August 16th, 2025
The most crucial instrument you have for liberation is yourself. After looking outward at history, this week we turn inward to begin the work of honing that instrument. As the dissertation reading for this week makes clear, our inner world is not separate from our strategic effectiveness; it is its very source. The "heart work" of cultivating a strong, high-capacity inner world is a direct antidote to the burnout and hopelessness that can derail a movement. It has as big of an impact as a strategic blunder or misguided actions. Therefore, exploring our leadership "mission" and "shadow mission" is not a detour from the work—it is the work. It is how we build the internal resource of resilience required not only to launch our campaigns but also to sustain them and ourselves for a protracted struggle.
<aside>
Dr. Max Klau is the Founder of the Center for Courageous Wholeness, an organization dedicated to helping individuals and organizations integrate shadow, serve others, and scale their impact. He recently served as the Chief Program Officer at the New Politics Leadership Academy (NPLA), an organization focused on bringing more servant leaders–military vets and alumni of national service programs like AmeriCorps and Peace Corps–into politics. Prior to that, he was the Vice President of Leadership Development at City Year, the education-focused AmeriCorps program. He received his doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2005 with a focus on human development and leadership. His second book,Developing Servant Leaders at Scale: How to Do It and Why It Matters, will be published in September 2025. He is a husband, father, consultant, speaker, Integral Master Coach, and musician. Learn more about him at www.centerforcourageouswholeness.org.
</aside>
<aside>
Joe Worthy is a community organizer and strategist who works alongside community members to build power through Strategic Nonviolent Action. Partnering with leaders and local groups, he drives systemic change through his roles with the Strategic Nonviolence Academy, the Albert Einstein Institution, and Light House | Black Girl Projects. His support has led to landmark victories, from coaching a community group in Côte d'Ivoire that successfully shut down a coal mine to helping end Zero Tolerance Policies in Boston and expand healthcare for mothers in Mississippi. Previously, at the Children’s Defense Fund, he focused on dismantling the Cradle to Prison Pipeline. Joe studied at Heidelberg University and the University of Oxford and was a Community Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School.
</aside>
This session invites you into a transformative space designed for introspection and self-discovery. You will embark on a journey to explore the layers of your deepest self at profound depths. By drawing on the concept of adaptive leadership, mission, and shadow mission, we will delve into the core of your motivations, desires, and fears, illuminating the inner light within you while acknowledging the shadows it may cast.
During the session, participants will engage in reflective exercises designed to foster in-depth self-exploration. This exploration aims to empower you to leverage this newfound knowledge for personal growth and prepare you for the hard work of movement building. In the brave environment we create together, we hope you will feel safe to embrace vulnerability and courage, setting the stage for transformative insights. Ultimately, this session seeks to help you embrace the light within, equipping you with clarity and purpose. You’ll emerge with a foundation to navigate acute challenges. This more profound sense of self-awareness supports your ongoing journey to build the world we need.
Participants will gain an understanding of their true selves, including their motivations, desires, and fears, and be able to leverage this self-awareness for personal growth, fulfillment, and resilience.
This session explores the critical link between grounding movement members in purpose and achieving strategic nonviolent success. Participants will delve into the concept of "heart work," which emphasizes the importance of aligning personal values and motivations with the movement's goals. By fostering a deep sense of purpose and connection among members, movements can enhance their resilience, commitment, and effectiveness.
Attendees will examine how grounding members in their purpose creates a strong, cohesive foundation for sustained nonviolent action. The session will highlight the causation and correlation between heart work and strategic success, demonstrating that members are more likely to persevere through challenges and contribute meaningfully to the movement's goals when members are deeply connected to their mission. By the end of the session, participants will understand the vital role of heart work in driving strategic nonviolent movements and be equipped with tools to cultivate purpose and grounding within their own organizations.
Participants will be able to effectively apply the principles of "heart work" to cultivate a strong sense of purpose and grounding within nonviolent movements or organizations, thereby enhancing member resilience, commitment, and ultimately contributing to greater strategic success.