Reinvention.
Seasons change. Developing your brand or public persona is no different. In this interview with Teflon John of the Art of Reinvention Talk Show, we discuss many things from maintaining healthy boundaries to starting over. Check it out below!
FREE Mini eBook! 12 Little Hacks for the Mindful Creative
12 Little Hacks for the Mindful Creative is a mini eBook featuring tips from Hustle & Grace podcast guests like Daniel Pink, Jeremy Cowart, Jeremiah Harmon, Linsey Knerl, Jeff Goins, Nicholas George, Rachel Van Kluyve, and Laurie Collins. The ebook contains wisdom on how to create a sustainable career as a creative from leaders in the disciplines of writing, photography, nonprofit leadership, songwriting, performing, home design, and entrepreneurship. Flourishing careers and flourishing lives do not have to be mutually exclusive. Download this eBook to learn a dozen hacks to hustle smarter, especially in a creative field.
Care of Souls
By Angie Thurston, Casper ter Kuile & Rev. Sue Phillips
America needs to care for its soul.
We feel this in our loneliness, the disruption of our communal life, and the pain of our polarized society.
As more of us step away from religious identity, we don’t even have common language to talk about the need we feel. Even the word ‘soul’ might not resonate with you.
Where, then, do we turn?
After four years of asking this question, we’re writing because we’ve gotten to know an emerging field of responders. They all use different words to describe their work, but here we call it, the Care of Souls. These innovators are applying ancient wisdom to today’s social and spiritual disconnection. You might be one of them.
This report frames seven key roles in the Care of Souls. In each of these roles, we illustrate how an individual can grow from novice to master over time. And the more skillful we become at this work, the more we contribute to our society becoming just and whole.
We offer these findings to three groups of people in particular:
Those inhabiting the seven key roles of Gatherer, Seer, Maker, Healer, Venturer, Steward, and Elder;
Those with the potential to fill these roles who are waiting to be called into it;
Those ready to offer practical support to this emerging field.
Our purpose is to describe the shape of what’s emerging, in hopes that we may begin to recognize ourselves within it. From there, we can imagine and create pathways for this landscape to grow. By nurturing the Care of Souls, we hope to move toward a society transformed by love and justice.
L to R – Nora, Britt, Noah, me and Naomi, putting on our best faces. photo credit: Amanda Martin Portraits
I’M AN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WHO HAS WORKED FOR FREE FOR NEARLY 10 YEARS. IS IT STILL EVEN WORTH IT?
Eight years ago, I had an idea. The idea was inspired by what I had seen at other organizations around the country, but for where I resided, in Central Virginia, it was a new thing. After about a year of testing this idea out and playing with it in a real-world sense, I decided to commit to seeing it come to fruition. I would end up spending so much of my time — without compensation, mind you — working relentlessly, because I believed in it.
This was my foray into the messy world of nonprofit work.
In retrospect, there were a number of people who prompted me to reconsider starting a nonprofit. Friends who were business owners or those who had their own experiences in the nonprofit field implored me to really assess why I thought my goals had to come to fruition as a charitable business.
It was because I was convinced that I wanted this endeavor to belong to the people. I had observed many successful NPOs, from Kids Across America to Big Brothers Big Sisters, and I wanted to join the ranks of organizations that existed for the common good instead of the bottom line. There was also a part of me that was concerned about the threat of capitalism infecting the heart of any altruistic mission. Declaring a position as “not-for-profit” seemed to be a way to avoid that.
There is also a sense of romanticism about it. Visions of “fighting the good fight” and “sticking it to the man” and “doing it for the people” danced in my head like a John Hughes montage. This was my chance to do something that could really make a difference in the world. In a world where visibility matters for Black youth, I’m a part of a bigger system than I initially thought. I’m a part of a small fraternity, a conclave of ambitious nonprofit founders — Philanthropy’s Broke Phi Broke, if you will. I can’t just quit, right? All the blood, sweat and tears — I told myself it would be worth it.
Soon though, there comes a point when all the blood and all the sweat and all the tears begin to take their toll.