The change leader's guide to wellbeing

Early this year, I attended Nlighten, a retreat for change leaders by Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies . It was an event like no other I’d ever been to – it made room for play, for relaxation, for connection*. It made me realise that for people who do ‘people work’, taking a break usually ranks lowest on their to-do list. What Nlighten drove home was that we aren’t alone on our journey to create impact@scale and, a big part of working together is cultivating safe and supportive spaces for our own as well as collective wellbeing. As we celebrate World Mental Health Day this month, I asked the team at Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies how they hold space for change leaders.?

“Social change work is arduous and time-consuming. That’s widely acknowledged. But the toll it takes on the wellbeing of those involved in this work is not spoken about enough. When we at Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies asked our partners about their wellbeing, we sensed an overwhelming need to support their mental health. Some, owing to their specific line of work, also spoke about second-order trauma and lack of resources with which to cope.?

We tried responding to their needs through sessions facilitated by external experts on a range of topics such as coping with stress, accepting ourselves, cultivating gratitude, understanding emotions, and more. Our biggest lesson from this experience as well as from holding space for social change leaders has been that wellbeing cannot be an afterthought or a one-time exercise. There are no one-size-fits-all solutions, and therapy and ‘self-care’ are not the only ways to pay attention to our wellbeing. It has to be intentional, nurturing, ongoing and contextual. It’s a priority that everyone involved in the process of social change needs to make room for. And, funders such as ourselves, ought to be more mindful and incorporate this lens throughout the giving cycle.”

Here’s what change leaders in our ecosystem say about the need for a culture of wellbeing:?

• How can funders actively support the wellbeing of their partner organisations? Raj Mariwala and Priti Sridhar offer 3 steps .?
• How can we reimagine change-making work to heal our inner as well as outer worlds? Kapil Dawda , in conversation with Jigyasa Labroo , emphasises nurturing wellbeing for self and society .?
• How can we cultivate a ‘resilience mindset’? Maya Welch traces the journey towards impact@scale and what it takes to experiment, fail and carry on .?
• How do we, individually and as a part of movements, practice looking out for ourselves? Sharanya Sekaram talks burnout, self-care and allowing ourselves joy .?
• How do we build resilient organisations that can weather internal conflict and external crises? Maurice Mitchell and Cyndi Suarez imagine an abundant, playful, and powerful home for our freedom dreams .

Getting started on our wellbeing journey:?

• Self-care essentials is a collection of ideas, resources, tips and tricks to understand and practise wellbeing
• Dare to care is a course around self- and collective care for people who work to address violence against women and children.
• Crip Time highlights our interdependence to forge new forms of care and connection.
• Practice for Presence is a sanctuary for those seeking stillness, reflection and inner peace.
• Resources for Resilience features manuals, tools and training materials created by change leaders, activists and movement weavers.

*My reflections around Nlighten.

(Illustration courtesy: British School of Coaching )

See you next month,

Anjali Hans