Third Space Studio

As long as the Earth can make a spring every year, I can.? As long as the Earth can flower and produce nurturing fruit, I can, because I'm the Earth. I won't give up until the Earth gives up. ~ Alice Walker How is the arrival of spring bringing you joy and sustenance?

Every leader we talk to right now is dealing with stress, uncertainty, and complexity. You might be, too. Carol Hamilton's conversation with Danielle Marshall on this episode of Mission: Impact podcast offers thoughtful advice on how to manage through the chaos.

Last week, we posted a blog about the elements that make up better staff meetings (https://lnkd.in/e9AiaUpN) and check-in questions are an important?piece. We are living in times when individuals on your team could be experiencing threats and harms in their own lives, families, and communities. All of us are moving through a range of emotions. Intentional check-in questions are one way to help staff see each other and open the space for ongoing connection and support. Of these five favorites, we really love finding out what brings people joy. You'll be amazed at the variation in answers and it helps give the team a sense of each individual. What are your favorite check-in questions? We're always looking for more ideas!

Better staff meetings now, please! "The Surprising Power of Team Rituals," a recent research study published in the?Harvard Business Review, reports that "the more rituals a team engages in regularly, the higher their members' engagement." Team members who participate in regular rituals are more committed to the team’s purpose, report a higher level of psychological safety, have greater knowledge of their teammates, and report higher job satisfaction. That same research study found that despite the benefits, team leaders often fail to adopt and maintain consistent and meaningful rituals. We believe that in times of transition and change – and chaos like the first weeks of 2025 – staff meetings are the most important ritual for a team. They're?one of the more effective tools for supporting the engagement, motivation, and creativity of staff. Staff meetings are?the place where leaders can listen deeply to understand what's?at stake and what expertise and energy is available. It's a time where teams can?panic responsibly, together. In our latest blog, you'll find some suggestions for conducting better staff meetings. Adopting these practices will aid your staff as they navigate the complexities and uncertainties of 2025. https://lnkd.in/e9AiaUpN

Thanks to our longtime colleague, Andy Robinson, for the shoutout in his recent post. We often find ourselves in alignment with Andy's noticings and thinking and this particular piece truly resonated with us.?What survival strategies are you relying on this year??

As we close out our Well-Being Reflection journal prompts, we wanted to share this piece from adrienne maree brown. It's a reminder to see each other and know that we need each other. Closing radical gratitude spell by adrienne maree brown (https://lnkd.in/eh26ewqy) a spell to cast upon meeting a stranger, comrade or friend working for social and/or environmental justice and liberation: you are a miracle walking i greet you with wonder in a world which seeks to own your joy and your imagination you have chosen to be free, every day, as a practice. i can never know the struggles you went through to get here, but i know you have swum upstream and at times it has been lonely i want you to know i honor the choices you made in solitude and i honor the work you have done to belong i honor your commitment to that which is larger than yourself and your journey to love the particular container of life that is you you are enough your work is enough you are needed your work is sacred you are here and i am grateful

We wanted to share another guided journal prompt from our latest Well-Being Reflection blog (read the full blog here - https://lnkd.in/eQuSuAtF). This is a good week to remember the importance of rest and ponder who we might find more of it. Rest The Nap Ministry’s Nap Deck: 50 Practices to Resist Grind Culture?by Tricia Hersey (https://lnkd.in/g5DZhYeS) Everything in our culture is working to prevent you from resting. Capitalism does not want us to rest or pause. Take a moment, a day, a week, a month, or a lifetime to feel and understand this. Centering care, rest, space, silence, and connection is how we disrupt grind culture. Today, you can begin the escape from your toxic socialization. There is a new way. You don’t have to earn rest. You can rest now. To snatch rest - to reclaim your time for moments of rest - is to be so focused on liberation that you begin to transcend expectations about what rest is. Those socialized into a capitalist, white- supremacists patriarchal system have no clear idea of what rest is. These systems make us fearful, closed, and hard. The true work is to offer yourself grace and mercy as you slowly deprogram. We are creating and inventing. Find ways to snatch rest no matter what. ?? What might your creative, inventive, expansive version of rest look like? ?? How could?you snatch rest? And how can?you find ways to reclaim your time for rest?

Heather’s last meeting of the year was with a group of democracy advocates setting their sights on 2025. Rather than talking about policy priorities or organizing models,?they focused on strengthening their well-being and the well-being of their organizations and communities. To begin that work, Heather led the group through a set of guided journaling prompts. We'll be sharing some of them with you this month (you can find all of them in our latest blog post - https://lnkd.in/eQuSuAtF) as we can all benefit from a focus on well-being in 2025. Pour a cup of tea, find some quiet space, light a candle, and see what emerges in your responses to the prompts. ? Joy Black Liturgies?by Cole Arthur Riley (https://lnkd.in/e3tCSESB) FOR A JOY THAT TRANSCENDS Honest God,? We don’t want to fake it. We can’t go on with forced smiles and feigned laughter when happiness seems so far from us. The weight of the work is so heavy, it feels as if we don’t have any strength left to carry joy along with it. Be with us now as we try to reclaim and attune to some beauty in the world. Keep us from despair. Let joy be the arms that carry us from hopelessness. Not that we would have to manufacture our own happiness, but that a mysterious peace would comfort us, that joy itself would be the ground beneath our feet when we feel weary. Grant us emotional honesty on the journey, knowing you will never ask us to dismiss our pain; rather, you ensure that our pain doesn’t consume us. Remind us that more than one thing can be true at once. That the world can be terrible and still dare to be beautiful. In the fight against oppression in all its forms, may joy protect us. Amen. ? How do you reclaim and attune to beauty in the world? What are the ways that joy might protect you?

It's 2025 and many teams are gathering to plan for a new year, setting goals, and making workplans.?Our approach is a bit different. We reflect over a long walk and see what the cards have in store for us. On Wednesday, we met with our talented and intuitive friend, Rebecca Auman, for our annual Year Ahead Spread. For those unfamiliar, a Year Ahead Spread is a tarot reading that provides insight and guidance for the coming year. It was a fascinating reading and here are some of the things we'll be keeping an eye on and asking ourselves throughout 2025. ?? What structures are we attached to that keep us from our true nature? ?? What was our original purpose and passion? What is fueling our fire? ?? What's the difference between drive and momentum? ?? Don't focus on all the details, look at the big picture. We really enjoy this process every year as it invites intuitive thinking and deeper conversations among our team. If you’re interested in a Year Ahead Spread for yourself or your team, you can schedule a session with Rebecca here: https://lnkd.in/e4BqkBnv

Wishing you a restful and joyful holiday season. We'll see you in 2025. - Heather & Meredith