Friction vs Flow in a Fractured World

Why Personal Sustainability Matters

I can feel it. It’s a familiar sensation — a slight knot in my chest. Let’s call it friction.
The kind that shows up whenever something really matters to me.

This is my first Substack post, and I want it to hit the spot.

That quiet pressure to get it right is probably something you’re familiar with — whether you’re writing, leading, parenting, or trying to make a positive difference on a fractured planet.

This newsletter is rooted in one simple but powerful hope: that we can find more sustainable ways to live, relate, and lead — and that by doing so, our influence ripples outward and helps create a world that’s kinder, greener, and fairer.

· Kinder, because how we treat ourselves and each other impacts everything else — and real change begins with empathy, not blame.

· Greener, because restoring our relationship with nature means moving beyond finger-pointing and towards shared responsibility and regeneration.

· Fairer, because systems built on judgement and exclusion keep us stuck — but a fairer world is possible when we choose curiosity over criticism.

It’s a fractious world out there. We don’t always rub along as well as we could — or as well as we’ll need to if we want to create a brighter future.

So, what do we do with all this friction? Ignore it? Power through it? Rage against it?

Friction takes place between us.

But it also lives within us.

I’ve come to see friction not as a flaw, but as a signal. It tells us where things aren’t aligned — where values clash, where there’s strain on the system, and where our emotions get stuck.

And just like in nature — where friction slows rivers, carves out landscapes, and gives structure to living soil — it has the potential to shape something new.

When we learn to work with it, rather than against it, it can become the starting point for flow.

Flow in ourselves, in our relationships, and in the wider systems we’re part of.

Flow doesn’t mean everything feels easy. It’s not the absence of challenge — it’s the presence of movement, alignment, a sense that something is shifting in the right direction.

In the posts to come, I’ll be exploring how we move — gently and intentionally — from friction to flow. Sometimes through behaviour change. Sometimes through rethinking systems.

Always with an eye on what helps us live and lead in ways that are emotionally and ecologically sustainable.

I’ll draw from coaching, Functional Fluency, systems thinking — and from the messy but worthwhile process of trying to make a positive difference without burning out.

Thank you so much for reading.

If anything I’ve said resonates, unsettles you, or makes you pause — I’d love to hear from you. Just hit reply.

💭 Where are you feeling friction right now — and what might flow look like instead?

🔗 Want to explore more?

You can find out more about my coaching and training work at DSB Training & Coaching, and about our wider mission to support people and planet at Future Fixers.