409. The Path to Healing Both Systems + People - Lindsey Fuller

CommunitySelf CareMission Story

Apr 12

Written By Andie Murphy

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Overview

Meet Lindsey. She’s a fierce advocate for folks on the margins and builds human-centered, anti-racist systems to inform strong adult school climates. She’s the executive director at The Teaching Well, a nonprofit wellness organization founded on Ohlone land in Oakland, CA. They’re a majority BIPOC, identity-forward team who believes we can no longer bypass the educator to get to the student. The mission’s ethos centers on the belief that healthy people heal systems, and healthy systems heal people. Don’t miss the story of this incredible organization and human.

💡Learn

The Teaching Well’s story
How healthy people heal systems and healthy systems heal people
How to use human-centered design to shift the paradigm of structures, power, teaching and equity
Sustainable + humane hiring practices

Today’s Guest

Lindsey Fuller, Executive Director, The Teaching Well

“We can’t overlook wellness.”

— Lindsey Fuller, Executive Director, The Teaching Well

Episode Transcript

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Episode Highlights

Lindsey’s story and journey to where she is today (4:00)
Programs at The Teaching Well (14:00)
Collective care (19:00)
Healthy people heal systems and healthy systems heal people (21:00)
Employment + Organizational Trauma (29:00)
Transition is hard but it doesn’t have to be traumatic (38:00)
A powerful moment of philanthropy in Lindsey’s life (41:00)
Lindsey’s One Good Thing: Duality is everywhere. Two things can be true. (47:00)
How to connect with Lindsey and The Teaching Well (50:00)

Powerful Quotes

“I was raised that education was the social justice movement of our generation.” -Lindsey

“This is a marathon and not a sprint. The Teaching Well has been an intervention for me. It’s not just a job for me, it is changing my life.” -Lindsey

“We can’t overlook wellness.” -Lindsey

“The modeling that we are doing is starting with the adults. We can’t bypass the educator to get to the student.” -Lindsey

“What’s in the shadows here? Who is furthest from the center who we are not seeing or hearing?” -Lindsey

“We work at the individual, interpersonal, and systemic levels.” -Lindsey

“We love boundaries and boundaries often favor the privileged.” -Lindsey

“Self-care is often not shifting the oppressive forces that we actually need to change in our schools.” -Lindsey

“Educators are not leaving because of kids. They are leaving their bosses or toxic work cultures.” -Lindsey

“Why are we doing more just for the sake of production?” -Lindsey

“Collective care is the way forward towards collective liberation.” -Lindsey

“As healers we are holding a lot of space for folks in the field, and who is taking care of the tenders?” -Lindsey

“The little things deeply matter.” -Jon