September 28, 2026 | Issue #37 | | Support of the Monday Morning Update | | For 2026 please consider a donation to help support delivery of the Monday Morning Update to your email every week by 5:30 am. Our distribution of this update is over 12,000 and growing. Your consideration is greatly appreciated. Thank you! | | R&R Network and Thriving Families CA Foundation 2026 Joint Annual Conference | | |
The countdown is on!
We’re excited to welcome all to the 14th Annual Joint Conference next week, October 7–9, 2026, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Sacramento.
This year marks our return to a 100% in-person conference—bringing our network back together to learn, collaborate, and strengthen the partnerships that support children, families, and communities throughout the state. Attendees can look forward to inspiring keynote speakers, engaging workshops, networking opportunities, an exhibitor marketplace, and plenty of chances to reconnect with colleagues old and new.
We can’t wait to see you in Sacramento and look forward to an incredible few days of learning, connection, and impact!
Thank you, Conference Partners for your Generous Support!
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the generous sponsors and exhibitors who helped make this year’s conference possible. Because of your commitment, we are able to provide high-quality sessions, valuable networking opportunities, and meaningful experiences for all participants.
Thank you for investing in our vision and helping us make this conference a success!
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The Conversations That Move Us Forward
by Denyne Micheletti, CEO
Last week's reflection focused on the importance of being willing to “kill our own ideas”—to challenge our assumptions and make room for something better.
But there is another part of that work that may be even harder: having the conversations that challenge us.
The best outcomes rarely come from rooms where everyone agrees.
They come when people with different experiences, perspectives, and ideas are willing to sit at the same table, ask hard questions, respectfully disagree, and—most importantly—listen.
That can be uncomfortable.
It is easier to have conversations with people who already see the world as we do. It is easier to avoid the issue that might create tension, protect relationships by staying quiet, or move forward with the familiar because consensus feels safer.
But avoiding hard conversations doesn't create alignment. It often just postpones the disagreement—and sometimes prevents us from getting to a better answer.
Collaboration isn't the absence of disagreement. Done well, it creates a place where disagreement can make the work stronger.
That requires trust. It requires curiosity. And it requires entering conversations not simply prepared to defend our position, but genuinely open to the possibility that something we hear might change it.
Some of the most productive conversations I have been part of have started with very different points of view. What made them productive wasn't that everyone ultimately agreed. It was that we stayed at the table long enough to better understand the problem—and each other.
Especially when we are talking about systems that have existed for decades, we should expect hard questions and differing perspectives. In fact, we should welcome them.
Because if we are serious about building something better, we need people around the table who are willing to challenge us—and we need the courage to challenge one another.
The goal isn't to avoid hard conversations. The goal is to create enough trust to have them—and enough openness to let them lead us somewhere better.
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Thank You to Our Generous 2024-25 Thriving Families CA Foundation Champions!
Thank you to the following Champions who stepped up in 2024-25, with funding to enhance our ability to serve the field. These agencies have made it possible for TFC to support our field with more tailored support of individual organizations, ability to pay for legal, advocacy and social media supports, enhanced regional trainings, improving data collection, and more.
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