Hi Reader,

Let me take you on a journey that begins with a simple question: Are Safe Spaces just another comfort zone?

This question has been on my mind lately as I consider how I navigate sensitive topics like racism, gender, and identity within my DEI and leadership coaching practices, especially given the current political climate.

🎨 CREATING SAFE SPACES AT APPLE

In 2021, I relaunched Apple Services’ Inclusion and Diversity (I&D) taskforce. During the planning stages, I met with our new members to ask why they wanted to get involved and promise each of them that this would be a safe space.

By the 8th conversation, I realized—I was making a promise I couldn’t keep.

This was a diverse team of people of multiple ethnicities, genders, and sexual orientations, across multiple business function.

How could I guarantee safety in a diverse workplace when the very word "Safe" infers no risk or chance of harm? 🤦🏽‍♀️

👉 THE SHIFT FROM SAFE TO BRAVE SPACES

For those who manage teams or provide coaching and therapy services, we spend so much of our day striving to build ‘Safe Spaces’ for others—spaces where they feel protected and free from potential psychological harm.

But what if, in our efforts to protect, we’re actually stifling deeper, more meaningful conversations and avoiding the very issues that need to be addressed?

This questions led me down a rabbit hole of leadership and development research towards the concept of 'Brave Spaces'.
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Unlike Safe Spaces, Brave Spaces invite discomfort.

In Brave Spaces, growth happens not in spite of discomfort, but because of it.

They challenge us to confront tough topics head-on with honesty and vulnerability.

🗳️ BRAVE SPACES & THE ELECTION CYCLE

The Elections are coming. A Black woman is running for U.S. president. These are not just headlines, but events that will act as catalysts for transformative conversations in the world around us.

Now, I'm NOT saying that you go initiate conversations connected to sensitive, polarizing topics with everyone you meet.

But what happens when:

• Your client, mentee or coworker is black, indigenous, brown, or identifies as LGBTQ+?
• A cultural or political event impacts their identities and affects how they show up personally and professionally?
• They bring topics about race, politics, and gender into your conversations or coaching sessions?

These moments will call for Courageous, Brave Spaces.

In next week’s Joyful Equity™ newsletter, I’ll dive a bit deeper into what Brave Spaces look like in reality, not just theory!

If you’d like to start preparing yourself or your organization for these transformative conversations now, lets talk!

With Warmth & Bravery,

Yvonne Jackson, SocialEDG Founder
​yvonne@socialedg.com
​​socialedg.com​

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