Building an Oasis in the Desert of Work

This week was World Mental Health Day, and as I reflected and read many relevant posts on this subject, I had to acknowledge that my own mental health has not been that great lately.??

It’s been over a year since I left corporate life behind and chose to start Regenerative Workplaces with a mission/calling/vision to help organizations be more human centric and end the normalization of burnout and “hustle culture.”??

And I’m weary….

A Shared Weariness

I may not be part of the “8 to 5 daily grind” as an entrepreneur, but I’m “hustling” in other ways. I’m constantly navigating the landscape of staying true to my authentic self and my values while doing all the “things” an entrepreneur is “supposed” to do.? I’m trying to find my voice and be a voice that stands out in all of the “noise” that’s out there.? And.. if I’m honest…I’m trying everyday to REFUSE the hustle and shift away from the burnout norm myself.? Going against the norm of our culture is HARD! Our entire society is built on this trauma response of productivity as a measure of value and worth.

I have used the metaphor of “getting OFF the hamster wheel ,” to describe the transformation of work, but I’m beginning to think that’s not the best metaphor because it’s only focused on what we’re trying to stop, not what we’re replacing it with or moving toward.?

While my burnout feeling may feel a bit like running endlessly in place on a treadmill that goes nowhere, it also feels deeper than that. I’m impatient. I’m frustrated. I’m tired of all of the talk and very little substantive action and I need hope. I feel weary…. Not just weary like I want to stop running … but a deeper weary, like I’m dying of thirst thirst…

There’s a Bible verse that keeps circling around in my head.? It’s a desperate cry from David during a season of wandering in the desert wilderness… “God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.”

Do you ever feel like that? This isn’t a religious question, just a weariness one…? Do you ever feel like you’re wandering in a dry and parched land chasing after mirages that SEEM like they might offer relief, only to find more desert? The thirst is unquenchable… You long for an oasis… for REAL rest… something completely different… you long for a place of regeneration!

A dry and weary land…?

Is it just me or does it seem like everyone is talking about ending burnout, increasing well-being, driving retention, improving performance, etc., but we’re still not moving the needle.? In fact, did you catch the finding in Lululemon’s 2024 Global Well-Being Report last month that found many people are now burning out on the pressure to find greater well-being??? Holy Hot Mess!!? Our culture can’t even do well-being without making it another “should” that we feel shamed by when we fall short!

Our collective trauma has drastically changed us . What we’ve done or been doing isn’t working. We keep talking about all of the “things” organizations need to support employees and address mental health (better managers, flexibility, professional development, great culture ) yada yada yada and yet burnout is the highest it’s ever been .??

Why?

Because we’re still focused on DOING… and not on BEING…?

Ever since the “Age of Enlightenment” we have increasingly become a “top down” intellect, logic based world, especially in the West. The Enlightenment brought us many great things, but we’ve lost our connection to our heart/soul/body. We make amazing widgets as we focus on “tangible” results and measure everything in linear ways.? We compare ourselves and compete. We divide and conquer.? We’re trying to be machines who “produce”... but we are more than brains inside of robot bodies.?

Humans are complex, emotional, deeply creative, social beings. We NEED each other. We NEED safety and purpose and connection. Our industrial revolution way of working has created a desert wasteland that is not fit for humanity, and continuing to apply old ways of thinking to fix the problem is just another mirage.?

Building an Oasis?

What would it look like to create a REAL oasis in the desert of work?

I’m NOT talking about a new “employee engagement” program. I’m not even talking about an “organizational culture transformation.” I’m talking about breaking free from the Dark Ages of the Industrial Revolution completely and adapting workplaces to the Great Awakening that I sense and see happening all around us.?

People are waking up to what’s no longer serving them - and thirsting for more. They are searching for workplaces and work built for humans, not machines. Workplaces that regenerate instead of deplete. I’m ready to join the pilgrimage.???

What would be on your oasis blueprint list? Mine would include things like:?

• Re-defining value by measuring human flourishing as a corporate KPI
• Doing away with the “CEO as Emperor” oligarchy/hierarchies and leaning into collaborative teams with radical transparency, autonomy and trust.
• Breaking free from control/surveillance mindsets and strict workplace policies and building flexibility around how, where and when work gets done that cater to different work styles.
• Ending the “daily grind” mentality around work by making joy, play, and celebration regular workplace routines/norms.
• Busting the mythical construct of the 8 hour work day/40 hour work week and leaning into cyclical, seasonal work flows that reflect the rhythms of nature (and humans) and ritualize rest and reflection.
• Correcting our long broken “us vs them” mindsets that pits leaders and employees and companies against each other and embracing our interconnectedness, interdependence and true equality as human beings.

I’m thirsting for that.? Are you??

And I don’t want simply to build that in workplaces, I want to build it in my life. I want to BE a regenerative person - a safe place for people to find compassion and rest from the desert. I’m searching for (and finding) others who are out there oasis building too.? I’ve met and read about many on the cutting edge of this work (Like CBI , Wisdom Works , We Are Human Leaders , B Labs , nRhythm , The Third Way , Culture Crush and too many more to list).? A movement has started. Care to join us?

When I get weary, I stop and rest. I speak what I know to be true out loud. I connect with others who are part of the movement to awaken to a higher consciousness about work and workplaces.? And I invite you to stop… yes, get off the friggen hamster wheel…? and then join me as I seek to create workplaces that are so rich, rewarding, satisfying, validating, and HUMAN affirming that we can all take a nice long cool drink together in a dry and weary land.

OH.. and a final note.. This may be my last LinkedIn version of this newsletter.? As much as I see the value in having a broader audience, I find the “social media machine” and algorithms to be part of the desert for me. I’m shifting my focus to those who WANT to engage and those right in my own back yard.? So.. if you’d like to stay in touch, please fill out this form to connect with me. ?I may start an email newsletter/blog, but I PROMISE no spam! Just heart-centered authentic connection and conversations.

Hope to see you at the watering hole!