Belonging, Connection & the Beauty of Becoming

In the Crucible: When Pressure leads to Clarity 

Have you felt like you’ve been in the crucible* lately? The kind of month where pressure, challenge, and growth all show up at once? Same here.

For me, that pressure revealed areas I still doubt myself—places I’ve quietly felt unworthy or small. These reflections came not just from within, but echoed through work moments, conversations, even emails. The messages were clear: Pay attention. Alchemize. Transform.

Thankfully, I've had support—mentors, friends, my practices (being in nature, drumming, boundary-holding, etc.). And while the fire’s intensity has cooled, the learning is still integrating.

Here are a few questions I’ve been sitting with:

❓In what ways am I excluding myself or holding back from true connection and belonging?

❓When do I feel most aligned with my values? How does it show up in my body and how do I know when I’m out of alignment?

❓What insights or truths feel uniquely mine? What traditions and truths belong to others? And which feel timeless or shared across all of us? If you’re navigating your own version of the crucible, I’d love to hear how it’s showing up for you. What big questions are you living in right now?

Moments That Moved Us

Facilitation moments are what we live for. At times, there are moments during a facilitated meeting or retreat that bring us to tears, that open our hearts, that help us remember why we do this often uncomfortable work. We'd love to share with you a few of these moments over the past 2 months:

💚 A board member and Latinx local business owner sharing "I finally feel as though I belong on this board. Until this retreat, I didn't know what value I brought to the organization."

💚 A young mom leaning forward in her chair, sharing through tears the financial stressors of raising two young children, while other neighbors during the HOA budget meeting lean in with compassion

💚 A Diné elder standing up and speaking about the Land and the Water as living relationships, rather than simply "natural resources" to be managed — in a community forum in Farmington, NM

💚 A little girl requesting the microphone at a public meeting of approximately 200 people, and sharing her concerns about the trees and elk related to a local development project 💚 A diverse cohort in an online training, requesting pausing the curriculum and slowing down the process to make room for everyone to share how the content and process was landing with each of them Although these may seem like tiny moments, we know that they have BIG ripples. Each of these impactful moments speak to Belonging, Connection and Sovereignty.   By this we mean that people are speaking up for themselves, from personal authority and experience, for the truths that they feel inside their bones. And in their courage and vulnerability in sharing their truths, they create bridges of connection and meaning between themselves and others.  If the energy in a space feels off, if there are stories unspoken, if there is a sense of incompleteness, there are often power dynamics and deep histories at play. It is not only up to the facilitators, but also each person (within their own safety) to help weave the group back into wholeness, through sharing their own unique perspective. Without it, there are holes in the woven tapestry of discussion, there are gaps that only each of us can fill, from our own unique perspectives. When people feel safe enough to share honestly—especially when it’s hard—it’s a sign to us as facilitators that the container we’ve built for dialogue is strong enough to hold truth, even if it’s not perfect. In acknowledging and celebrating our differences, we start to build trust. In building trust, we are able to understand and reimagine our commonalities.

Our Team in Action

Two of our team members, Kate Suazo and Imo Succo, have been collaborating on a local project focused on inclusive communication and culturally grounded program design.

Imo, a member of the Navajo Nation, brings a deep well of cultural wisdom, social work experience, and trauma-informed facilitation to her work. She leads Indigenous Wellbriety, supporting holistic healing rooted in community and tradition.

Kate is a justice and equity consultant with a background in LGBTQIAA2+ advocacy, organizational culture, and community engagement. Her work is grounded in systems thinking and shaped by her lived experience as a queer and multicultural woman in the Four Corners.

Together, they are helping reshape what true inclusion looks like in practice—making space for every voice, story, and lived experience.

We asked them, “What does belonging look like to you?”

Imo shared:"Belonging to me means that I am able to share my story and lived experiences in a space where it is heard and acknowledged. I value humanity and those willing to learn as well as teach." And Kate added: “Belonging is a practice. With every story told and every story heard, we connect in ways that allow who we are to not just inform our work but become the work.” If you’re facing a transition, we’d love to support you in charting a thoughtful path forward. Let’s start the conversation.

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Project Spotlights

Huge shoutout to Adrea Bogle and Sandhya Atkinson for completing strategic planning processes with: 🌿 Silverton Family Learning Center 🌿 First Southwest Community Fund From clarifying values to strengthening board-staff alignment, both organizations are now walking forward with renewed clarity and shared direction!

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Opportunities to Stay Connected

One of the things we love most about our network is getting to champion the brilliant work of our partners and this one is definitely worth celebrating! Our friend and collaborator Dave Albrechta with Aspen Grove Integrative Law recently launched a Conflict Circle training series designed to help leaders and teams move through conflict with courage, clarity, and connection. While the series is already underway, we wanted to give it a shoutout because it's just that good. Dave brings decades of experience in group process, peacemaking, and restorative dialogue and his work has deeply influenced how we think about facilitation and accountability here at Sagebrush. His approach is thoughtful, grounded, and rooted in relationships. If you're curious about his future offerings or want to learn more about bringing conflict transformation practices into your work, we’re happy to connect you. Just reply to this email or reach out directly to Dave via his website.

What's Inspiring Us

Whether it’s a grounding book or a new practice that sparks connection, we’re always gathering inspiration to deepen our work. Here’s what’s been fueling our hearts and minds lately:

📚 Land Justice Futures –Visionary organizing at the intersection of land, culture, and liberation. A powerful reminder that land-based movements are rooted in ancestral wisdom and future dreaming.

💬 Authentic Relating – Practices that deepen presence, listening, and truth-telling. These tools are helping us show up more fully—in meetings, in community, and with ourselves. 📖 The Little Book of Circle Processes – A gem of restorative dialogue and peacemaking. This guide keeps us grounded in the power of shared leadership and collective healing.

What’s been inspiring you lately? We’d love to hear.

*To be “in a crucible” is to be in the fire—pressed, tested, transformed. It’s a space where intensity meets growth, where something new can be forged through pressure. Whether we’re navigating personal transitions, organizational shifts, or collective reckoning, these crucible moments call us to listen deeply, choose courage, and evolve.

We don’t emerge from them the same—and that’s the point.

Wherever you are in your journey this season, may you feel the support you need to keep moving forward. And may you find beauty in the becoming.