Navigating resistance to change

Change is never simple. For Lynn Whyatt, an American-born community leader based in Geraldton Western Australia, the challenge wasn’t just about leading change, it was about navigating the resistance that came with it.

In this episode Lynn opens up about the moments when her efforts to bring others along were met with pushback. “The resistance persisted,” she recalls, “and I had to regroup and redirect my energies and aims.”

Her turning point came through her experience in a changemaker program, which gave her space to reflect and fresh strategies to work with. “It proved an invaluable lens,” she says. “It helped me rebuild my sense of purpose and embrace a different way of making a positive impact with confidence and resilience.”

Lynn speaks candidly about how easy it is to feel like you’ve failed when people resist change. But by reframing those experiences, she discovered new ways to contribute as a leader. “What I thought was failure actually uncovered gifts,” she reflects.

Today, Lynn continues her work through her consultancy, Three Point Turn, collaborating with small businesses, community organisations and not-for-profits. She is currently partnering with local leader Brenton Wellington to reshape his Transformative Growth Institute into a not-for-profit. Its signature initiative, the Blochord Project, supports teenage boys and for Lynn this work has rekindled her passion for lifelong learning.

Her story is a reminder that resistance can be a teacher. Leadership isn’t always about pushing harder; sometimes it’s about shifting direction and finding renewal in unexpected places.

Learning Tie-In: Tools from Change and Transition

Go with the willing: a quiet shift that changed everything

In one of our workshops, a story was shared that struck a chord. It didn’t name names or places, but it was instantly recognisable. It was the kind of story that could happen anywhere, and often does.

Someone had stepped into leadership in their community, full of enthusiasm and hope. After years of watching from the sidelines, they had finally been invited to join a couple of local boards. These organisations had asked for fresh ideas. They said they wanted new voices at the table. And that’s what they got: someone ready to offer time, energy and thoughtful suggestions about improving how things worked.

At first, there was excitement. But quickly, it became clear that the group wasn’t as ready as they thought. Every idea was met with hesitation. Conversations stalled. Progress slowed. There wasn’t any shouting or overt disagreement, just a kind of quiet resistance that made it clear the new energy didn’t quite fit.

What started as hopeful began to feel heavy. The person sharing this story described a growing sense of frustration. They had wanted to contribute. But despite all their efforts, it seemed nothing was changing.

That’s when something shifted.

It wasn’t a failure. It was a moment of clarity

The turning point came after a conversation with a trusted mentor. They gently reframed the situation. What if this wasn’t about the person or their ideas, but about the group’s capacity to change? What if the timing was off? What if it wasn’t the right environment for those ideas to land?

It was a perspective that unlocked a deeper truth, one grounded in the concept of change and transition.

Change is what happens around us. It is external, structural and visible. But transition is internal. It is emotional. It takes time. And often, when we meet resistance, it is because people are still navigating their own transitions, even if they can’t name it yet.

With this new understanding, the person in the story made a quiet decision. They stepped away. Not out of defeat, but from a place of respect for their own energy, and for the group that wasn’t quite ready.

Go with the willing. That is where momentum lives

That simple phrase became the key learning: go with the willing.

Not everyone will be ready at the same time. Not every organisation is prepared for transformation, even when they say they are. But somewhere else, someone will be ready. And when ideas meet openness, things can happen quickly.

In the story shared, that is exactly what unfolded. After stepping away from the roles that felt stuck, new opportunities emerged. A local youth project was gaining traction. It had heart, but it needed help. And this time, the welcome was genuine.

Instead of resistance, there was curiosity. Instead of closed doors, there were open conversations. Instead of having to push, the work flowed.

Leadership without a title, impact without permission

What made this story powerful was not that things eventually went well. It was that the person involved redefined what leadership looked like.

They didn’t need to hold a position on a board. They didn’t need formal recognition. What they needed, and found, was alignment. A place where their values, skills and energy matched what was being asked. A place where their leadership could breathe.

In one of the closing reflections of the workshop, someone said it plainly. If you keep trying to force progress where there is no space for it, you will burn out. But when you go with the willing, your impact multiplies. You are not dragging people along. You are walking alongside them.

A lesson for all of us

This story was a reminder that resistance is not a dead end. It is often a signpost. It tells us where readiness lives, and where it doesn’t. And it gives us permission to redirect.

If a door doesn’t open, it doesn’t always mean you are knocking on the wrong one. Sometimes, it just isn’t the right moment. The key is to keep walking. Keep listening. Keep looking for the spaces where your energy meets a genuine welcome.

That is what leadership looks like in real life. Not forcing outcomes. Not holding onto roles. But noticing where things feel alive, and choosing to put your effort there.

Because when you go with the willing, you don’t just avoid resistance.

You make space for real change. And that is where the story really begins.