For the Readers Who Can’t Subscribe Because of the Risk

A message for those sharing these posts in secret — and the quiet resistance growing underground. You’re not alone, and you’re not forgotten.

May 19, 2025

PLEASE like, comment, restack, and share. That nudges the algorithm so this work reaches more people.
Don’t miss my recent post that has already reached thousands: Stay Sane: 80 Tiny Moves to Resist Digital Despair and News Overwhelm in the Trump Era. Tiny moves live in the terrain between hypervigilance and retreat. They keep us agile and motivated.
Paywalls begin in June. Right now, I’m offering 50% off annual subscriptions through the end of May. That’s just $25 for a whole year of content! Tell all your contacts who care about staying human, strategic, and motivated in the face of systemic harms. Forward this link to anyone. https://paultshattuck.substack.com/subscribe?coupon=6aba5ba3

Stay Strong, Together: 50% Savings

I see a type of quiet resistance in the data.

My analytics tell a striking story: individual posts opened hundreds, sometimes thousands, of times by the same reader. This indicates extensive forwarding. Through conversations with high sharers, I’ve discovered many are forwarding essays to the private emails of friends working in federal agencies and contractor companies who can’t risk subscribing directly.

You are public health scientists, policy advisors, researchers, and devoted public servants — some recently purged, others still working under surveillance. You’ve turned this newsletter into a quiet chain of strategy, solidarity, and survival.

My best estimate is that there are about 12,000 of you receiving forwards of every new post.

I see you. And I’m still here, standing with you.

When I launched Progressive Strategy Now last November, the very first post was titled: The Coming Storm: Protecting Public Servants and Their Essential Expertise. I knew the people tasked with holding our democratic infrastructure together would be targeted. Trump promised dismantling federal government and “traumatizing federal workers” in his campaign speeches. What I didn’t yet realize was how many of you would have to go underground just to stay connected to lifelines of strategic thinking and moral clarity.

Risk and Resolve

Tens of thousands of civil servants and federal contractor employees have already been purged. Trump is not just dismantling public programs — he’s coming for the unions, the judges, and the law firms that might stand in the way. Subscribing to a publication like mine can create digital breadcrumbs in a time when even quiet alignment with democratic values can cost you your career.

That’s the level of pressure you’re navigating. And yet, you’re still showing up. You’re still sharing. You’re still protecting what matters.

I’ve Been Where You Are

As many of you know, I was fired in December for expressing solidarity online with civil servants and organizing colleagues to discuss our company’s survival strategy. Since then, I’ve rebuilt as a consultant and writer, helping public service organizations armor their strategies against authoritarian harm.

I’ve also provided dozens of hours of pro bono career coaching to displaced federal employees and those in other sectors whose work was supported by federal contracts. Many have told me the frameworks I’ve developed — especially the Authoritarian Harm Complex and the Tiny Moves posts — have helped them name what’s happening, make better decisions, and begin mapping a path forward. That’s what this work is for.

If My Work Has Helped, Please Support It — Safely

Keep sharing. If subscription is risky, discreet circulation still matters.
Consider a pseudonymous paid subscription. Some readers use alternate emails for safer access. And paid subscriptions are 50% off through the end of May.
Free subscriptions still help. They demonstrate reach to potential clients and partners.
Support me with a tip via Ko-fi if you can’t subscribe directly.
Refer a client. I work with nonprofits, foundations, and universities that need strategic support in this era of authoritarian aggression.

Your support helps me continue creating tools, insights, and inspiration for the people who need it most. We’re in this together.

Remember: Stay human. Stay strategic. Shape tomorrow.

With resolve and solidarity,

Paul

You can explore additional tools here, along with other writings about authoritarian harm as it manifests in everyday lives and ways to cope:

Stay Human: 80 Tiny Moves for Everyday Resistance in the Authoritarian Harm Complex. What if staying human is one of the most powerful and most unappreciated forms of resistance? Shaping tomorrow and defeating tyranny takes more than big protest events and macro strategies.
Stay Sane: 80 Tiny Moves to Resist Digital Despair and News Overwhelm in the Trump Era. Tiny moves live in the terrain between hypervigilance and retreat. They keep us agile and motivated.
Staying Human Now #1: Start Where You Are. Authoritarian harm is real. So is your capacity to respond. These three tiny moves help you pace yourself with purpose.
Staying Human Now #2: Define Your Waypoints. Confusion is the tactic. Navigation is the countermeasure. This tiny move helps you plan your own path.
Staying Human Now #3: The Connection You Forgot You Needed. Authoritarian chaos thrives on disconnection. This tiny move helps you rebuild the ties that keep you human.
What It Means to Stay Human in the Trump Era. Staying Human Now #4 - Trump’s actions are engineered to grind us down. Staying human is a key resistance strategy.
From Authoritarian Harm to Clarity of Purpose. Looking Beyond Resistance: What if Our Collective Pain is Pointing to the Better Future Worth Fighting For?
Befriend Yourself: A Strategy for Staying Whole While They Dismantle Everything That Matters. Trump and Musk want to disappear you into a cell of despair. Kindness to yourself is how you stay human—and begin your escape.

Don't navigate this alone.

Join a community of people turning collective harm into strategic clarity.

Subscribe to receive the full Authoritarian Harm Complex framework, weekly Tiny Moves practices, and emerging tools for staying human when institutions fail. Then share this work with three people in your life who are feeling the weight of this moment but haven't found the language for it yet.

Together, we can do more than just survive authoritarianism. We can protect what matters and build the foundation for what comes next.

Paywalls begin in June. Right now, I’m offering 50% off annual subscriptions through the end of May. That’s just $25 for a whole year of content! Tell all your contacts who care about staying human, strategic, and motivated in the face of systemic harms. Forward this link to anyone. https://paultshattuck.substack.com/subscribe?coupon=6aba5ba3

Stay Human, Together: 50% Savings

Paid subscribers make this work possible and receive special tools and resources as a thank-you. Upgrade here if you’re able. Or consider buying me a coffee or leaving a tip on Ko-fi.

If this helped, forward it to a friend. Or highlight a line and post it in Substack Notes, your share might reach someone who needs it.

Where This Work Leads

This blog is part of a larger project called Progressive Strategy Now which is more than just my blog’s title. It is my attempt to meet the moment, a growing collection of resources and consultation to help mission-driven people and organizations stay human and stay strategic while navigating moral injury, institutional destruction, and the lived realities of authoritarian harm. If this post gave you words for something you’ve been carrying, you’re in the right place. This is one dispatch in an ongoing series.

Strategies for Staying Human in the Face of Authoritarianism

If you’re looking for practices, tools, and deeper reading to help you stay grounded under pressure, this growing list is for you. It includes some of my previous posts and a section for other resources. These are starting points for staying human in hard times.

My Posts

The Harms Are Cumulative. Your Overwhelm Is the Goal. Let’s Get Unstuck
Trump and Musk weaponize chaos to exhaust our capacity for resistance. Recognizing the patterns of harm gives us the framework to protect our humanity and reclaim our strategic power.
Befriend Yourself: A Strategy for Staying Whole While They Dismantle Everything That Matters. Trump and Musk want to disappear you into a cell of despair. Kindness to yourself is how you stay human—and begin your escape.

When They Gut Your Mission: Start Here…. You’re still standing. That means you get to choose where to go next.

Blogs I recommend and have paid subscriptions to because they are worth it

Invisible Threads. Veteran journalist Kate Woodsome is pioneering coverage at the intersection of democracy and mental health.
The American Pamphleteer. “Because freedom won’t fight for itself—but together, we sure as hell can. Subscribe for bold, unfiltered takes on resisting fascism, building real community, and living with guts in chaotic times.“
How To Resist. Great blog about sustainable ways to remain engaged in activism and mutual aid.
Chop Wood, Carry Water. This blog is full of daily advice to take action and stay motivated.

Other Resources

ACT for Moral Distress, online course by Dr. Jaimie Lusk. “Navigate moral distress with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, a powerful evidence-based treatment that allows us to hold our pain while taking valued actions.”
In Tumultuous Times, Think Like a Hostage. “Guidance given to hostages can foster psychological flexibility in tough times.” Very clever article by Dr. Jaimie Lusk.

Please drop additional suggestions for resources in Comments

My Consulting Services

Need a new strategic plan that protects your mission and your funding during hard times? I help mission-driven professionals and progressive organizations cultivate agility and resilience to navigate moral injury, authoritarian drift, and institutional harm without losing their purpose or humanity. Service include:

Strategic plan revisions to meet the moment.
Fundraising and communications.
Developing resilient data systems to track unmet needs and the downstream harms resulting from authoritarian aggression.

Let’s talk. Direct message me to start the conversation. Or request a consultation using my website’s contact form: Progressive Strategy Now website

***From Progressive Strategy Now, a publication of Paul T Shattuck LLC. The views expressed here reflect my personal analysis as a researcher and consultant, and do not represent the positions of any employer, clients, or affiliated organizations.