About Progressive Strategy Now
We’re living through a period of democratic backsliding and rise of authoritarianism. Institutions are being captured and destroyed. Professions are being gutted. Values that once guided public life are being attacked, mocked, erased, or weaponized.
Here you will find insights, tools, and inspiration for living and leading under authoritarian siege..
This blog is linked to my consulting, writing, and coaching business where I help progressive leaders and organizations navigate moral injury, political instability, and institutional harm—without losing their purpose or humanity.
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Your support helps keep this work grounded, independent, and growing. Most importantly, it puts language and tools into the hands of others who need them. If this work matters to you, here are a few ways to support it:
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My Mission
This blog exists to:
Help people and organizations stay human and stay effective under authoritarian pressure
Name the political and institutional drivers of personal harm and professional disorientation
Share practical strategies for navigating collapse without moral compromise
Offer frameworks, language, and tools for responding—not just reacting—to regressive political and cultural conditions
Support those who are still fighting for public good, collective care, and democratic integrity
What You'll Find Here
Micro strategies for people trying to live with integrity under pressure
Leadership guidance for those trying to hold the mission while the system breaks
Frameworks for making values-based decisions in high-stakes environments
Language for moral injury, grief, and disorientation that doesn’t pathologize or pacify
Strategic tools for people leading nonprofits, coalitions, advocacy efforts, and institutions under threat
Companionable clarity for professionals and organizers trying to resist collapse from the inside
Who This Blog is For
This space is for you if:
You’re a leader, strategist, or staff member inside an organization that’s being starved, captured, or politically targeted
You’re trying to keep going without becoming complicit
You’re holding onto progressive values in a time of regressive power grabs
You’ve been purged, silenced, or demoralized—and still want to act
You’re looking for ways to sustain people, programs, and purpose through this storm
You’re leading others and looking for tools that are morally grounded and strategically realistic
About the Author
I’m Paul Shattuck, MSW, PhD. I’m a husband, father, social worker, public health scientist, sociologist, strategist, and longtime rebel and organizer in the face of oppressive systems and actors. I’ve led large research projects, advised nonprofit coalitions, built community programs, launched new nonprofits, and supported progressive leaders across the globe.
This blog is a field guide for navigating authoritarian harm with clarity, strategy, and courage—whether you’re living inside it, leading inside it, or doing both.
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Subscribe to receive real strategies, honest reflections, and grounded tools for staying human and staying effective. We can’t stop what’s happening alone, but we can resist it together—strategically, courageously, and with eyes wide open.
