Thank you from the bottom of my heart

Dear Carol,

Yesterday, your children, Mark and Tamara, shared the news of your peaceful passing. While my heart is heavy with grief, it is also filled with immense gratitude for the extraordinary gift you have been to this world and to my life.

You didn’t just teach me about regenerative business, you transformed how I think, how I see, and how I show up in the world. The depth of your impact is something I can scarcely put into words.

I remember the first time your work came into my life. It was a Sunday. I had ordered your book out of curiosity, not fully knowing what “regenerative business” even meant. But from the first page, I was captivated. Your words were alive, they spoke to something profound and essential. I highlighted every other sentence and, by the end of the weekend, had ordered all your other books. What I didn’t realize then was that I had embarked on a journey that would transform me forever.

Your work didn’t just give me frameworks or tools; it gave me a new way of thinking, of being. Through living systems thinking, you opened my eyes to the interconnectedness of everything, the potential within every system, and the beauty of aligning with life’s principles instead of fighting against them. You helped me see challenges as invitations, constraints as creative forces, and leadership as an act of nurturing, not controlling, potential.

When I reached out to you, eager to ask you my countless questions, your reply was: “I do not answer any questions”. Instead, you invited me to join your community. That one gesture was transformative in itself. You didn’t offer answers, you created space for me to expand my thinking and my capacity to engage with the world more deeply. It was there that I connected with Johan Cléman?on, a Frenchman living in Mexico who had followed your work for over 15 years. That connection blossomed into a treasured friendship and mentoring, just one of the many gifts you unknowingly bestowed.

Through you, I learned to take responsibility for how I show up, to embrace the complexity of the systems I’m part of, and to see my role not as solving problems but as nurturing potential through essence thinking. You showed me that real leadership isn’t about control or benevolence, it’s about developing the capacity of others and the larger systems we belong to.

Your teachings have profoundly shaped my work at AXA Climate, but even more than that, they have shaped me. You gave me the courage and clarity to align with my purpose, to approach my work and my life with a level of consciousness I never thought possible.

In a world that often celebrates surface achievements, financial success, individual fame, you stood for something infinitely deeper. You reminded us of the power and responsibility we hold to elevate humanity’s consciousness and unlock the potential of the living systems all around us.

Carol, you changed my life. You gave me a lens to see the world more clearly, more deeply. You brought me into a journey of thinking, feeling, and acting that has brought purpose and meaning to everything I do. For that, I am endlessly grateful.

You leave behind a legacy that will continue to inspire and guide us. Thank you for showing us the way.

With love and deep gratitude,

Véronique Letellier