The Social Regeneration Podcast

The Journey behind CREATE Regeneration: Inner Work, Outer Impact | 034

Exploring what it takes to build regenerative spaces and redefining leadershipI sit down with the initiator and founder of CREATE Regeneration, Cathérine Lehman and listen to her personal journey from sustainability consulting and academic frustration to a deep personal crisis, which became the turning point leading her toward regeneration and the founding of CREATE.We both share how we experienced similar head-heavy beginnings in sustainability and later realised how essential emotional resilience, mental health, and inner grounding are to continue this work. Cathérine reflects on moving from pessimism and climate anxiety to discovering new communities, new language, and new tools that allowed her to reconnect with meaning.We talk openly about burnout, why the first CREATE Convention was both powerful and overwhelming for her, and what she changed to make the next iteration more regenerative.This episode holds important lessons for anyone leading projects, teams, or movements: sustainable impact requires sustainable processes, relationships, and self-leadership. It is also for people standing at the edge of big decisions — those who feel their “old life” no longer fits, but who don’t yet know the next step.💡 HIGHLIGHTS of this Episode✨ Regeneration as a Mindset Shift beyond Sustainability✨ Community and social support are essential during personal and professional Crises✨ How to design work and Events in regenerative, not exhausting, ways✨ Inner work as the foundation for sustainable Outer Transformation✨ Leadership as co-creation, connection, and growing at your own pace👋 ABOUT Cathérine Lehmann (she/her)Cathérine has been working in the fields of sustainability, environmental protection, and the socio-ecological transformation for several years. In a professional context and in her free time, she was active in project management, consulting, research, and entrepreneurship in various initiatives. In recent years, she has shifted to include more inner work in all aspects of her life. Since then, she has been committed to creating a regenerative society through inner and outer transformation.Her focus is now on the dissemination of regenerative approaches and the strengthening and connecting of actors in the field. As initiator of CREATE Regeneration, she works on bringing people together and fostering co-creation amongst people and organisations.🔗 CONNECT & follow Cathérine's work 👉 Website CREATE👉 LinkedIn Cathérine👉 LinkedIn CREATE👉 Instagram CREATE👉 Instagram Cathérine📚 RESOURCES to dive deeper➡ Reinveinting Society****If you feel "lost and alone" as well right now and wondering how you can go beyond Sustainability into the work towards Regeneration, I am happy to be your Mentor! 💕👉 Check out my 1:1 Mentoring Programme where we design your personal pathway of inner and outer transformation.❗️ to reserve one of the few spots for January/February 2026 be quick to book an Exploration Call with me 🫶***💌 CONNECT & engage with PiaFeel free to connect with me on LinkedIn to follow and support each other’s work. 🤗If you consider yourself an #impactjobseeker or aspiring #impactpreneur at the beginning of your journey, jump on my Newsletter “Impact Insights” where I regularly share tools and best practices from my work as a sustainability consultant and system change facilitator. 🤓⚖For daily insights “behind the scenes” and event updates, join the extended community on the @work.with.impact Instagram account. 🧐💓Take care of yourself and others!Pia 🤍P.S. You can also watch this Episode on our YouTube Channel to see our faces 👋 🙂#regeneration #innerwork #outerwork #sustainability #communitybuilding #leadership #transformation #cocreation #createconvention #personaljourney #futureofwork #regenerativesociety
 

About Water, Leadership and Cultural Sensitivity - with Shilpa Alva | 033

How to set up thriving community-owned and women-led projects internationally
For this Episode, you should bring your pen and notebook, especially if you are working at a non-profit, planning to start your own social impact project, or looking to transition from the corporate world into the impact world. 📝I speak with Shilpa Alva, founder and executive director of Surge for Water, about the long journey from early childhood impressions of injustice to building a global organisation focused on community-owned and women-led WASH solutions.Shilpa shares learnings and insights into how personal experiences informed her leadership path, why the most important work begins with listening, and how co-creation with local partners shapes every project. 👂🏻💞We look at the tensions, responsibilities, and cultural nuances that come with international impact work. We speak about the realities of running a lean organisation, partnering with local teams in Uganda, Haiti, and Indonesia, and finding ways to honour cultural context while staying committed to the mission. ⛵️We explore how funding models evolved from small community support to grants and corporate partnerships. We also discuss how to stay true to core principles while navigating donor expectations and organisational growth.Shilpa shares openly about the physical and mental implications of building an international for 6 years on weekends and night shifts only, taking the leap from corporate to impact work, and why she now plans in line with a different fiscal rhythm that allows more rest and clarity for the entire team. We end with her hopes for the coming year and the importance of creating more space for thoughtful decisions. 🪷
💡 HIGHLIGHTS of this Episode✨ Securing Funding through networks, events, and grants✨ Navigating cultural nuance and organisational growth✨ Building community-owned and women-led WASH solutions✨ Core to international projects: Listening before Acting!✨ A successful approach to Co-creation with local partners👋 ABOUT Shilpa Alva (she/her)Shilpa Alva is the Founder and Executive Director of Surge for Water, a global nonprofit addressing the water and sanitation crisis through community-owned and women-led solutions. Since founding Surge in 2008, she has helped deliver safe water, sanitation, hygiene, and menstrual health solutions to hundreds of thousands of people across 12 countries—by partnering directly with local organizations to ensure long-term sustainability.With a background in chemical engineering, global supply chain, business operations, and international development, Shilpa brings both technical expertise and strategic vision to the global WASH sector.Her work has been featured on platforms including TEDx, and she speaks regularly at international forums, sharing insights from her work across East Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Caribbean.🔗 CONNECT & follow Shilpa Alva's work 👉 Website👉 Surge for Water on LinkedIn👉 Surge for Water on Instagram👉 Surge for Water on YouTube
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You want to work in the Social Impact Field, as well? Not sure if you have the right skills or lacking the network?🔔 Join the Sustainability Career Compass 🧭In this programme, I show you how you can create your own pathway towards work with impact that is aligned with your values and higher purpose ✨ It is a 6-step journey covering all the essential elements that Marina also intuitively followed.👉 You can sign up directly via this link. - Join the community of change agents! 💞If you have questions about the programme, feel free to connect with me via email: pia@impacthills.com 🫶💌 CONNECT & engage with PiaFeel free to connect with me on LinkedIn to follow and support each other’s work. 🤗If you consider yourself an #impactjobseeker or aspiring #impactpreneur at the beginning of your journey, jump on my Newsletter “Impact Insights” where I regularly share tools and best practices from my work as a sustainability consultant and system change facilitator. 🤓⚖For daily insights “behind the scenes” and event updates, join the extended community on the @work.with.impact Instagram account. 🧐💓Take care of yourself and others!Pia 🤍P.S. You can also watch this Episode on our YouTube Channel to see our faces 👋 🙂#impact #socialimpact #womenleaders #wash #sustainability #communityled #nonprofit #regeneration #wateraccess #globalhealth #fundraising #leadership #purpose #femalehealth
 
 
 

Healing our Personal and Social Wounds through Relationships | 032

Why we need Brave Spaces and grounding in Place to go beyond the Bubbles and PatriarchyThis episode is for people who feel called to work in the impact space, heal their own and therewith our social wounds - and for anyone longing for deeper, more relational approaches to systems change.Jack's pathway into systems change facilitation has been shaped by activism, academic frustration with silos and symptomatic approaches, and the discovery that real transformation grows through relationships rather than rigid theories.I share how my own experiences resonate with Jack’s emphasis on curiosity, community, and slowing down to centre the process rather than the outcome.Jack explains how their years in activism and research revealed recurring harmful patterns and how deep relational work became essential for unlocking new possibilities. We talk about his pivotal experience in a year-long planetary governance project that pushed them toward grounding complex ideas in place, practice, and community.He describes how the Beyond Patriarchy learning journey emerged from both desperation and solidarity, offering (people socialized as) men a space to compost old patterns, sit with discomfort, and cultivate relational accountability.We hear how generative journalism opens new pathways for storytelling that honour plurality and place without imposing universal narratives. We also explore why many transformative methods fail when they stay intellectual instead of becoming embodied and relational.Jack reflects on what they learn each time they facilitate these journeys and why brave spaces matter more than "safe spaces". We end with a glimpse into future plans: community living, rewilding, shared economies, and designing new containers for regenerative learning and practic💡 HIGHLIGHTS of this Episode✨ Relationships are the foundation of systems change✨ Moving from intellectualising to embodied relational practice✨ Composting harm through brave spaces and accountability✨ Storytelling rooted in place, plurality, and context✨ Regeneration through community, slowness, and shared purpose👋 ABOUT Jack Becher (he/they)Jack is a systems change facilitator working at the intersection of interpersonal and planetary transformation.Jack has a background as an activist and researcher, which they apply today through systems change facilitation, generative journalism, and ecosystem weaving to connect and demonstrate real radical alternatives to the collapsing systems in which we're entangled.🔗 CONNECT & follow Jack's work 👉 Generative Journalism Alliance👉 Beyond Patriarchy👉 Sideways👉 C*SPACE 👉 LinkedIn👉 Instagram📚 RESOURCES to dive deeper
➡ Gesturing Towards Decolonial Futures 
➡ Hospicing Modernity + Outgrowing Modernity by Vanessa Machado De Oliveira 
➡ Practicing New Worlds: Abolition and Emergent Strategies by Andrea J. Ritchie  
➡ Popular education (social movement learning)
➡ The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love by bell hooks 
➡ Polysecure by Jessica Fern 
➡ Lankelly Chase Foundation storytelling and learning project by the GJA 
➡ Democracy in Europe Movement (DiEM25)
➡ Opus Independents
➡ Foundations EarthDo you feel lost and frustrated about the world right now and looking for some guidance on your own messy journey towards purposeful work? 🌻 It can be a beautiful and creative process! 👇🔔 Join the Sustainability Career Compass 🧭In this programme I show you how you can create your own pathway towards work with impact that is aligned with your values and higher purpose ✨ It is a 6-step journeycovering all the essential elements that Marina also intuitively followed.You can sign up directly via this link. - Join the community of change agents! 💞If you have questions about the programme, feel free to connect with me via email: pia@impacthills.com 🫶
 
💌 CONNECT & engage with Pia
Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn to follow and support each other’s work. 🤗
 
If you consider yourself an #impactjobseeker or aspiring #impactpreneur at the beginning of your journey, jump on my Newsletter “Impact Insights” where I regularly share tools and best practices from my work as a sustainability consultant and system change facilitator. 🤓
 
For daily insights “behind the scenes” and event updates, join the extended community on the @work.with.impact Instagram account. 🧐💓
 
Take care of yourself and others!
Pia 🤍
 
P.S. You can also watch this Episode on our YouTube Channel to see our faces 👋 🙂
 
#intersectionality #systemschange #regeneration #impactwork #generativejournalism #beyondpatriarchy #collectiveliberation #transformativelearning #communitybuilding #relationalwork #planetarycare #decolonialfutures #justtransition
 

Light of the Sea: A personal story of Love, Healing and the Art of Unlearning | 031

How following Threads, Community and Inner Work can define your Journey of Becoming
Marina Henriques, who introduces herself as Luz Marina, is a multilingual, multicultural “Light of the Sea” shaped by experiences across continents, rooted in the Mediterranean and the Amazon.In this episode, she shares her story about belonging, identity and purpose. She shares how her non-linear journey led her into regenerative work, supporting higher-education communities across fifty nations with skills such as deep listening, healthy boundaries and nonviolent communication.We discuss how community, presence and intuition guided her path, beginning with her experiences in Barcelona and later through residencies, trainings and chance encounters in Berlin. Marina reflects on her earlier life, the transformation from introversion to facilitation, and how informal learning opened more doors than formal degrees ever could.She speaks about love as a force for life, shaped by her ancestors and childhood, and how unlearning and healing emerged through personal crises.We discuss trauma, new paradigms of relating and the courage required to let go of old beliefs. Our conversation closes with gratitude, poetry and a reminder that regeneration begins within each of us.This episode is perfect for you if you are feeling lost, not yet "equipped" and connected enough to be a Change Agent. Marina's journey will surely inspire you.💡 HIGHLIGHTS of this Episode✨ Presence as a guiding principle✨ Community as a catalyst for purpose✨ Love as a force for life✨ Unlearning through crisis✨ Following intuitive threads👋 ABOUT Marina Henriques (she/her)Marina has seven years of experience in social innovation, education, and regeneration.She has lived on three continents, in seven countries, and speaks over six languages. She is an active global citizen and nationality non-conforming (Earthling & interbeing).The key ingredient to her work? Love.🔗 CONNECT & follow Marinas work 👉 Oikos International👉 LinkedIn📚 RESOURCES to dive deeper➡ Headwaters➡ Art of Hosting➡ Theory U****Do you feel lost and frustrated about the world right now and looking for some guidance on your own messy journey towards purposeful work? 🌻 It can be a beautiful and creative process! 👇🔔 Join the Sustainability Career Compass 🧭In this programme, I show you how you can create your own pathway towards work with impact that is aligned with your values and higher purpose ✨ It is a 6-step journey covering all the essential elements that Marina also intuitively followed.You can sign up directly via this link. - Join the community of change agents! 💞If you have questions about the programme, feel free to connect with me via email: pia@impacthills.com 🫶💌 CONNECT & engage with PiaFeel free to connect with me on LinkedIn to follow and support each other’s work. 🤗If you consider yourself an #impactjobseeker or aspiring #impactpreneur at the beginning of your journey, jump on my Newsletter “Impact Insights” where I regularly share tools and best practices from my work as a sustainability consultant and system change facilitator. 🤓For daily insights “behind the scenes” and event updates, join the extended community on the @work.with.impact Instagram account. 🧐💓Take care of yourself and others!Pia 🤍P.S. You can also watch this Episode on our YouTube Channel to see our faces 👋 🙂#regeneration #innerdevelopment #communitybuilding #sustainability #healingjourney #purposepath #personalgrowth #impactmakers #socialregeneration #transformativelearning #love #becoming #presence #
 

Finding joy in Sustainability Work | 030

How Juliana bridges art, leadership, and social change between Argentina and Europe
In this episode of the Social Regeneration Podcast, you get to meet my dear friend Juliana Salamone from Argentina, where we reflect on how our paths in sustainability have twisted, evolved, and sometimes collided. And how we supported each other on "finding our own way" and the practice of bringing social change to our local cultures.
Juliana shares her personal journey from law school and consultancy work to embracing a more creative, human-centred approach through theatre and scriptwriting. We explore the differences between European and Latin American perspectives on sustainability, the challenges of adapting leadership tools across cultures, and the importance of keeping work joyful and authentic. We speak about identity crises and rediscovering purpose through art and community. We also discuss collective leadership, conscious action, and how trust and play can transform social change. This episode is a deep, heartfelt reminder that sustainability is not a straight line—it’s a creative, messy, and deeply human process. Juliana's story is a testimony that you can be a "sustainability leader" no matter your role in society, and social change can be brought forward through subtle practices that you bring to your community, where they may least expect it.
💡 HIGHLIGHTS of this Episode✨ Importance of joy, play, and storytelling in change-making✨ Bridging activism, consultancy, and creativity✨ Redefining success and what work looks like✨ Collective and conscious leadership✨ Sustainability as a cultural and emotional practice
👋 ABOUT Juliana Salamone (she/her)Juliana Salamone is a sustainability consultant from Argentina with a background in Law and Business Management from Universidad Católica Argentina and a Master’s degree in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability from Blekinge Tekniska Högskola in Sweden. She is passionate about driving sustainable change and helping her community transition toward a more conscious and equitable future. Her vision is an economy that serves both people and the planet—one rooted in collaboration rather than competition, where human needs are prioritised, and work is re-humanised. She believes true transformation begins with individuals who cultivate self-worth and humility, empowering them to lead consciously and contribute to thriving, sustainable communities.
🔗 CONNECT & follow Juliana's work 👉 LinkedIn
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Do you feel lost and frustrated about the world right now and looking for some guidance on your own messy journey towards purposeful work? 🌻 It can be a beautiful and creative process! 👇
🔔 Join the Sustainability Career Compass 🧭A program inspired by people like Juliana, where I help you not just find but also create your own pathway towards work with impact that is aligned with your values and talent ✨You can sign up directly via this link.
Get a special discount of -50€ till November 20th with the CODE: FRIENDSHIP
If you have questions about the programme, feel free to connect with me via email: pia@impacthills.com 🫶
****💌 CONNECT & engage with your host PiaFeel free to connect with me on LinkedIn to follow and support each other’s work. 🤗
If you consider yourself an #impactjobseeker or aspiring #impactpreneur at the beginning of your journey, jump on my Newsletter “Impact Insights” where I regularly share tools and best practices from my work as a sustainability consultant and system change facilitator. 🤓
For daily insights “behind the scenes” and event updates, join the extended community on the @work.with.impact Instagram account. 🧐💓
Take care of yourself and others! Pia 🤍
P.S. You can also watch this Episode on our YouTube Channel to see our faces 👋 🙂
#SocialRegeneration #SustainabilityJourney #CollectiveLeadership #CulturalAwareness #ConsciousWork #CreativeImpact #SustainabilityPodcast #PurposeDriven #StorytellingForChange #LeadershipTools #HumanConnection #SustainableFuture
 

Holding Space to Reconnect | 029

Mindfulness as fertile ground for care and resilience
In this grounding conversation, we explore the connection between mindfulness, leadership and regeneration with facilitator and space holder Daniela Tablado. Daniela shares her path from sustainability studies to guiding individuals and groups in cultivating mindful presence and compassion.She explains how inner work shapes outer change, and why mindfulness is a fertile ground for empathy, care and resilience. Together we reflect on the importance of including ourselves in the circle of compassion, finding balance between doing and being, and recognising mindfulness as a collective, not just individual, practice.Daniela also opens up about her retreats in Tenerife and her approach to facilitation — holding space with intention, integrity and humility. The episode reminds us that transformation begins within and that practising awareness is both an act of self-care and of service to the world.💡 HIGHLIGHTS of this Episode✨ Mindfulness as fertile soil for compassion✨ Balancing care for self and others✨ Collective practice creates ripple effects✨ Facilitation through presence, not control👋 ABOUT Daniela Tablado (she/her)Daniela is a facilitator of inner journeys—both individual and group—who blends meditation, mindfulness, compassion-based tools, deep ecology and systems-change practices to cultivate wellbeing, empowerment and a life-sustaining way of being.She describes herself as a nomadic soul from Tenerife whose sense of home is shaped by multiple places, cultures and experiences; her formal training includes mindfulness teaching, yoga and a master’s in strategic leadership for sustainability. Her deepest calling is to embody love and help others reconnect with their authentic nature and the Earth, believing that healing ourselves enables us to live in harmony with each other and the planet.🔗 CONNECT & follow Daniela's work 👉 Website👉 Meditation Retreat Nov 2025👉 LinkedIn👉 Instagram👉 INSIGHT TIMMER APP TEACHER PROFILE📚 RESOURCES to dive deeper➡ Work that reconnects➡ Joana Macy
💌 CONNECT & engage with Pia
Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn to follow and support each other’s work. 🤗If you consider yourself an #impactjobseeker or aspiring #impactpreneur at the beginning of your journey, jump on my Newsletter “Impact Insights” where I regularly share tools and best practices from my work as a sustainability consultant and system change facilitator. 🤓For daily insights “behind the scenes” and event updates, join the extended community on the @work.with.impact Instagram account. 🧐💓🔔 50% Disscount on 1:1 Impact Job Mentoring with Pia❗📌 November Special (5 spots)📅 Only till November 1st👉 Check out programme and book Hot Seat session Take care of yourself and others!Pia 🤍P.S. You can also watch this Episode on our YouTube Channel to see our faces 👋 🙂#mindfulness #regeneration #leadership #innerwork #compassion #sustainability #awareness #facilitation #presence #collectivepractice #retreats #danielatablado
 
 

From Garden Beds to Boardrooms: Seasons at Work | 028

What happens when Teams allow for WinterI sit together with Amelie Salameh, and we explore what regenerative entrepreneurship looks like when it is lived, not only philosophied upon. Amelie shares how gardening taught her to design work as interlinked cycles with beginnings, harvests, endings, and renewal.We talk about the courage to start before you feel ready, and the humility to say, 'I don't know' and ask for help. We examine why humans are not machines and why organisations need trust, flexibility, and safe spaces to talk about individuals' needs, including menstrual cycles.Amelie explains a simple seasons-based check-in that any team can use daily or weekly to align energy with tasks. We discuss community-supported agriculture as a living lab for cyclical organising and partnership roles.We invite organisations to test cyclical tools with Amelie and to learn in community through Reallabor Zukunft. Together, we close with a gentle call to design environments that let people do what they love and rest when they must.💡 HIGHLIGHTS of this Episode✨ Seasons check in for daily or weekly team alignment✨ Menstrual cycle awareness as a design principle✨ Trust and safe spaces as organisational infrastructure✨ Leadership that schedules winter for rest and integration✨ Collaboration through complementary strengths👋 ABOUT Amelie Salameh (she/her)Amelie loves connecting people with nature and their creative power. She creates experiences, projects, and spaces for exploration and conscious learning.Since February 2025, Amelie Salameh has been leading Himmel und Humus, a regenerative market garden that nurtures the microbiome and supports community well-being. She contributes to Wir Bauen Zukunft eG, working on permaculture, agroforestry, and rural development projects.She enjoys hands-on gardening, making herbal products, and leading plant exploration walks. Tiny houses are another passion, and she built her own while teaching empowerment courses for women.Previously, Amelie worked as a tech project manager at Wigwam eG and Home One, a Berlin-based startup specializing in smart urban homes. Amelie Salameh holds a degree in Information Management and researched AI as a commons, interviewing experts in Silicon Valley.🔗 CONNECT & follow Amelie Salameh's work 👉 Website👉 LinkedIn📚 RESOURCES to dive deeper➡ Reallabor Zukunft➡ Wir bauen Zukunft➡ Himmel und Humus➡ Wild Power - Dein Zyklus als Quelle weiblicher Kraft➡ Vom Zauber der Naturmystik➡ Deep Creation
****💌 CONNECT & engage with PiaFeel free to connect with me on LinkedIn to follow and support each other’s work. 🤗If you consider yourself an #impactjobseeker or aspiring #impactpreneur at the beginning of your journey, jump on my Newsletter “Impact Insights” where I regularly share tools and best practices from my work as a sustainability consultant and system change facilitator. 🤓For daily insights “behind the scenes” and event updates, join the extended community on the @work.with.impact Instagram account. 🧐💓Take care of yourself and others!Pia 🤍P.S. You can also watch this Episode on our YouTube Channel to see our faces 👋 🙂#regeneration #organisationaldevelopment #cyclicalwork #menstrualhealth #leadership #facilitation #teamculture #burnoutprevention #CSA #gardening #trust #workrhythms #selfmanagement #workdesign #wellbeing

From Theory to Practice: The Regenerative Economy Lab | 027

Learn from Katy Shields & Joshua Stehr about principles, visions, and money narratives
We have the privilege and joy of listening to Katy Shields and Joshua Stehr and their pioneering explorations on a Regenerative Economy. Both share examples, principles, visions, and seeds of a Regenerative Economic System. Katy, now joined by Joshua, has designed and hosted a space for practitioners to collectively explore, learn, and apply regenerative economy ideas in the real world.In this Episode, we discuss how for all three of us, regeneration equals genuine sustainability. Katy explains the difference between weak sustainability and strong sustainability and why many of us working in this field now prefer using the word regeneration to emphasise the need for strong sustainability practices.I share how I had to unlearn my early resistance to economics to drive change. Katy traces her path from mainstream economics through the 2008 crisis and the Club of Rome works to systems thinking and doughnut economics, as introduced by Kate Raworth and the work of Daniella Meadows.
Joshua shares why design work kept running into extractive business models and growth incentives, and why learning how money works became a necessity.I asked how the Regenerative Economy Lab works, and Katy describes a two-day outdoor and indoor lab that helps people move from theory to practice.We discuss change at many levels, from European monetary choices and wellbeing economy work to local community wealth building and new ownership models like steward ownership and worker-owned firms.I asked for concrete examples, and Joshua talked about Mended and about a German platform that helps farmers access subsidies for regenerative practices.We underline that partnership and trusted relationships are a catalyst for implementation and that learning by doing in local projects builds capability.
 
💡 HIGHLIGHTS of this Episode✨ From financial markets and austerity to systems thinking and Doughnut Economics✨ Contrasting weak sustainability with strong sustainability and contextualizing regeneration✨ The Regenerative Economy Lab is a two-day experience that links theory and action✨ Mapping change from European money conversations and wellbeing economy ideas to local community wealth building and steward ownership✨ Examples and Principles of potential regenerative business models/communities
👋 ABOUT Katy Shields (she / her)Katy spent most of her career as a "mainstream" economic researcher and writer for corporations and media brands such as The Economist, Financial Times, and Newsweek. Economics is at the heart of decision-making, and she now believes critical flaws in mainstream thinking have greatly contributed to our multiple, overlapping crises. Katy writes and blogs about this on LinkedIn and has begun research for a series that will expose the problems and highlight pathways to reform.
🔗 CONNECT & follow Katy's work 👉 Website👉 Regenerative Economy Lab👉 Tipping Point Podcast👉 LinkedIn
👋 ABOUT Joshua (he/they)Joshua is a designer who turns strategic thinking into tangible impact — for people and the planet. He has over 10 years of experience designing services with purpose-driven startups, corporates, non-profits, public services, and consultancies such as Dark Matter Labs, Oatly, Mended, Work On Climate, and Impacc.
He's currently interested in regenerative food & agriculture, new ecologically and socially focused economic paradigms, and how we transition to them, as well as restoring and strengthening our capacity and infrastructure for empathy, conflict resolution, constructive disagreement as the foundations for a more resilient democracy.
🔗 CONNECT & follow Joshua's work👉 Website: https://joshuastehr.com/👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuastehr/
📚 RESOURCES to dive deeper➡ Club of Rome Website➡ Club of Rome - Books & Reports➡ Kate Raworth - Doughnut Economics Book➡ Kate Raworth Website + Action Lab➡ Tim Jackson - Postgrowth➡ Donella Meadows - Website➡ Wellbeing Economy Alliance➡ Purpose Film by Martin Oetting➡ Mended Company➡ Monzo Company➡ Einhorn Company➡ Hope in the Dark Book
💌 CONNECT & engage with PiaFeel free to connect with me on LinkedIn to follow and support each other’s work. 🤗
If you consider yourself an #impactjobseeker or aspiring #impactpreneur at the beginning of your journey, jump on my Newsletter “Impact Insights” where I regularly share tools and best practices from my work as a sustainability consultant and system change facilitator. 🤓
For daily insights “behind the scenes” and event updates, join the extended community on the @work.with.impact Instagram account. 🧐💓
Take care of yourself and others! Pia 🤍
P.S. You can also watch this Episode on our YouTube Channel to see our faces 👋 🙂
#regeneration #doughnuteconomics #postgrowth #systemsthinking #wellbeingeconomy #communitywealth #stewardownership #impactdesign #regenerativefinance #climatetransition #cooperative #strongsustainability

About Pilgrimage and value-driven Partnerships | 026

Redesigning how to travel, build community, and lead change - from certification checklists over inner development to #impactpreneurship
[🔔 Announcement: from September, THE SOCIAL REGENERATION PODCAST 🎀 moves to a bi-weekly rhythm 🎵]One reason: We are making space to launch a larger programme for #impactpreneurs who want to solidify their impact project idea - starting in October ✨😍 [👀 First Sneak Peek here 🤫]Meet my new business partner, Anastasiia “Asya” Korshunova - sustainability professional, sustainable tourism auditor, community builder, and certified mindfulness guide.In this Episode, Asya traces her path from hotel management studies to discovering sustainability, completing a Master’s in sustainability management, and choosing auditing for its concrete, operational levers to implement small changes on a daily basis. She explains how certifications can drive learning and continuous improvement and reframes travel through the mindset of pilgrimage - moving from extraction and photo-checklists to humility and respect.Asya also explains why she moved into mindfulness and coaching: we talk a lot about Doing in sustainability but rarely about Being - the inner capacities leaders must cultivate.We also share how our collaboration began earlier this year, how we co-created a new brand within the last 3 Months only, and how we ran two workshops without ever meeting in person, and why this values-alignment felt like a perfect “partnership at first sight.”If you want to hear what the big programme is about that we are currently co-creating, listen in! 🎧 It is all about embracing your identity as #impactpreneur. 💗 We accompany you on your journey, bringing Your Impact Project to Life! 🚀💡 HIGHLIGHTS of this Episode✨ Tourism without extraction? We debate whether “sustainable tourism” is possible — and how the mindset of pilgrimage can pave the path for regeneration✨ Sustainability Audits decoded. Asya shares honest insights into the pros and cons of the certification process and the work as an auditor✨ From Kyrgyz mountains to Kazakh deserts: why early actions & standards can prevent a slide into mass tourism✨ Inner > outer. We name the blind spot in sustainability work: neglecting the inner capacities that keep changemakers healthy and effective, and how coaching fills that gap✨ #impactpreneurship: About both our journeys as Social Impact Founders and glimpses into our New Program - the YIP LAB!👋 ABOUT Asya Korshunova (she/her)After working in the field of sustainability for over 5 years, her passion for creating something meaningful on her own led her to start ASEYA, a space of connection and growth for professionals working and inspired by sustainability and personal development. This journey brought her to finish an official training to become a certified mindfulness guide and coach to support other professionals, especially young adults, towards a meaningful career or business.🔗 CONNECT & follow Asya's work 👉 Website ASEYA Changemakers Community👉 LinkedIn👉 Instagram📚 RESOURCES to dive deeper➡ Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
🪅 YIP LAB is opening it's doors soon for all #impactpreneurs ✨ 🤗👀 Peek into what we are creating at the YIP LAB here 👈📣 Be the first one to be informed about the upcoming events and programme by signing up here! 😍💌 CONNECT & engage with PiaFeel free to connect with me on LinkedIn to follow and support each other’s work. 🤗If you consider yourself an #impactjobseeker or aspiring #impactpreneur at the beginning of your journey, jump on my Newsletter “Impact Insights” where I regularly share tools and best practices from my work as a sustainability consultant and system change facilitator. 🤓For daily insights “behind the scenes” and event updates, join the extended community on the @work.with.impact Instagram account. 🧐💓Take care of yourself and othersPia 🤍
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P.S. You can also watch this Episode on our YouTube Channel to see our faces 👋 🙂🔔 Join the very first YIP LAB ATELIER 🎀📌 6 Step to your Social Business Foundation (online)📅 September 24th, 5-6.30 pm CET👉 Register here (0€)#sustainability #regeneration #tourism #sustainabletourism #travelling #sustainabletraveling #mindset #auditing #community #changemakers #leadership #mindfulness #impact #impactpreneurs #impact #socialimpact #personaldevelopment #innerdevelopment #idgs #coaching #entrepreneurship #business #foudnerjoureny #founder
 

From ‘More Stuff’ to ‘What Matters’ - A designer's journey | 025

"Why saying no, asking honest questions, and having empathy can build the career & impact you aspire to"We meet designer Joshua Stehr, whose path runs from industrial design and mass manufacturing into UX, service design, and ultimately impact-driven work. Early in his studies, he began asking why we keep putting “more of this stuff” into the world, a question that never left. A trip to New York in 2020 - bright lights in Times Square followed by the sudden quiet of the pandemic - became a turning point, revealing the social infrastructures behind consumerism and how environmental and social issues are inseparable. Joshua describes feeling “radicalised” by what he learned, while stressing humility for people who aren’t there yet.He explains how he now works with Dark Matter Labs inside the EU’s NetZeroCities mission, focusing on learning infrastructures that let cities learn from one another rather than rely on one‑way “expert” content. We talk about designing hands‑on exchanges to surface what actually works, what doesn’t, and why. We discuss patience, empathy, and meeting others where they are on their journey.Joshua shares how he stands up for values at work, moving from designing “for” people to designing “with” them. He chose a selective client strategy, even as a new freelancer, because sustaining work you don’t care about is its own risk.Along the way, we touch on his interests in regenerative economies, de-/post-growth, and community learning spaces that build the inner skills needed for resilient organisations and democracies.Finally, we go inward: Joshua’s “Beyond Patriarchy” journey and the power of men’s peer spaces to turn shame into accountability and care. We end on trust‑building as step zero of any democratic conversation: people change through relationships, not one‑way persuasion.💡 HIGHLIGHTS of this Episode✨ Why “designing more stuff” lost its appeal—and how confronting Times Square’s spectacle (and its hidden workers) can flip a career✨ “I can’t unknow this”: the moment knowledge turns into responsibility, and how we keep empathy for those not there yet✨ The scary wisdom of saying no: why a selective portfolio can be safer than chasing any gig  ✨ Interview the Interviewer: ask about conflict and runway to reveal how a team really works—and how you’ll be expected to operate✨ Freelance with limits: reduce simultaneous life risks, build a small safety net, then commit to work that aligns with your valuesPlease note that, unfortunately, the audio quality in this interview is occasionally disrupted by a faint echo.👋 ABOUT Joshua (he/they)Joshua is a designer who turns strategic thinking into tangible impact — for people and the planet. He has over 10 years of experience designing services with purpose-driven startups, corporates, non-profits, public services, and consultancies such as Dark Matter Labs, Oatly, Mended, Work On Climate, and Impacc.He's currently interested in regenerative food & agriculture, new ecologically and socially focused economic paradigms, and how we transition to them, as well as restoring and strengthening our capacity and infrastructure for empathy, conflict resolution, constructive disagreement as the foundations for a more resilient democracy.🔗 CONNECT & follow Joshua's work👉 Dark Matter Labs👉 Website👉 Net Zero Cities👉 LinkedIn📚 RESOURCES to dive deeper➡ Beyond Patriarchy: Creating pathways for men* to learn and build alternatives to patriarchy. Hosted and initiated by Jack Becher➡ Regenerative Economy Lab: Immersive learning experiences to help people learn the principles of regenerative economics and find ways to put them into practice. Initiated by Katy Shields➡ Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit
 
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💌 CONNECT & engage with Pia
Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn to follow and support each other’s work. 🤗If you consider yourself an #impactjobseeker or aspiring #impactpreneur at the beginning of your journey, jump on my Newsletter “Impact Insights” where I regularly share tools and best practices from my work as a sustainability consultant and system change facilitator. 🤓⚖For daily insights “behind the scenes” and event updates, join the extended community on the @work.with.impact Instagram account. 🧐💓😍 You feel inspired by Joshua's career transformation? ✨And would love a sparring partner on your own journey?Doors to the "Sustainability Career Compass" for aspiring purpose-driven professionals will open soon! 🔔Let's have a quick chat to see if it is the right program for you. ☎️Apply here. Take care of yourself and others!Pia 🤍
P.S. You can also watch this Episode on our YouTube Channel to see our faces 👋 🙂#regeneration #impactdesign #servicedesign #climatework #degrowth #postgrowth #empathy #conflictresolution #freelancelife #values #netzerocities #darkmatterlabs #workonclimate #berlin