Human Bureaucracy

Leadership

The "Strong Ground" of Belonging

Alex Snider MA, CMF on October 25, 2025

Belonging is the “strong ground” Brené Brown’s new book says anchors good organizations. Here’s why relational leaders who foster belonging matter more than ever.

Belonging is the “strong ground” Brené Brown’s new book says anchors good organizations. Here’s why relational leaders who foster belonging matter more than ever.

Empathy

Don’t Kill Spotted Lanternflies

Alex Snider MA, CMF on October 6, 2025

Personal Perspective: In a world that rewards harshness and control, pausing before an act of aggression, even to a bug, can protect something deeper: our capacity to care.

Personal Perspective: In a world that rewards harshness and control, pausing before an act of aggression, even to a bug, can protect something deeper: our capacity to care.

Emotion Regulation

Ambivalent Compassion: Honoring Complex Emotions

Alex Snider MA, CMF on September 16, 2025

Charlie Kirk’s death shows the danger of flattening messy feelings into sound bites. Ambivalent compassion invites us to hold both grief and judgment without losing our humanity.

Charlie Kirk’s death shows the danger of flattening messy feelings into sound bites. Ambivalent compassion invites us to hold both grief and judgment without losing our humanity.

Attention

How to Wait Without Waiting: The Joy of Immediacy

Alex Snider MA, CMF on September 6, 2025

Personal Perspective: My recent experience at Burning Man showed how we can turn long lines and the parts of our lives that seem stalled into moments of connection and presence.

Personal Perspective: My recent experience at Burning Man showed how we can turn long lines and the parts of our lives that seem stalled into moments of connection and presence.

Workplace Dynamics

AI Won’t Fix Workplace Training but It Might Make It Worse

Alex Snider MA, CMF on July 31, 2025

Personal Perspective: As AI training tools flood the workplace, we’re losing the messy, human side of learning, just when we need emotional intelligence most.

Personal Perspective: As AI training tools flood the workplace, we’re losing the messy, human side of learning, just when we need emotional intelligence most.

Social Life

There Is No Small Talk

Alex Snider MA, CMF on July 3, 2025

Personal Perspective: Think small talk is meaningless? It can be. But from weather to vacation itineraries, these tiny chats can open to real connection—if we stay with them.

Personal Perspective: Think small talk is meaningless? It can be. But from weather to vacation itineraries, these tiny chats can open to real connection—if we stay with them.

Workplace Dynamics

The Quiet Death of Workplace Acknowledgment

Alex Snider MA, CMF on June 24, 2025

Personal Perspective: When recognition months, birthdays, goodbyes, and empathy disappear from the workplace the result isn’t just silence, it’s disconnection.

Personal Perspective: When recognition months, birthdays, goodbyes, and empathy disappear from the workplace the result isn’t just silence, it’s disconnection.

Resilience

The Clarity of Form vs. Essence

Alex Snider MA, CMF on June 14, 2025

When plans fall apart or people don’t give us what we had hoped, it’s easy to get stuck on the form. But the real power—and freedom—comes from tuning into the essence underneath.

When plans fall apart or people don’t give us what we had hoped, it’s easy to get stuck on the form. But the real power—and freedom—comes from tuning into the essence underneath.

Resilience

“It Is What It Is” and the Silencing of Workers

Alex Snider MA, CMF on May 31, 2025

Personal Perspective: In government and beyond, “It is what it is” is closer to toxic resilience than leadership. Here’s how to lead differently.

Personal Perspective: In government and beyond, “It is what it is” is closer to toxic resilience than leadership. Here’s how to lead differently.

Gratitude

Stop Saying ‘Happy Birthday’

Alex Snider MA, CMF on April 24, 2025

A Personal Perspective: Most birthday wishes don’t make people feel seen. But a small shift can turn them into something meaningful and memorable.

A Personal Perspective: Most birthday wishes don’t make people feel seen. But a small shift can turn them into something meaningful and memorable.

Meditation

What "White Lotus" Gets Right (and Wrong) About Meditation

Alex Snider MA, CMF on April 15, 2025

HBO’s "White Lotus" flirts with meditation—but its characters flee when things get real. A meditation teacher on what the show gets right and how to stay a bit longer than they do.

HBO’s "White Lotus" flirts with meditation—but its characters flee when things get real. A meditation teacher on what the show gets right and how to stay a bit longer than they do.

Stress

Sometimes You Should Be Late

Alex Snider MA, CMF on April 9, 2025

We treat punctuality like a virtue. But in a time when urgency is everywhere and kindness feels scarce, what if being late—on purpose—is exactly what we need?

We treat punctuality like a virtue. But in a time when urgency is everywhere and kindness feels scarce, what if being late—on purpose—is exactly what we need?

Leadership

We’re All Innies Now: Apple TV’s "Severance" Feels Too Real

Alex Snider MA, CMF on March 31, 2025

Personal Perspective: Forget the Waffle Party; the recent season of "Severance" makes clear why humanity is what our workplaces really need.

Personal Perspective: Forget the Waffle Party; the recent season of "Severance" makes clear why humanity is what our workplaces really need.

Workplace Dynamics

The Power of Goodbyes at Work

Alex Snider MA, CMF on March 7, 2025

The hidden, and high, cost of not being able to say goodbye.

The hidden, and high, cost of not being able to say goodbye.

Resilience

Trust the Pendulum Swing

Alex Snider MA, CMF on February 24, 2025

Struggle builds the momentum for what’s next.

Struggle builds the momentum for what’s next.

Self-Help

The Real Magic of Festivals, Retreats, and Weekend Workshops

Alex Snider MA, CMF on February 9, 2025

That retreat, workshop, or festival? Turns out you didn’t need it—the real magic has been building inside you all along. Here's a better way to relate to these peak experiences.

That retreat, workshop, or festival? Turns out you didn’t need it—the real magic has been building inside you all along. Here's a better way to relate to these peak experiences.

Gratitude

How Are You? It's a Deceptively Hard Question

Alex Snider MA, CMF on February 4, 2025

A Personal Perspective: What if struggle and joy could coexist? Here’s how to find balance—and stubborn gladness—in the chaos.

A Personal Perspective: What if struggle and joy could coexist? Here’s how to find balance—and stubborn gladness—in the chaos.

Self-Help

Forget “Dance Like No One’s Watching”

Alex Snider MA, CMF on January 21, 2025

The saying “Dance like no one’s watching” misses the point. The magic on the dance floor and in life is showing up and embracing the beauty of being seen—stumbles and all.

The saying “Dance like no one’s watching” misses the point. The magic on the dance floor and in life is showing up and embracing the beauty of being seen—stumbles and all.

Career

"Severance" and Our Own Workplace Dystopias

Alex Snider MA, CMF on January 13, 2025

Apple TV+'s "Severance" is more than a dystopian drama. It’s a wake-up call for how we work.

Apple TV+'s "Severance" is more than a dystopian drama. It’s a wake-up call for how we work.

Stress

The "Last Minute, No Pressure" Invitation

Alex Snider MA, CMF on January 6, 2025

No planning guilt, no overthinking, no stress—just a simple way to make the connection we crave actually happen.

No planning guilt, no overthinking, no stress—just a simple way to make the connection we crave actually happen.