THE SQUIGGLE

The squiggle is a visual metaphor for the creative process. Its messy looping line illustrates the non-linear nature of design as the intentional use of power to shape what’s possible.

The squiggle reminds me to pause and consider:

Why am I/ are we doing this? Who gets to embark on this journey and who should?
What’s our pace? When should we zoom in? Zoom out? Slow down? Speed up?
Where does power sit? How is it shared/not? How might we build power with generosity, care and abundance?
What methods should we use? What’s working well? What can we build on?
What must we release and unlearn in order to adapt and evolve?
How might we make the hard work of systems change joyful?
How might we design against dependency?

These provocations shape my approach and guiding principles.

APPROACH

Align on purpose, people & place
Acknowledge the people, histories, stories, and lineage that shape this moment. Create space and allocate resources for connection, reflection, care and shared meaning beyond a single gathering.
Understand context
Recognize the emotional, cultural, and systemic forces at play. Acknowledge personal and collective histories, power dynamics, and the deeper significance of the transition. Move at the speed of trust.
Co-create while building ‘power with’
Those most impacted by the design process and outcomes define purpose, scope, and tone. Rituals, symbols, and shared practices emerge from their values, needs, living and lived experiences.
Seek & build on what works
Whether drawing from tradition or forging new pathways, seek and build on what already holds meaning and is working well.
Embrace the organic nature of transformation
Explore what feels resonant, embrace the unexpected, and adapt as needed. Allow room for cycles of stillness, joy, reflection and deep listening.
Weave continuity and transformation
A gathering is not an endpoint - it is a threshold. Co-create ways for meaning to extend beyond the moment, embedding reflection, stewardship, and shared responsibility into what comes next.
Design against dependency
Share tools, language, and practices that empower others to hold space for themselves and their communities. Compost the rest. Step away when my presence is no longer needed.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Move thoughtfully with CARE & intention

In a culture of harm espoused by “move fast, break things”, I believe in working collectively and intentionally towards sustainable, non-exploitative outcomes that prioritize the well-being of people, more than people, communities and the planet. Meaningful change takes time.

Rest IS resistance

Productivity does not equal worth. I honor and respect boundaries around personal time and rest - yours and mine. When communicating with me, I encourage you to respond when you are focused and ready and I will do the same.

Be kind, not polite

Over-indexing on politeness is an indicator of white-supremacy culture. I lead with kindness, am transparent, honest, and assume good intent. I expect the same in return in every interaction.

Practice makes progress

My approach is method-agnostic and adaptive to transition and change. I don’t pretend to have all the answers, I appreciate constructive feedback and believe in using failure and discomfort as opportunities to (un)learn.

Design with, never for

I see my role as a guide rather than an expert. I believe everyone is an expert with unique living and lived experiences and contributions. I work to center and amplify the voices of those who are impacted by the design process and its outcomes by building power and designing with, never for.

Reciprocity is non-negotiable

I respect all who participate in the design process by ensuring a fair value exchange for time and expertise given. By sharing resources, tools and knowledge throughout, I hope to build power and dismantle systems of structural inequality which I believe include unnecessary dependencies, parasitic consulting fees and extractive design practices.

Build on what’s strong

Innovation doesn’t mean new. New doesn’t mean better. I seek to build on what is already working well, instead of reinventing the wheel. I believe different ways of knowing, being and doing can co-exist.

MOVE AT THE SPEED OF RELATIONSHIP

I strive to be a magician with space-time, crafting brave spaces to collectively imagine and practice possibility. I credit Micky ScottBey Jones, whose essay An Invitation to Brave Space resonated with me. “The framework of inviting each other into brave spaces is, at its core, a baseline agreement to be in authentic working relationship. Its focus is on becoming skillful in navigating the messiness of different starting points, divesting from perfection, working at the speed of relationship, attending to our own frustrations, and practicing accountability, transformative justice, repair, and even separation in generative ways that create more liberation in the midst of work, not just as a result of it.”

Take the work seriously, but not necessarily yourself

Becoming a mom has reminded me of the joys of learning through discovery and play. By elevating curiosity and play in my work, I help organizations and people tap into their sense of wonder and (un)learn with joy.

THE PURSUIT OF COLLECTIVE LIBERATION CAN ONLY HAPPEN IN COMMUNITY

My practice is inspired by my mamma, mamma earth, adrienne maree brown, Resmaa Manakem, Nat Vikitsret, Robin Wall-Kimmerer, Báyò Akómoláfé, Audre Lorde, the Design Justice Network, Gesturing Towards Decolonial Futures, and so many other fierce, brave and beautiful people, more than people and communities whose wisdom, knowledge and lineage I have the honor and privilege of learning from and building on.