Blog

HEALING-CENTERED LEADERSHIP: A PATH TO TRANSFORMATION

Erin Cahill   |   February 1, 2022

In this article, Shawn Ginwright calls for a fundamental reorientation of leadership in the face of collective trauma and systemic inequities. Drawing from The Four Pivots, Ginwright challenges myths of social change—like relying on shallow solutions, equating power with policy wins alone, or treating strategy as a cure-all—and instead advances a healing-centered approach grounded in empathy, possibility, and relational trust. By shifting from “hustle to flow” and from transactional fixes to transformative connection, leaders can cultivate the conditions for true societal transformation. At Aspen CSG, we believe this healing-centered leadership lens is vital for rural and community changemakers—reminding us that durable progress comes not just from new policies, but from repairing relationships, fostering wholeness, and building futures rooted in resilience and justice.

Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group
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