By Nora F. Murphy Johnson, PhD This article is part of our series on understanding the Tree of Alignment as a Theory of Engagement. Read the first article in the series here. At Inspire to Change, we support changemakers as they center inquiry and wellbeing in their work for more whole, beautiful, and liberated realities. Transformation…

By Nora F. Murphy Johnson, PhD This article is part of our series on understanding the Tree of Alignment as a Theory of Engagement. In the quest for transformative change, whether in organizations, communities, or individual lives, understanding the dynamics and drivers of change is critical. The “Tree of Alignment,” a metaphorical concept, provides a comprehensive…

By Nora F. Murphy Johnson, PhD In a world teeming with challenges in the quest for social justice, the conventional ways of evaluating impact and progress do not always capture the nuances of grassroots change and systemic shifts. In initiatives that are pioneering, adaptive, and in continuous flux, we require…

By Nora F. Murphy Johnson, PhD Complex adaptive systems (CAS) are always changing and adapting, making them unique and interesting to study. These systems have special features that help us understand how they work and how we can improve them. The complexity field is vast. And we’ve read dozens of…

By Nora F. Murphy Johnson, PhD [TW: Abuse, self-harm, self-image, death] My abuser died recently. It rocked my world. It took me 23 years to remember that someone had abused me. It took me another 23 to remember who it was. And then, soon after, he was dead. When he died, I could start to feel what I had done to…

By Nora F. Murphy Johnson, PhD Stories have a profound capacity to heal. This simple, yet extraordinary truth has been recognized across cultures and throughout human history. As narratives unfold, they offer an intimate glimpse into the human experience, acting as catalysts for empathy, understanding, and connection. …

By Nora F. Murphy Johnson, PhD Imagine being able to visualize the world in all its intricate, interconnected detail — feeling the ripple effects of change, understanding the nonlinear cause-and-effect relationships, and truly appreciating the emergent behaviors of complex systems. …

By Nora F. Murphy Johnson, PhD In the United States and U.S.-influenced business cultures, there is an endless quest for clarity and control. As a result, we often strive for certainty. We crave linear causality, predictable outcomes, and neatly measurable impacts. Yet reality seldom accommodates. Instead, it presents us with a myriad of interconnected systems that…

By Janeen Manuel, PhD and Nora F. Murphy Johnson, PhD How can we use the idea of wholeness to get “unstuck” and moving forward in our work as changemakers? Wholeness refers to the idea that everything in our world is interconnected, and that we can’t fully understand any part of it without understanding its relationship to the whole. It’s a…