284 - Staci Haines: Creating a World of “Power-With”

In this powerful episode of Coaches Rising, host Joel Brown engages in a deeply vulnerable and transformative conversation with Staci Haines, a pioneering somatic coach and author of 'The Politics of Trauma' and 'Healing Sex.' The discussion centers on the critical intersection of inner healing and outer social change, exploring how coaches and individuals can engage in meaningful activism without reinforcing polarization. Haines introduces the 'Outer Work Project,' a nonprofit initiative designed to bridge the gap between personal transformation and collective action by mobilizing 3.5% of the population—enough to shift societal systems—through volunteer engagement in aligned social change organizations. Drawing on somatic practices, intersectionality, and the concept of 'power-with' over 'power-over,' the conversation unpacks how trauma, class, race, and gender shape our inner and outer worlds. Both hosts reflect on their own resistances, spiritual bypassing, and the need for embodied discernment, compassion, and long-term vision. They emphasize that true transformation requires not only inner work but also courageous, compassionate, and sustained engagement with the world, grounded in a shared longing for a regenerative, equitable future. The episode concludes with a call to action: to move from 'I' to 'we,' from healing to collective responsibility, and from fear to embodied hope. Key takeaways include: 1) Inner work is not a retreat from the world but a foundation for effective, non-polarizing outer action; 2) The 'Outer Work Project' offers a structured, somatically grounded pathway to engage in social change; 3) 'Power-with' is a radical, life-affirming alternative to power-over, rooted in mutual dignity and interdependence; 4) Somatic practices help us hold complexity, regulate our nervous systems, and respond from vision rather than reactivity; 5) We must cultivate the capacity to listen deeply, even when triggered, and avoid othering; 6) Vision and longing—especially for future generations—must guide our actions; 7) Small, consistent commitments (5–20 hours/month) can scale into transformative movements; 8) The current era of societal 'perturbation' is not a crisis but an opportunity for second-order transformation.