Embrace your Journey #30

“Allow one thing to lead to next thing and be in active possibility mode." ~ Nora Bateson*

Since the last newsletter, I have been living more intentionally by Nora Bateson's recommendation and so much active possibility has emerged!

I launched a book called "Bora Inspirar 2" and got to meet other amazing women in the process. I spoke at a huge conference on innovation and got to learn so much from other speakers such as Janine Benyus , Carlos Lopes and others. I offered our flagship leadership course called CEO Meet & Master to our 15th cohort, and not only enjoyed the opportunity to add new concepts to the curriculum, but also was inspired by the new leaders engaging in regeneration efforts around the globe that I met.

And the podcasts! As I dig deeper in preparation for one episode and record it, the ideas for the next one simply flourish and the interconnections grow stronger and become more visible!

Speaking of new concepts and ideas and going back to Nora Bateson , are you familiar with her concept of warm data?

In her book called "Small Arcs of Larger Circles: Framing through other Patterns", she beautifully invites us to experience new perspectives and approaches starting with the way she writes.

She explains a term her father coined: Transcontextual; and unveils dimensions of informations and interfaces for mutual learnings that can be extremely beneficial for leaders to embrace.

The year is getting towards the end, a cycle is coming to a close, but there is still time to pause to reflect and be more intentional about priorities by observing the transcontextuality of life.

Perhaps the wars are touching you deeply and directly and causing you insurmountable pain. My sentiments to you if this is the case, and my wishes of strength, support, love, hope and faith in better days ahead.

Perhaps you just celebrated Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, the victory of light over darkeness, and was able to reconnect with loved ones, so I join you in expressing gratitude and wishing harmony, peace, joy and prosperity to all.

Here in the United States we are already in the spirit of giving thanks with celebrations for Thanksgiving approaching. Although for native Americans it is a reminder of dark moments in their history, it is a moment of honoring ancestors and of deep spiritual connection.

May we embrace the positive, the gratitude for being alive and appreciate the good in life, even if it may not seem as good when it happens. As we said in the previous newsletter, "there is renewal in everything."

Need more insights to see goodness and ignite in you the power of being creative and of allowing creativity to be expressed all around you? I sincerely hope this newsletter will help and inspire you.

Happy Thanksgiving! Wishing you a harvest of blessings, good health and good times!

Adriana Machado

Founder at Briyah Institute

Innovation is best when it doesn't generate unintended consequences that are harmful to people and planet in the short, but also in the long term. How much of the hazardous effects can be avoided? What if we are able to recognize complexity, interconnections, interdependencies, and identify a spectrum of possibilities? What if we design having nature, with its 3.8 billion years of evolution and knowledge of what works and what lasts, as model, measure and mentor?

This is what happens when we innovate applying the lens of biomimicry. What if we combine biomimicry and dounought economics?

Not sure what they are? Here is an inspiring conversation featuring both topics with Kate Raworth and Janine Benyus , among other talented practitioners suchs as Fernanda Heinz Figueiredo and Alessandra Araujo , to enlighten you.

Yes, it is possible and it is happening around us. If you look beyond what our newsfeed is constantly showing us, you will see great innovative projects that have better chances of offering us a real tangible path to a sustainable and healthy future.

Here is a great example of a biomimicry application called structural color, where the physical geometry of a material determines its optical properties and replaces the need for toxic pigments and dyes and can be used in just about anything from nail polish to cars with nanotechnology.

Curious to learn more. Look for more resources at Learn Biomimicry or Ask Nature .

We normally do not intend to cause harm, but what if we do as a result of our good intentions? A good and effective practice to raise awareness of the consequences of our activities is systems thinking.

As Nora Bateson acknowledges on page 84 of her book Small Arcs of Larger Circles, "Being part of a system requires knowing that whatever happens is an expression of the patterns that entire system is involved in -- that means, there is no fault, and everyone is responsible. No blame. Everyone must contribute to the shift. The health and the toxicity of the system ecologically manifests in keeping with the trends of the system."

Here is Nora Bateson explaining the limitations leaders might incur in from not knowing when to apply linear thinking.

If you care to learn more, here is a lecture about Complexity in Living Systems given by Nora Bateson to the Design Management International lecture series of The Lucerne University of Applies Sciences and Arts is Central Switzerland.

Living is learning, and learning can be intentional. Are you simply going with the busy and noisy flow of life or attuning to your inner self and connecting to a higher goal as you live your life? What are you conserving, as Chilean Systems Thinker Humberto Maturana used to remind us to ask ourselves?

It might take us a while to realize that we might be stuck repeating old patterns and justifying inaction or even to realize that we could be doing so much better with the precious gift of life.

We close this newsletter with insights from Italian entrepreneur, speaker and impact strategist Meg (Margherita) Pagani on power, purpose and coherence. We hope you will appreciate the stories she shares to get inspired to be the lighthouse you were born to be.

"We are, and we are not. We are individuals, but we are also not separable. In non-human contexts the illusion of agency is perhaps easier to perceive. The mutuality that any living organism is existing together with (its symmathesy) is part of its continual formation and learning." —?Nora Bateson

Looking for further insights on how to apply systems thinking to work and life. Join us in Miami, on February 9-10, 2024, for a 2-day immersive course for leaders at different development stages. Nurture your ability for decision-making amid complexity, and acquire wisdom to promote wellness in our fast-evolving world.

We look forward to seeing you there!

At?Briyah Institute?we bridge innovation, practice and purpose to ignite leaders to transform organizations co-creating an impact economy -- that which pursues financial returns alongside positive impact for people and planet.

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* Nora Bateson -- is an award-winning filmmaker, writer and educator, as well as the Founder and President of the International Bateson Institute, based in Sweden. Her work asks the question “How we can improve our perception of the complexity we live within, so we may improve our interaction with the world?”. An international lecturer, researcher and writer, Nora wrote, directed and produced the award-winning documentary, An Ecology of Mind, a portrait of her father, Gregory Bateson. Her work brings the fields of biology, cognition, art, anthropology, psychology, and information technology together into a study of the patterns in ecology of living systems. Her book, Small Arcs of Larger Circles , released by Triarchy Press, UK, 2016 is a revolutionary personal approach to the study of systems and complexity. In November 2023, she launched the book Combining .