am I considering both my own needs and the needs of others as valid and valuable?”

Food for thought..."

“Workers in modern-day America are very clear about wanting freedom. They also want a sense of purpose.

People crave a sense of purpose.

As leaders, managers, and colleagues, we each have an opportunity. We can choose to consciously connect with our own sense of what gives us purpose.”

“So much of problem-solving demands creativity. To imagine a new way, a better way, a more just way of living – we’re gonna need to get creative.

In my opinion – everything! We are trying to imagine a new world. A better world. A world where our identities are no longer used as tools to bludgeon and diminish. We want bad things to stop being so damn predictable, and we want good things to be the new world order.”

“Even if my inbox is zero or I’ve attended all my scheduled meetings, I have “to-dos.” I could work ahead, catch up, or make progress on one of my many projects that are months (not hours or days) long.

Do you resonate?

Listen to my playlist “Close Out Ritual Songs”

“there is been a lot of denial and avoidance of both the big and little ways that politics and our workplaces are inextricably linked.

when adults chose to tap out – bury their head in the sand – or deny reality, it drives me batty. It’s like - we can watch “Handmaids Tale” and “Game of Thrones” (not everyone’s cup of tea, I realize), but then act like we’re all shocked and confused about how to navigate the well monied Wild West of U.S. elections and cable news.”

“Imagine my arm reaching out to strike someone who is standing near me. I can reach them because they are close. I bump into them – whether I mean to or not – because we are sharing space.

Horizontal violence - in its purest form - is lashing out.”

“The reality is, depending on our health, our budget, and our season of life – what feels viable as a vacation to one of our colleagues may currently feel light-years away to us. And we are each capablevof jealousy, envy, and judgment. Those feelings can seep into our working relationships.

So, what’s the antidote? How can workers and workplaces imagine making time for rest and restoration?”

“The question should NOT be, “who died?” it SHOULD BE, “are you well enough to be at work?”

Like sickness, it is often highly inconvenient, and may even happen during what feels like a “critical moment” at work. I get that. And yet, we are human beings having a human experience. Let’s do the work to get better prepared so that we can rally around our colleagues in their times of greatest need rather than act like they are letting us down and bothering us with their loss…”

“The big three monotheistic religions: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity each come with their own assumptions, stereotypes, and tropes about their followers. How moral are you? How hard-working are you? How God-fearing are you?

Here’s what’s true about our 300-million-person population, though – WE ARE A MULTI-RELIGIOUS COUNTRY.”

“IF YOU’RE SICK, STAY HOME!

Truly, our resistance to logic, as adults who function inside a capitalist economy has really been something special. Our egos demand of us that we pretend to be impervious to the human condition. Rather than embrace our body’s wisdom, we try to override it with our big brains and “push through” as though that is ever gonna have positive consequences on the other side…”

“Whoa. Deep breath. I get it. Americans (myself included) have a cultural allergy to being taken advantage of. We do not want to get screwed. Additionally, we suck at rest, restoration, and holidays. And it’s clear why – capitalism.

No wonder workers are afraid to take time off! And no wonder workplaces are unpracticed at treating workers like fallible human beings who cannot simply keep going like automatons.”

Secrets. Hiding. Access. Privilege. Trust. Vault. Knowing.

In a work setting, who gets to know what? when? why? and at what level of detail?

Based on the conversations I’ve had with clients, here are my current recommendations on things to watch out for and be mindful of in your own approach to living your values around both transparency and confidentiality…”

Workers have been very clear with me about the kinds of freedoms they are craving:

• free to work with and for people who share values

• free to work where it makes sense for me and my family

• I want my body to be free – not monitored and controlled

These freedoms, to me, feel like understandable responses to constriction and control.