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The Bridge to Thriving

Built on a foundation of real lived experiences and original academic research, this critical framework offers six dimensions of thriving.

Figurative representation of bridge

Dimensions of thriving for community, selfhood, abundance, pleasure, relief, and simply being

№1.

Community

Warm, reciprocal, nurturing relationships. True belonging. It’s the people who hold you, challenge you, and have your back who make it possible for you to become your authentic, actualized self. We need each other like we need air and food and water. Community is the root of human thriving.

Not sure where to start? Join the Soul Center Collective, a space to grow, share, and thrive together.

№2.
Selfhood

Coming to know who you are—and honoring it. Thriving becomes more and more possible when you lovingly embrace your whole self: values, dreams, identities, fears (desires), shortcomings, and all—and courageously live in your truth. It is bolstered by integrity and critical consciousness, as well as a refusal to be deprived of your inherent right to dignity.

Not sure where to start? Explore these resources for articles and tools that help you dig deeper.

№3.
Abundance

An attitude of expansiveness, possibility, and hope. An abundant spirit is growth-oriented, brave, and curious. It knows that there is enough to go around, that we win together, and that it’s important to speak the truth. Abundance is the wellspring of art and creativity and, therefore, joy and dreaming... and thriving.

№4.
Pleasure

The joy you let yourself feel, unapologetically. Thriving happens through play, music, laughter, pursuing your passions, and having the freedom to make space for the moments that make life worth living.

Not sure where to start? Tune into my podcast, The Ratchet Roundtable.

№5.
Relief

Rest, safety, and freedom. A key to thriving is acknowledging when it’s not happening. There is tremendous power in giving yourself permission to pause, breathe, and find release. And, with community at the root, it’s crucial that we collectively create the conditions for relief and healing for all. Our future quite literally depends on it.

Simply
Being

The ability to BE with ease, feeling grounded and settled into one’s life and self. When people are vibrant in the other dimensions together—community, selfhood, abundance, pleasure, and relief—even if just for a while, they often describe a feeling of “simply being” or “existing fully” or “wholeness.” This is the state we are designing toward.

Applications of the Bridge to Thriving Framework in schools, lives, and beyond

The Bridge to Thriving
can be applied to a variety
of projects, from building
a school, to building a team,
to building up oneself.

While the six dimensions of thriving are universal, the “bridges” themselves are personal and context-specific. A student can have supportive friends, but need mentors who see their gifts. A leader can build a beautiful company culture, but need a mindset shift toward personal life-balance. A school can have a high graduation rate, but need longer passing periods and more art. Green space, a choir to sing with, quality sleep, role models, civil rights… Claiming our right to thrive invites us to identify what’s missing and to be abundant in imagining what’s possible. We do this so we can live well together now and lay the groundwork for a vibrant future.

A collection of twenty human silhouettes framed inside of squares, grouped with four across and five down
A collection of twenty human silhouettes framed inside of squares, grouped with four across and five down
A collection of twenty human silhouettes framed inside of squares, grouped with four across and five down

While the six dimensions of thriving are universal, the “bridges” themselves are personal and context-specific. A student can have supportive friends, but need mentors who see their gifts. A leader can build a beautiful company culture, but need a mindset shift toward personal life-balance. A school can have a high graduation rate, but need longer passing periods and more art. Green space, a choir to sing with, quality sleep, role models, civil rights… Claiming our right to thrive invites us to identify what’s missing and to be abundant in imagining what’s possible. We do this so we can live well together now and lay the groundwork for a vibrant future.