This is the essential question that Ada Parris has for us. What kind of ancestor do you want to be?
Ada Parris is a futurist, artist, and relational ecologist, recognised by Forbes Brazil as one of the world’s most influential futurists.
Through The Presence Lab™ and her frameworks, she bridges ancestral wisdom with innovation, helping leaders navigate complexity with integrity and presence.
I saw Ada speak at an event in Amsterdam a few months ago and wanted to hear more so I invited her to be a guest on my podcast.
Ada shares with us her journey in three acts and how she gets the word out about her business (and how that has changed over time). And the fact that she didn't have a marketing strategy.
Some key takeaways. The value of knowing what you're really good at. The power of truly seeing someone, valuing them and creating a connection.
Because of all of the connections she created during her first act, when she shifted to her second act which focused on community building, those people followed her because they were interested in her and what she was doing.
Shifting into her third act the last two years she had to slow down to write her book (link below). Which included a huge unmasking of who she is and who she thought she was. She discovered she is much more than her biography and all of the things she does.
The way she is getting the word out about her work now is something she calls, 'vulnerable authority.' And realizing it's OK to change your mind. It's OK to unmask, and let go.
"People pleasing is manipulation with a smile." Author unknown
She finds her work so meaningful because injustice has always made her cry, even as a child. The world is not binary, there are paradoxes. We can be part of the problem and part of the solution. Supporting people to fully be themselves at work and in life. What if curiosity is the antidote to fear.
Remember that we are not separate from nature. We are nature. What we are creating is creating us. What we are destroying is destroying us.
Watch or listen to our conversation below.
Check our her work on her website and her work as an artist. And buy her new book, Leadership Legacy: A Manifesto to Create a Mindful Future and A Thriving Planet.
And watch her two TEDx talks, Finding our future in ancestral wisdom and What type of Ancestor do you want to be?
To wrap up Ada shared the quote below to give us all reassurance.
"Nature loves courage. You make the commitment and nature will respond to that commitment by removing impossible obstacles. Dream the impossible dream and the world will not grind you under, it will lift you up. This is the trick. This is what all these teachers and philosophers who really counted, who really touched the alchemical gold, this is what they understood. This is the shamanic dance in the waterfall. This is how magic is done. By hurling yourself into the abyss and discovering its a feather bed." Terence McKenna
What's your biggest takeaway from our conversation?
And if you'd like my support in creating your Meaningful Third Act, find out more here.
For even more advice, as well as ways I can support you with your business or with your Meaningful Third Act, head to my website fireflycoaching.com.
Make it meaningful,
Stephanie
