Embrace your Journey #15

“All systems, living and non-living, that make up the web of life on this planet, are sustained as part of an ongoing cyclical flow of mutual interdependency.”—?Jane Cull*?

This past month I had the pleasure of reading Jane Cull's book "The Circularity of Life" (link below) and, thanks to technology, getting to have a delightful conversation with her through video call, connecting Miami and New Zealand, where she is currently based.

Despite the physical distance, you would be amazed by the power of exchanging ideas, challenging beliefs, and igniting the passion for systems thinking! Truly an honor to have been able to have this conversation and hear directly from her about her experience, especially the learnings from Humberto Maturana**, a Chilean biologist and philosopher you always hear (or read) me talk about.

I was particularly intrigued by her explanation in the book on how

She explains that emotionings are emotions, moods and states, and that there are three mechanisms for how suppression arises: by forcing another emotioning that we are not presently experiencing, by forced thinking when we construct worries and concerns, and by circular wavefront activity.

The latter is particularly important for us to be aware of as it is generated by our doings, and leads our biology to change and adapt in such a subtle process that we are often not aware that it is taking place. However, we can learn how to see it coming!

Yes, we can learn! So here is an invitation for you to start reflecting right now: How is your awareness and sensitivity about your own emotionings, about how you relate to others and the environment around you? Are you resisting the changes in your emotionings and trying to control life?

Jane has a lot more details to share in her book, so go for it and get to work!

We hope the videos and additional resources we share in this newsletter will inspire you to continue to reflect upon the concepts above as you embrace your journey as a leader. Leave us your comments and questions below and we will be happy to offer you additional insights.

Cheers,

Adriana Machado

Founder at?Briyah Institute

Creation and innovation walk hand in hand. At Briyah, which means the world of creation in Kabbalah, we seek to inspire leaders to apply systems thinking and create new narratives that might generate worldviews that sustain life, to learn from nature how to conserve life.

In our last newsletter, we shared a TED talk by Janine Benyus from 2009. Here is a more recent video from 2015 with her explaining what biomimicry is and sharing examples of different applications developed around the world.

Another inspiring video was produced in 2020, with insights to consider as we emerge from the pandemic. Always good to remember that we are nature and that "biomimicry is innovation inspired by nature", so why not ask nature?

Applying good practices, best know methods, can save us time and energy in doing, and may be crucial to delivering positive results. In the latest Briyah Institute's Leadership Lessons episode, Adriana Machado, Founder of Briyah, interviews Lisa Gable, Author of Turnaround and FARE CEO, and underscores best practices applied by Lisa throughout her career and life that might serve as inspiration to you.

Lisa Gable has served four U.S. presidents and two governors, counseled numerous Fortune 500 CEOs, and represented global public-private partnerships and nonprofits with an end goal of moving organizations to higher levels of performance.

Have fun learning about Lisa Gable, her unique journey, and her regeneration story, which has to do with loving to solve complex problems and much more!

If quantum physicists are right when they say that everything is energy, intentions matter; so are you aware of why you do what you do in life or in the organization you might work for?

As governments, corporate and civil society leaders gather in Glasgow for the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) from 31 October to 12 November, opportunity for reflection and conversation around climate and how to conserve life in this planet arises. Some "whys" will certainly become more evident if we tune in to the discussions.

Take a look at Briyah Institute's webinar on "Bridging SDG and ESG while Advancing Real Impact" featuring Adriana Machado, Sterling Laylock, Gisela Abbam, and Paola DeAngeli.

Good reflection on "why" can also come from the article written by André Vellozo, entitled "The space between". As he reminds us, "Earth is the core of our human condition, and earthly nature may be unique in the universe in providing human beings with a habitat where we can move and breathe without effort."?

In closing, let us get further inspiration from a master of our times, the late Humberto Maturana. Life is a learning journey and he certainly left us great insights to reflect upon and create a more adequate worldview to sustain life in this planet.

Looking for further insights???Join us for the CEO Meet & Master Program as a participant?or talk to us about sponsoring a group to promote diversity & inclusion by empowering leaders to apply systems thinking to business.?Registrations for our next cohort will open shortly. We look forward to having you as a part of the Briyah ecosystem!

"In trust the ability to see, distinguish and reflect is expanded in relations of understanding, the dynamics of emotional sincerity, openness and honesty. We validate our experiences... In trust we also distinguish each other as human beings and not as objects. We interact in sincerity, openness and honesty without facades or pretense. We are honest with what is there naturally in the interaction rather than going after what we want of prefer according to conditional criteria. There is a sense of freedom, we are free to share how we feel and think. We do not tell each other what to do or when to do it. Control and manipulation do not appear, not do judgment and criticism. We accept another human being as they are without conditions (criteria). We relate in empathy and respect."?— Jane Cull*

At?Briyah Institute?we bridge innovation, practice and purpose to inspire leaders to transform organizations co-creating an impact economy.

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*Jane Cull -- author, speaker and consultant on change.?She is an expert on the Biology of Cognition, the work of Chilean Biologist and Systems Thinker, Prof. Humberto Maturana, and has given many talks, workshops and seminars on topic to a vast array of academic and non-academic audiences in both Australia and the United States. Here are Jane's books - Living Systems:?An Introductory Guide to the Theories of Humberto Maturana & Francisco Varela, The Circularity of Life:?An Essential Shift for Sustainability and WTF!?...How am I thinking?: A Thinking Tool For Change. She is also a former Associate Editor of the Journal of Applied Systems Studies, a bi-annual academic journal dedicated to applied systems theory, part of the Great Transition Initiative (GTI), an international network of scholars and activists that analyzes alternative scenarios and charts a path to a hopeful future, former member of the Advisory Board of the Barcelona Consensus, a project dedicated to transitioning to a sustainable society, and has initiated and led a global campaign to transition to a sustainable economy, Circular Economy.

**Humberto Maturana, Ph.D.?(September 14, 1928 – May 6, 2021) was one of Chile's best known author, biologist and philosopher.?Maturana?created the term "autopoiesis" about the self-generating, self-maintaining structure in?living systems, and concepts such as structural determinism, structure coupling, and natural evolutionary drift.?His work was influential in many fields, mainly the field of systems thinking, cybernetic and the biology of cognition. He co-authored the book?Autopoiesis and Cognition?with Francisco Varela, and co-founded?Matríztica?with Ximena Dávila.