On a recent hike, I came across a massive tree that had fallen. Its trunk was down. Its roots were exposed. Its shape had completely changed. And yet, its roots still reached water.

I have been thinking about how survival does not always look the way we expect, especially for those working inside systems that demand so much. What if resilience is not about standing tall again, but about staying rooted even after rupture?

For years, every New Year, I resolved to take better care of myself. But burnout taught me that real change doesn’t come from discipline—it comes from learning how stress lives in the body and choosing a different way of moving through the year.

In this reflection from the California Senate hearing for the Survivors Act (AB 938), advocate and writer Jamie Beck explores what it means to bear witness to trauma, both personally and professionally. From vicarious trauma to nervous system care, the post offers insight, solidarity, and practical tools for those working in systems of justice, healing, and change.

An open letter to attorneys, advocates, and all who are on the front lines of justice work.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the power of the pause.

Not just the pause between tasks or the deep breath before a big moment, though those matter too, but the kind of pause that reorders your inner world. The kind of pause that happens when you take real space: a sabbatical, a season of rest, a long journey.