Welcome to The Joyful Rebellion!

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

🧪What's New In the Lab

You are never to old to play dress-up. Today's photo is of me in a tree at the Bay Area Renaissance Festival. One of my favorite things to gather with friends to enjoy play on a grand scale.

Why am I sharing this? Life feels heavy lately, and I hope you take this as a reminder to find moments of levity, joy, and connection wherever you can. And don't let anyone tell you what you should or shouldn't do.

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✍🏽 The Better Boundaries Brief

The Loneliness Epidemic at Work (And Why It’s Not Just Personal)

Loneliness is produced by systems, which means it can also be prevented by them. If connection matters, it has to be built into how we work, lead, and govern.

In the latest edition of the Better Boundaries Brief, I talk about the epidemic of loneliness and how it affects us at work. When systems optimize for output and ignore connection, isolation becomes inevitable.
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Read to explore how loneliness is produced by policies, workplaces, and institutions, and why solving it requires people‑first design, not individual resilience.

Read Now

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🎧 Work Is Third: Podcast Spotlight

You’re Not Who They Told You to Be | How to Rewrite Your Story With James Lumumba

Have you ever felt like the version of yourself you’re living… isn’t really you? ​
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In this episode of Work is Third, I sit down with James Lumumba, host of Don’t Be Afraid to Talk, for a powerful conversation about identity, belonging, and what it really takes to rewrite your story.

We talk about how the beliefs we carry about who we are, what we should do, and how we show up are often shaped long before we ever question them. If you’ve ever struggled with feeling like you’re “too much,” “not enough,” or just not fully yourself… this one is for you. Because you don’t have to stay who you were told to be.

Listen Now

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📊Data That Matters

Why this matters

As the Surgeon General's report notes, "Loneliness is far more than just a bad feeling—it harms both individual and societal health. It is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death. The mortality impact of being socially disconnected is similar to that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day,4 and even greater than that associated with obesity and physical inactivity. And the harmful consequences of a society that lacks social connection can be felt in our schools, workplaces, and civic organizations, where performance, productivity, and engagement are diminished."

Link: Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community​

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💬Quote of the Week

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📓 Journal Prompt

Identify something you feel you "should" do this week. Where is this feeling coming from? What would you do instead?

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🌞 Affirmation of the Week

I make room in my life for joy and connection.

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💫 Closing Reflection

This edition is all about the ways we connect and the stories we tell. I hope that you are inspired to live life on your own terms, find joy in small moments, and write a new story about what your life is "supposed to" look like.

If something in today's newsletter resonated with you, hit reply and let me know. I'd love to hear from you.

With care and rebellion,
Dawn ✨

🤝🏽Let’s Work Together

Ready to build systems that support better ways to live and lead?​
I partner with organizations to create the conditions for everyone to thrive, through education, training, skill building, strategic planning, and implementation.
👉 Book a call and let’s build something better together.

Book a Discovery Call