As a curious observer of most things, I am drawn to a pattern that is deeply present in the places where I’ve worked. I’ve never understood how or why it became a pattern or why it still has enough breath in it to survive.

In this episode, I’m revealing the pattern with questions for you to reflect on through your lens of experience. I’m wondering if you’ve observed my reflection as a pattern or is this a rarity in the world you work in?

What other patterns have you noticed in the places where you’ve worked? Which ones work and which need to be transformed?

I love all things fashion, including books, podcasts, television shows and movies, blogs and social media accounts about fashion and personal style. The power of getting dressed is high on the list of daily priorities, for many people, particularly due to the elevation and explosion of social media during the pandemic.

We now live in a world where the average consumer, and the ways in which he or she chooses to spend their money, is widely shown on social media. We no longer have to rely on tv shows, commercials or magazines for style inspiration or fashion advice.

A huge number of fashion designers, and luxury and affordable brands and retailers are discovered primarily through social media influencers who recommend that we shop from the same places where they shop and buy the same things that they buy.

Having this resource can prove to be useful, especially for those who aren’t good at picking out their own clothing, accessories, or even home decor.

The thing to remember is that most of the social media influencers aren’t fashion, style or design experts. They are regular folks, like you and I, who were courageous enough to broadcast their buying decisions online and found a community of people who happen to like the things they choose to buy. And now, the pattern continues!

If social media influencers can confidently choose what they like and spend their money accordingly, why can’t we do that for ourselves? Do we need that kind of influence? Is it really influence or is it simply algorithmic pressure? What do you think?

On January 1, 2025, I woke up to some disturbing and tragic national news. At that time, ten people had been killed by a terrorist in New Orleans, Louisiana, a few hours after midnight. Three officers were hospitalized and the terrorist, who used a truck and a gun to kill and injure these innocent human beings, was now dead.

The world has never been devoid of wicked patterns but lately it feels like the patterns are becoming more widespread and pervasive than ever.

Less than one month ago, an Insurance Executive was shot and killed in New York as he headed into a hotel.

These heinous and hateful crimes are sadly part of a pattern that I began referring to as an unraveling in early 2024. These deadly actions seem to signal an unraveling of some sort in some human beings everywhere.

I have many questions that may never be answered, yet I’m still curious how human beings arrive at such dark states of mind to take someone’s life? When does the unraveling begin and are they aware that it is happening? Is it a slow progression or does it happen suddenly? What patterns are they seeing, hearing or feeling that the rest of us aren’t seeing, hearing or feeling?

The world is in a state of crisis and something must be done to stop the pattern of devalued human life.

If you and I are catalysts for change, how can we personally use Human Systems Dynamics to help influence others to recognize what’s happening within them long before their edges become unraveled?