Brigid Russell
@brigidrussell51.bsky.social
All about working relationally, learning, listening, & coaching. Exploring how working collaboratively & leadership can develop in practice. What does it mean and what does it take to be alongside?
#SpacesForListening
#SpacesForListening
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Spaces for listening
Brigid Russell and Charlie Jones introduce Listening Spaces, the online initiative they set up jointly in lockdown (May 2020) to give people somewhere to both listen and be heard. Sessions are held tw...
www.resurgence.org
An article co-written with Charlie Jones for Resurgence & Ecologist magazine. It's about our reflections on deep listening and experiences over past 4 years or so in #SpacesForListening
www.resurgence.org/magazine/art...
www.resurgence.org/magazine/art...
So much of the work relies on bringing together our different capabilities and ways of knowing. That requires collaboration between us. Which means paying attention to valuing and nurturing our relationships. And it doesn't just happen. All this takes space & care for connection.
November 21, 2025 at 11:55 AM
So much of the work relies on bringing together our different capabilities and ways of knowing. That requires collaboration between us. Which means paying attention to valuing and nurturing our relationships. And it doesn't just happen. All this takes space & care for connection.
Reposted by Brigid Russell
Just because we all expected ‘too little, too late’, the lack of a plan and the damage caused by ‘a toxic, sexist culture’ in No 10, it doesn’t mean these points from the Covid report should wash over us. Lessons for government more generally, not just in a pandemic.
November 21, 2025 at 8:28 AM
Just because we all expected ‘too little, too late’, the lack of a plan and the damage caused by ‘a toxic, sexist culture’ in No 10, it doesn’t mean these points from the Covid report should wash over us. Lessons for government more generally, not just in a pandemic.
It is about all the parts. The deepest grief. Love that never goes away. Moments of exquisite beauty. Joyous connections. Finding a voice to say what feels meaningful, write what matters. Being here. Feeling understood and so very heard. A wintry walk in a very special place.
November 19, 2025 at 11:49 PM
It is about all the parts. The deepest grief. Love that never goes away. Moments of exquisite beauty. Joyous connections. Finding a voice to say what feels meaningful, write what matters. Being here. Feeling understood and so very heard. A wintry walk in a very special place.
A crisp, cold, sunny and beautiful wintry walk today. Snow on the hills, too.
November 19, 2025 at 4:43 PM
A crisp, cold, sunny and beautiful wintry walk today. Snow on the hills, too.
If we rush past stuff which feels heavy and scary, it won't make it go away. Churning through the content, ticking the boxes, doesn't make things more efficient or possible. We need space to share uncertainties, find nuance in that heaviness, and feel connection in solidarity.
November 17, 2025 at 7:20 PM
If we rush past stuff which feels heavy and scary, it won't make it go away. Churning through the content, ticking the boxes, doesn't make things more efficient or possible. We need space to share uncertainties, find nuance in that heaviness, and feel connection in solidarity.
The work starts long before I enter the room, in the shadows and the silences, and all the moments of noisy doubt and uncertainty. And so it continues, during, after, in the reflections unfolding, and beyond.
November 12, 2025 at 8:43 PM
The work starts long before I enter the room, in the shadows and the silences, and all the moments of noisy doubt and uncertainty. And so it continues, during, after, in the reflections unfolding, and beyond.
When so-called progress is talked about in threatening tones ('you'd better keep up or you'll be left behind'), I'm struck by the irony. It means I want to slow down, take it at my own pace, understand more about where it comes from, why (if) it represents 'progress', & to whom.
November 10, 2025 at 5:13 PM
When so-called progress is talked about in threatening tones ('you'd better keep up or you'll be left behind'), I'm struck by the irony. It means I want to slow down, take it at my own pace, understand more about where it comes from, why (if) it represents 'progress', & to whom.
Delicate moments
all the more beautiful for
being so fleeting.
all the more beautiful for
being so fleeting.
November 10, 2025 at 9:43 AM
Delicate moments
all the more beautiful for
being so fleeting.
all the more beautiful for
being so fleeting.
Quintessentially Autumn
November 8, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Quintessentially Autumn
Between what's going on for me, you, and how it all gets translated into words and actions spoken (or not) in the collective space. These aren't defined moments that can be neatly scripted and managed a to b to c. Too often we sweep past, and yet all live with the consequences.
November 8, 2025 at 7:36 AM
Between what's going on for me, you, and how it all gets translated into words and actions spoken (or not) in the collective space. These aren't defined moments that can be neatly scripted and managed a to b to c. Too often we sweep past, and yet all live with the consequences.
It's the dreich times which make these moments of sunlight all the more precious.
November 7, 2025 at 1:12 PM
It's the dreich times which make these moments of sunlight all the more precious.
Confidence is a funny concept. A subjective thing which is often treated as if it can be objectively measured. Do you trust I have the experience you think I need? I could say I do - with confidence! When really it's my humility to be open and open to learning which say far more.
November 6, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Confidence is a funny concept. A subjective thing which is often treated as if it can be objectively measured. Do you trust I have the experience you think I need? I could say I do - with confidence! When really it's my humility to be open and open to learning which say far more.
Going more slowly. That's not a bad thing. Actually, I feel it's essential. Going faster and faster and faster achieves what exactly? I think it means we miss out on so much. The meaningful warmth of connection for one. The beauty all around us for another.
November 5, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Going more slowly. That's not a bad thing. Actually, I feel it's essential. Going faster and faster and faster achieves what exactly? I think it means we miss out on so much. The meaningful warmth of connection for one. The beauty all around us for another.
Life doesn't happen in neat lines. We don't live our lives in discrete categories. Real conversations don't follow a script and relationships don't conform to a formula. So why do we sometimes try to organise work, manage organisations, and handle our interactions as if they do?
November 5, 2025 at 11:15 AM
Life doesn't happen in neat lines. We don't live our lives in discrete categories. Real conversations don't follow a script and relationships don't conform to a formula. So why do we sometimes try to organise work, manage organisations, and handle our interactions as if they do?
If all the focus is on 'getting stuff done' with no room to stop and ponder, what really gets done? Without the space to wonder, how much is missed?
November 1, 2025 at 9:47 AM
If all the focus is on 'getting stuff done' with no room to stop and ponder, what really gets done? Without the space to wonder, how much is missed?
As daylight fades, the colourful burst of autumnal evening sky feels all the more glorious in its fleeting presence.
October 29, 2025 at 6:06 PM
As daylight fades, the colourful burst of autumnal evening sky feels all the more glorious in its fleeting presence.
The more polarised and performative the 'debates' about deeply important issues become, the less space there is for genuine curiosity, openness, and mutual understanding. Where's the space for not knowing, grappling with the differences, and learning? Such space is essential.
October 27, 2025 at 9:06 AM
The more polarised and performative the 'debates' about deeply important issues become, the less space there is for genuine curiosity, openness, and mutual understanding. Where's the space for not knowing, grappling with the differences, and learning? Such space is essential.
Friday evening light
October 24, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Friday evening light
Grief isn't a thing to 'get over'. It's something I live with. I was gently reminded of that yesterday. Grief is so closely interlinked with love. It doesn't just end because so much time has passed. It's there in many timeless reminders. And that's not necessarily a sad thing.
October 24, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Grief isn't a thing to 'get over'. It's something I live with. I was gently reminded of that yesterday. Grief is so closely interlinked with love. It doesn't just end because so much time has passed. It's there in many timeless reminders. And that's not necessarily a sad thing.
Being truly and quietly listened to. It doesn't 'solve' whatever may be going on. That's not the point. It just helps to know that someone can and will listen. To feel heard. In that gentle act, there's a feeling of solidarity and support. It can be both reciprocal and generous.
October 23, 2025 at 5:29 AM
Being truly and quietly listened to. It doesn't 'solve' whatever may be going on. That's not the point. It just helps to know that someone can and will listen. To feel heard. In that gentle act, there's a feeling of solidarity and support. It can be both reciprocal and generous.
Night out in the City
October 21, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Night out in the City
Silence isn't empty. It's full of noisy thoughts and troubling feelings struggling to find the words. Words which don't confront, over-simplify, or polarise. How to stay curious, generous, hopeful, and connected in these times of turbulence, distraction, delusion, and deep hurt?
October 20, 2025 at 10:45 AM
Silence isn't empty. It's full of noisy thoughts and troubling feelings struggling to find the words. Words which don't confront, over-simplify, or polarise. How to stay curious, generous, hopeful, and connected in these times of turbulence, distraction, delusion, and deep hurt?
I wish I could say I'd noticed the changes of the seasons as much when I was younger as I do now. But I didn't, and that's OK. Similarly now, it's OK to see how much more I have to learn. More than OK, it is essential. And I'm glad to have the chance to do so. It feels precious.
October 19, 2025 at 9:51 AM
I wish I could say I'd noticed the changes of the seasons as much when I was younger as I do now. But I didn't, and that's OK. Similarly now, it's OK to see how much more I have to learn. More than OK, it is essential. And I'm glad to have the chance to do so. It feels precious.
Gaps in my knowledge are both risk and potential if I'm able and willing to see and (re)frame them. Assumptions of 'success' and prevailing systems in formal education and work mitigate against the curiosity and humility needed to stay open-hearted and minded to exploring the gaps.
October 17, 2025 at 10:43 AM
Gaps in my knowledge are both risk and potential if I'm able and willing to see and (re)frame them. Assumptions of 'success' and prevailing systems in formal education and work mitigate against the curiosity and humility needed to stay open-hearted and minded to exploring the gaps.
'Are you for or against? It's either this or that.' Too often we're pushed into either/or thinking and taking a set stance. Lived experiences show us that so much is a lot messier, nuanced, and layered than that. We need more spaces in which we can sit with and explore all that.
October 16, 2025 at 7:01 AM
'Are you for or against? It's either this or that.' Too often we're pushed into either/or thinking and taking a set stance. Lived experiences show us that so much is a lot messier, nuanced, and layered than that. We need more spaces in which we can sit with and explore all that.