World of Wisdom

Elin Bergman was called the circularity queen of Sweden in a podcast a title that stuck. Elin and I get to lean in to the challenging questions of how we become Circular. This is a conversation of different perspectives and starting points and Elins view and optimism is inspiring. We speak of plastics as a tool in our toolbox, the Ellen MacArthur foundation work on technical and organic cycles in circularity and how we can think about solutions in different spheres, we speak of course about the connection between the inner and outer - when we need something, how do we know what we need? And the importance of role models where Elin is most certainly one of the more inspirational and forceful examples of this. Here are some links and resources mentioned in the episode: Cradlenet, Nordic circular hotspot, Nordic circular arena, Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Youtube. We also talk about the Circular Gap report that had not yet come out at the time of the recording for this episode... Elin was right we are between Norway and the Netherlands with 3.4 % circularity - significantly less than we hoped for. The Netherlands are up to >22% in this final report - there are ways to go! Enjoy the conversation. Host: Amit Paul

This week I connect with Legacy17 founder Marilyn Mehlmann. Marilyn is a lifelong activist with a dedication towards empowerment. She has spent her life in service of social and environmental challenges. As always the conversation is wide ranging and covering a number of topics. Co-creation, activism and curiosity, empowerment, the state of the world and the transformation we standing in front of. And we explore the principle of abilie: giving people what they need as long as it doesn't hurt me, you or anyone else. To get engaged, or to access the resources Marilyn refers to visit the Legacy17 webpage. This conversation was recorded in the days after the beginning of the Russian war in Ukraine 2022.

Jeremy D Johnson is a writer, scholar and podcast host. He is an integral scholar on Gebser and hosts the excellent podcast Mutations. You can find Jeremy's writing on mutations.blog. Or get in touch on Twitter or Patreon. This conversation is a deep dive into 'development', progress and liminality. We situate our current moment and then jump off the deep end. It was rich! We speak of progress, what the integral/developmental theorists (Gebser in particular) predicted through their work. We speak about technology, dance and ponder what omni-directional progress could look like. Especially if it's folded back into relationship with the biosphere. And Jeremy brings the radical and exciting idea of decentering progress - don't quite get what it means? Take a listen. Enjoy! Host Amit. Recorded on 21st of February 2022.

Robert Gilman is the physicist turned philosopher who dedicated his life to the intersection of inner and outer development. He is the founder of Bright Future Now and Bright future network (to find out more). Robert was the resident philosopher at the STOA in the end of 2021 and is a frequent voice in sensemaking circles. The conversation ranged from understanding our current moment, to trauma and to how we can use an understanding of (our own) psychodynamics to become more efficient change makers and community builders. We discuss the challenges we face and we get a glimmer of hope when considering phase shifts and exponential processes. Host: Amit Paul

Elizabeth is a developmental psychologist and Thomas is a philosopher who have been engaged in and developed the Bohmian dialogue and developed the practice of Emergent Dialogue over the past 25+ years. The practice is one of speaking when spoken through, it aspires to let us connect to the inter subjective field or that which is bigger than us. I have personally been in their courses and can attest to the power and felt meaningfulness of this practise. The conversation hovers around the topic of Emergent Dialogue and what it is, as well as the potential it holds to address the meaning crisis which some argue is a core root to our current global predicament. If you want to connect with Thomas and Elizabeth you can visit: One world in dialogue to find out more about Emergent Dialogue and engage. To learn more about the rest of their work check out their podcast Radio Evolve or visit Evolve World. Also an upcoming course (in 2022) at Life itself (more info on the link).

Fanny Norlin supports leaders, teams and business to unleash the creative potential in the dance between the masculine and the feminine. We explore her framework for thinking about these energies. This is an unconventional but useful and very practical conversation on the topic. We touch upon the basic definitions, how to understand them, what we're leaving on the table when we are not engaging with these energies. The potential is there regardless of if it is within business or in systems transformation. To work with Fanny either in your business, as a coach or a speaker take a look at her webpage (Take a look at EP120 with Tom Nixon - to get more inspiration for a start up context)

Dr Tania Singer is the guest of the podcast. Tania is a renowned social neuroscientist and psychologist especially focused on empathy and compassion. She is bridge builder between different scientific fields as well as from East to West. She has applied her frameworks in a wide range of fields such as caring economics, regenerative business, following individuals in Berlin during the course of the pandemic. This discussion ranges far and wide and touches on questions like why it is crucial that we start finding alternatives to the current economical models, what one can do to improve ones mental health, both through mindfulness and through dyadic practices. This touches on a lot of important tools and skills for building the new paradigm. If you are curious about Tania and her work the best place is her webpage, or her landing page at the Max Planck Nurosciencelab. For more info on the CovSocial project. Host: Amit Paul

Hans von Essen the director of BERAS International. He has several decades of experience in transforming food systems on a individual, farm by farm and regional level towards more regenerative practices. He is deeply involved in the budding bio regional movement globally. BERAS has designed a course for individuals passionate about transforming the food systems called "Diet for a green planet" - follow the link to find out more and apply before may 2022. The conversation circulated the topic of food and sustainable development. How should one thing of ones own diet in terms of sustainability? What are the basic principles we should take on board when we are considering eating sustainably and what are the most important priorities? What is the interaction between the system and the individual and where does it make sense to invest time and effort? What are bio-regions and what is going on in the regenerative farming world? This is an excellent primer for novices and potentially a novel perspective for those more involved. Enjoy. Host: Amit Paul

Entrepreneur and author Tom Nixon discusses his work on Source, a break away from the idea of no single leader in co-creation, and its importance in start-ups. The conversation explores working with source, individual sovereignty, blowing apart and building open systems, cultivating responsiveness, exploring suppressed emotions and relationship with money, and the role of violence and masculinity in society.

In this episode I connect with my old friend and fellow curios Patrik Birkhane. Patrik is business graduate and previous communications expert that has decided to step out of the grind and look for his own way. We meet up for a conversation that none of us could have predicted 20 years ago when we met. We speak about our current moment. Our stories. Consciousness. Trauma. Personal development. Life coaching and perspectives around what one could look for in engaging a journey with a coach. It is a wide ranging conversation. If you want to find out more about Patrik his take a look at the yoga studio he runs with his wife, his instagram or his personal webpage.