These are notes from the inside — of leadership, of change, of staying whole in the face of systems that often ask us not to be. The Olive Pages is where care and clarity meet, one reflection at a time.
The Olive Pages
Fieldnotes on care, clarity and staying whole.
World Mental Health Day: Access to Services in Catastrophes and Emergencies
For humanitarian and non-profit staff, emergencies rarely end. This World Mental Health Day reminds us that access to services must mean more than availability — it must mean safety, trust, and the courage to reach for help in the midst of catastrophe.
"Access to care begins with permission to speak."
The Ethics of Staff Well-being
Staff care is not a nice-to-have, it’s a moral imperative. Here’s why organizations must treat well-being as a justice and rights-based issue.
“Care is not a perk. It’s an ethical obligation.”
The Cost of Being the Strong One at Work
Being the person everyone leans on comes at a hidden cost. This piece looks at the emotional and physical toll of carrying the weight for others in challenging environments.
“Sometimes the strongest ones are the most alone.”
Grief, Loss, and the Human Cost of Change
Beyond strategy and timelines lies an often-unspoken reality: loss. This article brings forward the quieter, more personal dimensions of organizational transformation.
“Grief is what happens when we lose something that mattered, even if no one else noticed.”
World Suicide Prevention Day: Changing the Narrative
On World Suicide Prevention Day, the theme Change the Narrative feels deeply personal. I’ve walked through depression myself and lost loved ones to suicide. Changing the narrative here means modeling humanity in the midst of humanitarian work: naming depression, burnout, and despair as real…and treatable. It means creating cultures where people can ask for help without fear that their credibility, role, or future will be put at risk.
"Changing the narrative means replacing silence with empathy, and shame with connection."
Mental Health at Work Is More Than Self-Care
Workplace mental health is about more than individual coping strategies. It’s about systems, structures, and shared responsibility for psychological safety. Self-care alone won’t fix a system that causes harm.
“It’s not your job to survive a system that refuses to adapt.”
When Resilience Isn’t Resilience
Resilience isn’t always strength. Sometimes it’s survival in disguise. What looks like resilience is often just survival. This post explores the difference—and why it matters in humanitarian work.
“Resilience isn’t always strength. Sometimes it’s survival in disguise.”
“Quick Fix Culture” and the Leaders Who Keep It Alive
When leaders prioritize optics over care, staff pay the price. Let’s talk about how quick fixes undermine well-being, and how we change the pattern.
"You can’t build a culture of care while rewarding the behaviors that erode it."
When Care Is Political: The Courage to Stay Human
Systems may not reward care, but they rely on it to function. Care isn’t just kindness, it’s a stance. And a strategy. In humanitarian work, choosing to protect well-being means challenging systems that often value output over humanity. Here’s why that matters, and what it takes to stay human in the process.
"In a system built for output, choosing care is an act of quiet defiance."
Announcing ‘The Olive Work’ on Substack
Introducing The Olive Work - a new space for deeper conversations on care, clarity, and staying whole in a breaking system. Why olives? Why now? And why this matters.
"The olive branch is more than a symbol of peace, it’s a reminder of the work it takes to nurture it."
How to Support Humanitarian Staff During Prolonged Crisis
In the face of prolonged crisis, staff care must go beyond quick fixes and self-care slogans. This post offers grounded, compassionate strategies for supporting humanitarian teams who are navigating sustained stress, exhaustion, and uncertainty.
“In prolonged crisis, staff don’t need pep talks, they need protection, presence, and leadership that doesn’t look away.”
The Myth of Resilience in Humanitarian Work
We praise humanitarians for being resilient — but rarely ask what it’s costing them. This post rethinks resilience as survival, silence, and sometimes self-erasure.
"If your strength is measured only by how much you can endure, we’ve already failed you."
Your Well-being Is a Leadership Skill
Leaders who ignore their own limits model burnout as a badge. The best leaders practice well-being as a form of responsibility.
"You can’t lead others well if you treat yourself as expendable."
When Leadership Harms: The Deadly Cost of Toxic Culture in Humanitarian Work
Toxic leadership in humanitarian organizations is not just a personality flaw—it’s a safeguarding crisis. When we protect harm in power, we betray people and purpose. This post explores how toxic culture is created, why it persists, and what it’s costing us.
“Toxic leadership doesn’t happen in a vacuum. At some point, someone trained, rewarded, or promoted it.”
The Cost of Ignoring Staff Well-being in Humanitarian Work
In humanitarian work, our people are our power—but we often fail to protect them. This post explores the urgent cost of ignoring staff well-being and calls for a cultural shift that puts care, safety, and humanity at the heart of impact.
“If we neglect the well-being of those who serve, we undermine the very mission we’re trying to achieve.”
Am I Still Called… or Just Conditioned?
If you’ve ever quietly asked yourself, “Am I still called… or just conditioned?” — you’re not alone. Sometimes, staying becomes survival. This post is for those ready to ask the deeper questions about who they are becoming in the work.
“You don’t have to stay loyal to a role that no longer reflects your truth.”
We Don’t Talk About Moral Injury — But We Should
What you’re feeling might not be burnout — it might be betrayal. Moral injury is real, and it shows up when our work asks us to abandon what we believe in. We need to talk about it. And we need to heal from it.
“You can’t resilience your way out of betrayal.”
The Humanitarian Reset Isn’t Coming - It’s Already Here
The humanitarian reset isn’t something we’re waiting for — it’s already happening. What many people are calling burnout is actually a deep, quiet shift in values, clarity, and direction. The work is changing. So are we.
“This isn’t collapse — it’s contraction. The pulling back of what no longer fits.”
What Burnout Isn’t: Rethinking the real causes — and why your exhaustion might be something else entirely
We’ve been misdiagnosing burnout for years. It’s not just about working too much — it’s about working in ways that cost you too much. This is a reframing for those still trying to make it all work in systems that weren’t built for care.
“Burnout is not a personal failure. It’s a very reasonable response to long-term mismatch, moral tension, and neglect.”
Staying Whole in a Breaking System: Notes from the Frontline of Staff Care
What does it mean to stay whole in systems that are fraying? This is a reflection — and an invitation — for humanitarians, leaders, and anyone who’s tired of holding it all together alone.
“Wholeness isn’t perfection. It’s presence. It’s remembering that you matter too.”