How do you prioritize work-life balance and self-care? Do you find that you make enough time for rest in your life? What do sustainability and resilience look like to you in your work? How do you experience joy? 

These are questions that have been at the center of many discussions with my fellow cohort members. I have even left break-out sessions, panel presentations, or catch-up chats with mentors weighing these questions heavily on my mind.  

The importance of balance is what I will leave this program personally with at the forefront. After a year of endless separation due to covid, major disruptive changes, forced adaptability, and amplified social injustices; this program has challenged me to think deeply about the ways I want to show up for my community long-term. How I  prioritize care for myself first will allow me to do more intentional and impactful community work. 

Some miraculous organizations are working hard for the continued reinvestment and resource development for Detroiters, and we’ve gotten to work very closely with some of those folks. Although, finding ways to adjust and reprioritize how you get work done is what will support the longevity of those efforts sustaining beyond our cohort. I feel as though each of us here are setting up the framework for the others after us to continue building upon. 

So…. I could give you a shorthand list of things that you could do that answer these questions but to me that wouldn’t challenge you to be more aware, to think more deeply, or truly find time to proritize your care. Ultimately, I have concluded that the answer to those initial questions will lie within the individual and the actions taken to keep steady. I hope you all find your center the way I’ve chosen to this year. 

With love, Rieanna