About a month ago, my kids’ school landed on a “closure list.”

The district pointed to falling birth rates, aging neighborhoods, families priced out of homes. Logical on paper, yes, but gut-wrenching in real life.

When I first heard, I spiraled. Memories of my own childhood resurfaced: the dread of moving schools again and again. My mom somehow managed to anchor me in one school, and that consistency was a bedrock for my development. I wanted the same for my kids. I couldn’t just sit by.

So I decided to fight.

Finding my footing

At first, when I reached out to other moms, I was met with resignation:

“Think about how beautiful the new school will be for our kids.”

They were grieving, already accepting the inevitable. Maybe that felt easier than fighting. But my social work training doesn’t let me look away. Just as a firefighter runs toward the fire, I run toward places where advocacy is needed.

I built a toolkit. I shared it with a few moms. Soon, a small group formed. We were ready to stand for our school.

Lessons from my inner landscape

This month has been a crash course in mindset work. Here’s what I’ve been learning:

1. Nervous system regulation

In the beginning, I couldn’t sleep. I skipped meals. I felt like I’d lost my mind for caring so deeply. My nervous system was waving a red flag: your values and actions aren’t aligned.

The shift came when I used the same tools I teach my clients:

• 4-7-8 breathing before bed
• Choosing movement after hard meetings
• Writing one sentence: I am safe and I can do this

Doing nothing would’ve made me sick. Taking aligned action steadied me.

2. Thought loops and patterns

My inner critic was loud: You’re crazy. You’re alone. Everyone thinks you’re overreacting.

Those thoughts traced back to old childhood beliefs around belonging. When my opinion about the school felt different from everyone else’s, rejection stung. Suddenly, I was back in third grade, the last kid picked for kickball.

But I’m not eight anymore. I get to choose my thoughts.

So I practiced new ones:

• I stand up for what I believe in.
• I fight for my kids and my community.

3. Environment matters

Social workers often hold the “unpopular opinion” first. Every movement begins as a whisper.

In the early days, my environment was scattered with doubt. But then another mom looked me in the eye and said, “Let’s do this together.” Suddenly, I wasn’t alone. I’d found my people.

Environments can drain you or steady you. Sometimes it’s about finding the right voices to stand beside you.

What I’ve learned

This was not a new lesson, but a reminder: growth is wildly uncomfortable. I’ve been asked to speak at rallies, lead conversations, and merge my professional training with my personal life. For someone who usually keeps those worlds separate, that’s stretched me in ways I didn’t see coming.

But here’s the truth: I didn’t choose this fight, it chose me. Ignoring it would have created a deep misalignment between my heart (values) and my mind (thoughts and environment).

So I’ve been practicing what I preach:

• Choosing useful thoughts
• Stepping into discomfort, that my future self will thank me for
• Regulating my nervous system so advocacy doesn’t burn me out

It’s not easy. But it’s worth it.

Your nudge

You never know when your growth moment will arrive. Sometimes it shows up in your career. Sometimes in your parenting. And sometimes, like me, in a fight you didn’t ask for but couldn’t ignore.

When it comes, pause and ask yourself:

• Where am I misaligned?
• What useful thought can I choose instead?
• Who around me can help me hold steady?

That’s how change happens (in and around you), one aligned step, one useful thought, one brave voice at a time.