IDGs Plus Gonzalo, Vanessa, E.T.

In this enlightening episode , Vanessa is joined by Aithan Shapira, an esteemed artist, MIT lecturer and founder of TILT, to explore the dynamic interplay of change, art, and collective action. They dive into the personal and communal aspects of evolving in a rapidly changing world. Aithan shares insights into how engaging with art not only reflects but actively influences one’s inner transformation in response to external changes. The conversation spans the importance of deep listening and the power of reducing separateness within organizations to foster a unified direction and purpose. They discuss how individual experiences, whether through art or personal reflection, contribute to collective wisdom and action. The episode highlights the importance of maturity and humility in bridging individual perspectives towards a cohesive collective effort, emphasizing the necessity of embracing both differences and similarities to enrich interaction and understanding.

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Aithan Shapira PhD MFA is internationally acclaimed Senior Lecturer in Work and Organization Studies at ⁠MIT Sloan⁠, an established artist, and founder of ⁠TILT,⁠ a firm focused on the artful evolution of leaders and cultures as they move critical initiatives forward in ⁠ever-changing contexts⁠.As facilitator, coach, and designer of developmental programming, Aithan is committed to applying his ⁠progressive ways for training leaders⁠ to serve change agents + global entities that are sincere about developing inner capabilities and forming communities of practice needed to ⁠facilitate growth at the speed of change⁠. The social enterprise he founded, TILT, delivers 6 month trainings in the IDGs.He has applied his ⁠progressive methodology⁠ with a range of high-impact organizations in tech, health, finance, and green-energy including NASA, the UN, Greenpeace, MGB, and Ocean Plastics Leadership Network.  He also serves on McKinsey's think tank for Learning Innovation and is ongoingly developing ⁠new curricular approaches for training leadership⁠ at MIT Sloan, Harvard ilab, Stanford d.school, and the Berklee Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship.Over the past 9 years, Aithan has trained more than 12,000 leaders, 240 facilitators, given over 160 keynotes, and customized and delivered leadership curricula for more than 30 Fortune 500 organizations. Aithan developed his research on the creative process at the Royal College of Art & Design, lived in an Australian Aboriginal community for three years to study creativity in cultures of survival, and continues to be a visiting critic at arts institutions internationally. He exhibits his art in museums and galleries in New York, London, and Miami.

Pooja is a Spiritual Ecologist and Environment Educator, holding qualifications in Conservation Biology with degrees from UCL, London, and UEL, London. Her professional journey spans across Delhi, Mumbai, London, South Africa, and Pune, where she has collaborated with renowned organizations.

Currently, she leads Protecterra Ecological Foundation (PEF), a non-profit endeavoring to instill ecological consciousness through awareness, education, and outreach initiatives. Her diverse skill set includes certifications in Leadership for Young Adults, Reiki, Telepathic Animal Communication, and NLP.

Since 2015, she has resided at The Farm, PEF's primary project, living alongside over 40 animals 🐱🐶🐮🐸🦋🪲🐍🐔to embody her principles. As a visiting faculty member, she has been committed to teaching and fostering change, aiming to bridge the gap between people and nature.

Outside her professional endeavors, she maintains a passion for sports, having represented the Maharashtra State team in rugby, basketball, and athletics. 🪶 ⁠Moreover, she is deeply immersed in spiritual practices like shamanism, bhakti, and meditation, viewing them as integral aspects of her life journey. Her overarching goal remains to foster connections between individuals and the natural world, inspiring personal and professional transformations.



🎙️💚 In this conversation, Pooja and Eugenia navigate the challenges of working within existing systems while remaining aligned with the soul's purpose. Pooja illuminates the transformative power of vulnerability, the beauty of embracing imperfection, and the importance of kindness, self- reflection and presence in our interactions.

👁️ She advocates for embracing curiosity, reconnecting with our innate nature, and gleaning wisdom from animals and the natural world. The conversation also examines the liberating potential of surrender and letting go, urging a shift from human doings to human beings. She shares her vision for Protecterra and calls for personal responsibility and kindness as catalysts for positive global change.

We're thrilled to welcome Nikola to this episode, as he effortlessly navigates between the realms of systemic, business, and academic approaches, while also engaging in deep spiritual and transformational initiatives. With a balanced blend of rationality and intuition, heart and brain, intellect and energetics, Nikola brings a unique perspective to our conversation.

Together, we delve into the profound role of spirituality within inner development, unraveling its nuanced intricacies. We shed light on the science of individual and collective trauma, emphasizing its enduring effects and the crucial need for connection and collective healing. Moreover, we discuss the importance of infusing current social, economic, and political agendas with transformation from within, paving the way for a more enlightened and integrated society.

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Nikola is a cultural transfiguration catalyst and leading global expert in building values driven systems at scale. He brings a career of experience working on culture with hundreds of organizations and systems around the world, blending more structured organization level approaches (LSE, Economist, McKinsey) with more individual and intuitive work (Ontological coach, Facilitator of Transformation and Spiritual Healer with 30+ tools).

He is the founder of Transfiguration Advisory, where he works as a lead advisor, as a platform to help accelerate the cultural evolution of organizations and systems at scale and is currently the Culture and Transformation Lead of the Inner Development Goals.

Born in the Balkans, Nikola is inspired by processing collective trauma and building a values driven societies, rooted in that part of the world. He continues to contribute to this mission, for example by facilitating the 1st Collective and Transgenerational Trauma Lab in the Balkans (Thomas Hubl, Pocket Project) and co-founding ADA, a consciousness and intimacy platform, and Project Light https://projectlight.one/en.

Described by those who know him as a “mosaic” for his ability to bring a wide range of divergent perspectives, “free radical” as a catalyst and “spiritual gladiator” for his drive, Nikola has visited over 100 and lived in over 20 countries. His top 3 values are learning, fun and adventure, and excellence.

Welcome to a touching episode with Åsa Jarskog, where inspiration is drawn from the stories of ordinary individuals worldwide. Åsa's personal commitment echoes through her promise to use any available platform to represent the voices of the unsung heroes she encounters. From a Western standpoint, we navigate the significance of surveys in understanding global challenges such as the Sustainable Development Goals and the looming climate crisis. Despite strides made, millions still grapple with unmet basic needs, including access to healthcare and the persistent grasp of poverty.

Our conversation takes a unique turn as we explore the concept of embracing our "weirdness" and establishing a profound connection with nature to access inner wisdom. She sheds light on the vital role of listening skills, urging us to appreciate and learn from diverse cultures. The dialogue extends to mastering the art of coexisting with internal and societal polarities.

In Asa's own words, this unexpected conversation unfolds with sincerity and openness, offering a deep dive into the nuances of building bridges and fostering global unity. Join us for an insightful exploration of connecting not only with the world but also with the depths of our own being.

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Åsa Jarskog is the driving force behind the Global Collaboration efforts of the Inner Development Goals Initiative. With over 30 years of professional experience, she has excelled as a consultant, trainer, and coach specializing in Sustainable Business Development, Strategy, and Leadership across 61 countries spanning Asia, Europe, and Latin America.

Throughout her illustrious career, Åsa has had the privilege of collaborating with influential figures such as the Dalai Lama, Kofi Annan, Klaus Schwab, and Nelson Mandela, contributing her expertise to global initiatives aimed at creating positive change and sustainable development.

We happily welcome Fredrik Livheim to this episode, where we delve into Inner Development through the lens of acceptance and presence. We explore the concept of acceptance and the role it plays in navigating uncertainty and stress and also highlight the need for creating sound contexts and environments that support human flourishing.

The conversation emphasizes the connection between inner skills and outer transformation, and the role of IDGs (Inner Development Goals) in promoting resilience and sustainability, highlighting the need to build connections with various actors, including governments, academia, and organizations.

Overall, the conversation explores the hopeful outlook for inner development and the possibilities for creating a more connected and thriving society.

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Fredrik Livheim, is a licensed psychologist, holds a PhD from Karolinska Intitutet clinical neuroscience, and is an internationally recognized peer-reviewed Acceptance, Commitment Therapy-trainer. Fredrik shares his time between being research- and content strategist at the non-profit foundation www.29k.org and doing research via Social Sustainability, Karolinska Institutet. 

Fredrik is also co-author of several books and treatment protocols and a digital self-help intervention. His most recent self-help books are “The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Stress Reduction: Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Manage Stress, Build Resilience, and Create the Life You Want.” and the Swedish book “Tid att leva”. 

Eugenia and Vanessa welcome Pontus Holmgren and Arielle Goodman, two key players in the IDG movement and its global expansion. 

Both experienced in the fields of inner transformation, organizational development, facilitation and cohesive vision of inner and outer flourishing, we go deep in presence and honesty while talking about creating a culture of unity and generativity and the collective thirst for inner development and connection. 

We deepen on spreading innovation and fostering local action through IDG Hubs, translating the IDGs beyond the ecosystem and what would catalyze the movement forward.  

We also mention the importance of transmuting pain, compassion, courage, humility and realness to bring our hearts into action.

An episode not to miss!

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Pontus Holmgren has been supporting leaders, team and organisations in transformation processes internationally since the mid 1990´s. Pontus is a psychologist and an actor using experiential learning and embodied practices in everything he does. He is a founding partner of Gro (www.gro.nu), a catalyst at Klustret Ekskäret and Global Co-coordinator for IDG hubs and networks (https://www.innerdevelopmentgoals.org/community)



Arielle Goodman is a Facilitator of Transformation and Global IDG Hubs Co-Coordinator; Co-founder of Unlimited Boundaries and working at the intersection of personal transformation, organizational development, and planetary justice/renewal.