Cultures Connecting End of Year Wrap Up 2025
- Cultures Connecting
- 16 hours ago
- 5 min read
Can you believe 2025 is already coming to a close? It's been a tumultuous year for many of us as we've seen attacks on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, attacks on our communities, and the dismantling of rights. It's a lot to take in so for our very last newsletter issue for the year (there will only be one in December), we wanted to share with you how we've been managing through all of this, as well as sharing some highlights in order to end on a high note. It's important that we do our best to balance our highs and lows so that we have the energy to keep going and doing our part to make a positive impact on our world. Below are excerpts of what we shared in no particular order.
Ilsa Govan
This year involved a lot of personal and political upheaval, loss, changes, and through it all, joyful activities (that sometimes left me more tired). I’m now solidly in the middle of the Leadership for Learning doctoral program at UW and noticing the way trying out new practices and the additional workload is both exhausting and inspiring. I love the cohort of leaders I’ve had the opportunity to learn with, and something that continually gives me hope is connecting with so many people committed to not just self-care but transforming systems. Several times this year I leaned on my community of classmates and collective of other social justice practitioners to think through challenges together.
Personal highlights included riding my bike twice from Seattle to Bellingham, slumber parties with friends, hanging out with my cousin and family, swimming in the lake, and recently seeing baby turtles in Mexico make their way to the ocean only hours after hatching. I loved joining in the No Kings marches and SURJ action hours, showing up with thousands of others to advocate for the changes we want to see enacted.
Richard Kim
This past year has been full of emotion, connection, and inspiration. At the beginning of the year, when the backlash against DEIB was increasing, I was grateful to be part of a team that gathered a community of likeminded folks. Connection was important at that time. I especially appreciated the wisdom of elders who had lived through similar cycles of support and backlash before. It was
a good reminder to be paced for a marathon and not a sprint.
Relationships were another key to making it through and my family and I were able to spend time with relatives, make new friends and connect with old ones. Lastly, I was able to attend several workshops and conferences. These were inspiring and hopeful leading to some great new connections. I became inspired and motivated to develop new content and refine existing material.
A few moments stand out from this past year. I was proud of our Cultures Connecting team. We embarked on a journey to grow our coaching skills. Relationship has always been a core value for Cultures Connecting and I found coaching to be a great avenue to allow my passions and gifts to be in service of leaders.
Speaking of coaching, I was able to coach summer baseball for 7-9 year olds. I grew up playing a lot of baseball and coaching the kids brought back some happy memories and was a lot of fun.
J.P. Anderson
This year has seen a tremendous amount of change sweep the country. Anxiety and overwhelm have been experienced by many of us, including myself. So, I took steps to remind myself of what is actually within my control and what is not. To quote the ancient Greek philosopher Epictetus, “Some things are within our power, while others are not. Within our power are opinion, motivation, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever is of our own doing; not within our power are our body, our property, reputation, status, and, in a word, whatever is not of our own doing.” I disagree that reputation is entirely outside of our control, but beyond that I think Epictetus has a wise message: much unhappiness is derived from trying to control things beyond our power to do so. I posted
this nifty diagram in my office to remind me that I have a lot to contribute within my “circle of control.”
Among the highlights of this year were presenting at the Bridge Conference, where I met so many interesting and inspiring people do great things in the non-profit and educational fields. Another highlight was joining University of Washington’s American Ethnic Studies department and starting a new teaching position in the Integrated Social
And it is always a highlight to be part of the Cultures Connecting team, where I continue to learn from and be inspired by Caprice, Ilsa, Richard, and Judy! So much gratitude for my amazing colleagues!
Caprice Hollins
This year invited me to slow down, breathe deeply, and be intentional about caring for my mental health. I prioritized rest, set firmer boundaries around my time, and leaned into practices that grounded me—whether that was taking quiet moments of reflection and prayer, reading fiction purely for pleasure, reaching out to my support system, or giving myself permission to step back when I felt stretched thin.
Amid the challenges, there were bright personal highlights that brought deep joy: spending time with my 7-year-old grandson, celebrating my 60th and husband’s 70th birthdays, and savoring moments of connection with family and friends. Each of these experiences, big or small, helped me stay rooted in gratitude as I navigated the year.
Judy Lee
This past year has been challenging with both our political climate and in my personal life so I really leaned into what brings me joy—my arts community. I was the grant writer for The Fishbowl, a queer, trans, and BIPOC centered community art gallery, and secured $70k in grants to help us operate and fund arts programs this year. I supported many artists through the grant writing process, nurtured relationships, and went to lots of engaging arts events. When times are tough, I find that being part of and supporting my community helps me feel like I'm part of something bigger than myself. This helps to ground and energize me when I'm feeling drained. I'm grateful that work also gets to be part of this experience too—to be engaging in meaningful work at Cultures Connecting where we truly live our values.
Highlights of this year include a partial backpacking trip through the Enchantments and swimming in Colchuck Lake, which was interrupted by a life-threatening bee sting which my friend thankfully survived. Participating in the Seattle Chinatown Book Club meetings has been helping me heal my teenage self. I had a first-time ever solo week where I rented an A-frame cabin by myself (with my dog) and went hiking every day including finally going on a larch hike (we could never do a fall hike because my kids play soccer)! And getting to speak at Creative Mornings, which I've been wanting to do ever since I found out about it several years ago, was amazing. I look forward to lots of rest for the remainder of the year and my brother visiting for the holidays!