Strategy as an Emotional Act: An Interactive Practice for Changemakers #SFTechWeek

Thursday, Oct 8

6:00pm – 8:00pm

Hosted by

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What should stay human as the systems around us change? We are living through rapid shifts in how we work, lead, relate, and make decisions. AI is accelerating some of those changes, but the deeper questions are human ones: What helps us stay connected through uncertainty? What emotional conditions allow groups to navigate change well? And what becomes possible when we design systems with our humanity at the center? In this interactive session, we’ll explore those questions through four elemental lenses: earth, water, fire, and air. We’ll begin by slowing down through a guided meditation where participants will experience each element within themselves, noticing the emotions, instincts, and ways of relating that emerge. From there, we’ll move into small groups organized around the four elements. Each element will be paired with emotional qualities and archetypes that offer a different way of seeing and responding to a real systems-change challenge. Groups will explore the problem relationally, paying attention not only to what solution makes sense, but to how they listen, disagree, decide, and create together. Then we’ll bring the elements back into the room. Each group will share what it noticed, valued, and proposed, giving us a chance to see what changes when multiple emotional and relational perspectives are held at once. Together, we’ll explore how these different ways of knowing can create stronger teams, more generative systems, and more intentional choices about what we want technology to support and what we want to keep distinctly human. This is not a session about finding one right answer. It is a chance to practice another way of approaching change: one that makes room for emotion, embodiment, difference, and relationship alongside strategy. You’ll leave with: A deeper language for understanding emotions and how they shape the way we approach change. Four elemental lenses for recognizing different relational strengths, needs, and ways of solving problems. Practical tools for creating healthier emotional and relational conditions within teams and organizations. A clearer sense of what you believe should stay human as AI becomes more present in our work and lives. The experience of solving something together without asking everyone to see the problem the same way. Co-facilitated by Chelsea Borruano and Nima Imani. Chelsea is a nonprofit founder, strategist, and facilitator whose work sits at the intersection of emotional awareness, organizational design, community-building, and systems change. Nima is a founder and ICF-certified leadership coach who works with founders, leaders, and teams navigating uncertainty, difficult decisions, conflict, and the human side of change. This event is a part of #SFTechWeek—a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem. Learn more at www.tech-week.com.