Wachama Podcast ~Personal Development & Social Innovation

You probably came across the thought provoking videos of the Healthiest Man On Earth!

But do you know his story and what led him to start making videos about food?

Stop wondering- You found the best source to find out more.

Growing up in Cyprus the young Cypriot Nico Panayi often visited New Zealand where his grandfather migrated back in the days. Just stepping into adulthood, the military service was the next duty that Nico had to fulfil.

Following the army Nico started his studies with the hope that he would be prepared for a traditionally successful career, so Nico enrolled the University of Manchester as a law student. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in law a year of wondering started because of a misalignment that emerged between his feelings and the very rational world.

The wondering started first only in book shops and meetups in London. But being open and aware of signs that resonated with his heart Nico ended up on an agroecological farm somewhere south of Devon (UK). Nico visited and spent some time with 10-12 agroecology/permaculture focused communities in the region. During this time, he gained a real hands-on experience about how life on the farms is. Milking a cow for the first time or experiencing how much does it actually take to grow a tomato gave him a totally different perspective on food and life in general.

Moreover he got exposed to the lifestyle of professionals who really walk their talk and live their life while being involved from farm scale to all the way to work on EU level. As Nico was exposed to different side of things both on the practical and theoretical level he has learned about various initiatives and movements such as: La Via Campesina a worldwide peasant movement or Schumacher Collage which is an educational institution that provides cutting-edge learning relating to ecology and sustainability.

By the end of his wandering year, Nico miraculously ended up at Wageningen University being enrolled as a student of the Organic Agriculture Programme. In Wageningen his perception and understanding of relations between nature, human and food broadened enormously and made him aware of many important but sometimes hidden connections we have with nature and each other through food.

Nico believes that education and communication about food related topics should be engaging, energetic, attractive and thought provoking. That is why he started his project and artistic journey as the Healthiest Man on Earth. His mission on a scientific language is: To increase the public understanding of food system This study will be conducted in collaboration with the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Turin which is also a centre of the worldwide known Slow Food Movement.

Let’s tune in and listen/watch the story of Nico Panayi AKA Healthiest Man On Earth and follow him on social media.

Useful links:

Watch the full episode here:

youtu.be/SkUtQCucFxA

Wachama's website:

www.wachama.org/

Wachama on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/wachamatribe/

Slow food movement:

www.slowfood.com/

University of Gastronomic Sciences:

www.unisg.it/en/

La Via Campesina International Peasant’s Movement

viacampesina.org/en/

Schumacher College

www.schumachercollege.org.uk/

Founded in 2008, The Zeitgeist Movement is a Sustainability Advocacy Organization which conducts community based activism and awareness actions through a network of Global/Regional Chapters, Project Teams, Annual Events, Media and Charity Work.

The Movement’s principle focus includes the recognition that the majority of the social problems which plague the human species at this time are not the sole result of some institutional corruption, scarcity, a political policy, a flaw of “human nature” or other commonly held assumptions of causality in the activist community. Rather, The Movement recognizes that issues such as poverty, corruption, collapse, homelessness, war, starvation and the like appear to be “Symptoms” born out of an outdated social structure.

While intermediate reform steps and temporal community support are of interest to The Movement, the defining goal here is the installation of a new socioeconomic model based upon technically responsible Resource Management, Allocation and Distribution through what would be considered The Scientific Method of reasoning problems and finding optimized solutions.

This “Resource-Based Economic Model” is about taking a direct technical approach to social management as opposed to a Monetary or even Political one. It is about updating the workings of society to the most advanced and proven methods Science has to offer, leaving behind the damaging consequences and limiting inhibitions which are generated by our current system of monetary exchange, profits, corporations and other structural and motivational components.

Some might ask:

Is The Zeitgeist Movement related to Peter Joseph’s Film Series?

No. The Zeitgeist documentary series was the inspiration for “The Zeitgeist Movement”, due to their popularity and overall message of seeking truth, peace, and sustainability in society.

While the word “Zeitgeist” is associated with Peter Joseph’s film series, “Zeitgeist: The Movie”, “Zeitgeist: Addendum”, and “Zeitgeist: Moving Forward”, these films are personal artistic expressions of the filmmaker himself, with the call to found a global movement at the end of documentary Zeitgeist: Addendum.

In this episode you can get an update how members of the Zeitgeist Movement interpret the goals and mission statement published on the international website. Moreover Serf Doesborgh explains who is behind the Dutch chapter, and what are the challenges and next steps of the movement.

https://www.wachama.org/

Watch the full episode on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/NDkuK-eyy8E

Dear listeners!

Earlier this year for a periode of 6 months Chintan Kella was a guest researcher at Wageningen University. His main topic the alternative ways of orgnaizing. Alternative could be entirely non capitalist system however Chintan and his colleagues are studying several different layers between capitlaism and other ways of organizing. Trust is crucial element of any interaction among humans. However there is a huge difference whether the trust is based on the given word or it is based on contracts with the involvment of complicated and rigid institutions and lawyers. To dconduct the field study of these alternative forms of organizations Chintan chose the street vendors of India which is a significan portion of Indian society that is largely unregulated meanwhile it's effectiveness in supplying and distributing food and other goods is superior compared to any other organization in the Indian context.

Chintan's other resarch topic is Auroville which is a township in India with the population of around 2,5 thousand people with the intention to operate without politics, religion and the role of the money is reduced significantly.

Auroville was initiated based on it's mission that is just referred as:

A Dream

"There should be somewhere on earth a place which no nation could claim as its own, where all human beings of goodwill who have a sincere aspiration could live freely as citizens of the world and obey one single authority, that of the supreme Truth; a place of peace, concord and harmony where all the fighting instincts of man would be used exclusively to conquer the causes of his sufferings and miseries, to surmount his weaknesses and ignorance, to triumph over his limitations and incapacities; a place where the needs of the spirit and the concern for progress would take precedence over the satisfaction of desires and passions, the search for pleasure and material enjoyment.

Beauty in all its artistic forms, painting, sculpture, music, literature, would be equally accessible to all; the ability to share in the joy it brings would be limited only by the capacities of each one and not by social or financial position.

For in this ideal place money would no longer be the sovereign lord; individual worth would have a far greater importance than that of material wealth and social standing. There, work would not be a way to earn one’s living but a way to express oneself and to develop one’s capacities and possibilities while being of service to the community as a whole, which, for its own part, would provide for each individual’s subsistence and sphere of action.

In short, it would be a place where human relationships, which are normally based almost exclusively on competition and strife, would be replaced by relationships of emulation in doing well, of collaboration and real brotherhood."

Enjoy the show!

Useful links:

Full episode on YouTube:

youtu.be/VTy7sRrBvc8

Wachama's website:

www.wachama.org

Wachama on SoundCloud:

@user-545643610

Links provided by Chintan:

Auroville: www.auroville.com/

Social Enterprises : www.auroville.org/contents/3371

Savi: www.auroville.org/contents/386

Denmark: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freetown_Christiania

Norway: www.liberstad.com/

Scotland: www.findhorn.org/

Italy: www.damanhur.org/en/what-is-damanhur

Erik Schoppen is a brand expert, neuroscientist and behavioral researcher, innovator and designer.

He is an authority on trust, privacy, influence, behavior and sustainable brand positioning, experience, management, reputation and innovation. As a chance-thinking innovator and idea accelerator, he has now built up a reputation, inspiring people and organizations with his surprisingly substantive vision of a future-oriented sustainable economy.

He is the inventor and co-founder of the online research platform WorldBrainWave.

Check out some of the topics that we covered during our fascinating discussion with Erik:

People are willing to pay for the trust in their brain. It is actually mental equity that is based on trust. The trust is also a huge question when we look at sustainability. Sustainable brands’ have other purpose than only to make money. The organizations have to be financially healthy and through their activity they make the world a better place. The triangle of people, planet, profit or prosperity is ingrained n their business model. A good organization with sustainable branding is incorporating all these aspects. If we buy an honest product the product is the promise. A sustainable strong brand first has to look company itself inside that is called internal branding. What are the values, purpose, vision, mission? so what kind of message and which products are being sent it to the world? The Building when the product is developed. It should be durable good product, manufactured on a fair way socially and environmentally. However a good product is not enough in itself. The Bridging makes it social proof when many people accept and trust in the product. Many good products fail because they don’t reach the social proof state. The Bonding part is when the trust is complete when people match their own values with the brand and brand fit is being created. And we can still ask: How can brands continously innovate? Are they predicting the future?

Predicting the future is difficult as the timeline goes ahead the vision get blurry. However in core human behavior remains the same that provide reference points for inventors. Neural interface is were technology currently goes. It will have all kinds of benefits but at the same time it can enhance inequality. Moreover applying neural interface has the threat that our brain can get hacked, our memories can get changed.

Useful links:

Full episode on YouTube:

youtu.be/2t4jHq2SJoY

Wachama's website:

www.wachama.org/

Erik Schoppen's website:

www.erikschoppen.com/

Erik Schoppen World Brain Wave:

www.worldbrainwave.com/

Erik Schoppen Build Bridge Bond method

www.buildbridgebond.com/

Dear Listeners!

As a social entrepreneur Gijs is working and living in India, Auroville. Gijs was 18 when he first went to India and that experience influenced him for the rest of his life. First he studied organic agriculture and fairtrade at Wageningen University. And after his graduation he returned to India where he spent the last 15 years. Eight years ago he joined Auroville which is an experimental township in India and since then he lives and works there helping to develop education and social entrepreneurship initiatives.

Gijs and many Aurovillians are from Europe and air travelling has a huge negative impact nowadays. Therefore Gijs' new challenge is to create a green corridor on land that is more environmentally friendly and allows travellers to learn and exchange while travelling.

Useful links:

Watch the full episode on YouTube:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_P_kMcxNyE&t=2s

Auroville's website:

www.auroville.org/

UnLtd Tamil Nadu:

www.auroville.org/contents/4094

www.youtube.com/watch?time_co...

Green Silk Road's Facebook Page:

www.facebook.com/TheGreenSilk...

Dear listeners,

Most of us usually cannot understand why companies or leaders of companies behave the way they do. In this episode Peter explains some of the characteristic patterns of a top executive's life.

By stepping into the shoes of a former CEO we can learn a lot about their world that can help us understand them better. The crash can hit you even on the top which is a sign, that you have to change.

We can change our world externally and internally, one will follow the other. Peter dived into philosophy, meditation and became a yoga practicioner. Moreover the Wim Hof Method gave him the tools to reconnect with nature and his own deeper nature.

Applying these practies in his everyday life allowed Peter to get back in business and live up to his entrepreneurial spirit but based on a new set of values and rules.

Useful links:

Wachama on YouTube:

www.youtube.com/channel/UC7lz5nlQwOmn8rNnQvF2HZA

Wim Hof Method:

www.wimhofmethod.com/

Peter's company:

www.theboosterlabs.com/

Dear listeners,

In this episode Elske shares her story how her interest shifted from biology towards social science. This shift was influenced by the well known question among Wageningen students and scientist which is;

How to feed the world?

She went on a journey to find THE ANSWER for this big question!

Studying social sciences and development studies helped her to see the bigger picture, that the top down interventions are very often affecting local communities and smallholders on a harmful way. Food is not just a product that we eat, it is also a tool for achieving economic and political goals therefore manipulation and corruption are almost always present in food related issues.

Real answers can be found in getting involved in gardening, small scale farming and by being part of rural communities. Reconnecting with the land and nature can also help us find our own true nature and show us the real value of healthy food.

Interesting links to check out:

Ommuurde Tuin (1 hectare CSA garden with more than 400 varieties of vegetables, herbs, fruits, tubers and edible flowers). Also for volunteering. www.ommuurdetuin.nl/new-page-3

Boerengroep Peasant Foundation www.boerengroep.nl/

Farm Experience Internship (FEI) - 3 ECTS summer course on agroecology in practice farmexperienceinternship.wordpress.com/

"Losing 22 farms a day in the Netherlands" - article by Elske www.boerengroep.nl/feedingtheworld/

Toekomstboeren (Future Farmers - La Via Campesina Netherlands)

toekomstboeren.nl/

Future Farmers in the Spotlight (collection of short movies on (young) people starting again in agriculture) future-farmers.net/

Elske's Thesis: "How to feed the World in Indonesia Inc. a "company in the form of a state" edepot.wur.nl/336247

Documentary by John Pilger on Food as a Weapon. johnpilger.com/videos/zap-the-weapon-is-food

Elske's favorite documentary: "HUMAN" (with link to a nice website with lots of documentaries) www.filmsforaction.org/watch/human/

John Perkins: Confessions of an Economic Hitman

www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1IvMLTQ6ew

Dear listeners,

In this episode of Wachama talks Kris takes us to a journey around the world which is also a journey of personal growth throughout his life until now. His search for meaningful contribution led him to Wageningen where he found like minded people and cool projects to work on.

Nowadays Kris is mainly focusing on RENEW -Restoration Network Wageningen (link below)

Useful links:

Wachama on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/wachamatribe/

RENEW -Restoration Network Wageningen

www.facebook.com/RestorationNetworkWageningen/

Alan Watts ~Conversation with Myself

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylqPkuCJPBs

The 7 habits of highly effective people by stephen covey book review

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktlTxC4QG8g

Green gold with John D. Liu

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBLZmwlPa8A

SHUNYATA BAND's Facebook page:

www.facebook.com/shunyataband/

Dear listeners,

In this episode Erik tells us his story, how he became a green innovator while living his life as an artist. Erik also realized that the way we use money deeply influences us regarding to our relationship with our social and natural environment. Erik's latest project is to introduce the concept of local money the Eurijn in Wageningen. Erik believes that the Eurijn (or other local money at other places) is able to help us nurture our local economy and our relationship with our fellow inhabitants.

Useful links:

Full episode on YouTube

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAqewJVD9aU

Social Trade Organization

www.socialtrade.nl/

Eurijn Wageningen

www.eurijn.nl/

Groen Innovaties

groeninnovaties.nl/

Dear listeners!

In this episode of Wachama talks Gijs shares his story how he turned from being a banker to be a pioneer in changing the financial system. Gijs was following a path that from the outside seemed to be glamorous, lots of money and successful banking career. After the financial crisis in 2008 he realized that he wants to contribute more to society and use his expertise to change our debt based economy to an equity based economy. His mission turned to be an actual company that's called Eyevestor and in the 2nd half of this talk you can learn about it more. Besides Eyevestor Gijs is involved in other cool projects too such as Good Finance cooperative and the Money Maker educational board game.

Useful links:

Wachama on Soundcloud:

@user-545643610

Eyevestor:

eyevestor.nl

Good Finance Cooperative (Dutch only):

goodfinance.nl/

Money Maker Educational Board Game (Dutch only):

moneymaker.games/

Stichting Ons Geld (Our money foundation, Dutch only):

onsgeld.nu/

Zeitgeist Addendum - Money Creation and Fractional Reserve Banking

www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5ayg...