In this episode of The Gentle Rebel Podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dorcas Cheng-Tozun about her book Social Justice for the Sensitive Soul. We explored how highly sensitive people (HSPs) are drawn towards social justice work. We also discussed the unique challenges they face when engaging with the world’s most urgent issues.

If you are a sensitive soul who cares deeply about the world but struggles with overwhelm and burnout, this conversation will resonate with you.

Why Highly Sensitive People Are Drawn to Social Justice

Dorcas spoke movingly about how highly sensitive people are naturally attuned to the needs of others. With nervous systems wired to pick up on subtle cues, many HSPs are drawn to justice work because they notice injustices others might miss. This isn’t about having a “superpower”. Instead, it’s simply an innate responsiveness to relational and communal dynamics. It’s a deep discomfort when something feels wrong, and a strong desire to restore harmony.

We discussed how this impulse is tied to our biological imperative for survival. Communities thrive when they care for all members, and sensitive individuals often instinctively understand this. Yet, in today’s interconnected world, the relentless exposure to global suffering can be overwhelming. Our systems are not designed to carry the emotional weight of the entire world at once.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ2nNqy6pwI

Finding Sustainable Ways to Engage

One of the central themes of our conversation was the importance of sustaining ourselves over the long term. Dorcas shared her personal experience with cycles of burnout and the hard-won wisdom that emerged from them.

We talked about:

How highly sensitive and introverted people can engage with social issues without losing their critical thinking or emotional resilience
Why traditional activist models – centred on confrontation and constant action – can sometimes be off-putting or unsustainable for sensitive individuals
The need to cultivate rhythms of engagement and retreat, allowing space for reflection, restoration, and perspective

Dorcas emphasised that healthy activism doesn’t demand endless sacrifice. Instead, it invites us to participate in ways that align with our natural strengths. This includes building relationships, creating beauty, fostering understanding, and encouraging quieter, but no less powerful, forms of change.

Letting Go of the Hero Complex

An important aspect we explored was the individual hero narrative that permeates much activism. There can be a dangerous sense that if we step back, the world will collapse. There is also a thought that we alone must carry the burden of fixing it.

Dorcas shared how her own experiences of profound burnout revealed the unsustainable nature of this mindset. True social change, she reminded us, is the result of many people playing their part. It is not a handful of individuals doing everything. Trusting the bigger picture – and trusting each other – is crucial.

This mindset shift allows sensitive people to engage more sustainably, without sacrificing their wellbeing in the process.

What Gives Us Hope

When the world feels bleak, it is easy to fall into despair. Yet, as Dorcas said, one of the greatest causes for hope is the growing recognition that we need a diversity of approaches to social change. Importantly, not every activist needs to lead marches or shout the loudest.

There is profound value in quiet, consistent work – in building bridges, tending to relationships, creating art, innovating solutions, or simply living with kindness and integrity. Sensitive souls are uniquely positioned to offer these contributions.

As Dorcas so beautifully put it, “The world needs people who have come alive.” Engaging with issues that matter to us should bring a sense of vitality and purpose, not constant exhaustion and defeat.

Dorcas Cheng-Tozen is an award-winning writer, editor, speaker, and international communications consultant. She has nearly twenty years of experience working with nonprofits and social enterprises and living in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Kenya. Dorcas currently lives in California with her husband and two sons.

Social justice work, we often assume, involves raised voices and raised fists. It requires leading, advocating, fighting, and organizing wherever it takes place–including in the streets, slums, villages, inner cities, and halls of political power. But what does social justice work look like for those of us who don’t feel comfortable battling in the trenches?

Social Justice For The Sensitive Soul addresses this question.

Website: www.chengtozun.com
Social media: Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin

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