Some hard-won lessons navigating complex power dynamics and transformation

Without sugarcoating it—this work surfaces difficult truths about leadership, organizational culture, and resistance.

“If I had an hour to solve a problem I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.” ―Albert Einstein

Organizational outreach and relationship-building efforts includes complex interactions between cultures, communities, historical contexts, and traumas. These experiences are frameworks within:

  1. natural cycles referred to as "Begen-endings" (The constant mark of some - thing, as End-ing. And the Begin-ing of something else.) (From Maestra Therese Jornlin); appreciating the change it takes.

  2. lived-processes to establish appropriate protocols for engagement between non-Western communities and women, Indigenous, and rural leadership; also known as proper (embassy) protocols.

  • date: 2022-2024

    key take away: The importance to continue to sit and invite into (challenging) ethical spaces.

    When allies collaborate with those experienced and at the eye of systemic inequities, it is common to witness deep struggles in the formation truly (majority or indigenous led) representative-led enterprises or projects.

    Working with Indigenous Peoples and other groups requires the unpacking of inherited power imbalances and aggressions as they arise within modernity.

    These dynamics require thoughtful, respectful processes to ensure outcomes and above all prevent perpetuating harmful actions. Individuals in positions of privilege must demonstrate a depth emotional intelligence and a willingness to examine biases, particularly as traditional power structures are reconfigured within the systemic organism.

    While my role as director within this project, the process of transitioning this project from an anglo-western owner to a group of indigenous leaders (legally as well in practice) was not completed.

    Key learnings from this project: recognizing early pitfalls of tokenism, establishing appropriate cross-cultural communication protocols, calling out knowledge extraction, implementing transparent financial agreements, and cultivating resilience.

    the indigenous commons project, usa.

  • date: 2021-2024

    key take away: center relationship and ceremony as organizational and inter-national intent.

    This project operated in both the United States and specific regions of Ecuador. As director and CEO, this project successfully scaled achieving both in financial sustainability (within one year) and wide community and nation impact (two years).

    A project meant to transition to an Ecuadorian NGO was not completed. Today the project has reduced over half of is work in the Amazon region. Significant challenges encountered across general accountability frameworks, board of directors law, appropriate financial governance, and administrative protocols.

    Critical insights gained from this initiative underscore the importance of establishing robust accountability mechanisms and meticulously addressing international diplomatic protocols when developing cross-border collaborative partnerships.

    the andes amazon conservancy, usa.

  • The essential nature and necessary functioning of a nucleus, as in any organism that wishes to survive- requires a clean, clear and kind communication stream with all its components. Non-cooperative struggles impact the whole and delay systems and created emotionally charged backlogs. Crafting time for ceremony, ritual and community labor is necessary to a core board formation, as well as ritual conflict enactments and Elder supervision.

This framework may be interpreted as an analytical perspective rather than critique. I recommend consulting the resources developed by Algoma University (Canada) and Deakin University (Australia): "Protocols for Non-Indigenous People Working with Indigenous Knowledge."