By Gerdi Verwoert, Dare Greatly Coach & Guide
The podcast currently has 51 episodes available.
What do the pharmaceutical industry and an icebreaker turned polar cruise vessel have in common? You’re forgiven when your answer to this question is, “Absolutely nothing!”
You would – however – be wrong. Because my guest today is the link between these two very different worlds.
Entrepreneur in the polar expedition world
Heather Thorkelson is an entrepreneur who runs a coaching company, a polar expedition company, and is part owner of a polar ship management company.
While she was successful in the structured 9-5 world, she always hated the lack of agency and the arbitrary rules which led her to abandon that world for good in 2010.
Since then she has built companies based around her values and made a concerted effort to live closer to nature.
No plan B
In 2020 she put her experience of leaving the corporate world without a fixed plan for her future on paper in her book ‘No Plan B: A Handbook for Incurable Entrepreneurs and Other Rebellious Souls’.
You know it’s a good one when marketing guru Seth Godin gives it a blurb that says:
“If you've realized that there is no cure for your desire to be an entrepreneur, Heather has a direct, honest and personal take on how to get from here to there... We each have a chance to make things better by making better things.”
Heather Believes
Heather believes in dogs, cheese and foraging in the forest.
She has lots of healthy, strong boundaries.
She believes in kindness because kindness is everything.
And — I’m glad I’m not the only one — she believes in swearing since it is, as she puts it, a creative outlet.
Heather has worked in the polar expedition world for over a decade and has returned to Antartica more than 30 times.
As the daughter of an airline pilot, Heather is a lifelong traveller and has lived long-term in 7 countries outside her passport country of Canada.
She currently lives in rural Sweden with her husband and dog.
Hi! My Name is Heather Monro.
To those of you who are regular listeners will no doubt be wondering at this point, “What’s become of the usual host, Gerdi Verwoert?”
So let me put your mind at rest. She’s still here because today’s guest is the very same Gerdi Verwoert.
For this 50th episode, it seems fitting to do something a little different and if like me, you really value Gerdi’s perspective and the line-up of wonderful conversation partners she’s gathered, maybe you’ve also wanted to hear a bit more from her.
So today the tables are turned and Gerdi is going to be my guest.
I got to know Gerdi as part of a thinking circle for soul-centred coaches. And through that connection, I’ve come to value her courage to live aligned with what’s important to her and her commitment to enabling that for others and of course, her deep connection to Nature.
But there’s lots about Gerdi that I’m intrigued to hear more about and hence the impetus for this conversation.
Gerdi grew up in Holland and has over 20 years of experience in the corporate world as a projects and facilities manager.
But in 2010 she gave all of this up and moved to the Austrian Alps where she’s worked as a mountain hiking guide, a ski instructor and sometimes a taxi driver.
For the past six years or so she’s blended a professional coaching certification with her mountain guiding. Working with busy managers, leaders and coaches to help them connect with themselves, refocus on what their lives are about and reclaim their self-leadership.
So let’s dive into the conversation today.
Today’s guest is Torill Bye Wilhelmsen, an entrepreneurial coach from Norway. She started her slow business coaching and consultancy firm Fjellflyt to help people develop profitable and sustainable companies, so they can live off what they are passionate about.
Over the course of her career she has started two companies, won awards for innovation and website texts as a salesperson, worked as a project manager and business manager, and completed a master's degree in international economics and development.
Fjellflyt was mentioned in the world’s largest business magazine Forbes because Torill helps entrepreneurs set their ideas in motion. She helps them achieve what they can by creating a map with them showing how they can get to where they want to go.
Her clients are award-winning enthusiasts looking for an active everyday life with more meaning. They have gone from idea to a million turnover in one year, quit office jobs to see the sparkle in the snow, make beautiful and lasting products, produce proper food, work with people and create art.
Convinced entrepreneurs crave real connection with people and Nature, Torill is on a mission to help entrepreneurs get the real business and health benefits that the Walking Movement has to offer.
Changing working habits is hard when done alone, but when you get support from people like Torill who already do what you aim for, it becomes easier to chase your dreams rather than letting your dreams chase you.
Follow Torill via her website, on Linkedin or Instagram. Be sure to also check out my conversation with Garry Pratt who introduced me to Torill Wilhelmsen.
This episode is part of a series of interviews with members of The Climate Reality Project community who have trained with former US Vice President Al Gore to become Climate Reality Leaders.
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Yuriko Baba is a Sustainability and Brand Experience professional and intrapreneur with experience in leading cross-functional, multi-disciplinary teams. She has proven herself as a change agent leading with empathy. She’s also passionate about the creative arts.
Working for a global organisation with more than 100,000 employees and passionate about sustainability she wanted to have more tools to engage with the subject of climate change with her colleagues and beyond.
So in October 2021, she joined a worldwide cohort of people who wanted to become a volunteer Climate Reality Leader. That training is provided by The Climate Reality Project which was started by former US vice-president Al Gore.
The Project’s mission — as described on its website — is:
“TO CATALYZE A GLOBAL SOLUTION TO THE CLIMATE CRISIS BY MAKING URGENT ACTION A NECESSITY ACROSS EVERY SECTOR OF SOCIETY.
We believe real change comes from the ground up. We know that a small-but-committed critical mass of activists can not only transform society but change the world.
That’s why we recruit, train, and mobilize people to become powerful activists, providing the skills, campaigns, and resources to push for aggressive climate action and high-level policies that accelerate a just transition to clean energy.”
Like Yuriko, I was part of the October 2021 cohort trained by Al Gore and others to become Climate Reality Leaders.
Our conversation is part of a series of conversations I have with other members of The Climate Reality Project about their motivations to become Climate Reality Leaders and how they apply what they learned in the training.
This episode is part of a series of interviews with members of The Climate Reality Project community who have trained with former US Vice President Al Gore to become Climate Reality Leaders.
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Today’s guest is Clare Snowdon, a mum of 2 daughters – a 22- and a 7-year-old and living on the outskirts of London, UK.
By day she works as a physicist in a lab. In her spare time, she is passionate about guiding Nature connection, sharing mindfulness, championing biodiversity and getting involved in climate action.
She has co-authored two books on mindfulness (‘Mindfulness for Challenging Times’ and ‘Mindfulness for Transformation’) and she’s the author of a series of Mindful Nature Connection journals. All the proceeds of these Clare donates to the Wildlife Trusts.
She has been training with the Pachamama Alliance to better understand Climate Justice and to build the skills to take community action.
Nature Connected Neighbourhoods
At present, Clare is working on setting up Nature-Connected Neighbourhoods – a project to reconnect people with Nature through their gardens/balconies/allotments etc. and encouraging wildlife gardening/wild spaces. It will hopefully connect people without access to such spaces with people who are struggling to maintain their garden or allotment.
This is driven by a need to create corridors for Nature and very much recognises the amazing impact urban green spaces can have on biodiversity.
In addition, Clare works on building a team of people doing climate walk-and-talks to raise funds for climate justice – the aim is to fund support and reparations for the people most affected by the climate crisis.
Dragon Mindfulness and Nature Connection Centre
She set up Dragon Mindfulness and Nature Connection as a virtual centre to contain all these activities – a place to share information about mindfulness, Nature connection, mental health, the “environment,” and wildlife gardening.
This year Clare participated in the Climate Reality Leadership training developed and given by former US vice-president Al Gore.
She says she has really benefited from the connection with the community and with people around the world as a result of that.
To quote Clare: “It has been amazing listening to people’s stories and experiences and joining together with a common passion.”
Remember the first time you rode a bike and took your hands off the handlebars?
And then because it felt fun and daring you did it again - and again - riding down a hill with the wind in your face, arms up over your head screaming, “Look, ma! No hands!”
You showed up. You did it.
Letting go of the handlebars
The arc of Diane Wyzga’s professional career stretches from working as a US Navy officer, nurse, corporate businesswoman, platform storyteller, lawyer, educator, and litigation consultant to becoming a communication collaborator, story artist and podcaster.
She was lucky enough to backpack across much of Europe, scuba dive the Continental Shelf, fly a plane, parachute out of a perfectly good plane, walk the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, and so much more.
Over her lifetime she’s been letting go of the handlebars but - just as often - having her fingers pried off when she was most afraid.
At some of the darkest moments in her life where the true way was wholly lost to her, a person or opportunity beckoned and she said "Yes!" That’s the place where her story changed.
Authentic voice
Today Diane coaches professional women to confidently convey what they mean to say.
How?
With her proprietary Engaged Storyism® Method she collaborates with her clients.
Together you strategize the best story to serve your aims.
Whether you're feeling uncertain about how to identify, shape and effectively convey your personal or professional story, your vision, your message, or something else, Diane can guide you to being seen, heard, understood, and listened to.
If you want to advance your business, create clarity in life choices, produce effective results from your ideas and more she can help you arrive at your goal.
You will communicate with clarity in your one, true, powerfully authentic voice.
So let’s dive in to my conversation with Diane Wyzga and learn how she discovered her own one, true, powerfully authentic voice.
Diana Tedoldi is a leadership and teamwork development specialist. Since 2000 she’s been working in the corporate environment; first as a manager in the Organisation and HR field, and then as a freelance professional.
Throughout her professional life, she has been developing projects for organisational evolution, managerial growth, leadership and team development.
Integrating her passions
As a Professional Certified Coach and expert facilitator of personal and professional growth, she integrates her experience in HR with her passion for music, nature, creativity.
Among her accolades are a Master degree in Philosophy as well as a Post-Graduate Degree in Dance Movement Therapy and Ecotherapy. She also studied at the University of Florence to learn how to design social and organisational innovation inspired by the world of plants.
The Nature Coaching Academy
Passionate about reconnecting people and organisations with the intelligence of Nature and Her infinite resources for organic growth, Diana founded The Nature Coaching Academy. There she teaches coaches how to do sessions in connection with nature.
When you know of my mission of reconnecting people with themselves and Nature, it will come as no surprise that I was immediately fascinated by Diana and her Academy when I first learned of her.
Within The Nature Coaching Academy Diana has created the Nature Coaching and Forest Coaching® program. It is an original integration of ecopsychology, biomimicry, biophilic design, circular thinking, wild thinking, nature-connection, maieutic dialogue and somatic coaching.
Diana’s ultimate purpose is restoring our connections: within ourselves, the others, and our beloved planet, to co-create a future of life for all living beings (human and non-human).
You can follow Diana on her website and Linkedin
A passion for archaelogy
Garry Pratt has always had a passion for archaeology. A passion that had him spend a lot of time in the outdoors.
Early on though, he realised that despite having a BA in Archaeology, having a successful career in that field would be challenging even in the very best of times.
So he stepped onto a very different trail and embarked on a career in publishing and advertising. It didn’t take him long to heed the call of entrepreneurship and start his first business, Steamer Trading. The company with its unique blend of stylish cookware and housewares displayed in fantastic retail spaces was a winning combination. Garry ran it through its initial phase from independent to multiple retailer. It is now a national chain in the UK and still growing.
Entrepreneurship in his veins
Entrepreneurship must be running in his veins because over the course of time he started multiple other businesses or played an important role in ones he didn’t start.
Most notably among all of these businesses was Teachit which he founded together with his wife. Started as a way to share teaching resources with others, and encourage colleagues to do the same, Teachit grew and is now one of the leaders and key innovators in online UK education and an early innovator of monetized User-Generated Content.
Once again he moved on, ultimately landing as an Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Bath and on his current endeavour, ‘Walking Leaders’.
Walking Leaders
Garry describes himself as follows:
I’m an entrepreneur, business mentor and qualified group walking leader. Walking has always been a key part of my life – whether a simple dog walk, the work commute, or preparing for important meetings – outside is where I clear my head, gain perspective, and do my best thinking.
I truly believe the best decisions are made with the clarity of mind that comes from a mix of exercise, wildness and engaging with others, and, during my time as a business mentor and advisor, I’ve found that clients value the opportunity to refocus in the outdoor world.
[…]
Gaining perspective is a key part of developing creativity and is more likely to develop when you take a break from the ordinary. You won’t find your competitive edge at the bottom of an excel spreadsheet, however large you project it.
Follow Garry via his websites Walking Leaders and Outside Business or on social media
I am an avid follower of photographers. I simply love how they can show us the world, in particular Nature in all its beauty, in ways we’ve never seen it before.
I especially like photographers who don’t photoshop their images so much, you can’t help but think the end result looks nothing like what they actually photographed.
Today’s guest is such a photographer.
Claire Victoria Bishop, founder of ‘Rewild the Frame’, is a natural light photographer who is passionate about all things nature - you, me, others, our planet and the simple beauty of the natural world all around us.
Claire works with purpose-driven, nature-centric business owners and sustainability professionals to help them create imagery that connects with their audience and showcase their stories with ease and beauty.
Her aim is to empower others to create a positive impact for our world and inspire a healthier, happier and more sustainable way of being, living and working for us all to flourish in harmony with nature.
The focus is on real-life imagery, natural connections and creative seasonal photography.
Away from running a business, Claire lives in South Gloucestershire with her husband, four gorgeous boys and dog, Bruce.
As a family, they absolutely love to be outdoors and one of their favourite things to do outdoors is to be is by the sea. Most weekends Claire can be found walking through the fields, on the side of the rugby pitch watching her boys or walking with her camera.
She particularly enjoys lying under a tree taking in the leaves swishing above her head contemplating life.
Follow Claire on her website, Linkedin profile and Instagram.
You know you’ll be talking to an interesting person when his Linkedin headline reads like this:
“Fusing Nature Engagement, True Resilience and Individual/Business Development. Certified Facilitator in Lego® Serious Play®. Wilderness and Urban Survival Skills Instructor, FireFighter, Soldier, Business Director (x3)”
Tread Lightly
Today’s guest is Toby Cowern. He uniquely fuses his teaching background, risk management qualifications, military training and outdoors experience to deliver Wilderness and Urban Survival Skills training of the highest calibre.
Born and raised in the UK he joined the military in 1999 where he trained and worked in various roles. Some of those roles took him to training weeks and multidisciplinary exercises in Scandinavia and the Arctic Circle.
After ending his time in the military he moved to Sweden where he started his own survival company 'Tread Lightly'.
Wilderness Survival Expert in Sweden
Bringing together his extensive and broad-ranging experience in the Reserve Armed Forces, leisure industry, outdoor activities and Health and Safety industry he is its chief instructor.
His expertise lies in Extreme Cold Weather Wilderness Survival Skills (remember that Arctic Circle?) but before COVID he also travelled extensively to deliver applied Survival Training internationally.
When not teaching or studying aspects of survival, Toby also deals with Management and Coaching Consultancy as well as running various highly applied nature immersion camps and seminars, aimed at managing and reducing stress both at the individual and organisational levels.
Rewilding Yourself
Toby is passionate about using immersive nature engagement to help promote positive reconnection with the natural environment ('Rewilding Yourself') and tapping into the powerful personal development and growth that can be attained from this.
The podcast currently has 51 episodes available.