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Language, Trust, and the Power of Participation | 040
Ilja Maiber on why meeting people where they are is the most radical thing a change agent can do
This episode is for anyone who has ever confused knowing something in theory with actually being able to do it, for impact-driven professionals who find sales and marketing uncomfortable, and for facilitators, leaders, and changemakers who want to understand when to involve others and when to decide alone.
I sat down with Ilja Maiber, community weaver, process facilitator, and participatory design practitioner at the Institute for Participatory Design and he takes us through his life's journey that took some twists and turns until finding meaning and purpose in his current work.
We explore how overthinking is often a form of avoidance, why feedback is a gift once you stop defending yourself against it, and how the language we use around concepts like sustainability can either connect or disconnect us from the very people we want to reach.
We also talk about the GO! Hamburg project, which supports social entrepreneurs in Germany through events, community building on the Circle platform, and ecosystem development.
The episode closes with Ilja's reflections on a two-month journey through Kenya and Uganda and how travelling changed his relationship with fear, possibility, and the kind of courage it takes to act before you fully believe in yourself. The biggest shared lesson from this conversation: stop accumulating knowledge and start collecting real experiences, because that is where transformation actually happens.
💡 HIGHLIGHTS of this Episode
✨ Overthinking is often avoidance in disguise
✨ Feedback is a free gift to take or leave, not a verdict on who you are
✨ Participation creates ownership, ownership drives implementation
✨ Meet people in their language, not yours
✨ Act first, believe later: evidence creates confidence
👋 ABOUT Ilja Maiber
Ilja is a facilitator, community weaver and lover of all the good things life has to offer - whether it's spending time with friends, discovering the world by traveling it, or getting lost in the stories of the people he meets close to and far from home.
🔗 CONNECT & follow Ilja Maiber's work
👉 LinkedIn
👉 Institute for Participatory Design
👉 GO!Hamburg
💌 CONNECT & engage with Pia
Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn to follow and support each other’s work. 🤗
If you consider yourself an #impactjobseeker or aspiring #impactpreneur at the beginning of your journey, jump on my Newsletter “Impact Insights” where I regularly share tools and best practices from my work as a sustainability consultant and system change facilitator. 🤓⚖
For daily insights “behind the scenes” and event updates, join the extended community on the @work.with.impact Instagram account. 🧐💓
Share this Podcast with a least 1 Person! - Spread hope for a regenerative future! 🌻
Take care of yourself and others!
Pia 🤍
P.S. You can also watch this Episode on our YouTube Channel to see our faces 👋☺
#SystemsChange #CommunityWeaving #ParticipatoryDesign #SocialEntrepreneurship #ProcessFacilitation #ImpactDriven #SustainabilityLeadership #ChangeAgents #FeedbackCulture #CoCreation #RegenerativePractice #ImpactpreNeur #GoHamburg #CollaborationMatters #TransformationJourney
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By Pia HillebrechtIlja Maiber on why meeting people where they are is the most radical thing a change agent can do
This episode is for anyone who has ever confused knowing something in theory with actually being able to do it, for impact-driven professionals who find sales and marketing uncomfortable, and for facilitators, leaders, and changemakers who want to understand when to involve others and when to decide alone.
I sat down with Ilja Maiber, community weaver, process facilitator, and participatory design practitioner at the Institute for Participatory Design and he takes us through his life's journey that took some twists and turns until finding meaning and purpose in his current work.
We explore how overthinking is often a form of avoidance, why feedback is a gift once you stop defending yourself against it, and how the language we use around concepts like sustainability can either connect or disconnect us from the very people we want to reach.
We also talk about the GO! Hamburg project, which supports social entrepreneurs in Germany through events, community building on the Circle platform, and ecosystem development.
The episode closes with Ilja's reflections on a two-month journey through Kenya and Uganda and how travelling changed his relationship with fear, possibility, and the kind of courage it takes to act before you fully believe in yourself. The biggest shared lesson from this conversation: stop accumulating knowledge and start collecting real experiences, because that is where transformation actually happens.
💡 HIGHLIGHTS of this Episode
✨ Overthinking is often avoidance in disguise
✨ Feedback is a free gift to take or leave, not a verdict on who you are
✨ Participation creates ownership, ownership drives implementation
✨ Meet people in their language, not yours
✨ Act first, believe later: evidence creates confidence
👋 ABOUT Ilja Maiber
Ilja is a facilitator, community weaver and lover of all the good things life has to offer - whether it's spending time with friends, discovering the world by traveling it, or getting lost in the stories of the people he meets close to and far from home.
🔗 CONNECT & follow Ilja Maiber's work
👉 LinkedIn
👉 Institute for Participatory Design
👉 GO!Hamburg
💌 CONNECT & engage with Pia
Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn to follow and support each other’s work. 🤗
If you consider yourself an #impactjobseeker or aspiring #impactpreneur at the beginning of your journey, jump on my Newsletter “Impact Insights” where I regularly share tools and best practices from my work as a sustainability consultant and system change facilitator. 🤓⚖
For daily insights “behind the scenes” and event updates, join the extended community on the @work.with.impact Instagram account. 🧐💓
Share this Podcast with a least 1 Person! - Spread hope for a regenerative future! 🌻
Take care of yourself and others!
Pia 🤍
P.S. You can also watch this Episode on our YouTube Channel to see our faces 👋☺
#SystemsChange #CommunityWeaving #ParticipatoryDesign #SocialEntrepreneurship #ProcessFacilitation #ImpactDriven #SustainabilityLeadership #ChangeAgents #FeedbackCulture #CoCreation #RegenerativePractice #ImpactpreNeur #GoHamburg #CollaborationMatters #TransformationJourney