Welcome to The Joyful Rebellion!

Because setting boundaries, resting well, and building healthier systems is radical.

🧪What's New In the Lab

Last week I was in San Antonio facilitating a leadership retreat — a beautiful reminder that even the people who hold space for others need their own spaces for rest, grounding, and honesty. I also made a quick pit stop at SeaWorld (because joy and play matter, too), and it reinforced something I’ve been reflecting on: leaders thrive when they reconnect with themselves. That’s the heart of everything we’re building here at The Dawn Lab — leadership rooted in humanity, boundaries, and wellbeing.

If your organization is navigating change, reimagining culture, or strengthening ethical leadership, I’m booking retreats and trainings for 2026. I’d love to support you.

👉 Book a discovery call to explore a leadership retreat, strategic session, or ethics-focused workshop tailored to your team.

✍🏽 The Better Boundaries Brief

This week, I’m easing back into writing after a short boundary‑honoring break—and I’m writing about something many of us carry quietly this time of year: grief. As the holidays approach, joy and loss often sit side by side, and our workplaces aren’t always equipped to support that. In the latest edition, When Grief Comes to Work: The Limits of Bereavement Leave and Why Boundaries Matter, we explore the limits of bereavement leave and what compassionate, human‑centered support can look like.

Read Now

🎧 Work Is Third: Podcast Spotlight

This week’s highlight: The Inner King: Hustle, Heal, and Break the Cycle with Adam Wilson

In this week’s episode, mindset and wellness coach Adam Wilson reminds us that “you are your best project.” Our conversation dives deep into what it means to heal the parts of ourselves we rarely slow down long enough to notice — the childhood patterns we carry, the boundaries we struggle to set, and the rest we deny ourselves in the name of productivity.

It pairs perfectly with this week’s Better Boundaries Brief on grief at work, because grief and healing often walk side by side. Whether you're grieving a loss, a season that’s ending, or a version of yourself you’ve outgrown, this episode is your reminder that healing is how we show up stronger for our families, our communities, and ourselves.

Take what you need from it. And take care of you — you’re your most important work.

Listen Now

📊Data That Matters

Lean In, *A surprising employee benefit that often tops the list for women with marginalized identities: Bereavement Leave*, 2023

Why this matters

Bereavement leave isn’t a “nice-to-have”— it’s a critical support that women, especially those with marginalized identities, value most. This chart shows a clear pattern: while 18% of men identify bereavement leave as a top benefit, the numbers jump significantly for Black women (35%), women with disabilities (32%), and LGBTQ+ women (31%). When workplaces ignore grief, they also deepen inequities. Supporting employees through loss is a matter of both compassion and inclusion.

Link: A surprising employee benefit that often tops the list for women with marginalized identities: Bereavement Leave

💬Quote of the Week

“We bereaved are not alone. We belong to the largest company in all the world – the company of those who have known suffering.” Helen Keller, We Bereaved

📓 Journal Prompt

When you think about grief in your own life — whether it’s the loss of a person, a season, or an earlier version of yourself — what support have you needed most? How did you start to heal?

🌞 Affirmation of the Week

Boundaries create breathing room for both grief and joy. I can hold both.

💫 Closing Reflection

Grief asks us to slow down — often when the world is speeding up. If you’re navigating something tender right now, may this week be a gentle reminder that you don’t have to carry it all at once. Boundaries create breathing room. Healing takes the time it takes. And you’re allowed to create a life that supports both.

If your team or organization is moving through a season of change or simply needs a grounded, human-centered reset, I’m currently booking leadership retreats and workshops centered on change management, ethical leadership, and wellbeing.
👉 Reach out if you’d like support holding space for your people.

🎶 The Rebellion Has a Soundtrack

Don’t forget—The Joyful Rebellion has a Spotify playlist! It’s a genre-defying soundtrack for rebels, rest-seekers, and boundary-builders featuring selections from Work is Third guests.

Recent guest Lynn Gallagher contributed Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper.

Girls Just Want to Have Fun

Cyndi Lauper

PREVIEW

🤝🏽Let’s Work Together

Ready to bring more clarity, courage, and care into your workplace?
I help organizations build ethical, human-centered cultures through leadership retreats, change-management workshops, and values-aligned strategy sessions.
👉 Book a call and let’s build something better together.

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