You cannot sustain what you’re not supported in.
That’s the heart of this entire conversation. Today, we didn’t just talk about support—we embodied it. From intergenerational grace to the real-time pivots of parenting and partnership, this lesson grounded itself in lived truth.
This 100 Days of Community began as a counter-spell to white violence, governmental gaslighting, and power-hoarding disguised as policy. We’ve made it this far not through grind—but through grace, rhythm, and the practice of doing it together.
Let this lesson be your reminder: your capacity is not a failure—it’s feedback. Your need for support is not a weakness—it’s a portal.
🎧 Free Preview Clip
Timestamp: 00:13:50–00:15:50
“Matriarchy is not the patriarchy in pink—it’s cyclical. It’s circular. It mirrors nature. Everyone has a role, and nobody carries it alone.”
In this moment, we reclaim what shared leadership actually means. Not just as a concept—but as a way of being. This is about dismantling pyramid schemes of power in our homes, movements, and minds.
That line wasn’t just a soundbite—it was a reorientation.
Matriarchy is not just a gendered swap of who's in charge.
It’s a complete transformation of how we relate to leadership, power, and responsibility.
In a cyclical system:
Roles shift with seasons, capacity, and need
Wisdom is distributed, not hoarded
Care is a current that flows in every direction
No one becomes indispensable—and no one is discarded
This is how nature moves.
In circles. In cycles. With feedback, flexibility, and flow.
And yet—we’ve been taught to build pyramids. Hierarchies. Chains of command.
Even our liberation movements sometimes mimic the very systems we’re trying to dismantle.
So let’s pause and ask:
What am I building—and what shape does it take?
Who do I trust to lead with me?
Where can I make space for rhythm instead of rigidity?
This is about dismantling pyramid schemes of power in our homes, in our movements, and in our minds.
This is how we stop replacing oppressors and start rewriting systems.
Share this clip and ask your community:
What would it look like to move in spirals instead of silos?
How can your leadership mirror nature instead of mimic domination?
Because matriarchy isn’t a queen on a throne.
It’s a circle of hands around a fire.
It’s one of us resting, while another holds the work—until we all rotate again.
What We’re Learning Today: 3 Key Takeaways
Sustainable activism relies on collective effort.
No one leads alone. No one heals alone. Liberation requires shared vision, shared labor, and shared joy.Support systems must include emotional care.
We’re not just unlearning beliefs—we’re metabolizing grief, trauma, and generational pain. Without emotional integration, we replicate the very harm we’re trying to dismantle.Flexibility is a liberation skill.
Rigid systems collapse. Flexible ones adapt and thrive. Our movements must respond to life—not override it.
Ready to Go Deeper?
We’re not here for performative allyship or burnt-out justice work. We’re here for sustainability rooted in strategy, care, and courage.
Behind the paywall, we explore:
How to decentralize leadership so the work doesn’t stop when you rest
What embodied emotional support looks like in liberation spaces
How to stay flexible without abandoning responsibility
And why circular systems—not pyramids—are the foundation of sustainable change
You still have time to access everything we’ve built. If you’ve been with us since Day 1 or found us yesterday, this space is here for you.
Can’t afford the subscription? Reach out to: Scholarships@DesireeBStephens.com. You belong in this work.
Come on in. Let’s dismantle supremacy with rhythm, not rigidity.
