An image from a summer family trip abroad has me thinking about the pace of change in the United States.

We are living through an era of massive change. There’s the press of artificial intelligence into schools, workplaces, and media. There are domestic and global political shifts underway, information overload, generational transition, and so on. In many ways, it feels like we are hurtling toward an uncertain future.  

One evening during our trip, I snapped a picture of this park in Wuxi, China. The LED-lit skyscrapers in this ancient city illustrated the future for which we seem bound. But there is more to this picture. A family friend told me that in the morning, the park is quiet and still with ducks paddling in the pond. He walks through this park early each morning, a ritual that helps him start the day. Similarly, across the weeks of our trip, I noticed that in the midst of a rapidly changing culture, there were also habits of human life that seemed unwavering: the giving of gifts, the question, “have you eaten?” followed by generous portions of food and drink, the groups gathering in city parks for recreation. Each of these habits sustained relationships and grounded daily life.   

Many of my clients – regardless of where they live – are experiencing the layered reality evident in this photo. They are making sense of change while also protecting traditions that are quiet, persistent, and relational: parenting, sustaining community resources for vulnerable kids and families, and civic work that extends beyond campaign cycles. I don’t have solutions to all of anxieties associated with a culture on fast forward except to affirm that this pace is not absolute and we should not allow it to be. There is not one dimension to society, but rather many, each with their own purpose and tempo. 

I hope your summer season has brought you both new adventures and time for quiet and care.  

In hope,

Rachel 

New writing: Another side to paid family leave policy  

In a new piece published by Child Welfare Wonk, I examine the employer side of paid family leave policy in a new way. Policy discussion on business and paid leave tends to cover “the employer case” for paid family leave – how paid leave helps businesses recruit and retain employers. Alternatively, employer-coded policy frameworks treat paid leave as acceptable only if it’s not mandatory - an approach that would exclude the many of the workers who most need paid family leave. 

I think new and better ideas might emerge if advocates and policymakers spent more attention on paid leave’s practical workability in a variety of workplace settings, especially with small employers and nonprofits. 

Hope& Bolder Horizon    

Hope& Consulting has supported the nonprofit organization, Bolder Horizon, in its launch of a mid-career fellows program for emerging child and family policy leaders. Read more about the inaugural class of fellows here.

Bolder Horizon promotes cross-partisan innovation at the intersection of health, human services, and economic policy with attention to complex cycles of adversity that could lead to involvement in child welfare systems.

Hope& Alliance for Early Success

This summer, I led a workshop on narrative and messaging across differences while at the Alliance for Early Success’s Right for Kids 2026. We used play-based tools to brainstorm and practice bridge-building narratives. Right for Kids is an innovative project of the Alliance for Early Success that regularly convenes advocates from conservative-led states to advance child and family policy. Over three days in July, we listened across differences, strengthened relationships, sharpened our stories, and learned from one another. I'm grateful for the gathering, and I’m hopeful about the work my colleagues at Right for Kids are doing.