Week 1: What you bring into the moment For this week, let us spend some time with what we bring into our practice. I invite you to take a moment from your week and sit with it. Ask yourself: - What felt immediate or “obvious” to you in that interaction? - What were you noticing, and what might have been outside your awareness? - What experiences or beliefs may have been shaping how you interpreted what was happening? It’s easy to experience our responses as instinctive. With a bit more time, it becomes clearer how much sits underneath them. See more details on the classroom page: https://www.skool.com/the-social-work-circle-9235/classroom/209b3c3e?md=e4fd0c72df9b49a6b00cd3516e858da4 We’ll come together on Friday next week and spend some time with this as a group.

We had a wonderful chat around Afrocentrism & Indigenous ways of knowing. It's amazing to see how Social workers from different parts of the world think when it comes to decolonizing practice! See you on Wednesday for another chat....looking forward to what (topic) will come up.

I’m planning an informal Coffee Chat or Lunch & Learn toward the end of the month, and I’d love for you to be part of it. This will be a relaxed, come-as-you-are space. No presentations. No pressure. Just conversation and connection. Nothing is fixed yet. This space is shaped by what you want to talk about. Is there something you’d like us to chat about? Please drop your ideas or suggestions in the chat. Even a single word or question is welcome. More details on the date coming soon. I’m really looking forward to connecting with you.

Today’s challenge is about reconnecting, gently, with the natural world as a source of regulation, belonging, and perspective. Pause and consider: • When was the last time I felt connected to something natural, light, air, water, earth, or sky? • What part of nature feels most grounding or familiar to me right now? • What kind of connection feels possible today, even briefly? Activity: Spend a few intentional moments connecting with nature in whatever way is available to you. This could be: - stepping outside for fresh air - noticing the sky, trees, or clouds through a window - touching water, soil, a rock, or a plant - listening to wind, rain, or birds One word for what you noticed (calm / steady / distant / mixed / etc.)

Happy New Year, everyone 🎉I hope the year ahead brings moments of steadiness, growth, and care for you, both personally and professionally. As we begin this new year together, I’d love to open a conversation about reflexivity and reflective practice. So much of our work asks us not just to do, but to pause, notice, question, and reflect. Reflexivity invites us to consider how our values, identities, experiences, power, and context shape the way we show up in practice. Reflective practice gives us space to learn from what’s working, what feels uncomfortable, and what we might want to do differently as we move forward. As you step into this year, I’m curious: How do you see reflexivity or reflective practice shaping your work in the coming year? What makes it difficult to slow down and reflect in your current role or setting? What obstacles get in the way (time, systems, expectations, emotional load, or something else)? How can we support one another here to move past those barriers? This is a space to think out loud, share honestly, and learn together. Whether you post a few words or a longer reflection, your voice is welcome. Looking forward to learning alongside you this year.