let’s reflect.
At Good Human Work, we believe that real change takes time. We learn, we reflect, we practice change, we rest, we repeat.
October 1, 2025
What is good human work?
by Jen Labanowski, LMFT & Shelly Smith, LMFT, our GHW co-founders
We were chatting with a friend one day, who told us he was feeling nervous about his plans for the evening. He explained that he was going out to dinner with a woman who he had been casually dating for a few weeks. He was planning to break things off, because it just didn’t feel like a good match.
He told us, “This is going to be so awkward. I wish it was socially acceptable to break things off with someone via text”.
Jen piped up, “It’s socially acceptable to break up with someone via text! Hell, it’s socially acceptable to just disappear from someone’s life with zero explanation. And how shitty is it that so many of us find that acceptable? The fact that you feel compelled to go have the conversation, face to face, even though it’ll probably be awkward and uncomfortable, says so much about your personal moral code. You’re brave enough to do the right thing, and that’s amazing. You’re about to do some good. human. work. Good for you”.
That conversation got us thinking about the idea of “good human work” and what that might mean. In this case, our friend chose to be brave enough to have an uncomfortable evening due to his basic human instinct to Respect. He chose to protect her heart and to protect his own integrity, when it would be so much easier to just run away from the discomfort.
As a society, we are regularly asked to abandon the things that make us human. We spend countless hours of our lives sitting in chairs, staring at screens, and tapping at glass. It’s no wonder that we frequently find ourselves feeling:
unsteady.
uneasy.
hollow.
restless.
stuck.
We believe that there are five core needs that we must meet in order to truly feel human and fully connected to other humans.
Oftentimes, we structure our lives to meet several of these basic human needs, but we may lose sight of the others. If we can identify our unmet human needs, we can then do the good work that will make us more human again.
This is what we call…
if we're feeling unsteady
it might be time to restore
let’s practice trust.
let's find courage and strength. let’s build a secure base. let's find rest and steadiness inside of ourselves.
if we're feeling uneasy
it might be time to protect.
let’s practice respect.
let’s create safety in connection.
let’s protect ourselves, protect each other, and protect our world. let’s listen to our instincts. let's do right by ourselves and by each other.
if we're feeling hollow
it might be time to nourish.
let’s practice connection.
let’s practice empathy and vulnerability.
let’s take care of ourselves and care for each other.
let's find attunement and engagement.
if we're feeling restless
it might be time to explore.
let’s practice engagement.
let’s learn. let’s achieve. let's climb. let’s activate. let’s listen to our human bodies and see more horizon.
if we're feeling stuck
it might be time to evolve.
let’s practice flexibility.
let's shift, adapt, and transform.
let's create change, with purpose and patience.
Let’s all strive to do more good human work. Consider how you are living out the core needs:
Trust, Respect, Connection, Engagement, and Flexibility
Where can you reflect and improve? With yourself? In your relationships? Out in the world and online?
