In a time of intensifying social and ecological crises, in a cultural context of individualism, the pressure to practice "self-care," build "personal resilience," and "transform oneself" is pervasive. While "doing your own work" is important, we overemphasize the individual to the detriment of our human communities and the rest of the living world. The deep transformations we need will be cocreated, and the deep resilience we must develop will be relational. In this conversation, we will explore the dynamics of our strongest relationships, seeking to name the qualities and practices that underpin resilience. How can we bring our insights more intentionally and broadly to bear in our human relationships and in our relationships with our home—lands, waters, and ecosystems?

Christina deVillier is a writer, a gardener, and the Connections Coordinator for Greater Hells Canyon Council, where she works with a broad network of collaborators to improve ecological connectivity and strengthen social-ecological relationships in her spectacular home region. When she's not working, she can likely be found pollinating squash, swimming in cold water, exploring sideroads or backcountry, dancing, or settling deep into a conversation. Her first book of poems, Long Coordinates, is forthcoming in 2021 from Lynx House Press. She lives with her husband in the Wallowa Valley, in the heart of the Nimiipuu ancestral homeland. She tries to keep her priorities straight.