Weeks 5–6

The Middle Ground — Follow-Through

From noticing to naming.

The first month was about building a practice. This month is about going deeper — naming the structural patterns you have been seeing, and starting to act on them in ways that outlast any single conversation.

5 6

Which corner are you?

Week 5 — Name the structure, not just the moment

You have been noticing moments. This week: name the pattern behind the moments. One specific structural thing in your organisation that creates the cost you have been tracking.

Corner One

This week's focus: write the cost down

This week, document — for yourself, in writing — one structural thing your organisation does that creates unpaid cultural labour for you or people like you. Not a complaint. A clear, specific description: what happens, how often, who benefits, who pays. You do not need to share it yet. Just write it. That document is the beginning of your evidence.

Structure for your document

"The pattern: [what happens]. The frequency: [how often]. Who benefits from it: [who]. Who pays the cost: [who]. What it costs in time/energy/recognition: [be specific]."

Reflection prompt

What did it feel like to document it? What surprised you about writing it down?

Corner Two

This week's focus: find the structural gap

Look at your organisation's equity or inclusion policies this week. Find one gap — one place where the intention is good but the structure doesn't support it. Write one specific suggestion for what would close that gap. You don't need to submit it anywhere yet — just write it. This is the difference between feeling anxious and being useful.

Framing your suggestion

"The current policy says [X]. The gap I can see is [Y]. A specific change that would close it is [Z]. This would cost approximately [effort/resource]."

Reflection prompt

What did you find when you looked? What did the gap tell you about where the organisation's attention has been?

Corner Three

This week's focus: follow the decision trail

Pick one policy, practice, or structural norm in your organisation that affects equity. Trace it back: when was it decided? Who was in the room? Was anyone from a marginalised group part of the decision? You are not looking for wrongdoing — you are learning to see the architecture. That seeing is the foundation of everything else.

Questions to ask or research this week

"When was [policy/practice] established? Who was consulted? Is there data on how it affects different groups differently? Has it been reviewed since?"

Reflection prompt

What did you find? What did the decision trail reveal about who has historically had power in this organisation?

Corner Four

This week's focus: map your navigation cost

This week, track every time you shift how you present yourself depending on which group you are with. Not judgment — data. By the end of the week, you will have a picture of how much energy goes into navigating between worlds. That energy has a cost. This week you are naming the size of it.

The tracking question

"Right now, which version of myself am I presenting? What am I holding back? What is that costing me today?"

Reflection prompt

How many times did you shift this week? Which shift cost the most? Which felt most natural?

Week 6 — Use the sector material

The 96 sector PDFs in the collection are not just workshop resources — they are tools for ongoing practice. This week: use one.

Corner One

This week's focus: share your sector PDF with one person

Find the sector PDF that matches your industry and your corner. Read it. Then share it with one person in your organisation — a manager, a colleague, someone who needs to see it. You do not have to explain. Just say: "This describes something I have been trying to name for a while. I thought you should read it."

Why this matters

The PDF does the explaining for you. You do not have to be the translator this time. Let the document carry the weight.

Reflection prompt

Who did you share it with? What was their response? What did it feel like to let the document speak instead of you?

Corner Two

This week's focus: use the sector scenario as a teaching moment

Find the sector PDF closest to your industry. Read the scenario. Then: use it in a conversation — with a colleague, in a team meeting, with a manager. "I read something this week that describes a pattern I've been noticing here. Can I share it?" Use the scenario as a mirror for your team without making it about specific people.

Reflection prompt

Did you use it? How did the room respond? What shifted — even slightly — when the scenario was named?

Corner Three

This week's focus: read a Corner One PDF

Find the sector PDF for your industry — but read the Corner One (Tired/Exhausted) version, not your own. Read what that person's week looks like. The committee they didn't volunteer for. The explanation they have given fourteen times. The rest they haven't taken. Read it without defending yourself. Just read it.

Reflection prompt

What landed? What made you uncomfortable? What did you recognise from your own team or organisation?

Corner Four

This week's focus: find your sector PDF

Read the In-Between PDF for your sector. Notice what it names correctly. Notice what it misses about your specific position. The gaps in how the framework describes you are useful data — they tell you where your experience sits outside the available categories. Write down what the PDF got right and what it didn't capture.

Reflection prompt

What did the PDF get right? What did it miss? What would you add to describe your specific version of Corner Four?

Saved.

Keep going — Weeks 7–8 are next.

Weeks 7–8 →

Weeks 7–8 → ← Day 30