The Social Change Career Podcast E6 S15 Turning Complexity into Clarity: Leading and Working for Impact
Episode 6, Season 15 starts the 2026 season of the Social Change Career Podcast with Juanita Lopez Pelaez, a leading voice in regenerative leadership and climate adaptation. Host Craig Zelizer and Juanita unpack turning complexity into clarity in the fields of public policy, sustainability, and systems change—drawing on decades of hands-on experience from Colombia, Latin America, and beyond.
Why Take a Listen:
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Follow her career journey from geology in Medellín to policy-making and leadership at Colombia's Fondo Adaptación, and advising on sustainability and ESGfor KPMG across South America.
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Explore the needed and innovative shift from disaster response to long-term resilience: practical ways adaptation and regeneration are being built into engineering, urban design, and public budgets.
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Learn how teams are assembled, led, and empowered to manage complexity—blending technical expertise, empathy, flexibility, and continuous learning.
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Get concrete career advice for navigating public, private, or social impact sectors and curating your own path in climate, ESG, and sustainability.
Resources Covered in thiss Episode:
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Robin Wall Kimmerer (Braiding Sweetgrass, Gathering Moss)
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Biomimicry, deep ecology, and new models of regenerative urbanism
Bio:
Juanita is a Regenerative Leadership and Systems Change Advisor working across climate adaptation, sustainability, and organizational transformation for more than 20 years.
She has led major public-sector initiatives, including a $120 million relocation and climate resilience program with Colombia's Fondo Adaptación.
Juanita also helped establish KPMG's ESG and climate consulting practice in Colombia and across South America, working inside large institutions to integrate sustainability, risk, and long-term value creation
As co-founder of Mundo Común, she advanced climate culture, regenerative leadership, and systems change across Latin America.
Juanita holds a PhD in Geography and a Master's in Comparative Studies and Development from EHESS – École des hautes études en sciences sociales in France.
PCDN Resources:
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