From Reform to Conscious Creation: The Path Forward

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the constant stream of negative news? I am sure you have. When I opened my news feed this morning, I was hit with headlines of division and violence. I felt that mix of disgust, shock, sadness, and... if I’m honest... numbness. Maybe you’ve felt it too. A tragedy unfolds, and after the initial reaction fades, many of us continue to scroll, partly as protection, partly because we’ve grown used to so much at once.

Right now, the world can feel heavy. And yet, when things truly get tough, I’ve seen how easily people come together to work as one. I saw it during wildfire season, when my previous neighbors and I opened our corrals for anyone in need. I felt it when I was recovering from my transplant, when those same neighbors took care of my hay field, and I never had to ask. These were not grand gestures, but they spoke so loudly. They were simple acts born from connection and care. That is the point. What matters most is the energy we create our lives from. When that energy is connection, care, and dignity, it shapes everything that follows.”

What we are witnessing today are the consequences of old systems and hierarchies that were not built to truly serve us. They have carried us as far as they can, but they were not built to hold what humanity is reaching for now. This is why the answer is not more reform... it is creating from connection. It is a calling to step out of old cycles of fear and division and begin building something entirely new, rooted in our interconnectedness. 

I am so drawn to this quote because it has summed up my work in such a beautiful way.

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality.
 To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
 — Buckminster Fuller

Beyond Reform

After a tragedy we have a call for more “reform”. Reform has played an important role throughout history. However, it is limited because it merely reshapes what already exists, adjusting systems so they can function better for a time. Systems, policies, and processes that are “reformed” will always carry the energy of the old structures.

We often hear that our systems are 'broken.' But what if they are not? What if they are functioning exactly as they were designed to? That's the real problem. Reform patches the cracks. Creation rooted in connection asks us to step outside the frame entirely and imagine something new.

I have personally experienced how fixated we are on the word reform. When I gave my TEDx talk, I titled it “Bridging the Gap: From Labels to Lives” to highlight the human side of justice. Yet it was publicly presented under the frame of “How to rethink criminal justice reform.” That shift was not mine, but it revealed something bigger: how deeply ingrained the language of reform really is. We keep reaching for it, even when the message is pointing to something else. (You can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvjCHElSFy8) 

Yet, even my TEDx bio uses the word “reform,” (which I wrote) because it’s the language we are most accustomed to hearing. But my work has always been about something larger, not simply reforming old structures, but creating new ways of being and connecting that old systems were never designed to hold.

And that is the point. Reform is the lens we instinctively grab for, but it keeps us looking backward, trying to adjust what was. What is needed now is a different lens altogether, one that focuses on what we can build from connection, dignity, and wholeness.

Instead of asking "how do we fix this?", we can ask how do we want the world to feel? What do we want to experience, to embody, to offer each other?

A Different Way Forward

The personal moments I shared, neighbors opening corrals or taking care of my hay field, were not about fixing a problem They were about the quiet, resilient connection that already exists between us. This unity is the fertile ground for creating a better world for all of us.

The energy we create from is everything. When we respond to tragedy or conflict, it is easy to meet it with the same energy: resisting, fighting, pushing against. But cycles don't change when we add more of the same. They shift when we create from a different place.

Here are a few ways to begin:

• Notice where you place attention. What you focus on expands. Choose carefully.
• Pause before reacting. Ask if there is another way to channel your energy besides fighting against.
• Choose to build from connection, not reaction. Decide what you do want and begin shaping it.
• Release old patterns. Fear, lack, and unworthiness have shaped too much of what we see... they do not have to shape what comes next.
• Return to connection. From neighbors pulling together to global movements for change, connection is always there if we look for it.

Building the New

This is not about bypassing the pain of the world. It is about no longer fueling it with the same energy that created it. When we choose connection over separation, presence over distraction, and dignity over division, we begin to build what is truly new.

And we do not have to wait for our leaders for this. Our new world will not be handed down from the top... it will be built by us, from the ground up. In our choices, our communities, and the ways we choose connection over division every day, we create the foundation for what comes next.

If this speaks to you, this is the heart of my work: helping leaders, organizations, and individuals move beyond old patterns and create new models rooted in conscious leadership. A good first step? Take my free quiz: “Are You Leading from Survival or Soul?

It will give you insight into the lens you are leading from and how you can shift toward greater clarity, connection, and creation.

Your turn: Where in your own life are you ready to stop reforming what does not work and start creating from connection?