What Trees Can Teach Us About Collective and Self-Care

Dear Pride Family, 

This week, the San Diego Pride staff came together for an offsite retreat to connect, recharge, and plan for the year ahead. As we reflected on the challenges and successes of the past year and charted our course for 2025, we engaged in meaningful conversations about the intersection of Self-Care as Community Care.

During this time, our colleague K. Thomas, LPCC, NCC (they/she), shared some transformative lessons that we’re excited to pass along to you—because caring for ourselves is essential to sustaining our movement.

Rooted in Community
In forests, tree roots intertwine to create a network that shares resources, communicates distress signals, and offers support—becoming a community of strength through every season. Trees remind us that while we are individuals, we are also deeply connected to those around us.

Like the phrase, “Can’t see the forest for the trees,” we sometimes lose sight of the bigger picture when caught up in life’s details. Trees teach us to pause, look up, and remember that we are part of something larger—a community that supports and uplifts us, and one we have the power to nurture in return.

As bell hooks so beautifully reminds us: “Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion.”

Winter is a Season for Reflection and Renewal
Just as the fall and winter seasons invite trees to shed their leaves, this time of year can call us to release what no longer serves us—habits, practices, or even relationships.

Trees conserve their energy in winter, letting go of unnecessary burdens to prepare for growth in the spring. In the same way, we can embrace this season as a time to turn inward, reflect, and prioritize what truly matters in our lives.

We are reminded by Tricia Hersey: “We must believe we are worthy of rest. We don’t have to earn it. It is our birthright. It is one of our most ancient and primal needs.”

As we prepare for the year ahead, let us carry these lessons with us: that self-care is a communal act, rest is resistance, and growth begins with letting go. Together, we can build a community that is rooted in care, compassion, and resilience.

Thanks to our valued sponsor Manchester Grand Hyatt for providing a beautiful space for our team to do this work. 

In Pride, 

Joslyn Hatfield
she/her
Director of Marketing Communications