When Everything Feels Like Too Much, What Still Matters Most?
A personal reflection and a call to action
Right now, many of us working in museums, public history, humanities, and the nonprofit world are feeling the weight of yet another moment of political upheaval.
In recent months, the current administration has issued executive orders and budgetary directives that devalue the work we’ve spent decades building. Institutions like the Smithsonian Institution and other cultural agencies have been singled out. Millions of dollars in grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities have been canceled. The Institute of Museum and Library Services has been targeted for elimination. Equity-based and community-based work is being dismantled and discredited at the federal level, and we’re being told to silence histories of oppression, injustice, colonization, resistance, and liberation.
In moments like this, fear and frustration can creep in fast. People start second-guessing their words. Teams grow quieter. Leadership grows more risk-averse. And it can feel easier to say nothing than to say the wrong thing.
And I know many of you are feeling gutted. You’ve poured your heart into this work — leading hard conversations, opening up spaces for reflection and repair, amplifying the voices that were long kept out of our institutions. And now it feels like it’s all under threat.
So let me say this clearly:
Now is not the time to shrink.
Now is not the time to be quiet or neutral.
Now is not the time to abandon your values.
Now is the time to root deeper, stand taller, and act together.
This is a moment to ask ourselves: What do we really stand for? And how do we root ourselves in those values — even when things feel uncertain and unstable?
We’ve Certainly Been Here Before
This moment feels uniquely painful — and it is. But it’s also familiar.
I think back to 2016, when many of us found ourselves scrambling to understand how the work we’d spent our careers doing was suddenly being politicized, challenged, and attacked.
In November of that year, just days after the 2016 presidential election, I stood in front of a room of museum professionals at the MuseumNext conference in New York and gave a keynote address titled “The Urgency of Empathy and Social Action.” I asked those gathered to reflect on what they were willing to risk — and what they were ready to build.
“We can no longer afford to work from a place of fear or comfort. Our work — in museums and in the communities we serve — must be rooted in action, in advocacy, and in radical hope.”
That was a moment of awakening for many, myself included. It called us to move beyond performative statements. To take real action in solidarity with the people and communities who had long been excluded, ignored, or harmed by the systems we work within.
It wasn’t easy to take a stand then — and it won’t be easy now.
But here's what I’ve learned: even in moments of great uncertainty, we are not without clarity. If we listen closely, our values will show us the way forward.
The Power of Knowing What Matters Most
This isn’t a time to give up. It’s a time to get clear.
That’s why I always return to one question: What matters most to you?
Knowing your core values isn’t a luxury — it’s a lifeline.
It’s what helps you make hard decisions with clarity. It’s what lets you speak up with confidence, even when your voice shakes. And it’s what gives you the courage to keep showing up — for your team, your community, yourself.
Whether you’re in a position of leadership or just trying to survive the week, your values are your anchor. They remind you of who you are — and the future you’re working toward.
Our core values are the bedrock beneath us. They help us discern where to place our energy, what to say yes to, what to fight for — and where we draw the line.
I’ve worked with enough museum and nonprofit professionals to know that the people doing this work care deeply. And even when institutions fumble or fail, individuals are still showing up with care, courage, and creativity — often without recognition. That kind of persistence matters.
This Is Our Work — And We Don’t Do It Alone
You are not alone in this.
Each of us are part of a long tradition of cultural workers, historians, and organizers who have always found ways to stand up for what matters most and plant seeds of change. And we are part of a vast, powerful ecosystem of educators, creative artists, storytellers, knowledge holders, community leaders, and everyday people who believe in justice, possibility, and imagination.
We do this work not because it is easy — but because it is necessary.
We build partnerships and cultivate relationships. We create space for learning and healing. We listen deeply. We lift each other up. We hold fast to our values and to one another.
So if you're feeling defeated right now, let this be your reminder: the fire in you is not out. It’s still there. It may be flickering — but it is alive. Now is the time to protect it, nourish it, and share it.
Your Core Values Are Your Compass
The work ahead will require focus, clarity, and courage.
That’s one of the main reasons I am choosing to offer the Values Blueprint Spring Intensive right now — I felt like many of us might need a space to slow down, reflect, and reconnect with our values-based work. It’s not a silver bullet, but it’s a place to begin.
I am wanting this to be a space for collective clarity and for building a practice that keeps you grounded and aligned in the decisions you make, especially when things get hard. With everything going on right now, I felt that this would be one tangible way to support this community.
We don’t always get to control the sweeping changes happening around us and impacting the work we do. But we can choose how we show up. And when we act from a place of integrity and deeply-held values, the work not only becomes more sustainable — it becomes more powerful.
If you’re ready to root deeper and reclaim your clarity in the midst of this chaos, I invite you to join me for the Values Blueprint Spring Intensive. Let’s do this work together! (And a reminder - this Friday April 11 is the deadline for early sign up discounts.)
A Few Closing Thoughts
No matter how heavy this moment feels, I hope these words can be a reminder:
You are not powerless.
You are not alone.
You are part of something bigger.
And the work you do still matters.
Now is the time to listen deeply.
To act with care.
To lead with courage.
To work together to build a better future, one step at a time.
Keep showing up. Keep moving forward — grounded in your values, and connected to a beautiful community that refuses to give up on what matters most.
Workshop Odds & Ends
The Intensive will begin on Wednesday, April 30, but it’s important to note that this Friday, April 11, is the early registration discount deadline for the Intensive (use the code: EARLYBIRD).
This spring’s intensive is early for US west coasters so that it can accommodate schedules in Europe — and it would be great to have a community of trans-Atlantic folks for global community building and connection — so meaningful right now, since I know that our European colleagues are facing many of these same challenges. The times are on Wednesdays, 10:00-11:30 am Eastern (3:00-4:30 pm UK Time, 7:00-8:30am Pacific).
If you are thinking about joining but have scheduling conflicts, or if you have any other questions at all, please don’t hesitate to contact me at murawski27@gmail.com! As always, we are planning asynchronous components for community building and additional learning and reflection.