Why I'm heading to New York in May

Hey Reader,

I want to tell you about something I'm doing in May — and why it matters to me. And why it could matter to you.

For years, I worked inside systems that were designed to help people. Prisons. Addiction services. Re-entry programmes. And I saw something that most of those systems miss entirely.

The people they're trying to fix aren't broken.

That's not a nice idea. It's what I've witnessed, hundreds of times over, and it's what the research supports. When you meet someone with understanding instead of prediction, when you see them as whole rather than damaged, something shifts. Not because you gave them a technique. Because they saw something about themselves they couldn't see before.

But here's what really interests me now.

It's not just about the individual in front of you. It's about what happens when community leaders see this: the practitioners, the educators, the people running services. When they get it, the ripple effect is enormous. Whole cultures shift. The way people are met in crisis changes. Resources that were always there in communities start to become visible.

That's why I'm co-hosting a two-day gathering in New York called

A New Way of Seeing Mental Wellbeing.

May 2–3, 2026 · Mercy University, Dobbs Ferry, NY — right on the Hudson River.

Six of us will be in the room, each bringing a different lens on the same understanding:

This isn't a conference with slides and strategies. It's a gentle space designed for insight — the kind that changes how you see your work, your clients, and what's actually possible for the communities you serve.

I made a short video about what we're creating and why:

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If something in this resonates — even if you're not quite sure why — I'd love to hear from you. Just hit reply.

And if you'd like to join us, here's where you'll find all the details: 👉

Love and activation, MamaJ 💫

P.S. I'll be sharing more about the speakers and what we'll be exploring over the next few weeks. If you know someone who should hear about this, a colleague, a community leader, someone doing this kind of work, I'd be grateful if you'd forward this on.