The Shared Power Podcast: Notes on Collective Leadership with Mia Henry

How do we reframe power within the shared space of a public library? How do we engage Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) work within our current political climate? How do we remain conscientious leaders while prioritizing individual and collective healing?

In this final episode of season 2 of the podcast, Mia Henry welcomes Naghem Swade from Denver Public Library to discuss concepts of identity, self-reflection, trauma and healing, shared power in public spaces, and EDI work within public libraries.

Whether you work within a public library system or you visit the library on occasion, this episode has something for you. Together, Naghem and Mia Henry envision a world where we find refuge in each other and in public space.

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Produced by Cassaundra Sampson & Mia Henry

How does shared power translate to shared leadership in organizations and movements? What's required to create or maintain a "shared leadership model"? Does every organization rooted in justice & equity require this?

In this episode, Mia Henry introduces Anisha Desai of the worker-owned co-op AORTA to answer all these questions (and more!).

Together, they discuss Anisha's background in movement work, what questions to ask if you work within a shared leadership role, and people-oriented structures that allow for shared leadership… and followship.

Listen in to hear Anisha's thoughtful voice on a topic a lot of us are curious about, but know very little.

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"We've got to believe that there's a 'next point' that's going to be better… if we don't believe that, how do we encourage [young people] to believe in that?" - Mary Scott Boria

Every person desires (and deserves) respect and collaboration. How can we work together in intergenerational spaces for social justice to create shared power that makes a real and collective difference?

In this episode, you'll hear Part 2 of Mia's two-part conversation with Mary Scott Boria. They talk about their lived experiences as young activists seeking mentorship and seasoned activists learning to mentor.

Mary and Mia discuss how to create and invite dialogue between generations, how they might build a conversation (rather than deliver a lecture), how to build intergenerational relationships and collaborations, plus how to acknowledge the personhood of the people they're working with (and why that's important).

Mary also tells Mia about her intergenerational book club (that gathers more for conversation than reading books!) and why she encourages everyone she mentors to find a way to nurture their soul.

"[To young activists:] We see you. We're still here. We're in this together. And we love you." - Mia Henry & Mary Scott Boria

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"Shared Power is an evolving process." - Mary Scott Boria

Mary Scott Boria grew up as a Black child in a biracial family, bouncing from her home in small town Michigan to Chicago, Illinois. She participated in her first protests with her white mother in the sixties and later joined the women's movement as a teen mother herself.

Mary is an inspiration to young activists for her relationship-based mentorship and willingness to pay attention and listen to minority voices. She's both strong and soft, bold and quiet, courageous and thoughtful. We hope you enjoy her wisdom and her story!

In this episode, you'll hear Part 1 of Mary and Mia's two-part conversation.

Mary shares her diverse family history, her first experiences with the women's movement and working inside an abortion clinic, how she's learned to speak up in shared spaces - as someone who's generally very shy, and the ways she creates Shared Power in her activist work.

Content Warning: Mention of sexual assault, rape.

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"'[Hoarding power] can feel safe for you… but it's not safe for everyone else." - Genita Robinson

Seasoned consultant Genita Robinson joins Mia for an in-depth conversation about her work supporting nonprofit organizations and boards.

Genita is well-versed and experienced in creating and working with boards of directors who are rooted in equity and thinking about power in progressive and abundant ways.

In this episode, Genita details some common challenges boards face, plus a handful of solutions you might consider if you're part of a board (or if you work within an organization that maintains one).

We also dig into the very common fear of losing power and control that's sometimes hidden behind "urgent" decision-making, the importance of allowing for dissent and disagreement, and what to do if your Executive Committee is making all the decisions behind closed doors.

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"I understood that doing my work well made it possible for everybody else to do their work well." - Morgan Mahdavi

In this episode, our very own Morgan Mahdavi joins Mia for a conversation about their working relationship and how they invite accountability in relationships through transparency, genuine care, and radical trust and grace.

Morgan and Mia have worked together in a variety of ways (including here at Freedom Lifted), and they agree that accountable relationships that encourage follow -through are important to shared work and shared power within the work.

Morgan shares how trust in their work opened the possibility for taking initiative on important projects, the most important ingredients for creating shared power, and how we can build a team culture that learns from past mistakes. Morgan ends with sage advice for leaders who want to focus on building teams that hold each other accountable.

When we share power, we don't have to take everything on ourselves…. 'Many hands makes light work.'" - Alicia Bell

In this episode, Alicia Bell explains how slowing down to make decisions as a collective can enhance the experience of Shared Power and actually ensure the work happens more quickly.

"Slow is smooth, smooth is fast," Alicia shares

And we know this requires collective trust: Can we trust the slow parts of the process… and trust that the foundational work will move us toward the future we envision?

This conversation dives deep into how fear of relinquishing control can keep us from sharing power in making decisions, why realignment is a necessary part of the process, and how to navigate and change societal expectations and assumptions through collective decision-making.

"If we don't do the internal work, our movements will suffer." - Aarati Kasturirangan

This conversation is about expanding what's possible - even within conflict.

Mia is joined by Rebecca Subar (they/them) and Aarati Kasturirangan (she/her) from Dragonfly Partners to discuss how nonprofit organizations and movement leaders can navigate conflict from the inside-out.

Together we dive deep into why our individual and collective orientations to the work make a difference, when it's okay to walk away from conflict, and how to learn every step of the journey.

Plus, Rebecca eloquently shares their definitions of "power" and "strength" and Aarati (pronounced Arthi) explains why it's okay to be unsure about what to do in conflict.

"I never saw social media as opposite to what I'm doing in social organizing. For me, it's just a tool… it always has been." - Mariame Kaba

Social media has completely transformed the way we organize, communicate, and connect. This is true in so many areas of our lives, but especially with social justice organizing and global movements for justice.

For this conversation, Mia is joined by social organizer, educator, and curator, Mariame Kaba. We consider questions like: How can we engage, collaborate, and connect on social media in ways that remain genuine and authentic? Why do so many people struggle to know what to do as social activists (especially with better access to more information)?

Mariame explains how she entered the world of social media in 2010, why she thinks virtual connection will become even more prominent in the future, and how we can expand our experience of social media in healthy ways.

"None of this would matter if we were doing it alone. We're actively resisting the dominant culture through collaboration… which comes with, perhaps, individual risks [that are worth it]." -Lewis Raven Wallace

In this episode, Mia is joined by independent journalist Lewis Raven Wallace for a conversation about accessing our Zone Of Genius and what it means for the practice of Shared Power in collaboration.

Zone Of Genius can be defined as a flow state that takes you "beyond the sum of its parts," as Lewis says in this episode.

When each of us resides within our Zone Of Genius, we're better able to add value to the world, individually and collectively. That's why we aspire to engage with justice & equity work from that place.

Lewis joins me to discuss how we both engage from within our Zone Of Genius in regular collaboration together, why solidarity is both a skill and a "practice", and why shared power is a long-term commitment.