Where is home? Is it a physical place, a state of mind, or something harder to define? And in a world dominated by screens, algorithms, and curated identities, do we even know what it means to belong anymore? Or does the digital world give us a new community to belong to?
These were the intertwined threads of two recent Listening Circles, a space Mili Semlani and I host for journalists, storytellers, and media professionals to pause, breathe, and reflect together.
The shifting idea of home
In one session, stories of moving, by choice or necessity, sparked reflections. One journalist had left the city for his hometown, finding not only peace of mind but better story ideas. Another had done the opposite, moving to the city and trading the quiet of rural life for cultural events, friends, and… noise.
A participant spoke about leaving her country for love, something she once thought impossible. Another described working remotely in a stunning foreign landscape, asking herself, What have I done to deserve this?
We questioned whether “home” might be in-between – when rural people see you as a city person and city people see you as rural – or somewhere entirely unexpected. Most of us didn’t live in our country of birth, leading to a chat comment:
“I have felt more at home outside my hometown and didn’t know what to make of that feeling for so long.”
Belonging in a digital age
In the next session, our attention turned to belonging in the context of technology and identity. We asked: Is social media really social? It rewires relationships, keeps us “in touch”, but are these real connections? It depends on how you use the platforms.
We explored how building a personal brand might fuel individualism, “the root cause of the trouble we’re in,” as one participant put it. But aren’t we all playing roles anyway? Years ago, I learned from yoga teacher Sarah Powers about mapping the roles we take on in life, an exercise that can help us see them more clearly. I use it often in coaching sessions to help people untangle their lives and embrace the diversity of roles.
One participant raised the loss of anonymity: in the early internet days, with MSN Messenger, and pseudonyms, it felt safer, more private. Another shared that during the pandemic, wearing a mask gave her courage to do small things she might have been ashamed of before.
But online, there’s peer pressure too, or is it censorship? In some countries, supporting certain causes can mean a felony. And let’s not forget the shadowbanning in the context of Palestine. And what about when the last refuge – our home! – isn’t safe from tech companies? If your phone hears your private conversation and serves up ads about it minutes later, is that still your space?
Across both sessions, the question of self-protection kept returning. In one, we spoke about “rest as resistance,” a concept from the Nap Ministry, and the idea that rest should be prescribed like medicine. In the other, we wrestled with how much of ourselves to share in public and how to protect what remains private.
As a coach, I see the same themes in one-on-one work:
- How do you find belonging when your sense of “home” is in flux?
- How do you stay grounded when tech blurs the lines between self, personal branding, and surveillance?
- How do you protect your rest and inner life in a world that demands constant output?
The Listening Circle isn’t about finding answers; it’s about sharing, getting a bit philosophical here and there, and asking more questions. We end with a breathing exercise and leave the space lighter, hopefully.
If you’re a journalist, storyteller, or media professional navigating your own in-between space, you’re welcome to join us. Sometimes, the belonging we’re looking for starts in conversation, online, using the technology that we despise, but giving an opportunity to connect across borders and recognize our similarities.
The next Listening Circle will be in September. Follow Mili and me on this platform for the announcement. And if you’re navigating changes in where you live, work, or belong, and want a space to reflect and reset, explore my coaching for media professionals.
Inclusive Journalism 
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