March got here.

And if you’re anything like us, you’re still finding your footing—figuring out what it means to keep showing up with care, clarity, and each other.

That’s what this month’s newsletter holds.

Before we dive in, we want to pause and honor a transition in our own community.

Diego has stepped into a new role as Grants Manager at Urban Roots. This next chapter brings him back to work that’s deeply aligned—and we’re genuinely excited for what’s ahead of him.

We’re also deeply grateful for the time we’ve shared. For the ways he’s shaped this work, and the ways we’ve grown alongside him.

We don’t see this as an ending. Just a shift in how we stay connected.

If you want to reach him, you can find Diego at djuarez@urbanrootsmn.org.

We’re sending him forward with appreciation—and we’ll be cheering him on from here.

Spaces for Learning, Growing, and Leading

We’re always creating spaces where people can grow,

reflect, and lead with purpose.

If you’ve been craving a learning space that’s human, brave, grounded—and actually effective

(instead of a politely facilitated spiral into jargon-land)…

Facilitating Cultural Change (FCC) registration is now open.

📅 June 1–5, 2026

FCC isn’t a technical workshop. It’s a developmental experience—and that distinction matters. Because most of us already know a lot: the language, the frameworks, the intentions.

What’s harder is applying any of it when things get tense, messy, or high-stakes.

FCC focuses on that gap. Over five days, participants build the ability to:

Recognize cultural patterns underneath conflict
Understand their own default responses under pressure
Work across difference without defaulting to avoidance or control
Practice new ways of responding—until they’re usable in real time

This work is grounded in decades of intercultural development practice, led by Beth Zemsky and a long-standing teaching team (including us).

It changes how people lead—because it changes what they can actually do in the moment.

Space is limited. Scholarships are available

I didn’t go to Spain for this lesson—but it found me anyway.

Four days into being somewhere unfamiliar, something simple became clear:

When your usual tools stop working, your world gets smaller.

Language, routines, social cues—gone or harder to access. And with that, a familiar instinct shows up: pull back, stay quiet, avoid getting it wrong.

It's one of the reasons we avoid discomfort. This trip didn’t give me new insights. It gave me a chance to practice something I already know.

Read the Full Reflection

The Art of Conflict: Practice, Not Perfection

Michelle Obama once shared a simple idea: every day, we’re practicing who we become.

Which means when conflict shows up, most of us aren’t choosing how to respond. We’re repeating something.

If you avoid hard conversations, you’re practicing avoidance.

If you push through without listening, you’re practicing force.

And if you want to show up differently, you don’t wait for the perfect moment—you practice something new.

That’s where Julia’s reflection comes in.

In The Art of Conflict: Practice, Not Perfection, she invites us to shift the goal—from getting conflict “right” to building the capacity to stay present, curious, and intentional over time.

Because conflict isn’t a test you pass.

It’s a practice you’re already in.

If you’ve ever walked away from a conversation replaying what you should have said, this will meet you there—and offer a different way forward.

What If We Just Skipped the problem?

Why I’m joining FutureGood as a Visioning Strategist

Most of us are trained to start with what’s wrong. Analyze it. Name it. Try to fix it.

And to be clear—that work matters.

But over time, I’ve been noticing something: We can get very good at working the problem… without getting clearer about what we’re actually building.

That’s the gap that led me to join FutureGood as a Visioning Strategist.

This work starts somewhere different: Not with what’s wrong, but with the future.

I wrote more about why this shift matters (and what “skipping the problem” actually looks like in practice).

Read the Full Piece

TOOL TIME!

Most of us think we’re listening in hard moments. More often, we’re reacting.

In conversations where the stakes are high, the difference isn’t just what you hear—it’s how you’re listening.

There’s a simple shift that can change everything:

Move from listening to respond → to listening for what actually matters underneath.

Take a look at the three levels below—and notice where you tend to land.

Read how to use this in real conversations

Faith and Belonging

For many of us, faith and community are deeply intertwined. They can offer grounding, meaning, and connection. They can also raise questions—about where we fit, what we believe, and what belonging really asks of us.

In this reflection, Julia explores the tension that can live inside those spaces, and what it means to stay in relationship with faith, identity, and community without losing yourself in the process.

There’s no neat resolution here.

Just an honest invitation to consider what belonging looks like when it doesn’t require you to be less of who you are.

A Reflection on Faith and Belonging

Wait... Good News? Well, Yeah... Always!

Every month, we're going to sift through the news and spotlight stories that are full of progress, kindness, and joy.

Woman stops porch pirate with $7 and a little kindness: ‘You’re better than that’

Young boy saves mom and siblings with an hourslong swim

Finally: A Global Agreement to Protect Ocean Life

What we are reading right now

A Case for the Comics-from Julia

Lately, I’ve been reaching for lighter reads.

This month? The Sunday comics.

In our work, we often think about two kinds of challenge: the content itself, and the process of engaging with it. When those are balanced, people learn and grow.

But when both are low?

Sometimes, that’s not a problem.

Sometimes, that’s rest.

That’s where my reading life has landed lately—lingering over the comics, enjoying something simple, letting it be easy.

No heavy themes.

No big analysis. Just a few minutes of lighthearted pause.

It reminds me of something we say often: Rest Don’t Quit.The work we care about is long-haul work. And long-haul work needs rhythm.

Right now, this is mine.

From the BetterWorld Shelf

At BetterWorld Partners, we often remind ourselves: Rest is part of the work.

Growth, courage, and care all require space to pause and replenish. Our Rest Don’t Quit t-shirt and notebook are small reminders to breathe, regroup, and keep going.

Because sustainable change isn’t about pushing harder—it’s about staying in it for the long haul.

Explore the Collection!

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