The Equity Leader’s Fire Drill

10 Questions to Keep Your Why Burning Bright

If you work in health equity, you are likely feeling the heat right now. The landscape is shifting. Entire departments are being dismantled. Colleagues are disappearing overnight. The work you’ve dedicated your career to are under scrutiny, dismissed as an “unnecessary” rather than the foundation of healthier communities.

So, before another chaotic week begins, before another decision from leadership makes you question if you still have a seat at the table, let’s pause. This is your equity leader’s fire drill. This is a series of gut-check questions to help you stay grounded, aligned, and fiercely intentional about why you do this work.

YOUR DAILY CHECK-IN

1. 𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝗜 𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝘆 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲𝘀, 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗜 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗲?

The system makes it easy to drift. A policy decision, a budget cut, a project scrapped. It all adds up. Did you make a choice today that reflected your “why,” or did you just get through it?
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2. 𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝗜 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀, 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗜 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘂𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴?

Equity work means pushing against the urge to speak for people instead of making space for them. How did you ensure lived experience led the conversation today?
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3. 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗜 "𝘀𝗲𝗲" 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆?

Equity starts with seeing people. It’s the single mom in line at the clinic or the elder skipping meds to pay rent. Who did you see today?

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YOUR WEEKLY REFLECTION
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4. Who did I uplift? Who uplifted me?

Health equity leaders pour endlessly into others, but who poured into you?

5. Did I let urgency replace strategy?

The work is urgent. But panic won’t fix systemic inequities. Strategic, sustained action will. Where did you let urgency rush you into a decision you wish you had more time for?
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6. Where did I spend the most time this week? Was it the right place?

Did you spend more time defending the work than actually doing the work? Are you in rooms where decisions are made, or just where they’re announced?
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7. What pushed my buttons, and why?

That dismissive email. The colleague who doesn’t get it. The initiative with no community input. When did your frustration peak this week? That’s your compass. Pay attention.
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YOUR MONTHLY REASSESSMENT

8. What am I tolerating that I shouldn’t be?

What policies, practices, or behaviors are you letting slide because “it’s just how it is”? The moment you accept inequity as normal, it wins.
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9. Am I still in the right role, or am I forcing myself to stay?

Does this job still align with your personal mission? Or are you just holding on because leaving feels like defeat?
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10. Have I built something lasting, or just put out fires?

Fires need putting out, but structures prevent them in the first place. What did you build this month that will outlast your presence in the room?
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THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION OF ALL

If everything around you changed tomorrow, if your program lost funding, if your title disappeared, if your department closed - would your mission still stand?

If the answer is yes, then no policy change, budget cut, or political shift can take your purpose from you. If the answer is no, it’s time to reconnect, recalibrate, and, if necessary, reclaim your space elsewhere.

This work is not a job. It’s a responsibility. And you are not alone. So keep showing up. Keep asking hard questions. Keep making equity impossible to ignore.

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