by LaShawn | Jan 4, 2026 | Relational Spaces, Wellness Webinars
I wanted to pop in to tell you about the three relational topics you can expect me to touch on this month.
Each week, I’ll be sharing reflections connected to relational wellness — not to fix anything, but to help us notice how our relationships impact our sense of steadiness and well-being over time.
Here’s what January will gently explore:
Relational Confusion (Jan 5th)
We’ll begin by noticing the confusion that often shows up around recurring conflict — those moments when you find yourself wondering why the same issues keep resurfacing and feeling unsettled by the lack of clarity.
Relational Conflict & Stress (Jan 12th)
Next, we’ll explore how conflict impacts the body and nervous system — especially when it feels overwhelming, draining, or hard to stay present with.
Relational Patterns & Awareness (Jan 26th)
We’ll close the month by stepping back to look at patterns: what’s been repeating, what’s becoming clearer, and what your relational system may be asking for — without pressure to change everything at once.
You don’t need to read every email, attend every practice, or engage with all of it. These reflections are offered as touchpoints you can return to when they’re useful.
I’ll also be offering a free Settle In practice each month for those who want a quiet, optional space to ground, reflect, and orient to these themes in real time.
I’m glad you’re here as we begin the year.
See you Soon,
LaShawn
p.s.
New here? If you’d like to receive the rest of this relational series by email, you’re welcome to join my email list here.
Not ready for a Settle In practice or the email series? Here are a few self-guided reflections that may be a support to you:
These reflection PDFs are offered as free opt-ins so they’re accessible to folks who find this work through the blog.
If you’re already on my email list and would rather not opt in again, you’re welcome to email me directly and I’m happy to send the reflection your way.
📩 [drlashawnwilliams@gmail.com]
by LaShawn | Dec 31, 2025 | Relational Spaces
A gentle settle in practice focused on relational awareness, stress, and well-being. Explore monthly themes and reflective support for January–March 2026.
The first quarter of settle in practice focuses on relational awareness and capacity. This means noticing how our relationships, stress, and energy affect our well-being over time. These practices are offered as a steady, low-pressure way to build awareness before trying to change anything.
Each month includes:
- a live, guided settling practice
- a shared relational theme
- a simple well-being lens to support reflection
These sessions are designed to be:
- accessible (no preparation required)
- non-evaluative (no scores or submissions)
- optional and supportive
Some people attend a single session.
Others return monthly to notice patterns across time.
Deeper reflection, tracking, and integration are available through group and individual support spaces.
For those who like to know what’s coming, the first quarter of Settle In will gently explore relational awareness through the following themes:
- January — Relational Resolutions
Noticing how conflict, patterns, and connection actually work — without pressure to change everything at once.
Well-being lens: WHO-5 Well-Being Index
- February — Stress & Capacity
Exploring how stress shows up relationally and what it does to our availability, patience, and energy over time.
Well-being lens: Perceived Stress Scale
- March — Burnout & Disconnection
Noticing signs of emotional exhaustion, withdrawal, and relational fatigue — and what supports reconnection.
Well-being lens: Maslach Burnout Inventory (adapted)
You’re welcome to attend a single session, return monthly, or simply use these themes as reflection points in your own time. If you’d like to join a live Settle In session, you can register through the Resource Hub.
You don’t need to attend live to benefit, these themes are offered as orientation points you can return to in your own time.
Looking forward to this wellness journey with you!
by LaShawn | Dec 30, 2025 | Relational Spaces
A gentle pause for the end of the year
This reflection is offered as a thank-you for being here.
It’s not meant to fix anything, resolve anything, or prepare you for a better version of yourself. It’s simply an invitation to pause, notice, and take stock of how your relational life has been shaped this year — with care and without judgment.
You can move through this slowly, skip questions that don’t resonate, or return to it more than once.
1. Settling In
Before reflecting, take a moment to arrive.
- Let your eyes rest on something nearby — a color, a shape, a window, or an image.
- If it feels okay, notice where your body is supported.
- There’s nothing you need to change about your breath.
When you’re ready, continue.
2. Looking Back Gently
Consider the year behind you.
You might reflect in words, phrases, or symbols.
- What relationships felt nourishing or steady this year?
- Where did you notice effort, strain, or confusion?
- What patterns became clearer — even if they didn’t resolve?
There’s no need to make sense of everything.
3. Noticing Yourself
Shift the focus inward, without self-critique.
- How did you show up relationally this year?
- What did you learn about your needs, limits, or values?
- Where did you practice honesty, protection, or care — even in small ways?
Growth doesn’t always look dramatic. Sometimes it looks like awareness.
4. What You’re Carrying Forward
Rather than setting resolutions, consider orientation.
- What do you want more of in your relational life next year?
- What do you want less access to?
- What kind of support helps you stay grounded and connected?
You don’t need answers — just honest noticing.
5. Closing
As you finish, you might choose:
- one word
- one feeling
- or one intention
to carry with you into the next season.
You can return to this reflection anytime.
A Note About the Resource Library
This reflection is part of a growing Relational-Cultural Resource Library I’m building — a collection of videos, reflections, and guided practices designed to support relational understanding and nervous-system-aware growth over time.
If you’re curious to explore more, you’re welcome to visit the library here:
[Link to RCT Resource Library]
There’s no pressure to join or keep up. The resources are there when and if they’re useful. We’ll continue this kind of gentle relational reflection together as the year begins.
Thank you for being here.
by LaShawn | Dec 29, 2025 | Relational Spaces
As the year comes to a close, I want to take a moment to name something clearly and give you an honest invitation.
Every December, many of us quietly decide what we have the energy to carry forward… and what we don’t. What we’ll stay connected to. What we’ll step away from. What still feels nourishing, and what no longer does.
So before January begins, I want you to know exactly how this space will work in the coming year so you can decide, with clarity and care, whether it’s a space you want to remain part of.
How this space will work
This isn’t a program you have to keep up with. It’s a relational space you can return to.
Here’s what you can expect:
- Weekly emails that explore one relational theme at a time — grounded, practical, and oriented toward understanding rather than fixing.
- Monthly themes that give shape to the conversations we’re having, without turning them into a curriculum or checklist.
- A free Settle In session on the first Saturday of each month, where we slow down together, ground, and orient to the theme.
- Optional paid coaching sessions on the second and fourth Saturdays for those who want deeper reflection, integration, or support.
- Resources you can engage with at your own pace — videos, reflections, and tools designed to support your nervous system and relational life without urgency.
Nothing here requires perfect attendance. Nothing here requires commitment beyond what feels right for you.
How to engage (or not)
You’re welcome to:
- read the emails when they resonate
- skip them when they don’t
- attend a free session occasionally
- join paid sessions when support would be helpful
- or simply stay connected quietly
You’re also welcome to step away if this season calls for less input.
This is an invitation, not an obligation.
Why I’m doing it this way
Relational growth doesn’t happen through pressure or performance. It happens through safety, consistency, and choice.
My intention for the coming year is to offer a steady, grounded presence — one that supports understanding, connection, and integration over time.
January will begin with the theme Relational Resolutions — not about becoming someone new, but about orienting to how our relationships actually work.
This space is designed to support relational wellness over time—not through urgency or insight alone, but through steady, choice-based engagement.
You’ll hear more about that soon.
An honest closing
If staying on this list feels supportive, I’m really glad you’re here. If it doesn’t, you don’t owe me anything — including an explanation.
Either way, I’m grateful for the time, attention, and trust you’ve shared by being part of this space.
Warmly,
LaShawn
P.S. You don’t need to decide anything right now. January will arrive gently.
by LaShawn | Jun 8, 2021 | Relational Spaces - Community, Uncategorized
Have you ever had to hold a smile and a conversation during active racism?
When it’s the only location where you can buy the thing you need to buy because you aren’t knowledgeable enough to go to Amazon and get it on your own, you have to hold a smile and a conversation about the “nicest colored lady” that was helped across the street into Walmart by the person who owns the supplies you’re purchasing.
“No… no it wasn’t. How much is my total? Cool, thank you. I’ll be back tomorrow with the sample.”
Now, of course, there was actual human interaction. I know that the human I was talking to had a life history and a story and real concerns and saw me, in that moment, as a real person too. We shared stories. We high fived. We laughed. They educated me based on their expertise. They are, like I am, a multi-dimensional person.
However, I also knew that this was not the time to correct their language. It wasn’t the time to tell them a history lesson. It wasn’t a time to say “did you know what you said is racist?” I just wanted to buy the stuff that I needed to buy and go home and do what I needed to do.
But I had to hold a smile and a conversation during the racism. And I have to go back tomorrow because it’s the only place I can go to buy what I need to buy and do what I need to do.
This is just one example, of many, of racial battle fatigue. It’s the routine, really boring, daily living experiences that we all just want to have as uneventfully as possible that are interrupted by racist actions that Black folks have to ignore and “grow a thick skin” because how dare we mention it and “play the race card” in a conversation with a stranger?
In these moments, we seem to fail at remembering that when racism entered the discussion, the card was already played.
