Morgan Marler’s Post

You know those days where every conversation seems to echo the thing you’ve been thinking about nonstop? That was yesterday. I had the chance to join the NationSwell Summit, where the theme — Together — couldn’t have felt more timely (especially with our own conference just a week away). Every speaker, in their own way, spoke to the power of proximity, relationship, and radical collaboration. A few moments that have stayed with me: 🌱 Jonathan Haidt reminded us that when we work together, we are mighty. 🌱 Aaron Hurst, a friend and partner through the US Chamber of Connection, challenged the room to see connection not as an outcome but as a cause. He shared the origin story of the Chamber and it's newcomer Welcome Days in Seattle — built on the idea that when people are in transition, they’re most open to change and most in need of belonging. 🌱 Tonya Allen (McKnight Foundation) and Kwame Owusu-Kesse (Harlem Children's Zone) redefined place-based work: proximity as accountability. If it’s not good enough for your own, it’s not good enough for anyone. They spoke about courage — the kind that holds high expectations, calls out what doesn’t work, and leads with fierce love. 🌱 DeRay McKesson (Campaign Zero) reminded us that data can shift narratives — but that the real work of change begins long before we enter the room. His reflections on “preaching the choir” — that sometimes we gather not to convert, but to remember the song — have been echoing in my head ever since. 🌱 Denise Octavia Smith MBA, BS, CHW, PN, SFC National Association of Community Health Workers said: “Eighty percent of health happens outside of medicine — outside the hospital, the prescription, and the system.” That line hit me hard — because it’s the same truth at the heart of our work: connection, community, and belonging are foundational to health and healing. 🌱 Loved hearing from Carrie Varoquiers, Lisa Lawson, and Claire Casey on the future of work and AI. Continuing to center connection (togetherness) in and outside of work and across generations. And because togetherness often happens in between — I met Melinda Weathers and Neetu Abad while standing in the lunch line, Neetu based in Atlanta is now coming to our conference next week! After a long, cup-filling day, I couldn’t quite find my way out — literally. The door wouldn’t open. And there was Raymond Hutchison from the NationSwell team, right on the other side to help. A small moment, but such a fitting reminder: sometimes connection shows up exactly when (and where) you need it most. I know this post it’s a long one — but there was just too much good to leave out. Thanks for sticking with me to the end. Feeling deeply grateful for the brilliant, big-hearted humans (and dear friends) building the future we all deserve — one rooted in courage, relationship, and radical love.