Liberatory Culture Manifesto

At Fifth Element, we are not building a business-as-usual coaching practice. We are cultivating a living ecosystem rooted in liberation—not assimilation.

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We reject the toxic scaffolding of white supremacy culture: perfectionism, urgency, binary thinking, objectivity, and disposability. In their place, we choose values that honor complexity, interdependence, and embodied wisdom.

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We do not strive to be “professional” by dominant standards. We strive to be in right relationship—with ourselves, each other, and the systems we are here to transform.

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Our Core Principles

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1. Enoughness Is Our Baseline

Every person is inherently worthy. Transformation is not something to earn—it is something to remember.

• Belonging is not conditional on performance.  

• We reject exceptionalism and the myth of meritocracy.  

• We honor rest, spaciousness, and natural cycles as strategic imperatives.
   

2. Accountability Is Relational
Accountability is not punishment—it is a commitment to each other’s growth.

• We name harm without collapsing into shame.  

• We practice repair, not retribution.  

• We set boundaries with compassion and clarity.
   

3. Complexity Is Sacred
We refuse to flatten truth into binaries. We hold paradox and contradiction as portals to deeper knowing.

• We honor multiple truths and lived experiences.  

• We design for nuance, not simplicity.  

• We expect and embrace conflict as part of transformation.
   

4. Leadership Is Shared
Leadership is not control—it is relational stewardship.

• We expand leadership beyond the archetype of the expert.  

• We redistribute power in decision-making and design.  

• We center emotional intelligence and somatic literacy as core leadership skills.
   

5. All Labor Is Skilled Labor
We recognize and value all forms of labor—emotional, relational, logistical, and spiritual.

• We name emotional labor explicitly in our pricing and agreements.  

• We honor the labor of care, coordination, and community tending.  

• We reject capitalist hierarchies of value.
   

6. Liberation Is Collective
We are not free until we are all free. We build cultures of belonging, not exclusion.

• We do not throw people away.  

• We resist weaponizing equity tools as instruments of shame.  

• We prioritize relationships over righteousness.

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Practices We Uphold

• We pause. Urgency is not created.  

• We listen. Feedback is a gift, not a threat.  

• We rest. Burnout is not a badge of honor.  

• We ask for help. Vulnerability is strength.  

• We co-create. No one holds all the answers.  

• We repair. Mistakes are sacred teachers.  

• We celebrate. Joy is resistance.

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What We Are Dismantling

We actively resist and deconstruct the following cultural norms:

• Perfectionism as a measure of worth  

• Objectivity as a mask for dominant narratives  

• Binary thinking that flattens truth  

• Professionalism as a gatekeeping tool  

• Scarcity as a default operating system  

• Disposability as a response to harm

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Our North Star

We are building a culture where:

• Everyone gets to swim  

• No one is asked to shrink  

• Power is shared  

• Healing is prioritized  

• Liberation is practiced daily