Meet Sydney Haney

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sydney Haney. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sydney below.

Sydney, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

My resilience comes from surviving systems that were never built for me and still choosing to fight for my community. It really comes from the people around me who remind me why the work matters when things get heavy.

I’ve learned that resilience isn’t just about pushing through. It’s also about knowing when to rest, ask for help, or step back. That was a hard lesson for me. There were times when burnout felt inevitable, especially organizing through one crisis after another while trying to keep myself steady. Over time, I’ve come to realize that real strength in this work comes from caring for each other enough to keep going, it’s not just from showing up nonstop. I’m learning that slowing down when I need to has helps me build a kind of resilience that lasts, one that makes space for both rest and resistance.

I get my strength from my community, from seeing what collective care can do, and from reminding myself that I’ve made it through every hard day so far.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

Simply put, I am a community organizer.

My work focuses on building power for young people, working-class communities, and those most impacted by political and economic systems that were never built to serve them.

Everything I do is rooted in racial justice and reproductive freedom because these struggles touch every fight for equity and liberation.

I serve as the First Vice Chair of the Pueblo County Democratic Party, the First Vice Chair of the Colorado Young Democrats, and co-lead the Pueblo Young Democrats. At my day job with a statewide reproductive rights organization, I helped create a staff union with my colleagues. I also co-founded Pueblo Pro-Choice, where I serve as Vice President.

My journey began when I was 19, after the murder of George Floyd. I remember sitting on my mom’s couch, watching the world grieve, and realizing I could not stay silent. I started by writing the names of people killed by law enforcement in chalk around town and outside of the Pueblo police station, spending hours in the sun to make sure their names were remembered. That work grew into youth-led organizing and standing alongside Indigenous and Latino communities demanding justice.

After stepping back for safety and healing, I returned to organizing when the fall of Dobbs reignited the fight for reproductive freedom. I co-founded Pueblo Pro-Choice, a local reproductive justice organization, and helped mobilize hundreds of people to stop an anti-abortion ordinance in our city. That work led to my current role at the statewide reproductive rights organization.

In 2023, I graduated from Emerge Colorado as one of the youngest graduates in state history. In 2024, I helped pass Amendment 79 and defeated another anti-abortion ordinance in Pueblo. In 2025, I was elected to serve as First Vice Chair of the Pueblo Democratic Party and as 1st Vice Chair of the Colorado Young Democrats, while continuing to co-lead the Pueblo Young Democrats chapter. I also joined the executive board of the Southern Colorado Labor Council and was nominated for Labor Leader of the Year for my work in the labor space. I continue my work with my union and with Pueblo Pro-Choice as well.

In each of these roles, whether organizing through Pueblo Pro-Choice, building power in my union, or serving in leadership with the Democratic Party, I have seen firsthand how communities can come together to create change.

Juggling five or six roles at once is a little absurd and definitely not sustainable, but it has taught me how to delegate, share responsibility, and foster other strong leaders through reciprocal leadership.

Watching people recognize their own power and take action to shape their future is what drives me. That energy keeps me showing up and reminds me every day why this work matters.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

The three qualities that have been most impactful in my journey are showing up with persistence, exercising strategic leadership, and cultivating active listening and learning.

1. Showing up and persistence have been the foundation of everything I do. Activism and organizing are rarely easy or convenient, but real change happens when you commit to the work even when it is difficult, uncertain, or when you do not immediately succeed. The work matters more than the outcome of any single moment. For anyone starting out, my advice is to be present and engaged, even in small ways. Attendance, participation, and follow-through matter more than perfection.

2. Listening and learning has shaped how I build strong relationships and effective teams. Being open to feedback, learning from peers and mentors, and valuing perspectives different from your own builds trust and strengthens collective impact. My advice here is to prioritize curiosity and humility over ego, and seek feedback actively. (It is one of the fastest ways to grow as a leader!)

3. Strategic leadership has been essential for making impact while helping others grow into leaders. It means knowing when to step forward, when to delegate, and how to create space for others to lead. It also means meeting people where they are and supporting their journey without forcing it. This approach strengthens the work, makes it collective, and empowers everyone involved. My advice is to lead with purpose and courage, to lift others as you rise, and to remember that true power comes not from control but from creating space for others to step forward and change the world alongside you.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

The biggest challenge I am facing right now is finding balance. Balancing multiple roles, responsibilities, and the emotional weight of doing work that matters deeply while also taking care of myself.

Outside of my 9-5, I hold multiple leadership roles, organizing in my community, and continuing to fight for equity and justice. It is easy to feel the weight of all these responsibilities, to let setbacks or slow progress, especially within the Democratic Party or the broader political climate, affect me. It can be exhausting emotionally and physically, and I know I am not alone in feeling the pressure that comes with showing up for important work day after day.

I am actively working on balance as a journey, not a destination. My therapist has reminded me that I am at real risk of burnout if I do not take intentional steps to rest, and I take that advice very seriously. Learning to rest without guilt is a process. I am learning that stepping back does not mean giving up or failing. It means preserving the energy, focus, and clarity I need to continue showing up for the long term. I am also practicing self-compassion to avoid letting setbacks or losses define my sense of purpose.

Part of this challenge is learning to trust others and let go of the need to do everything myself. I want to be the perfect leader, but I have realized that holding tightly to control can limit both my own sustainability and the growth of those around me. Over the past year, I have been actively working on addressing my own ego and practicing reciprocal leadership. I am learning to create space for others to step forward, contribute, and lead in ways that strengthen the work we are doing together. This has been a process of patience, reflection, and constant adjustment. I remind myself constantly that, this collective approach, is the foundation of everything we’re working towards. Real change cannot be achieved by any one person alone.

This is an ongoing journey and a reminder that balance is not achieved once and for all. Some days are easier than others, but I am committed to learning and adapting. It is a challenge I take seriously because it is necessary for me to continue showing up, growing as a leader, and supporting the people and communities I care about most.

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