In Episode 1, we introduced the Spheres of Authentic Action framework—an existentially inspired tool to help leaders navigate complex decisions without abandoning their values. In Episode 2, we bring that framework to life with real-world examples and two new tools to help you apply it to your own organization.
Authentic leadership doesn’t mean choosing between purity and pragmatism—it means navigating across values, strategy, and creativity with intention.
🌀 Navigating Across Spheres
We revisit the three concentric circles of our framework:
Core Values: The deep impact your organization is committed to creating, beyond language or branding.
Strategic Flexibility: The ways you communicate and adapt while keeping your core work intact.
Creative Possibilities: The innovations that emerge when constraints challenge your usual way of doing things.
Drawing from real nonprofit leaders across youth development, health equity, and environmental justice, we explore how organizations are:
Clarifying what’s truly non-negotiable in their mission
Developing context-specific language that stays true to their values
Innovating when traditional approaches are no longer viable
🧠 Thought Experiment: Thinking Without a Banister
Inspired by Hannah Arendt’s philosophy, we guide you through a thought experiment to expand your team’s ethical judgment and adaptive capacity. It’s designed to help you recognize when sector norms limit your vision—and what new possibilities arise when you start “thinking without a banister.”
📥 Free Downloads
Ready to map your own organization’s work across the three spheres?
In just 20 minutes, you’ll gain a clearer sense of how to lead authentically through uncertainty, complexity, and constraint. Listen to Episode 2 here and bring the Spheres framework into your everyday practice.
💬 Coming Up Next
In Episode 3, we’ll explore Martin Buber’s concept of the I-Thou relationship and how authentic connection can shift our leadership from individual burdens to shared power.
Until then, map your work, notice your language shifts, and explore what new creative options emerge when you break free from binary thinking.
Episode 1: The Courage to Be — Authenticity vs. Survival
Welcome to the blog companion for the premiere episode of Breaking the Binary. If you’ve just listened to “The Courage to Be: Authenticity vs. Survival”, you know we’re diving into some of the toughest tensions nonprofit leaders face:
How do we stay true to our values when doing so might threaten the very survival of our organizations?
This episode explores what it means to lead authentically in a time of political pressure, funding shifts, and identity-based backlash. Using existential philosophy as our guide, we unpack what it means to make conscious choices within real constraints—and how embracing our freedom to choose can actually open up new possibilities for impact.
We hear stories like Tanya’s, a youth mental health leader who faced a wrenching decision when a funder demanded the removal of LGBTQ+ affirming language. Rather than choose between compromise and collapse, Tanya found a third path—rooted not in reaction, but in reflection. Through the lens of philosophers like Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, we begin to see how freedom, integrity, and strategic adaptation can coexist.
Introducing: The Spheres of Authentic Action Framework
To help you apply these insights to your own work, we created the Spheres of Authentic Action framework—a tool to support decision-making that is grounded, flexible, and visionary.
This framework invites you to think beyond either/or:
🔵 Core Values Sphere: What is the real-world impact your organization is here to make? Strip away language, branding, even structure—what must stay true at all costs?
🟢 Strategic Flexibility Sphere: What are the aspects of your work that can shift to meet the moment—language, presentation, partnerships—without compromising your core?
🟣 Creative Possibilities Sphere: What could become possible if you treat constraints as invitations to innovate?
When applied to a real challenge your team is facing, this tool helps you move past paralysis or reactive compromise. Instead of asking “Do we comply or resist?”, you can begin to ask “Where is our real power to choose, and how can we act with integrity within the current terrain?”
🧠 Download the Free Worksheet
Use the downloadable worksheet below to explore your organization’s current challenge through the Spheres of Authentic Action. Whether you’re navigating funding restrictions, political climates, or value tensions, this tool will help you clarify what matters most—and where you have room to move.
Listen to Episode 1: The Courage to Be and explore how existential thought can illuminate a path through the murkiness of modern leadership. Then grab your worksheet, gather your team, and start reframing your next big decision.
🔄 Coming Next
In Episode 2, we’ll go deeper into how different organizations are using this framework in real time—adapting language, shifting strategies, and staying grounded in their missions while building new pathways through complexity.
Until then, remember:
Authenticity and adaptation aren’t opposites. They’re partners in the practice of courageous, values-driven leadership.
Accessibility as a Key Component of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have become buzzwords in recent years as individuals and organizations strive to create a more equitable and inclusive society. However, accessibility is often overlooked as a critical component of DEI. Accessibility means designing out any unnecessary barriers that make it harder for people to engage and take part in everyday activities. In this installment of DEI Evolved, we’ll explore why accessibility is integral to achieving DEI and how designing for accessibility benefits everyone.
Why Accessibility is Key to Achieving Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
When we think of diversity, we often focus on visible differences such as race, gender, and ethnicity. However, diversity encompasses much more, including differences in ability, age, and socio-economic status. If we design products, services, and environments without considering accessibility, we exclude a significant portion of the population from participating fully in society. When we create barriers, we limit diversity and, by extension, limit opportunities for equity and inclusion.
The Benefits of Designing for Accessibility
When we are designing our business, we often think about the average user. The principles of DEI encourage us to think about the disenfranchised user. Who might benefit from your services if there were no barriers? When we design from that premise, we create business practices that benefit everyone. For example:
Improved usability: Designing with accessibility in mind can lead to better products and services for everyone. For instance, subtitles on videos benefit people who are deaf or hard of hearing, but they also benefit anyone who wants to watch a video in a noisy environment.
Increased market share: People with different lived experiences represent an opportunity to increase your business’s market share. By starting with a mind toward inclusivity, your business is primed to evolve as the market evolves, creating a stable customer base.
Enhanced reputation: By prioritizing accessibility, your business can demonstrate its commitment to inclusion and equity, which enhances its reputation and brand image.
How to Design for Accessibility
Designing for accessibility doesn’t have to be complicated. Some essential considerations include:
· Use inclusive language: Avoid using ableist language that may offend or exclude people with disabilities. For example: Instead of saying “wheelchair-bound,” use “wheelchair user” or “person who uses a wheelchair.” Describing someone as “wheelchair-bound” suggests that their wheelchair is a negative constraint on their life, when, it’s simply a tool that helps them navigate the world. Using person-first language, like “person who uses a wheelchair,” centers the individual and acknowledges their humanity.
· Provide alternative formats: Provide alternative formats for information, such as braille, audio descriptions, or transcripts. Start by ensuring that your website is accessible to individuals with disabilities. This includes using alt text on images, providing closed captions on videos, and ensuring that your website is compatible with screen readers. You can also include a statement on your website that acknowledges your commitment to accessibility and provides contact information for individuals who need assistance accessing your website.
· Don’t forget your policies: Create policies that promote inclusion and accommodation. For example, you can have a policy that allows for reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities, or a policy that ensures that your products or services are accessible to individuals with disabilities. You can also train your employees on how to interact with individuals with disabilities in a respectful and inclusive way.
Check out this website for more tips on integrating accessibility in the workplace.
Final Thoughts
Accessibility is a crucial component of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Designing out barriers is essential to creating a more equitable and inclusive world for all. By prioritizing accessibility, we can create better products, services, and environments that benefit everyone, regardless of ability or background.
As individuals, we can start by being more aware of the barriers that people with different abilities face and advocating for more accessible products and services. As organizations, we can prioritize accessibility in our designs, ensuring that we are creating inclusive spaces for all.
In conclusion, designing for accessibility is not only the right thing to do, but it also benefits everyone. By breaking down barriers, we can create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive society where everyone has the opportunity to participate fully. Remember that the goal is liberation, and we can’t get free alone.
