Hello Reader,

I just returned from fall conferences (which is why I'm a day late landing in your inbox) and the recurring theme was: UNCERTAINTY.

Here in the U.S., the government has been shut down for over a month. SNAP benefits have run out for families who rely on them. Airports are paralyzed by political brinkmanship, stranding travelers for days. One panelist at last week’s Startup Champions Network Summit in Augusta, GA shared that she bought extra food containers so the entrepreneurs in her programs could take leftovers home. To feed their families.

While in Chicago with the Entrepreneurship Funders Network two weeks ago, I participated in an Envision-the-Future session. And while it wasn't my first time doing one, it certainly was the most bleak and scary one.

For months now, I've witnessed my peers getting laid off, their roles eliminated. I've watched funders and supporters of entrepreneurship and ecosystem building retreat, fearful of losing their nonprofit status or becoming victims of budget cuts themselves.

More often than not, I've felt like we are the only ones still standing at the front lines of entrepreneurship: grassroots ecosystem builders who don't dare give up on the dreamers and doers in our communities.

We stay because we know that if we stop, no one else will.
We stay because that’s who we are.
That’s what we do.

My good friend and co-conspirator, Dr. Amy Beaird, calls it a BANI world: brittle, anxious, nonlinear, and incomprehensible.

In this month's Builder Deep Dive, I sat down with her to talk about finding clarity in complexity and moving through it with some grace.

If you're unwilling to throw in the towel (and your hands up in despair just yet), this Deep Dive is for you.

When the world feels a little too loud, I turn to stories and ideas that help me make sense of it all. Maybe they’ll do the same for you:

• 💡 Builder Deep Dive with Dr. Amy Beaird: finding clarity in complexity (plus: your free Ecosystem Essential)
• ☕ Bookish Escape: Leaf & Lore in Buena Vista, VA
• 📚 Shen-Anika-ns: 3 books about ecosystem building that don’t know they are

What’s helping you stay grounded in uncertain times?
Hit reply and share what clarity looks like in your corner of the world. I’d love to feature your reflections in a future issue💌

Builder Deep Dive: Finding Clarity in Complexity with Dr. Amy Beaird

Ecosystem strategist Dr. Amy Beaird is helping innovation ecosystems move from chaos to clarity. In this Builder Deep Dive, discover how Amy’s Ecosystem Edge Scorecard turns invisible ecosystem work into measurable progress. Learn how she helps teams diagnose gaps, design adaptive systems that flex in a volatile world, and build fundable infrastructure that lasts.

Early Access: Grab the Ecosystem Essential: Clarity in Complexity, co-created by Amy and me, to distill her hardest-won lessons from over a decade of innovation ecosystem building.

Bookish: A cozy bookshop in the Southern Shenandoah Valley

When the world feels chaotic, I seek refuge in small bookshops. My latest visit took me to Leaf & Lore in Buena Vista, VA: part plant studio, part bookstore, and 100% cozy. 📸 Take a virtual stroll with me on Instagram.

What I read in the last two weeks:

• ​Small Town, Big Magic, Hazel Beck: a charming, witchy escape for spooky season.
• ​Broken Country, Clare Leslie Hall: raw, furious, and heartbreakingly human.
• ​How to Know a Person, David Brooks. I believe that much of our work in communities comes down to seeing people for who they are and helping them navigate the journey toward fulfilling their potential. While I have a knack for empathy, this is a deeper dive into walking alongside people and seeing the world through their eyes (which I need a lot more practice with!)

If you’re local, join us on December 2nd for the next International Book Club at Staunton Books & Tea!

📋Shen-Anika-ns: 3 books about ecosystem building

Fall and winter are the best seasons to cozy up with a book and forget this BANI world outside. Here are three excellent books about ecosystem building that don't even know they are about ecosystem building:

• ​The Infinite Game, Simon Sinek. I've written a lot and talked even more about this book when it first came out. It gives a different perspective on the quintessential mindset for ecosystem builders.
• ​Impact Networks, David Ehrlichman. This is a fantastic read for anyone interested in building networks of networks. My copy has undergone vigorous highlighting and note-taking.
• ​The Serviceberry, Robin Wall Kimmerer. I thoroughly enjoyed Braiding Sweetgrass. This book comes in under 200 pages and takes us on a journey to view the world through an Indigenous lens (one we don't engage with nearly enough, if you ask me).

Clarity isn’t so much something we find. It’s something we practice.​
Together.
Every time we show up for one another.

I'll be back in your inbox in two weeks!

In camaraderie,

Anika

P.S. Missed my last newsletter? Check out the previous issues of Impact Curator.