Seeds of Tao: Impact entrepreneurs seeding regenerative paths beyond sustainability

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StorySeed Community and Resource Commons - a community of like minded impact entrepreneurs cultivating their regenerative businesses, and also a storehouse of free resources and all the recordings of our events for impact entrepreneurs.

Join us in Episode 136 of the Seeds of Tao Podcast as we chat with Matthew Sherman. From coaching to performance psychology, and even a transformative health crisis, Matthew's story is a captivating journey into regenpreneurship. Learn how he defines regenerative business, shifting away from old mechanistic thinking, and discover his insights on changing the programming of your business for a brighter, more regenerative future. Tune in and let Matthew's transition away from business as usual, towards business built on regenerative principles inspire you as you cultivate your regenerative business! 🔥🌱

You can find the full show notes on our website.

Guest Bio: Matthew Sherman

Matthew Sherman is widely known as a community creator, and culinary innovator. His mission over the past decade has been to transform the category of healthy foods from a boring, arduous and exclusive landscape to a fun, and inspiring experience, focused on building the community of health. Sherman's multifaceted abilities to brand, lead and cultivate experiences quickly set him apart from other entrepreneurs and chefs. In his late 20's Sherman started to truly understand how dynamic, human performance really is. "The approach to health has to be all encompassing. You cannot drive a car with one tire and you cannot create optimal performance without examining a persons food choices, physical movement, past experiences, DNA, cognitive tools, emotional flexibility and strength, relationships and spirituality." Says Matthew. In 2010 Sherman embarked on a journey to nourish his community and raise the vibration of clients, customers and employees. The vision was to provide the most nutrient dense food and juices that he possibly could. He opened jugofresh, an organic cold-pressed juice, smoothie and vegan food restaurant, which quickly gained a cult like following. Both jugofresh and Matthew received national and international attention with appearances on the Today Show, articles in Conde Naste, Travel & Leisure and USA today, as well as features in The Miami Herald, Ocean Drive, and Miami Magazine. Sherman recently launched Oneness Projects, LLC in June of 2018, which is forging new and progressive ideas, building a real estate and revitalization project. Matthew is committed to spreading his core values of more unity, more peace, more love, and ultimately more thriving free people.

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StorySeed Community and Resource Commons - a community of like minded impact entrepreneurs cultivating their regenerative businesses, and also a storehouse of free resources and all the recordings of our events for impact entrepreneurs.

In Episode 135 of the Seeds of Tao Podcast, we embark on a soulful journey with Hoda Mohajerani, the visionary behind Chakra Chai. Discover the profound story that led to the creation of this unique organic, ayurvedic food and beverage company. Hoda shares the transformative power of a deeply significant life event that ignited a passion for accelerating human consciousness through their business. From sourcing organic to giving back to charitable causes and fostering a cradle-to-cradle lifecycle, Chakra Chai is rewriting the script on conscious entrepreneurship. Tune in to explore the inspiring tale of creation, commitment, and a profound connection to the natural world. 🍵🌿

You can find the full show notes and resources on our website.

Guest Bio:

Hoda Mohajerani has synthesized over three decades of experience in women's, environmental and human rights advocacy; natural medicines, premium organic branding, fashion and music production; into a systems-based, servant-leadership, to nurture and realize visions for people and the planet.

A graduate from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, Hoda's academic background spans sociology, literature, arabic and comparative religions. She has worked with various ngo's such as the Women's Environmental Network, the UN, the Centre for the Study of Democracy and has been a frequent guest on the BBC.

She has been described by those closest to her as a: Visionary Leader. Servant of Love. Critical thinker and Compassionate Bullshit Slayer.

The many routes of Hoda's personal "Silk Road" all eventually led to the founding of CHAKRA CHAI: A regenerative, mission-driven company rooted in the five thousand year tradition of Ayurveda. Their primary tagline "Conscious Nourishment for The Conscious Age" hints at the company's fundamental principle: Consciousness is at the heart of our existence. Our

heightened (or reduced) access to Consciousness determines the realities that we experience- individually and collectively.

Hoda says "we are not just another food and beverage brand. Chakra Chai is a vehicle for our collective movement towards higher consciousness, reconnecting us to the sacred nature of creation and food as a form of Communion."

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StorySeed Marketing and Messaging Course - a comprehensive course for regenerative entrepreneurs to build and scale their message and marketing efforts. (currently at beta price)

In Episode 134 of the Seeds of Tao Podcast, we embark on an enchanting journey with Sarah Spencer, where she unveils the incredible potential of thinking like a tree. Sarah's passion for finding nature-inspired solutions to the world's challenges shines through as she shares her transformation from a human rights lawyer to a social permaculture advocate. Discover how nature's patterns can enrich our personal lives and businesses, fostering resilience, long-term vision, and a deeper connection with the natural world. Sarah's insights offer a refreshing perspective on reimagining success through the lens of the forest. Tune in, get inspired, and explore the secrets of nature with Sarah Spencer. 🌱🌳

You can find the show notes and other resources on our site.

Guest Bio: Sarah Spencer

I help visionary leaders and team-members grow their purpose-led enterprises (of all size and type) in a way that is healthy, resilient, creative and abundant, inspired by living-systems success. In our complex and uncertain world, leaders and their organisations are facing multiple issues: Funding and finance worries Employee dissatisfaction, lack of productivity Work-life balance issues Worries around sustainability Adapting and innovating in volatile markets... Through working with us, visionary (but sometimes overwhelmed) leaders can discover how to unleash the potential that is within their team, their organisation and their networks, to create regenerative organisations fit for 21st century challenges. We know that nature is a perfect role model for success, resilience, adaptability and health, and because our organisations are dynamic living systems (not machines as outdated paradigms would have us believe), when visionary leaders transition their teams to new, regenerative ways of working, they create positive flows for themselves, their teams, their stakeholders and the world. Our key programmes are: Think like a Forest Regenerative Organisation FUNDAMENTALS – for leaders and changemakers in purpose-led businesses and organisations – a 3 month online course -a deep-drive into growing an making an impact with your regenerative organisation. Think like a Forest Regenerative Organisation ADVENTURE – for whole teams or whole organisations. A whole-team adventure over 6 months. Think like a Forest Regenerative Organisation EXPERIENCE – a one day introduction to regenerative business, in-person, in nature. You can read more about everything we offer, including the bios of myself and other trainers, at https://www.thinklikeatree.co.uk/for-businesses-and-organisations/ We are also looking for nature-inspired visionaries to join our network of Think like a Tree facilitators. Get in touch if you would like to add Think like a Tree facilitation to your existing skills. My background: My experience in business, organisations, charities, social enterprises as an entrepreneur spans decades. The common thread is the purpose-led nature of my work, for people and planet. My career began as a legal representative and team leader for the UK's largest refugee charity. I later trained extensively in a range of regenerative practices, including regenerative leadership, permaculture (land and social), forest school and regenerative design. I founded Think like a Tree in 2017 and published Think like a Tree: the natural principles guide to life in 2019.

Promotional Links:

StorySeed Marketing and Messaging Course - a comprehensive course for regenerative entrepreneurs to build and scale their message and marketing efforts. (currently at beta price)

In Episode 133 of the Seeds of Tao Podcast, we delve into the heart of personal resilience and its pivotal role in shaping ecological and community resilience. Join Emily and Josh Prieto as they unravel the art of aligning purpose with goals, navigating the impact of your actions, and fortifying your journey with empowerment and release practices. 🎙️✨ Discover the key to becoming a resilient leader and fostering the change our world craves. Tune in for insights that empower your regenerative journey! 🌿🌍

You can find the accompanying blog post on our website.

Promotional Links:

StorySeed Message and Marketing Course - a comprehensive course for regenerative entrepreneurs to build and scale their message and marketing efforts. (currently at beta price)

Being an entrepreneur is tough, and being an impact entrepreneur working to create a regenerative business can feel like an uphill battle. In episode 132, LaUra Schmidt joins us to shed light on the importance of taking care of ourselves, our Zone 0, as we work to create positive change. She especially talks through the aspect of eco-grief, how to work through that feeling, and protecting ourselves from burnout (a common plague among entrepreneurs).

You can find the show notes and other resources on our site.

Guest Bio: LaUra Schmidt

LaUra Schmidt is the founder of the Good Grief Network and the brain behind the "10-Steps to Resilience & Empowerment in a Chaotic Climate" program and the FLOW Facilitation Training modality. She is a lifelong student, curator, and practitioner of personal and collective resilience strategies. LaUra holds a BS in Environmental Studies, Biology, and Religious Studies and an MS is in Environmental Humanities. LaUra has earned certificates in "Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy" and "Climate Psychology."

We don't become impact entrepreneurs without some sense of purpose and desire for impact. And as entrepreneurs, our level of personal development and mindset is so closely linked to the health of our business, it's important to be always progressing and building our emotional resiliency. Today's episode 131 is the recording of a Masterclass from back in January with Anamaria, where she guides us through different exercises to connect with ourselves on a deeper level and align ourselves with our highest level of purpose.

You can find the Masterclass recording, with video, in our free Resource Commons. We are now hosting Masterclasses every month, so you can find out the next Masterclass on our site as well.

We also have the show notes and accompanying resources on our site.

Presenter Bio: Anamaria Aristizabal

Anamaria Aristizabal is a Master Certified Integral Coach®, Leadership Trainer, Culture Consultant, and Trained Facilitator dedicated to supporting individuals, teams, and organization in their development and change initiatives. She excels at designing impactful coaching programs, as well as workshops and transformational journeys with creative and participatory methodologies. With her work she hopes to inspire, empower, and transform, in order to generate positive social, environmental, and economic impact. She is based near Bogotá, Colombia in an intentional ecological community called Aldeafeliz, a global demonstration center for a regenerative and inspirational lifestyle. She seeks to contribute to a transition towards more empowered, humane, entrepreneurial, and regenerative cultures that facilitate the next stage of human evolution.

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• Synergetic Press: a diverse and eclectic catalog of books that cover topics such as ecology, sustainability, indigenous cultures, visionary art, and more. Use discount code tao20 at checkout for a 20% discount that also supports the podcast
• Resource Commons and Community Forum: an open community, packed with free resources, of regenerative entrepreneurs creating change through the business they start, build, and grow.

Step into the world of regenerative design with us on Episode 130 of the Seeds of Tao Podcast. 🌿✨ Join us in conversation with Erik Ohlsen, a passionate permaculture designer, and founder of Permaculture Artisans. From tending a 1-acre food forest to transforming industries, Erik's journey is a symphony of change. Discover how he breathes life into landscapes and envisions an economy deeply rooted in regenerative practices. Tune in and explore how Erik's story can inspire you to create lasting impact! 🎙️🌍

Check out the full show notes and accompanying blog post on our site!

Guest Bio: Erik Ohlsen

Erik Ohlsen is a passionate writer, inspiring educator and experienced professional landscape designer. His goal is to help people connect deeper with nature and themselves. www.erikohlsen.com Erik is an internationally renowned certified permaculture designer/practitioner and certified permaculture teacher. For nearly 20 years he has taught ecological landscape design and implementation to thousands of students and clients around the world. He is driven to looking for effective ways to reach larger audiences in his mission to steward the environment. Erik is the Director of the Permaculture Skills Center, a vocational training school which offers advanced education in ecological design, landscaping, farming and land stewardship. He is also the Founder/Principal at Permaculture Artisans, a fully licensed contracting firm specializing in the design and installation of ecological landscapes and farms throughout California. In the field of ecological land development and management, Erik has extensive experience with projects that range from small urban lots to 100+ broadacre design and implementation. His many years of experience observing and listening to landscape patterns, and managing installation crews and design teams, have led to an extensive knowledge of all aspects of ecological land development and planning. He is a specialist in water harvesting systems, food forest design, community organizing, facilitation, vocational education and more. Erik resides in Sebastopol, California with his wife Lauren, raising a family, a homestead and running their businesses.

Promotional Links:

StorySeed Message and Marketing Course - a comprehensive course for regenerative entrepreneurs to build and scale their message and marketing efforts. (currently at beta price)

Regenerative Brand Archetype Quiz - a free lesson from StorySeed, this quiz will help you identify your dominant brand archetypes and the accompanying Toolkit with help you apply that knowledge into your marketing so you can show up with a consistent personality and voice to your audience.

Ever wondered how to redefine the investor-entrepreneur dynamic? 🤔 Join us for an insightful chat with Alessandra Caine in Episode 129 of the Seeds of Tao Podcast. 🎙️ Discover how Alessandra's journey from nurturing large-scale landscapes to venturing into ecommerce paved the way to shaping the narrative around regenerative business. Explore challenges, transitions, and the wisdom of seeking the right people as she shares valuable advice for fellow impact entrepreneurs. 🌍✨ Tune in to explore the world of investing in regeneration and be inspired to change the game! 🌟🌿

Check out our website for the full show notes.

Guest Bio: Alessandra Caine - LinkedIn Profile

Trained as an environmental scientist, I believe the best way to accelerate the shift towards a regenerative economy is to understand that any business operates in a complex ecosystem and its social and environmental impacts go beyond its factories. Only by redesigning business models with these impacts in mind, we will be able to transform our value chains in truly sustainable ones. With almost 10 years of experience in international sustainability programs worldwide, I am dedicated to scale successful solutions by working alongside impact investors and companies which are serious about halting and preserving biodiversity.

Host Bio: Emily Prieto - LinkedIn Profile

Emily is an explorer for the new creative solarpunk world and catalyst for regenerative economies and permanent cultures (permacultures). As the co-founder of Seeds of Tao she helps create experiences and opportunities for entrepreneurs to build strong regenerative enterprises. She is an artist, creative designer, and brand strategist who has worked with small and large businesses to create content that shares the brand identity through a compelling message and story. Using her creative design talent, Emily has also become a permaculture land designer, helping to design both commercial and residential lands for long-term regenerative change. She fluently speaks Spanish and English, adores Latin-American culture and chooses to build community and regenerative stewardship in the rainforests of Central America alongside her husband and four children.

Promotional Links:

StorySeed Message and Marketing Course - a comprehensive course for regenerative entrepreneurs to build and scale their message and marketing efforts. (currently at beta price)

Regenerative Brand Archetype Quiz - a free lesson from StorySeed, this quiz will help you identify your dominant brand archetypes and the accompanying Toolkit with help you apply that knowledge into your marketing so you can show up with a consistent personality and voice to your audience.

Join us in Episode 128 of the Seeds of Tao Podcast, where we explore the art of collaborative storytelling for impact entrepreneurs. From shaping internal narratives within teams to embracing collective movements, we delve into the four quadrants that interlace personal and collective stories. Discover how these interconnected tales cultivate regenerative businesses and contribute to a vibrant tapestry of transformation. Tune in as we unravel the power of collaborative storytelling in crafting a more harmonious world.

You can see the full show notes on our site.

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Regenerative Business Economy Community and Resource Commons

In episode 127 of the Seeds of Tao Podcast, Thomas Richardson is joining us to share his amazing journey from his gypsy travels around Europe, to regenerative entrepreneurship. Through his experience with a myriad of people, a mindset of lifelong learning, and boots on the ground experience in festival and event creation, he's crafted his journey into regeneration. Like so many of us, along his journey Thomas made a huge pivot to live a higher level of alignment with his values and passion in regenerative entrepreneurship. Join us in this episode as we talk about entrepreneurship, the power of regeneration, and transitioning the economy from an extractive system to a regenerative one.

You can check out the full show notes on our site.

Guest Bio: Thomas Richardson

I'm a serial entrepreneur with a varied and completely unique history. I held the title of head elephant boy for Chipperfield's circus at 13, launched a music producing label and studio in my early career, founded and currently run Geosculpt Ireland, an award-winning environmentally innovative garden and landscape business that brings traditional stonemasonry techniques into the 21st century with advanced permaculture and cutting-edge design, and am the founder and CEO of GEIA, the Global Ecological Investment Agency, which finds novel ways to fund regenerative agricultural and ecological projects through full circle systems.

Host Bio: Joshua Prieto

Josh is the Co-Founder and Director of the Seeds of Tao learning platform for regenerative entrepreneurs. He has over 10 years of experience creating, building, and operating startup solutions alongside entrepreneurs of all shapes and sizes. That experience has shown him that entrepreneurs have the biggest role to play in the Anthropocene as we either create the solutions for, or become the root problem of, our people, planet, and future. Josh now co-creates educational programs that disrupt the current way our entrepreneurs learn. His holistically designed educational programs empower entrepreneurs to stop chasing "silver-bullet" solutions and start designing solutions that use regenerative systems.