About 15 months ago, I (accidentally) went viral on Threads.

I was in the middle of delivering a DEI training when two news announcements about executive orders pinged my phone: one attempting to erase DEI, and another rolling back protections against workplace discrimination. Talk about a twilight zone moment 😵‍💫

At the time, DEI work was a small part of our portfolio at Do Good Leadership Collective. We were just beginning to help leaders see the connection between how the prioritization of diversity, equity, and inclusion were natural indicators of wellbeing:

Wellbeing happens when people feel seen for who they are…

Wellbeing happens when people are uniquely supported for their needs…

Wellbeing happens when people are included in decisions that impact them…

But after the upheaval of 2025, like many others in this space, we had to get quieter and coded about this critical work.

Looking back at my Threads posts, I can’t help but laugh. Not just because of chaos in the comments, but because I said what I said and I still stand by it:

DEI isn’t going anywhere.

Sure, the language has shifted and the framing has evolved. But the work is still here, Subscriber First Name, because of people like you and I who believe in care, dignity, and belonging. Wellbeing has become one of the most powerful ways to carry that work forward.

For the past several months, our team has been tracking trends in nonprofit wellbeing. What we’re seeing feels like equity in action:

• Leaders recognizing the mental health needs of frontline workers of color

• Climate leaders gaining support in processing the weight of existential fear

• Wellness funding being directed toward immigration lawyers

• Deeper attention to how burnout uniquely impacts nonbinary and transgender workers

• Mutual aid continuing to rise in communities

We’re also seeing this reflected in data. Our friends at Nonprofit Finance Fund recently released The Heart of the Sector, a report that makes these identity-based realities hard to ignore:

• Women make up the majority of the nonprofit workforce—and still face persistent pay gaps

• Nearly 40% of nonprofit workers are under 25 and navigating rising mental health challenges

• Black and Hispanic nonprofit professionals are disproportionately earning incomes below the ALICE threshold (minimum threshold to afford basic needs)

This is why its important to name that workplace wellbeing goes well beyond productivity or retention. It’s very much about honoring the humanity of the people who do the damn work.

And truthfully, when I went viral last year, it wasn’t all support. Alongside the likes and reshares came an onslaught of dismissive and hateful responses about DEI. Now I know that in the face of being scrutinized for the language we use, we still have the power to create the right conditions. The work is still possible… and it’s happening every time we prioritize care, deep listening, and space for people to be fully human at work ❤️