Last week, In Good Faith published part one of our interview with the UUA’s Director of Congregational Life, Natalie Aguila Briscoe. Read part one of our conversation before continuing below with part two below. Many thanks again to Natalie for being so generous with her time.

In Good Faith: What do you wish people understood about Unitarian Universalism?

Natalie Briscoe: I wish people understood that Unitarian Universalism is not a collection of beliefs; it is a practice of becoming.

People sometimes assume that because we are non-creedal, we are a faith where “you can believe anything.” And while we honor theological freedom and the individual search for truth and meaning, Unitarian Universalism is actually deeply demanding. We ask people not only what they believe, but how they live in relationship with others.

At the center of our tradition is covenant: the idea that we are bound together by promises rather than by doctrine. That means we are constantly practicing how to live with difference, how to repair harm, how to share power, how to care for one another, and how to build communities rooted in love rather than fear. That work is beautiful, and it is also hard.

I also wish people understood that Unitarian Universalism is profoundly spiritual. Sometimes people imagine UU congregations as intellectual spaces disconnected from mystery or sacredness, but in my experience, our communities are full of people wrestling with the deepest human questions: grief, joy, meaning, belonging, justice, mortality, hope, and what it means to live ethically in an interconnected world.

And finally, I wish people understood that Unitarian Universalism is not accidental. It exists because generations of people have chosen to build and sustain communities where freedom, compassion, justice, and human dignity can be practiced together. Congregations, leaders, volunteers, ministers, musicians, teachers, parents, and seekers all participate in creating this living tradition.

To me, UUism is one of the few places left intentionally asking: How do we become more fully human together? That feels incredibly important right now.

In Good Faith: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Natalie Briscoe: It’s an old saying, but I first heard it from a mentor in graduate school: “Serve from your saucer, not from your cup.” The idea is simple: your cup is what sustains you, and your saucer is the overflow. You cannot keep pouring from an empty cup and expect to remain whole.

For a long time, though, I didn’t know how to live that way. Between being a mom and serving as field staff for our UUA, I spent years waking up already depleted and then giving even more throughout the day. I was so focused on making sure everyone else’s needs were met that I completely neglected my own. Looking back, I’m not even sure I could have found my cup; it probably felt shattered somewhere in the background of my life.

Part of that came from how many women are socialized: to believe that caring for ourselves is selfish, that everything we have should be available to everyone else first. It took me until my late 30s to realize that living that way isn’t sustainable, and it isn’t actually loving. I was exhausted, burned out, and disconnected from myself and the people I cared about most.

Learning to care for myself changed not only my own life, but the way I show up for others. I’ve had to make significant changes, set healthier boundaries, and accept that disappointing someone in the moment is sometimes more faithful than abandoning myself entirely. That’s true in my work, in leadership, and even in parenting.

Now I understand that tending to my own well-being is not selfish; it’s what allows me to be a better mother, partner, colleague, and leader. We cannot build healthy communities with people who are spiritually, emotionally, and physically depleted. Sustainable love requires sustainable people.

In Good Faith: What’s one value you try to live by in your daily life and work?

Natalie Briscoe: Interdependence. I honestly believe that one of the great struggles of humanity is the illusion that we are separate — separate from one another, from the Earth, or from the sacredness that runs through life itself. I think so much suffering comes from forgetting how deeply connected we really are.

When I pause long enough to pay attention, I’m overwhelmed by how much of my life depends on the labor, creativity, and care of others. A beautiful meal exists because of the Earth that produced the ingredients, the people who harvested and transported them, and the chef who transformed them into something nourishing and joyful. A movie I love exists because of generations of inventors, artists, actors, costume designers, writers, editors, camera operators, and countless other people whose gifts I will never fully know.

The same is true in my work. Unitarian Universalism only exists because thousands of people every day bring their wisdom, experience, leadership, and care into covenant with one another. Congregations, staff, volunteers, ministers, musicians, teachers, board members — all of us are participating in something larger than ourselves. None of us builds this faith alone.

That awareness shapes how I try to move through the world. It makes me more humble, more grateful, and more aware of my responsibility to others. It reminds me that leadership is not about individual achievement, but about relationships, trust, and mutual care.

And honestly, I find interdependence deeply comforting. There is such abundance in realizing that our lives are constantly touching lives we may never see or fully understand. We belong to one another in ways both visible and invisible. To me, that is both a spiritual truth and a daily practice.

In Good Faith: Coffee, tea, or something else entirely?

Oh, I am a Beverage Goblin, so I rarely have less than three drinks I’m working on at a time. Coffee in the morning along with green juice. Tea in the evenings alongside a ginger ale. In the afternoons, I usually have a never-empty bottle of water with an iced coffee, a jasmine milk tea, or a Thai tea. Around 2 PM, I partake in my daily Diet Coke. The only thing I can’t drink is energy drinks. They upset my stomach.

Read part one of our interview with Natalie Briscoe at this link.