Skip to content

Better Places

Ideas for transcending violent communication and building inclusive communities.

Tag: betterplaces

Burnout Isn’t a Personal Failing—It’s an Invitation to Rethink How We Work

Burnout Isn’t a Personal Failing—It’s an Invitation to Rethink How We Work

The real solution isn’t heroic self-improvement. It’s shared space, shared responsibility, and a new kind of leadership that’s present, transparent, and humble enough to invite everyone into the solution. Continue reading Burnout Isn’t a Personal Failing—It’s an Invitation to Rethink How We Work

Feed First: The Gardens We Grow—or the Deserts We Create

Feed First: The Gardens We Grow—or the Deserts We Create

We live in either the abundant gardens we cultivate—or the deserts we create.

Fear, greed, and dehumanization make deserts.
Love, compassion, and courage grow gardens.

There is no neutral ground. We are either feeding life or starving it. Continue reading Feed First: The Gardens We Grow—or the Deserts We Create

Why I Stopped Being the Boss: How Teal Leadership Changed My Life

Why I Stopped Being the Boss: How Teal Leadership Changed My Life

But implementing that vision meant confronting my own paternal instincts. I had to unlearn habits built over years: controlling outcomes, protecting people from discomfort, making decisions for them. It was uncomfortable. It required humility. But it was liberating. Continue reading Why I Stopped Being the Boss: How Teal Leadership Changed My Life

Series Introduction: Why We Need to Rethink Work—Right Now

Series Introduction: Why We Need to Rethink Work—Right Now

In this age of dizzying speed, true leadership is not found in louder rhetoric or bigger promises, but in the quiet courage to show up, be present, and share space. Continue reading Series Introduction: Why We Need to Rethink Work—Right Now

What If They’re Not Fragile, But Equipped?

What If They’re Not Fragile, But Equipped?

But under the satire lies a deeper truth: we are five generations sharing the same workplaces—Traditionalists, Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z—and we’re still trying to understand each other. While older generations bring experience, younger ones are often branded with unfair labels like “fragile” or “lazy.” Continue reading What If They’re Not Fragile, But Equipped?

Discovering Willful Interdependence in ‘Better Places’

Discovering Willful Interdependence in ‘Better Places’

My book, Better Places: Building Stronger Communities with Authenticity and Compassion, is not a manual or a memoir in the traditional sense. It’s a deeply personal reflection on how we learn to love, how we sometimes unlearn it, and how—if we’re lucky—we find our way back to something more unconditional and human. Continue reading Discovering Willful Interdependence in ‘Better Places’

🛠️ What Happens When We Stop Assuming the Worst About Our Employees?

🛠️ What Happens When We Stop Assuming the Worst About Our Employees?

I thought it was a joke. Where I came from, admitting exhaustion was weakness. Needing space was career suicide. But in Norway, trust wasn’t earned through burnout—it was extended by default. Continue reading 🛠️ What Happens When We Stop Assuming the Worst About Our Employees?

Why Authenticity Matters in the Age of AI

Why Authenticity Matters in the Age of AI

We’re all writing the future of work—whether we mean to or not. Let’s write one where people belong. Let’s write one where joy is not an accident but a strategy. Let’s deliver happiness—not just as a brand promise, but as a collective practice. Continue reading Why Authenticity Matters in the Age of AI

The Healing Power of Military Community

The Healing Power of Military Community

For the first time, I stood beside people from all walks of life—different races, incomes, hometowns—and we were equals. We had one mission. One code. One team. The Navy didn’t erase our differences, but it unified us in something larger than ourselves. Continue reading The Healing Power of Military Community

“Proceed at Best Speed”: A Sailor’s Memory of the Strait of Hormuz

“Proceed at Best Speed”: A Sailor’s Memory of the Strait of Hormuz

We had trained endlessly for this moment. Drills were routine. We practiced the maneuvers, the transitions, the coordination of a full strike group moving in rhythm. But this was the only time during my service that I would experience it for real — hip-mounted gas mask on, eyes forward, adrenaline surging. Continue reading “Proceed at Best Speed”: A Sailor’s Memory of the Strait of Hormuz

Posts navigation

Older posts
Newer posts
Blog at WordPress.com.
Better Places
Blog at WordPress.com.
  • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Better Places
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Better Places
    • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...