Humanize MN

Last week I sat in a room with eight middle schoolers. I asked them to describe highways in one word. They said "dangerous." "Unsafe." One said "child endangerment." These are 11 to 14 year olds living in a Minnesota suburb. All eight of them live near a highway. All eight of them have breathing problems. Most of them need inhalers. Only one can afford one. One of them goes through an inhaler every three months. Another said their family cannot afford one at all. They linked their symptoms to the exhaust they breathe, living and walking near busy roads every day. One of them described witnessing a fatal car crash. A mother. A child seat. And toys in the back. A police officer once told them at a nearby crossing: "A lot of people die here." This is a terrifying thing to hear as a young person. As anyone of any age. These young people are not statistics. They are our neighbors. They walk our streets. They ride bikes in our communities. They breathe the air we build our infrastructure around. I facilitated this conversation because I believe the people most affected by our decisions deserve to be heard before those decisions are made. Not after. And not as a formality. This is why Humanize MN exists. To surface the stories that shape better decisions. If you work in transportation, planning, public health, or government: the young people in your community have something to say. Are we listening? #PublicHealth #EnvironmentalJustice #CommunityVoices

This year, I had the honor of co-facilitating the Senior Leaders Institute program for the second year alongside my friends and collaborators from Bellwether Consulting and our wonderful partners from the Minnesota Management and Budget. This year’s group of leaders stepped into SLI during a time of complexity, polarization, and real challenges for our state. This year's SLI leaders chose to do the hard work. They chose to reflect. To grow. To strengthen their leadership. And to commit to serving Minnesotans with empathy and accountability. Leadership is never about having all the right answers. It’s more about being adaptive, listening deeply, and making decisions that center people. Decisions that center humanity. Watching this year’s cohort lean into vulnerability, challenge assumptions, and build meaningful connections among themselves has been incredibly inspiring. Congratulations to the 2025 SLI graduates. Our communities are stronger because of leaders like you who choose to lead with empathy, humility, and purpose. Photo by: Laura Backman Humanize MN #AdaptiveLeadership #OneMinnesota #PeopleFirst

Story time! The most impactful leadership lesson I have ever received came during a salary negotiation I almost failed to have. I remember the day my hiring manager called me to offer me the job. When she mentioned the starting salary, I asked very indirectly if there was room for negotiation. I asked in such a hesitant way that it could have easily been turned down. I was almost negotiating against myself, which is something we are often told to never do. But instead of shutting down the conversation and letting me negotiate against myself, she paused, understood exactly what I was trying to ask, and said, “I’m going to take that as a direct request to negotiate.” She went on to advocate for me to get a higher starting salary. She fully accounted for my skills, qualifications, and the obvious and not-so-obvious expectations of the role. She pointed out the hidden costs and the emotional labor she knew would come with the role I was about to step into. That single gesture had a profound and lasting impact on me. It shaped how I showed up on my first day, the risks I was willing to take, and the way I saw my leadership role in the organization. It boosted my morale, my sense of worth, and the value I placed on my own leadership skills. It was the validation I needed to be a better and braver employee from Day One! For many people from marginalized backgrounds, negotiating salary can feel daunting. I know it was for me. We often feel like we should be thankful simply for being offered the job, and we convince ourselves that asking for more could jeopardize that opportunity. The hiring managers who recognize that invisible burden and help us self-advocate are my heroes. And today, I want to celebrate one of those heroes: Hally Turner, AICP. She is the hiring manager who did not let me negotiate against myself. Her approach to hiring left an indelible mark on me, and her advocacy made me feel seen and valued before I even stepped into the role. This, I believe, is what inclusive leadership looks like in action. It is not just a policy or a slogan. It is a human gesture that changes how someone sees themselves. Now, imagine the workplaces we could build if more leaders followed that path. Humanize MN #InclusiveLeadership #HiringPractices #LeadershipInAction #SalaryNegotiation

Traveling as an immigrant in 2025. A friend of mine and I were both preparing for international travel. We are both in this country legally. Her trip was urgent. She needed to visit her sick parents overseas. My trip was not as urgent, but it was planned months ago, and cancelling it would be costly (emotionally and financially). As immigrants in this country in 2025, we had to accept frightening scenarios that were now, even though unconstitutional, possible, including denaturalization or being thrown in prison for speaking up. We both accepted that there is a non-zero chance that if we leave, we may never come back. We took precautions. We deleted social media accounts. No more Facebook or Instagram. We scrambled to find lawyers. We have always followed the law. And we both consider ourselves productive members of society. But that is not enough anymore. Not in 2025 in the USA. Thankfully, we came back without any issues. We got lucky this time. Why am I sharing this? I am sharing this because I am privileged enough to have a platform and a voice I can use (with caution). I want to humanize some of the experiences of immigrants in this country in 2025. What would you do if you had to choose between speaking up and staying safe? What if speaking up meant losing your job? I am so grateful for the thousands of people who continue to speak up at a personal cost. These are my heroes. Humanize MN #ImmigrantExperience

We want your feedback on our Statewide Bicycle+ System Plan! Help shape how MnDOT supports biking and other transportation options like e-bikes and scooters. Learn more: https://bit.ly/43How07 #cycling #survey #transportation

On this #Juneteenth, I am reflecting on the long road ahead toward collective liberation and prosperity for our communities. For those of us who engage with underserved and overburdened communities, it's important that we read the room and stay flexible before jumping into prepared agendas and action items. Many communities are hurting, feeling targeted, and demonized. Others are watching the ever-worsening political landscape and wondering where we even go from here. While we don’t have easy solutions, we can do something. We can be human. We can make space for these realities, even when they are not part of our written agendas. We can empathize with our communities. We can let them speak and listen attentively. This may not be much, but it is what is on my heart today. How are you holding space for your community today? Humanize MN #HappyJuneteenth #CollectiveLiberation Image credit: University of Maryland, Baltimore