The New Ism

Juan Francisco Baron is the Artistic Director of NODO, a digital cultural centre and a platform for exhibition, creation and connection for those who seek to democratise digital culture and make it more accessible.

Juan Francisco and Mel have a conversation unlike any we have had before on The New Ism podcast. They explore creativity and artistic thinking as a path to a new ism. Juan Francisco describes how artistic thinking is how we create new worlds, and will therefore be integral to a new ism: we just need to allow people to tap into this side of their brain so they can imagine a bold new future. He also emphasises the importance of connecting and collaborating to create this new world - of finding people with the same passions and concerns, and using those commonalities as a foundation to work together to build a better future.

https://www.nodocultural.art/

In the second episode of season 4 of The New Ism podcast, we talk to another remarkable young changemaker. Louis de Jaeger is an eco-entrepreneur who is passionate about sustainable business. He has immersed himself in natural agriculture, landscaping and renewable construction and transportation, with an ultimate goal of inspiring as many people as possible to act now to save the planet. He is involved in several sustainability projects and organisations, including Food Forest Institute, Commensalist and The Biggest Tree Plant. His passion and motivation are infecitous, and Mel and Alex both left the conversation with new levels of zeal and determination! 

Louis and Mel talked about issues including the crucial importance of connecting with nature and how imperfect action now is so much better than perfect action in the future. 

We'd love to hear your thoughts! 

www.louisdejaeger.be

The New Ism podcast is back after a hiatus, and we’re delighted to be launching the new season with a remarkable panel of young social entrepreneurs. Young people must have a key role in The New Ism - not only because they will be at the front and centre of the fight against climate change, but also because they bring wisdom, fresh perspectives and exciting ideas to the conversation. And none more so than Katerina Chantzi, Melanie Marcel and Keren-Or Rosner, who we speak to today.

Katerina Chantzi is a Project Manager at Cleantech Estonia, raising awareness about climate change, climate action and leadership, and innovation. She works with young people who want to create a sustainable future and also works as an educator for social entrepreneurship and sustainable development.

Melanie Marcel is the founder of SoScience, a social enterprise which specialises in responsible research and innovation. Working with voices from across society, it aims to change the scientific system and what is produced in laboratories in order to have a positive impact on the planet.

Keren-Or Rosner is the founder of Ray of Impact, which connects businesses to nature and human nature by shifting capital into doing good and using financial methodologies to understand how activities impact on the world. She explores how we can use data to avoid doing harm and maximise growth and profit, whilst minimising environmental and societal risk.

Mel and Alex were blown away by all three of them, and we're excited for our listeners to learn from them too. 

We’re back after a break with a new, slightly different episode of the podcast. This time, Mel and Alex interviewed each another as part of a series of talks organised by the Impact Trust and thecollab.world to celebrate Earth Day 2021. Coming from different generations, we discussed the responsibility of each generation in the climate crisis and, more importantly, how we can work together to create solutions that work.

We’ll be back properly in the coming months with a brand new format and lots of exciting guests, so stay tuned and we hope to see you there!

Our guest this week is Tamzin Ractliffe, a serial social entrepreneur who has worked across the public, private and civil society sectors to drive greater impact in the application of capitals to social and sustainable development. She is the director of the Impact Trust, an organisation committed to promoting the skills that contribute to global citizenship, sustainability intelligence and leadership action. Her latest initiative is Routes to Resilience, which equips young people and professionals to become the sustainable, resilient leaders of the future.

At the heart of Mel and Tamzin’s conversation is whether we can harness what we have learned during the current coronavirus pandemic to build a better future for all. They discuss the link between the Covid-19 and climate crises, the skills we need to navigate this new future and how the way business reacts to the crisis will have a major impact on how we progress as society. Both Tamzin and Mel have thought a lot about the long-term impact of the pandemic and the opportunities and risks, so this is a really interesting listen.

Recorded in lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic, so please excuse any wifi- or tech-related challenges! 

This week’s guest is Sharath Jeevan, the founder of STiR Education and of Intrinsic Labs, and a world expert on how to reignite intrinsic motivation in our lives. STiR Education supports education systems to rekindle the inner drive of teachers and officials, so that they can role-model the foundations of lifelong learning in children - the ‘fertile soil’ of motivation, as Sharath himself refers to it. Their work currently reaches 6 million children and 200,000 teachers across India and Uganda. Sharath has gone on to establish Intrinsic Labs, which helps individuals, organisations and societies to solve their deepest motivation challenges. If our motivation is unleashed, we can all lead more meaningful and fulfilled lives.

This conversation is a fascinating look at intrinsic motivation, and how it lies at the heart of creating more effective systems but also happier and healthier lives. Sharath and Mel talk about how it can improve not only education, but also how we nurture talent, the quality of leadership and the relationship between politicians and the electorate. Sharath is a visionary with the positivity and vision it will take to build a New Ism - we hope you enjoy this chat as much as we did.

Recorded in lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic, so please excuse any wifi- or tech-related challenges!

This week’s guest is Ken Banks, the Head of Social Purpose at Yoti, a start-up which develops innovative digital identity solutions. He is also an award-winning social entrepreneur and a mobile technology and global development expert. Ken is best known for developing Frontline SMS, a mobile messaging platform used today by non-profits in over 190 countries around the world. Ken has written two books on social innovation, and is an in-demand speaker, thought leader and mentor.

Mel and Ken’s conversation is wide-ranging and free-flowing, and you can sense how much these two accomplished social entrepreneurs enjoy discussing their ideas and opinions with each other. They covered many topics, including moral leadership, the responsible use of technology, purpose and the role of business in creating better societies, and Ken’s own journey to becoming a highly respected social entrepreneur. His realistic optimism imbues the entire conversation and will leave listeners with renewed hope for a better future.

Recorded in lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic, so please excuse any wifi- or tech-related challenges!

This week we’re talking to Jeroo Billimoria, a hugely successful serial social entrepreneur who has had a profound impact on the lives of millions of children across the world through her organisations that include Child Finance International, Aflatoun International, Childline India and Child Helpline International. She is currently at the heart of Catalyst 2030, a collaboration between social entrepreneurs, governments and other organisations seeking to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs by transforming social innovation ecosystems.

Old friends Jeroo and Mel’s conversation centres around the power of collaboration to drive deeper and faster change - the principle on which Catalyst 2030 is based. They also discuss the importance of admitting failure and of the seemingly counterintuitive notion of closing down an organisation when it has achieved success. This is a great opportunity to listen to two leading social entrepreneurs discuss how to drive lasting change.

Recorded in lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic, so please excuse any wifi- or tech-related challenges!

Kicking off season three is Sue Riddlestone, the co-founder and Chief Executive of Bioregional, which champions a better, more sustainable way of living by working with partners to create more sustainable places to live and work. They famously created BedZED, an iconic ecovillage which inspires zero-carbon living across the world. They are also behind One Planet Living, a vision and framework for a world where everyone can live happily within the Earth’s resources. Sue was integral to the development of the SDGs in 2010, and helped to make the London 2012 Olympics the greenest games ever.

Sue and Mel’s brilliant and thoughtful discussion centres on how we can live with the means of the planet, one of the most important issues we face. One Planet Living could form the basis of a New Ism! They cover rethinking urban development, localisation, working with companies to make them truly sustainable, veganism, how the coronavirus pandemic has shown us a way forward, and so much more. 

The New Ism is back with a bang!

Our guest this week is Philip Jennings. Philip recently retired as the General Secretary of UNI Global Union, which represents 20 million workers from over 150 countries worldwide. Their mission is threefold: to build power for working people in service sectors across the world through the growth of unions and the expansion of collective bargaining; to improve working and living conditions for workers; and to support decent jobs for all alongside sustainable economic growth.

Philip and Mel talk about what work will look like in The New Ism, trust and tax, the implications of artificial intelligence and much more. 

This episode was recorded at the Homeless World Cup so you will be able to hear some cheering in the background! We also had a few technical issues so we have re-recorded a couple of questions and added some clarifying points. The quality of the content is as high as ever, and Philip has some truly fascinating insights to share.