Finding Agency in Uncertain Times: A reflection on power, presence, and participation

Date: Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Author: Shannon Chavez

There’s a particular kind of heaviness in the air lately. Not just here in the U.S., but around the world. The problems feel close. The suffering feels personal. The future feels fragile and demanding.

Most of us don’t know what to do with that. We weren’t taught how to move through global crisis or to participate with purpose.

Lately, I’ve been asking myself a quiet but persistent question:

“What is mine to do?”

Not “How do I fix everything?” — that question leads straight to despair.
But “How do I contribute?”
“Where does my power matter?”
“What role do I play in a time like this?”

Ignoring the World Used to Feel Like the Only Option

For context — I haven’t always felt this way. In fact, for a long time, I felt the opposite.

From 2014 to 2016, I worked as a news anchor. I lived inside the news cycle. I watched crisis after crisis, tragedy after tragedy, narrative after narrative pass through the teleprompter. I felt responsible, informed, but also increasingly overwhelmed and disillusioned.

Shannon at the News Desk in 2015

By the time I left the industry in 2016 — and after watching political leadership shift dramatically in 2017 — I was burned out. I was disgusted. I was done.

Not just done with journalism, but done with politics altogether. I stopped watching the news. I stopped arguing about current events. I voted, yes, but otherwise I disengaged. I was uninterested in how divided the country had become and I felt that standing up for what I believed was right, was only adding to the division.

It wasn’t apathy — it was self-preservation. It was my nervous system saying,
“I can’t carry this anymore.”

So I shifted my focus. I devoted the past decade to something that felt more worthwhile: spreading love through my creative work, uplifting others, helping people heal, and empowering individuals to live in alignment with their purpose. The activist I once was became an artist, a coach, and an entrepreneur — because that felt like the most life-giving way to participate in the world.

I made documentaries for non-profits that were making a positive impact. I wrote a book to remind people of their power. I created communities to build bridges. I became a dharma coach so I could help others find their purpose.

A Happy Hippie Foundation PGH Golden Hour Get Together in 2023

But recently, something shifted again.

This Is Not “Politics” — This Is Humanity

What’s happening right now — from systemic violence here in the U.S., to genocide and humanitarian crises across the world — has made one thing painfully clear:

This is no longer a matter of “politics.”
This is a matter of humanity.

The Noise Is Loud — And Avoidance No Longer Protects Us

I tried to stay out of it by turning off the news… but the news still found me. It surfaced through the people I follow, the leaders I trust, the voices I look to for guidance. And if they are speaking up, I asked myself:

“What does it look like for me to speak up — in my own way?”

Not as a follower.
Not out of obligation.
Not as a reaction to fear.
Not just through sharing headlines or reposting.

But as a leader.
As a creator.
As someone who believes in purpose, empowerment, and conscious participation.

And I realized something else:

My way of participating is not through protests or resistance — it’s through reflection, meaning-making, and helping others remember their agency.

I might not be the person to march or call my state representatives, but I am the person to create tools for healing and clarity. I’m here to help people focus on the good — not to ignore the bad, but to fuel the courage it takes to address it.

Purpose Lives Where Your Heart Breaks

Purpose doesn’t always arise as clarity.
Sometimes it arises as heartbreak.
Sometimes as outrage.
Sometimes as empathy that refuses to shut down.

What breaks your heart shows you what you care about.
What enrages you shows you what you’re here to protect.
What moves you shows you what you’re here to contribute.

If we want a future that is more humane, more just, more peaceful, and more alive, we have to be willing to feel the world as it is — not just as we wish it would be.

That doesn’t mean we have to fix everything.
But we can contribute.

If You Feel Helpless — You’re Not Alone

If you’ve been overwhelmed by the state of the world…
If you’ve been avoiding the news because you don’t know what to do with it…
If you care deeply but don’t have a roadmap for action…
If you’re learning from leaders you trust and wondering how to respond…

You are not alone.
And you are not powerless.

You never were.

What Is Mine To Do? (Introducing P.O.W.E.R.)

To help myself — and hopefully to help others find more clarity— I created a free reflection tool called:

P.O.W.E.R.: A Workbook for Brave Hearts in Changing Times

It helps you explore:

• Passion — what you care about
• Outlook — what you believe is possible
• Word — what you are willing to say
• Experience — what your life has prepared you for
• Rituals — how you turn purpose into action

It ends with a tarot spread to help you connect to your intuition before moving forward — because wisdom is deeper than information, and agency is deeper than action.

I’ll be working through the workbook too. I need clarity moving forward just as much as anyone else.

If you want to feel empowered to spark change in the world in a way that feels good to you —
in a way that honors your nervous system, your values, and your gifts —
this workbook is for you.

Download it here → https://shannonthegoodwitch.myflodesk.com/power

May your power serve what you love.
May it serve what needs you.
May it serve the future.

Be Kind. Be Brave. Be You