As a young man, I distrusted most organizations. However noble their mission statements, most seemed driven by self-interest, self-promotion, and self-protection. So when I first heard people talk about the power of love to transform organizational life I was a skeptic. But as I came to know the work of people like Ora Grodsky–people who bring intelligence, compassion, long experience and proven practices to the table–my skepticism was replaced by hope for the future. At a time when institutional distrust is unraveling the fabric of democracy itself, we need that hope. I know of no better book than Justice, Love, and Organizational Healing to energize, edify and guide anyone who cares about the integrity of the organizations on which we depend.

Parker Palmer,

Author of On the Brink of Everything, A Hidden Wholeness, Let Your Life Speak, and Healing the Heart of Democracy

Some time ago, I read a line by adrienne maree brown LLC that has stayed with me: “You can’t transform systems without transforming relationships.”

Since starting my practice, that truth has only become more evident. I’ve gradually shifted away from short-term engagements and toward the slow, steady rhythm of long-term work—what I now understand as intentional organizational transformation.

One-off sessions can offer clarity and momentum, but they can’t substitute for the kind of trust and insight that comes from walking alongside an organization as it reckons with its own culture, legacy, and potential for healing.

So when I read Justice, Love, and Organizational Healing by Ora Grodsky, I felt deeply seen.

Ora doesn’t just capture what many of us intuit in our work—she names it, affirms it, and gives it a language. She invites us into a way of thinking that blends strategy with soul, analysis with heart. The writing itself is beautifully conversational—reading it feels like sitting across from a generous mentor who’s offering stories, wisdom, and hard-won truths with warmth and humility.

This book is a gift. A deeply grounded offering for those of us doing the slow work of change. Ora invites us to listen beneath the surface—to notice trauma responses, unspoken agreements, and the quiet resilience that lives in teams and communities. Her frameworks don’t demand perfection—they encourage presence, integrity, and deep care.

And as if the reflections weren’t enough, the resources in the back are every organizational development practitioner’s dream. Tools, templates, and thought-provoking prompts that you’ll return to again and again—this is the kind of book that doesn’t stay on the shelf. It lives on desks, gets dog-eared, and shows up in planning sessions and board retreats.

Justice, Love, and Organizational Healing isn’t just a guide for consultants. It’s a quiet manifesto for anyone who believes that our institutions can be places of dignity, accountability, and transformation.

Deep gratitude to Ora Grodsky for putting this out into the world.

If you’ve ever tried to hold both strategy and soul in your work, this one’s worth reading.-Manal Sayid

Wow! This book is right on time. For anyone and everyone who wants to move through the world, and the organizations that run our world, from a school committee to local government to navigating large families and situations where multiple people have to work together, Grodsky opens up the possibility of working together to open up space for love and equity. This is a must read for anyone working in consulting, but also for anyone curious about how to positively impact the world and the people in your life.-Danielle Z. Levine

Ora has written the book she wished she had when she started consulting. It demystifies the work, shares vivid examples, offers proven concepts and tools, but most of all explores the depths of the consultant’s inner transformation that is necessary to bring about transformation in the outer world. Her commitment to justice, love and transformation animate every page. This is a book I would recommend to anyone working as a consultant to organizations, deserving to seen a new classic along with Peter Block’s Flawless Consulting. -Jay Vogt

This book is a balm for these times, a guide for anyone interested in the work of transformative justice, rooted in love. Grodsky generously shares the wisdom of her experience and the tools of her trade, it’s like having a mentor/teacher/coach at arm’s reach anytime you need it!-J. Kiok

This is a book that stays within arms reach whenever I am thinking about how to support groups and individuals through challenging organizational moments. Written clearly but with warmth and love, this is a must read for anyone facilitating and consulting with organizations.-Melinda Barbosa

i didn’t make it halfway through the book before i realized i needed to buy this book for at least 5 other people i know. whether or not you’re a consultant, this book is an epic guide to organizational change (and even healing) that strikes a brilliant balance between theory and practice. many books of this nature end up a heavier on the theory, but ora weaves the two together in a no-nonsense way that feels elegant, insightful, *and* immediately implementable. i can already see how this book being in the hands of people i work with will be a HUGE asset to me and to all of our work. what a gift!-Lawrence Barriner II

Justice, Love, and Organizational Healing: A Guide to Transformational Consulting is both inspirational and eminently practical–not only ‘how to’ but ‘why to.’ Profound concepts like love and justice are skilfully integrated with everything from how to structure a consulting engagement to dealing with resistance and setting fees. Equally valuable to consultants, leaders and all those interested in transforming organizations.

Robert Gass,

Ed.D., co-founder of the Rockwood Leadership Institute

Ora Grodsky has seized the time and honed the written word to deliver and share the depth of her life experience and heart. This compilation of life’s work, her book, is a guide to building upon and enhancing a pillar of justice…the pillar of love. Ora guides us away from the vortex of the inauthentic fad of consulting…into the light of life practice and service leadership built on a foundation of love. While never leaving out the gift of self-healing into love…as a prerequisite for being love’s conduit.

Joyce Johnson Shabazz

Evolution LLC