The Art and Anatomy of Transformation
My Comfort Food
Some nights, my version of comfort food isn’t found in the kitchen—it’s in words.
A cat in my lap, a blanket across my legs, and, most recently, Brené Brown’s Strong Ground open in my hands. I’m savoring it slowly—underlining, dog-earing, pausing to breathe between paragraphs. Her words have been like a balm for my soul, reminding me that there is still sanity, love, truth, and goodness in the world.
And perhaps most importantly, that there is still hope for the workplace.
On Strong Ground: What We Build, and Why
Early in the book, Brené offers a line that took my breath away:
“Fully alive, well-supported, and connected human beings are unstoppable.”
It’s so simple, and yet it captures everything I believe about leadership and regenerative workplaces.
We’ve been told for too long that we have to choose between building revenue or building better humans. But that’s a false dichotomy. Organizations rooted in humanity—where people feel safe, purposeful, autonomous, and connected—outperform those that treat people as expendable resources.
Technology can’t fix dysfunction that runs deep. AI can’t heal disconnection.
Only humans can do that.
As Brené writes, “Technology built on dysfunction is dysfunction.” That line should be framed on every boardroom wall.
Off the Beaten Path, Patrick Shearn, Green Mountain Falls, CO
Transformation in Motion
A few days ago, I took myself—and my dog-eared copy of Strong Ground—on an artist’s date to Green Mountain Falls to see the art installation called Off the Beaten Path by Patrick Shearn (which is only up for a few more days for those of you in Colorado Springs!). Thousands of shimmering strands of color suspended in the sky, constantly shifting with the wind and light. It was mesmerizing—alive, expansive, and ever-changing.
The artist’s description of his piece read:
“As sunlight refracts through its textile surfaces and breezes ripple across its singular form, the work continually transforms… shifting with the rhythms of the day and the path of the viewer.”
I stood beneath it in awe and wonder.
It harkened back to another quote Brené had written, in Chapter 8—The Anatomy of Transformation:
“Real transformations are relational, not transactional… time- and attention-intensive… thrilling and disorienting. There’s no chance of real change without space and expansiveness.”
And in that moment, the art became a mirror for what has been stirring in me.
Transformation isn’t linear. It moves and breathes. It disorients and illuminates. It’s both tomb and womb—a place of death and rebirth.
In our workplaces, transformation looks like shifting from fear to trust. From control to autonomy. From extraction to regeneration. It requires space—for reflection, for discomfort, for emergence. It looks like a very specific set of skills - a tapestry of sorts - that take time and intention to build.
It’s not quick. It’s not clean. But it’s beautiful.
The Art and Anatomy of Transformation
The Work Worth Doing
Transformation, whether personal or organizational, is work. It’s not about changing faster—it’s about changing deeper.
As Brené reminds us:
“Making the invisible visible, naming what no one has named, and saying unsaid stuff are the tools of transformation.”
That’s the work of regenerative leadership—making the unseen seen. Creating cultures where humanity isn’t managed, it’s nurtured.
I believe we are standing at a turning point. We can continue building systems that deplete, or we can design ones that regenerate.
We can build strong ground—together.
Closing Invitation
If you’re leading a team, a business, or even yourself through change right now, I hope you’ll give yourself the grace of space and the gift of awe. Slow down enough to see the transformation as it happens.
Because under the right conditions—safety, purpose, autonomy, connection—humans are unstoppable.
