LEYLA ACAROGLU?your shot of evergreen #inspiration from Global Regenerative Voices who really have something to say

Be inspired by Leyla Acaroglu!

Name: Leyla Acaroglu

Company / Institution: UnSchool of Disruptive Design & Swivel Skills?

Title: Founder, CEO

Website: https://www.unschools.co/ & https://www.swivelskills.com/?

LinkedIn profile: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/leylaacaroglu/?

Country of origin: Australia

Country you currently live in: Australia

Your personal definition of Regeneration:?To give back more than we take.

Regeneration is a full systems perspective whereby we give back more than we take. It’s built on the wisdom and worldview of First Nations and Indigenous knowledge systems. To regenerate is to understand the system you are working within.?

Main business challenge you face: ?Getting at-scale sustainability training mainstreamed across major companies so that there is a common literacy and the foundations for capacity building. We know that a lot of people want to have green skills training so that they can adapt their existing role to addressing climate change, the circular economy and sustainability. This is the reason why we built Swivel Skills as a way of supporting this transition.?

Main driver that keeps you going: The passion for change. Knowing that it’s happening and being able to contribute to it in some way. I am also very driven by creativity and my own knowledge gaps; I can't help but find obscure ways of filling them! I even spent four years restoring a farm in rural Portugal as a way of teaching myself how nature worked (coproject.co).?

The trait you are most proud of in yourself: I have boundless energy for sustainability and positive change!?

The trait you most value in others: Tenacity and initiative!?

Passions & little things that bring you joy: Hanging out with non-human animals, seeing the curve of the Earth on a very starry night and discovering things about nature that blow my mind (which happens quite frequently!)?

The #inspirators who determined you to take the regenerative path: I’m a big fan of Buckminster Fuller and Donella Meadows.?

A hint or starting point for companies or professionals that are taking the first steps in the regeneration journey: The key thing to getting started is taking action. This is a process of transformation that takes time and will involve unlearning as well as investing in capacity building and creativity. Change requires a collaborative and creative process. Depending on what industry you are in, you will need different skills, but the foundations are the same.

This is why we created Swivel Skills: to provide the base training so that people could easily establish the specific knowledge that they need to progress to more significant action. I believe everyone needs systems thinking, life cycle thinking, and to be able to identify impacts in order to get started on their sustainability, circularity and regeneration journey.?

Most used and abused clichés in sustainability that bother you: That sustainability is just about recycling or hugging trees… Something that only some people need to worry about...

An honest piece of advice for young people who lose hope: The future is defined by our actions today.

Books that had a great impact on you:

• The Green Imperative: Ecology and Ethics in Design and Architecture by Victor Papanek
• Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows

Must-reads for any regenerative professional: I think it’s vital that First Nations and Indigenous Knowledge Systems are centered in the regenerative movement. This requires an expansion of our current set of reading and “experts”, so start with learning about the First Nations wisdom of where you live.?

Trends in Regeneration we should keep an eye on: The expansion beyond a Euro-centric approach and inclusion of true diversity, and embedded in respectful engagement of First Nations knowledge systems and Indigenous wisdom.?

Sustainable Development or Regeneration courses, trainings, or certifications that really teach us how to have an impact: We have a lot of courses and free resources at the UnSchools.co and SwivelSkills.com! I highly recommend our new Circular Business ReDesign Toolkit which is free to download and use. I also have 3 LinkedIn learning courses you can take.??

Regenerative Leadership qualities much needed today: Decolonised approaches, compassion and creativity.??

The #inspirator you are endorsing for a future edition of the newsletter is: Tyson Yunkaporta (His new book Right Story Wrong Story)

The quote that inspires you:

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” (Buckminster Fuller)

Your own quote that will inspire us:

Get your weekly shot of inspiration in your inbox & subscribe to?#inspirators?Newsletter!

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When?inspiration?is missing from your life, you feel stuck.?

Inspiration is feeling alive. It is freedom.

#inspirators?series started as a LinkedIn newsletter.

A?questionnaire similar to Proust’s, but with a modern twist, where brilliant Global Regenerative Voices?shared their reflections on regeneration, business, love, sustainability, creativity, nature, travel, and life itself: John Elkington, Riane Eisler, Leen Gorissen, Wayne Visser, Edith Widder, Kumi Naidoo, Hinemoa Elder, Ha Vinh Tho, and many more. Diversity at its best: explorers, authors, cave divers, indigenous leaders, musicians, mythologists, biologists, philosophers, creatives, film producers, or Buddhist monks. The?ones who walk the?regenerative?talk. For real.

After more than 50 editions,?#inspirators?evolved into a consultancy studio supporting regenerative pioneers and sustainability leaders in bringing an inspiring?twist to their personal brand.

We playfully advise you on:

* how to network & find partners for implementing SDG-17

* how to enhance your LinkedIn storytelling & visibility

* how to find events for your Keynote Speaking gigs

* how to deliver impactful & visually-appealing presentations

* how to mindfully promote your book(s)

* how to identify meaningful trends and fresh ideas for your projects?

… while offering deep exposure to our diverse, international and fast-growing community.

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We are?Ioana?and?Theodora.

Although we come from completely different backgrounds, we are kindred spirits, sharing the same values and being fueled by inspiration.

Ioana has +10 years of experience in Event & Speaker Management, LinkedIn Storytelling, Presentation Design, Publishing and Editorial Content, also being the Co-Creator of Community Index Magazine, the first & only sustainability magazine in Romania and the Alumna of The Break Fellowship for Women Entrepreneurs 2022.

Theodora has +7 years of experience in the corporate field at the intersection of Communication & PR, Creative Ideation, Fundraising, and Corporate Social Responsibility, being a former Community Liasion for gender equality & cancer prevention campaigns and a Psychologist for "In a Relationship", an educational project for teenagers.?

Dare to reach out! We have exciting ideas for you.

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Thank you for your presence!

If?you felt inspired after reading this edition, pass the baton of inspiration and forward the newsletter to a loved one.??