Welcome to The Joyful Rebellion!

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

🧪What's New In the Lab

This past weekend I was at the Girls Rock St. Pete showcase, cheering on campers and remembering what it felt like to be a full-grown woman at Ladies Rock Camp with a room full of strangers who felt like family by the end of the weekend. I support this cause every chance I get, partly because I've lived it.

There's something about a room full of people learning to take up space, badly and loudly and on purpose, that no tool can touch. AI can draft my emails. It cannot teach someone that her voice is allowed to be loud. It cannot give you the particular belonging of a crowd who showed up just to watch you try.

That's actually where this whole issue lives: belonging, and the parts of being human that don't get redesigned. Let's get into it.

✍🏽 The Better Boundaries Brief

I've been using AI to triage my inbox, build project workflows, and time-block my calendar. And Claude told me I needed to protect my time better, which is why this newsletter was silent for a couple of months. 😆
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And honestly? It's made a real difference. But it also surfaced a harder question: are we using these tools to work better, or just faster? And who gets to decide?
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The July edition of the Better Boundaries Brief is out, and I'm not doing the "AI is amazing" or "AI is terrifying" thing. I'm doing the data thing. Example? Women make up more than 8 in 10 workers in the most AI-vulnerable occupations.
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If you're a leader, an HR professional, or just a person trying to figure out where you stand, this conversation is coming for you whether you've opted in or not.

👉🏽 Read the latest edition now.

🎧 Work Is Third: Podcast Spotlight

Your Body Knows You Don't Belong | The Science of Belonging with Andrea D. Carter

Have you ever felt like you didn't belong somewhere but couldn't explain why?Organizational scientist, adjunct professor, and keynote speaker Andrea D. Carter has spent years studying exactly that feeling — and she has the data to prove it's not in your head. It's in your nervous system.

Probably my favorite part of this episode is learning about how being in a threat response, even if you don't realize it, shapes your experiences at work.

🎵 From the Work Is Third Soundtrack

This week's pick: "Break My Soul" by Beyoncé

Yes, it's a club record. It's also, functionally, a boundary-setting anthem:

If the AI-and-boundaries conversation above has you fantasizing about a Tuesday afternoon nap, let this be your soundtrack.

📊Data That Matters

While lawmakers in 47 states have introduced AI-related legislation, including 260 measures in 2025, only 22 of those bills were signed into law.

It's important to note that "34 states are studying AI, including 24 states that have created a group to study AI and another 10 states have delegated the task to a standing committee," according to Brookings. This is a typical approach in state legislatures.

The problem? As noted in this month's Better Boundaries Brief, adoption and use of AI (and the fears associated with it) are far outpacing regulatory efforts.

Where does your state stand?

Link: How different states are approaching AI ​

💬Quote of the Week

📓 Journal Prompt

Where in your workday does your body tense before your mind can explain why? A meeting, a message, a name on your calendar?

How is AI affecting your sense of belonging at work?

🌞 Affirmation of the Week

I fully embrace who I am, without seeking approval from others.

💫 Closing Reflection

I write this newsletter because, well, I love to write, but also I want to share what I've learned in the hopes it helps others. So I appreciate every bit of feedback you share. A special thanks to subscriber Mary for feedback on the layout - I hope you all will find that the newsletter is a bit more reader-friendly!

Hit reply and tell me: where do you feel it in your body when you know you don't belong somewhere?

And if this issue was useful, forward it to someone who's rethinking their relationship with AI and their calendar this summer.

👉🏽 Take the Workplace Boundary Audit and then let me know your boundary leadership style.

You can find all the things, including the Audit, on my Linktree: @thedawnhunter​

Until next time, protect your rest like it's a boundary, because it is.

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.
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👉 Book a call and let’s build something better together.