Building Power in 2025

How breaking down what we were taught about it can help us break down power

Whenever I work with clients who are honestly trying to be more equitable and genuine in their work or just their everyday lives, we often get to the conversation about how they learned about power.

“How do you define power? Where did you learn about power? Who taught you about power?” Those three questions are what I ask to get people’s thoughts going and memories jogging. Often, it runs along the lines of parents, school, religious communities, or even a personal experience with injustice.

Almost no one defines or thinks of power as a good thing. Here’s why that’s terrible.