A Thriving Future

In this episode I speak with award-winning environmental activist and architect Adib Dada.

Adib is the founder of regenerative consultancy and architecture firm The Other Dada. Based on Biomimicry thinking, The Other Dada’s work promotes a symbiotic relationship between nature and the built environment, working with nature to develop resilient and generous cities. The organisation is also engaged in rewilding the city of Lebanon and reclaiming public space by planting native Miyawaki forests. Since 2019 The Other Dada has planted over 11 forests across Lebanon, reclaiming more than 3,700 square meters of degraded land by planting them with over 10,500 trees and shrubs.

In this discussion we explore how to use the lens of Biomimicry to engage with and weave the teachings of nature across an organisation.

We talk about what trust and humility have to do with regeneration and the importance of not waiting for permission to do this work, even in incredibly challenging circumstances.

Key Links:

The Other Dada: theotherdada.com/en/

The Other Dada Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theotherdada/?hl=en

Growing Back Beirut Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB5gBBsUcPc

Bio-Leadership Fellowship: https://www.bioleadershipfellowship.org/

Biomimicry 3.8: https://biomimicry.net/history/

AskNature: https://asknature.org/

Reinventing Organisations: https://www.reinventingorganizations.com/

In this episode I speak with Executive Director of collective consultancy Culture Hack Labs, Mehul Sangham. Culture Hack supports organizations, social movements and activists to expose and disrupt cultural narratives, creating spaces for new life-centric narratives to emerge.

In this discussion we explore the spiritual and philosophical side to regeneration, the relationship between the work we do out in the world and the work we have done within ourselves and how traditions like Zen Buddhism and Daoism relate to the work of growing more regenerative organisations.

We also talk about the critical importance of narrative change in systems change work. Mehul shares with us how the "Soil" of Culture Hack has given it the freedom to thrive and we discuss the relationship between what "regenerative organisational structures" look like depending on the specific features of each organisation.

Key Links

Culture Hack Labs: https://www.culturehack.io/

Examples of their work: https://www.culturehack.io/hacks/

Their Fellowship: https://www.culturehack.io/fellowship/

The Web of Meaning by Jeremy Lent: https://www.jeremylent.com/the-web-of-meaning.html

*Please note, as flagged in the intro and outro, the correct terms referred to in our discussion are wu-wei and yu-wei

The first of the solo episodes where Hannah works through the five areas of the tree framework from Episode 1. In these episodes we exploring what it means for different aspects of organisational practice to be more or less regenerative and reflect on what the episodes so far have taught us.

In this episode we dive deep into the soil and explore the foundational, "grounding" elements of an organisation.

We look at organisational histories and legacies, their key statements of identity and purpose and the legal and financial arrangements upon which organisations are based. And we investigate how these elements can support the organisation to contribute to the greater thriving of life.

As mentioned in the show, the database from UCL's Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery can be found here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/

"Just because the system is broken, it doesn't mean we have to be"

"Mine your imagination, not the Earth"

In this discussion with multi-award winning environmental entrepreneur Kresse Wesling CBE, we go deep into what it means to be regenerative at a very human level.

We talk about what it means to be a regenerative organisation and how she has embedded the values of regeneration into her own luxury business. We cover the role of money, how to think about growth, the wisdom of childhood and the importance of welcoming emotions into your work.

Kresse's clear, frank and grounded perspective is a powerful reminder to not get stuck on the challenges and to embrace the joy and freedom of working and living regeneratively.

Key links

https://www.elvisandkresse.com/

https://www.instagram.com/elvisandkresse/

In this episode I speak with entrepreneur, farmer and founder of the Regeneration Academy Yanniek Schoonhoven.

Yanniek shares with us a really simple and powerful framework for thinking about it means to be a regenerative organisation and we talk about the practical steps she has taken to bring this to life in the organisations she runs.

We discuss the challenges of pursuing this path and the key practices that can help you to do so successfully.

Yanniek challenges us all to move away from what we know and the established patterns and instead to ask "Is this the world we want to build?"

Key Links

La Junquera: www.lajunquera.com

Commonland 4 Returns: https://www.commonland.com/4-returns/

Courses on regenerative agriculture: www.regeneration-academy.org

Come and help with reforestation: https://ecosystemrestorationcamps.org/camp-altiplano/

In this introductory episode we’ll gather up some critical tools for our onward journey. We’ll explore what this word “regenerative” means and how it could relate to organizations. I share my own definition of a regenerative organization and offer three initial points about what this definition tells us about what it means for an organization to be more regenerative.

I also introduce a framework that we will be using throughout the podcast, share a few words about the amazing guests we are about to meet and encourage us to set some intentions for how we want to approach the discussions to follow.

Thank you for being here.

In this podcast we will meet pioneering organisations and communities experimenting with radically different ways of operating that put the greater thriving of life at the centre.

Regenerative organisation specialist Hannah Temple introduces us to businesses, charities, movements and governments from all over the world. We will learn about their journeys and gather lessons from their experience that we can all use to make our own organisations and initiatives more supportive of a thriving future for us all.

Let's get started.