Explore Past Issues of the Flourish Newsletter by Dr Josie McLean
Flourish is where reflective leadership meets practical wisdom. Inspired by the call to see clearly, act wisely and change human systems, each issue invites deeper understanding and courageous action in a complex world.
Welcome to the Flourish newsletter archive; an evolving collection of reflections, stories and insights from Dr Josie McLean.
Each edition of Flourish invites readers to pause, see clearly, and act wisely amid the complexity of today’s world. Drawing from systems thinking, adaptive leadership and years of coaching experience, Josie explores how individuals and organisations can evolve with greater awareness, compassion and courage.
Here, you’ll find essays on the art of change, leadership in uncertainty, and the human side of transformation, how culture, mindset and purpose shape the way we respond to challenge. You’ll also find practical reflections from Josie’s work with leaders across government, business and community, each issue designed to help you notice patterns, shift perspectives and nurture the conditions for thriving.
Whether you’re revisiting an earlier edition or discovering Flourish for the first time, these newsletters offer a steady companion for your leadership journey. They’re written for those seeking to cultivate wisdom in action, to make sense of complexity, and to spark meaningful change from wherever they stand.
Browse through the archive below to read previous editions. To receive new issues straight to your inbox, subscribe to Flourish and stay connected with fresh ideas, stories and practical ways to change human systems, naturally.
Change is hard …and natural
Change is hard, right?
Well, yes, but it is also a natural part of life, and it doesn’t have to be as hard as it seems to be within our organisations.
As living systems, we are each ‘coupled’ to the environment that we live and work in.
That environment comprises:
The natural world as though it was separate from us, but in fact, is the Earth that we evolved from and with.
The cultures we were raised in as children, the societies we have visited and learned from as adults and the organisational cultures we work within.
The different institutional structures and systems that have emerged from our societal cultures are submerged in the pattern of collective unconscious assumptions about how the world works and should work.
Times of uncertainty
Google this question and you will obtain a range of answers from different researchers. Most support the view that organisations need to be more open to taking risks to survive and thrive in these rapidly changing times.
In recent times we have been reminded by cyclones, floods, fires and pandemic that the world is crazy mixed up and uncertain. The uncertainty is growing. The impact of climate change, ecological breakdown, AI, and political instability …. All increase our sense of unfamiliarity and uncertainty in the way things are.
Looking back and looking forward
When did you last 'stop, know, and change'?
A few weeks ago, I spent a week immersed in the magnificent Daintree Rainforest's delights (and its mosquitos).
I entered my holiday unconsciously stressed. Just before I left home, a work opportunity emerged. If I wanted to respond to this opportunity, I would need to work through my holiday. As I flew up on the plane on Friday afternoon, I was busy assembling a team. I was willing to put in the work required to respond, even though I resented the idea of giving up a big chunk of my holiday to do so.
I determined to have at least my weekend to decompress a little and enjoy my time in a part of the world that I love so much.
Over that weekend, surrounded by the natural world and with a self-imposed restriction on ‘doing anything’, a curious thing happened.
I relaxed, walked, and stopped thinking.