Welcome to The Joyful Rebellion!

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

🧪What's New In the Lab

This week, I'm headed to Atlanta where I'll be leading wellness activities at a leadership retreat, and I couldn't be more thrilled. It's a space to encourage leaders to explore the importance of play, rest, and other forms of self-care in this incredibly busy season.

When I return home, I’m intentionally slowing down myself, to prepare for the work that matters in 2026. Rest is the reset that sharpens our purpose. Reflection is strategy. Recharging is leadership.

The picture below is from DisruptHR Tampa. I really enjoyed my first Disrupt event, hearing a dynamic group of speakers talk about human-centered workplaces. Plus all proceeds benefited Feeding Tampa Bay, which has a mission to create flourishing communities through trailblazing, people-focused solutions that dismantle barriers and disrupt ineffective systems. Consider donating to help families in need this holiday season.

✍🏽 The Better Boundaries Brief

This week’s blog post explores a surprisingly loaded topic: office parties.

Whether they bring joy, awkwardness, pressure, or all three at once, office celebrations often reveal what an organization truly values. In the post, I unpack the boundaries we navigate around participation, belonging, and authenticity, and how we can rethink celebration in more inclusive, human-centered ways.

Office Parties, Opt-Outs, and Authentic Celebration: Rethinking Holiday Culture at Work

Read Now

🎧 Work Is Third: Podcast Spotlight

We are hitting pause for the rest of December, but still working behind the scenes to grow the Work is Third movement. As we grow, here are some additional ways you can engage:

Bookshop.org: The Joyful Rebellion Reading List, featuring books mentioned on the show
The Joyful Rebellion Spotify Playlist, featuring selections from Work is Third guests...and a few of my own favorites
Share a voice note with a story of your own, an episode reflection, or ideas for future episodes.

Listen Now

Thank you for your support for Work is Third this year! Here's a little highlight from my Spotify Wrapped:

One of the other things I want to grow in the new year is community around Work is Third. That’s why I’m thrilled to share something new: the Work is Third Winners Circle, an Ambassador Program for listeners and supporters who truly connect with our mission of redefining work, balance, and purpose.

As a thank-you for being part of our inner circle, you’ll have access to tiered rewards such as:

🎁 Exclusive stickers & merch
📣 Social media shoutouts
🌟 Ambassador spotlights

If you want to build community around a different way of living and working, then this is your invitation to step into the circle.

Apply Now!

📊Data That Matters

Why this matters

According to a FinanceBuzz survey on holiday work events, employees are sending a clear message:

64% reduced or stopped attending after-hours company events
69% would prefer a larger bonus over attending the holiday party
Many people feel pressure to participate, even when the event doesn’t support their well-being

Holiday cheer shouldn’t require emotional labor. Data like this helps us reimagine celebration in ways that honor time, energy, and choice.

Link: What Do Your Employees Really Think About Holiday Parties? 70% Feel Pressured to Attend [Survey]

💬Quote of the Week

"Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves even when we risk disappointing others."

Brené Brown

📓 Journal Prompt

Where in your life or work do you need to make space for rest? How would you like to enter 2026?

🌞 Affirmation of the Week

I am allowed to choose what supports my well-being.

💫 Closing Reflection

As this year winds down, consider what you want to carry into the next one and what you’re finally ready to set down. Boundaries are guideposts for the life you’re building. Let your rest be intentional. Let your joy be non-negotiable. And let your courage lead you into 2026 with clarity, ease, and a renewed sense of self.

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 to explore how we can collaborate to support your teams.

🎶 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 Adam Wilson contributed Skywalker by Miguel.

The Joyful Rebellion • Dawn...

Rebel Girl • Bikini Kill

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.

Book a Discovery Call