THE CHRYSALIS FIVE-DAY CHALLENGE OCTOBER 19-23, 2026
From Burnout to Self-Liberation
Naming the System and Reclaiming Rest
For QTBIPOC (queer and trans, Black, Indigenous, and people of color) professionals, exhaustion isn't an individual failure to take care of ourselves (what we’ve learned to call burnout). Instead, it is often the result of institutional "burn through."
What is “Burn Through?”
Burn through is what happens when the systems, institutions, organizations, and workplaces we navigate extract our labors, traumas, identities, and energies until we are depleted. They essentially burn through us, while sending the message that if we can’t keep up, there’s something wrong with us we need to fix.
Essentially, burnout is an individual problem (you are the problem) that requires individual solutions (you need to find the solution on your own time). Burn through is a structural problem that requires structural solutions.
What can I do about it?
Even though as individuals, we are not always in a position to undo or transform these structures that are leaving us physically and mentally depleted, we can create micro-structures within them to protect ourselves from the fire. Enacting strategies that do more than help us cope in an unsustainable environment is critical for our wellbeing and our livelihoods.
From October 19th to October 23rd, we will prioritize replenishment and rest. We will learn the difference between individual burnout and systemic burn-through, and through reflection, we will crowdsource strategies to reclaim our agency and vitality. Through this challenge, we are going to take a step together and get us individually and collectively closer to liberation.
We invite you to show up however ready you are to share and honor confidentiality and privacy in the space.
There is NO cost to participate.
What does this challenge entail?
The challenge is simple, but powerful! Each day starting Monday, October 19th through Friday, October 23rd, you will get an email from us. Each email will contain a reflection question or two, designed to take 20 minutes or less of your day. You will also be invited into a shared Slack community, where you can share these reflections, read what others have posted, and connect with other QTBIPOC participating in the challenge.
Slack not your thing? No problem. You can email us your responses - it might not be as interactive, but this is for you and we invite you to show up as you are and as you can.
However you choose to participate, there is NO cost to sign up. So, what do you have to lose other than 20 minutes of your day and the heaviness in your chest?
Sign up below!
