Four Practices of Decolonization That Sustain Us in Systems Resistant to Change

This work is not easy. 

It asks you to keep showing up in systems that were not built to hold certain truths. It can feel isolating, even exhausting. Many of us struggle with burnout and the question of how we stay well as we work to create change.

And yet, we show up. Because something inside us still says, "This matters."

Joyce Leppington is a consultant, educator, and advocate of xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sts’ailes, and Métis heritage. She is one of LPC’s busiest consultants, balancing extensive travel, late nights, and carrying heavy conversations about racism, reconciliation and cultural safety, all while running her own company. For Joyce, staying in the work doesn't come from pushing harder. It comes from grounding deeper, into who you are, where you come from, and what your journey is calling you towards.

Joyce reflects on four transformative practices at the heart of this work: presence, inner listening, belonging, and authenticity. These aren’t just skills, they are embodied practices of decolonization. They sustain and connect us to the deeper meaning behind our efforts. They are simultaneously the work and the tools that allow us to walk towards decolonization.

As Joyce says, "You can tell when you're not aligned. Your body will tell you. And when you're doing the work you're meant to do, you won't need someone to tell you to take care of yourself, your rhythm will guide you."

These practices return power into your being:

The power to be where you are.

The power to honour how you feel within.

The power to be together. 

The power to live your truth.

Presence: The Courage to Be Here

"Being present is beautifully hard," Joyce says. "I used to think I was being present, but I was really living in a future full of worry. Now, I'm here. I'm more joyful."

Presence, for Joyce, is an intentional choice. It means being with what is, even when it's uncomfortable. It means holding space for others without jumping to fix or explain. It means sitting with someone else's pain and letting it be real.

"There are times in trainings where people cry or say something really harsh," she shares. "But I don't take that on as harm. I see it as a gift. It means they feel safe enough to be real." Being real is essential to creating transformative moments that open space for new relationships, particularly across our different experiences.

Presence also means honouring your own journey: the pain, the lessons, the growth. "When I'm present, I can really see how far I've come. I can see that I’m exactly where I want to be. A year and a half ago, I couldn’t have dreamed of this work. And now it feeds me."

She adds, "I'm not tired in this work, because it feeds me on a spiritual level. It nourishes me in a way that I can't fully explain, but I feel it. It keeps me going even when it's hard."

When we honour where we’ve been and stop bracing for what’s next, we can access the power of the now. And that's where transformation happens.

Belonging: Finding Strength in Community

While this work calls us inward, Joyce also speaks to the power of being held in community. As an LPC consultant, she doesn’t do this work alone. She’s surrounded by a team that holds space for reflection, growth, and accountability, a network that helps her process the hard moments, learn through the work, and stay rooted in its impact.

"Sometimes the work is really intense. But even when I'm up late or traveling, I don't feel alone. I've found my people. I've found space for my gifts and strengths. That's what makes it sustainable".

Being part of a team that shares your values and lifts you up is vital. Belonging helps to build resilience and keeps you grounded so you can keep showing up.

Inner Listening: Your Body Already Knows

In a world full of prescriptive wellness advice, Joyce offers something deeper:

"If you're actually listening to yourself and doing what you're meant to be doing, you're going to be fed by it. And when you're not, your body's going to tell you that. You'll know. You'll just rest because you'll get tired. All that information's inside of you."

This is decolonized wellness. It's not about someone else's checklist, it’s about tuning in. Feeling what brings you joy. Noticing when you’re off center.

Joyce speaks to how our bodies carry ancestral wisdom, a knowing older than policy or process. When we listen inward, the answers are often already there.

When we live from that inner knowing, we are compelled to stay close to our integrity and to sustain ourselves in the work in the ways that we need. This is what it means to live your values and operate within your capacity.

Authenticity: Living the Work

Joyce asks herself: "Do I mean what I say? Do I feel what I say? Do I live what I say?"

Authenticity isn’t branding. It’s showing up fully. Even when it's hard or uncomfortable.

"The way you show up is what matters most," she says. "This work is connection-based and about being who you are."

Joyce models healing by living her truth, even in the smallest details. "I try to be that person who shows up as I am. Even in emails. Even in the little things. Because that’s how I know I’m still rooted."

Living your values out loud isn't easy. But it creates space for others to do the same. "It's not about being perfect. It's about being real. That’s what creates safety. That’s what creates change."

Embodying Change & Transformation

These four practices of presence, inner listening, belonging, and authenticity aren't just for surviving hard systems. They're for creating new ones. They're how you keep believing in change even when the world resists it.

When you're present, you honour where you've been and where you are. When you belong, you’re carried through the hardest moments by those who see you. When you listen inward, you trust and bring forward what you know to be true. And when you're authentic, you open space for connection and transformation.

Joyce reminds us that transformation doesn't live far away. It begins within. It grows through our choices. And it’s already happening, in the moments we choose to stay connected, stay accountable, and show up with integrity.

This is the work. The power to transform lives within and all around us.