Angela E. Batista, Ed.D.

Sometimes, when we have the courage to step back, it opens a door to something bigger . Years ago, I facilitated a retreat for a team that had been struggling for months. They were capable, committed, and full of potential, but they had fallen into a familiar pattern: waiting for direction from above. Every decision, every idea, every small move was funneled through the leader. By the time the retreat day arrived, the team was exhausted, and the leader felt equally overwhelmed. I had planned...

The past year reshaped me in ways I never expected. I stepped away from work to care for my father as he faced the final stages of cancer. I held his hand through moments that softened me, strengthened me, and broke me open. He passed away one year ago, and in the quiet that followed, life has continued to shift under my feet. In my January Insights post, Living Where I Am and Making Space for New Dreams , I reflected on my experience of continued grieving and also being confronted with...

A few years ago, I experienced a moment that changed everything. As I walked down the hallway of my hotel room, I caught my reflection in a mirror, and it told a story I didn’t want anyone else to know. I looked tired, not just physically exhausted but also emotionally. I had been carrying too much for too long. As I stood in a hotel conference room preparing to facilitate a retreat for a leadership team navigating upheaval, I couldn’t help but think about all that I was holding: traveling...