To celebrate our 25th anniversary, LLC is hosting a special series of conversations with our friends and colleagues. These interviews honor our journey, lift up the essence of who we are, and reflect on the meaningful relationships and work that have shaped LLC over the past 25 years.
Alexandra Urdaneta: Please tell us a bit about yourself and your involvement with the leadership learning community.
Bella Celnik: I’m a human being who cares passionately about others. About 25 years ago. I got a call from Deborah that she was starting her own organization, and she wanted me to join her as the administrative assistant and that’s how I joined LLC.
Alexandra Urdaneta: What have you learned from LLC?
Bella Celnik: That you can make your dreams and your visions come true, and together we can move forward. In some way, the possibilities are endless for how to move social justice and leadership work. It opened my eyes to what was possible and to meeting all different kinds of leaders. Also, what I’ve gotten from LLC. This isn’t necessarily something I’ve learned, but more of a gift is the relationships I’ve built over the years.
Alexandra Urdaneta: What do you see as the most significant shift or evolution in LLC’s focus?
Bella Celnik: Because we’re a learning organization, I feel like we are constantly learning from those who engage with LLC. I think a big shift happened when Ericka and Nikki joined by integrating a focus towards liberatory leadership. A deeper focus on giving people space to explore and practice liberatory leadership.
"Bring your experience, bring your history, bring your story, because for me, storytelling is the most powerful tool, and who gets to tell it."
- Bella Celnik
Alexandra Urdaneta: Can you share a moment, or program, or a relationship from your time with LLC that has stayed with you?
Bella Celnik: It was early on, when I first joined, and we had our first conference. It really opened my eyes to how to plan and facilitate a gathering. People were invited to explore any topic they wanted during the conference, announcing to the convening the issue they wished to explore, rather than us going in and telling them. Previously, I’d never participated in a conference like that, where the value was placed on what was important to you, and what you, as a participant, wanted to explore with other people in the room. I loved the idea of lifting up all the voices in the room.
Alexandra Urdaneta: Co-creating the space together is what makes it powerful. Even as facilitators, we’re not here to dictate what you should learn — you already know what you’re seeking. Instead, we get to shape a learning space collectively, where everyone contributes and all of us leave feeling nourished.
Alexandra Urdaneta: What does liberatory leadership mean to you, and how do you see it in action?
Bella Celnik: It means listening to the voices of those most impacted while exploring how to dismantle dominant structures. How can we do that through play, and other people’s voices and experiences? To me, learning in community is a significant piece of liberatory leadership. Bring your experience, bring your history, bring your story, because for me, storytelling is the most powerful tool, and who gets to tell it.
I’m a reader of literature. And I believe in the truth of literature because that’s where humanity’s stories are. And I think LLC provides the space to bring your whole self and the stories that shape us, and that’s liberatory.
Alexandra Urdaneta: What hopes or dreams do you have for LLC?
Bella Celnik: To keep growing, changing, and raising the voices that are not always heard. The voices of leaders who are working with impacted communities. And to invite playfulness and experimentation into the space we create and hold together.
