Welcome to The Joyful Rebellion!

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

🧪What's New In the Lab

The American Public Health Association Annual Meeting is next week in Washington D.C. This year's theme is "Making the Public's Health a National Priority" and it feels like the timing and location present an opportune moment to advocate for what we need so that all people can thrive.

Each year, I co-organize a session with the APHA Government Relations team called Advocacy for Leaders, which invites practitioners working in diverse political and cultural environments to share messaging approaches, lessons learned, and tools for influencing change.

What are some ways that you advocate in your own community? Reply to this email and let me know!

✍🏽 The Better Boundaries Brief

This week is a throwback to an issue I've seen recent articles about: Workplace Surveillance and the Erosion of Trust: Why Boundaries Matter More Than Ever

What happens when “oversight” crosses the line into overreach?
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In this edition of The Better Boundaries Brief, I unpack the growing trend of workplace surveillance and the erosion of trust it brings. From secret log-ins to algorithmic monitoring, today’s workers are being watched more than ever. The result? Rising stress, shrinking autonomy, and a deep need to reclaim our right to privacy and dignity at work.

Remember, the goal isn’t to monitor harder. It’s to lead better.

🎧 Work Is Third: Podcast Spotlight

This week’s highlight: Love...No Ego, The Courage To Be You with Freddy Jackson

What if the secret to courage isn’t confidence, but connection?
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In this episode, Freddy Jackson, founder of the Love No Ego Foundation, invites us to strip away ego and return to what’s real. We talk about grounding ourselves in nature, finding strength through stillness, and learning to lead from love instead of fear.

📊Data That Matters

Why this matters

Monitoring might promise productivity, but it delivers burnout. Workers who are watched report higher stress, irritability, and emotional exhaustion — the very conditions that undermine performance and trust. Real leadership doesn’t rely on surveillance; it builds safety, autonomy, and connection.

Link: 2023 Work in America™ Survey

💬Quote of the Week

"A team is not a group of people who work together. A team is a group of people who trust each other." - Simon Sinek

📓 Journal Prompt

Where in your work or community life do you feel watched instead of trusted? What boundaries or conversations could help transform that space into one built on respect and autonomy?

🌞 Affirmation of the Week

I lead with trust, not control. My presence invites openness, courage, and connection.

🎶 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. Listen now!

🤝🏽Let’s Work Together

I help mission-driven organizations build better boundaries, reduce burnout, and create cultures of care. From keynote speaking to strategy workshops, I bring warmth, depth, and a deep belief that change is possible.

📬 Have a story to share or a collaboration idea? Hit reply—I’d love to hear it.