Integral Voices

This episode of Integral Voices is an invitation to the dialogue and inquiry intended at the upcoming Integral African Conference. The conference is an opportunity to further our understanding of human development while drawing on the gifts and conditions of the African context. The conversation circles the theme of the role of solidarity in engaging the cascading crises that is the current global reality. Each of the panelists featured in this episode are speakers at the upcoming conference.

Panelists

Panel Moderator: Aftab Omer, Ph.D. is the president of Meridian University which offers degree and professional programs globally, emphasizing the power of transformative learning. He is a sociologist, psychologist, developmentalist, and futurist. Raised in Pakistan, India, Hawaii, and Turkey, he was educated at the universities of M.I.T, Harvard and Brandeis. His publications have addressed the topics of transformative learning, dialogic capability, developmental power, cultural leadership, civil society, generative entrepreneurship, and the power of imagination. Aftab’s advising work focuses on team development and on leveraging the creative potentials of conflict, diversity, and complexity.

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Dr. Rica Viljoen is the convener of the upcoming Integral African Conference. a Jungian-coach,  systems psycho dynamically-informed consultant and post-merger-and-acquisition specialist. She is widely published. The book Spiral Dynamics In Action is translated in 9 languages. She consults to organisations  on Inclusive, and multi-culturalism. Her purpose in life is to help people to find their authentic voice. (Rica’s internet prevented participation in this episode).

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Ruan Viljoen is a professional oganisational development practitioner. He specialises in Rogerian, Humanistic and psycho-analytical group process facilitation. With more than 10 years consulting and facilitation experience. Ruan currently holds the position of Director of Business Development at his current company, Mandala Consulting.

Ruan is personally trained by Dr Don Beck and Dr Loraine Laubscher in Spiral Dynamics and adaptive intelligence and he is an expert on the Change State Indicator and Integral Values Map (IV-Map) instruments that describe adaptive intelligence.

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Paddy Pampallis - consciousness activist - brings extensive experience to the conversational reality of all relationships.  Founder/director of Integral Africa, The Coaching Centre, her work is grounded in core wisdom approaches to change, development and healing. The Integral U (Ubuntu) Theory has emerged through decades of immersive, transformative learning experiences run publically and in-house, for leaders and students in learning to become more fully humane and connected to self, others, systems and our environment.  The IU conversation guides the way.

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Vusi Vilakati, PhD, specializes in African spiritual consciousness and leadership practice, humanism, corporate activism, social purposes, and theology. With extensive experience in organizational consulting, learning and development, leadership development, coaching, and mentoring, he is passionate about future-fit leadership for Africa’s holistic and sustainable advancement.

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Luvuyo Madasa is an experienced development professional and current Director of ReimagineSA NPC - a public benefit organization rooted in the principles of Ubuntu. His work involves convening various stakeholders to collaborate on developmental programs designed to enhance the well-being of South Africans, reinforcing the goals of democracy and equitable development. Website: https://www.reimaginesa.com/

What is the true nature of inner freedom? How do we recognize the legitimacy of the other? How do destiny and humility relate to leadership?

In this touching and emergent Integral Voices conversation between Peter Senge and Aftab Omer, they draw on ideas expressed by Martin Buber, Humberto Maturana and Peter‘s work in South Africa to explore these questions.

What are the enabling conditions for reuniting care and economics? Are these also the conditions for the birth of an ecological civilization? Can we get real about markets and what the social wealth economic indicators are that promote real thinking about the human future? In this Integral Voices conversation, three Pathfinders, Riane Eisler, David Korten, and Hazel Henderson, are joined by moderator Aftab Omer to engage each other’s ideas candidly and creatively to make sense of our historical moment.

Hanno Burmester's soon-to-be-published book by Perspectiva Press, Unlearn: A Compass for Radical Transformation, offers a doorway into understanding the role of "unlearning" in transformative change and transformative leadership.
 
The panel conversation will also draw on Tomas Björkman's books The World We Create and The Nordic Secret, Monica Sharma’s book Radical Transformational Leadership: Strategic Action for Change Agents, and Indra Adnan’s forthcoming book The Politics of Waking Up: Power & Possibility in the Fractal Age.
 
Hanno Burmester works at the intersection of societal, organisational and individual transformation. He is author of the book Unlearn. A Compass for Radical Transformation (Perspectiva Press), and a frequent speaker at international events and conferences. As Policy Fellow at the Berlin-based think tank Das Progressive Zentrum, Hanno designs, writes and facilitates around the future of democracy. With his company Unlearn, he helps companies transform towards cultures of self-organisation.

Dr. Monica Sharma, a physician and epidemiologist, worked for the United Nations for 23 years, directed programs for whole systems transformation and leadership development world-wide. She led teams for policy, strategy and programme development in over 60 countries, building multi-stakeholder partnerships. Currently, she works with United Nations, universities, management institutions, governments, non-governmental organisations, civil society, business, media, and other organizations. She created a unique response model based on extensive application –a conscious full-spectrum response model- and generated equitable and sustainable results on several Sustainable Development Goals, worldwide. Monica Sharma is the author of the award -winning book “Radical Transformational Leadership”. 

Tomas Bjorkman is an entrepreneur in financial services, media, property and banking. He founded Investment Banking Partners AB and served as chairman of EFG Investment Bank. In 2009, Tomas established the Ekskäret Foundation in Stockholm, which aims to facilitate personal development and social change. A special focus of the foundation is supporting the development of social entrepreneurs and the understanding of the complexities of social change. The foundation operates a conference and retreat facility on its island Ekskäret in the Stockholm archipelago. 

Indra Adnan is Co-initiator of The Alternative UK political platform and been writing consistently about soft power, public diplomacy and the power of attraction and relationship in international relations for over a decade, in major UK and US publications. Indra has consulted to the World Economic Forum, Indian, Finnish and Danish governments, NATO, the Scottish Executive and the Institute of Contemporary Arts amongst others. She wrote over seven years for The Guardian and The Huffington Post. Her book The Politics of Waking Up: Power & Possibility In The Fractal Age will be published by Perspectiva Press in May 2021.

Aftab Omer, Ph.D. (Moderator) is a sociologist, psychologist, futurist and the president of Meridian University. Raised in Pakistan, India, Hawaii, and Turkey, he was educated at the universities of M.I.T, Harvard and Brandeis. His publications have addressed the topics of transformative learning, cultural leadership, generative entrepreneurship and the power of imagination. His work includes assisting organizations in tapping the creative potentials of conflict, diversity, and complexity. Formerly the president of the Council for Humanistic and Transpersonal Psychologies, he is a Fellow of the International Futures Forum and the World Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Monica Sharma and Aftab Omer in Conversation

What makes leaders trustworthy? How can cultural and system transformation be scaled? How do transformative leaders serve by engaging worldviews? In this conversation between Monica Sharma and Aftab Omer they identify some of the capabilities required for transformative leaders to systemically engage the fragilities and possibilities of our time.  

Monica Sharma is a physician and epidemiologist, who spent 22 years at the United Nations with a focus on developing leaders In many countries around the world. Her book, Radical Transformative Leadership, admired by authors like Peter Senge and Daniel Goleman offers a coherent model for practitioners of transformative leadership. In the midst of the interlocking and cascading crises that people around the world are enduring, Monica‘s work is of critical importance. 

View the full Integral Voices archive and sign up to stay updated on future episodes at https://meridianuniversity.edu/integralvoices. Integral Voices is produced by the Center for Transformative Learning at Meridian University.

Thomas Steininger and Aftab Omer in Conversation
 
Can we respond to the multi-dimensional crises of our time with a different kind of speaking and listening? Can we protect and preserve the great storehouse of ideas, stories and practices embedded in human cultures?  In this conversation between Thomas Steininger and Aftab Omer, they explore the power of dialogue to deepen democracy and transform culture so that the great transmission of human capacities may endure.
 
View the full Integral Voices archive and sign up to stay updated on future episodes at https://meridianuniversity.edu/integralvoices. Integral Voices is produced by the Center for Transformative Learning at Meridian University.

Nina Simons and Aftab Omer in conversation:

In this expansive and heartful conversation, Nina Simons and Aftab Omer explore the shadows and possibilities of entrepreneurship. Holding a vision of local interdependence and generative globalization, they discuss how transformative innovation gathers social, technological and cultural dimensions in ways that regenerate the commons.

View the full Integral Voices archive and sign up to stay updated on future episodes at https://meridianuniversity.edu/integralvoices. Integral Voices is produced by the Center for Transformative Learning at Meridian University.

Integral Voices

"Listening to the Voice of the Field: The Great Conductor and the Black Hole"

Thomas Hubl and Aftab Omer in Conversation on Collective Trauma and Social Healing

In this wide-ranging and emergent conversation, Thomas Hubl and Aftab Omer explore collective trauma, social healing, and the ways in which scientific inquiry and mystical understanding inform the challenging work of collective trauma practitioners. Aftab and Thomas share their reflections on related themes including the COVID-19 pandemic, collective presencing, the intimate internet, and the power of creative surrender.

View the full Integral Voices archive and sign up to stay updated on future episodes at https://meridianuniversity.edu/integralvoices. Integral Voices is produced by the Center for Transformative Learning at Meridian University.