Transition: A Weekly Wisdom Post

I settled on the word TRANSITION after reviewing my notes from three wise speakers this week: Amanda Janoo, Clover Hogan and Giles Hutchins. Like I, these individuals are working on transitions, i.e. “a change or shift from one state, subject, place, etc. to another” (as defined by Merriam-Webster). Janoo’s work revolves around transitioning the current economy to a well-being economy. Hogan is working to transition the way we think and act toward the future. Hutchins is working to transition the way we lead and do business from old mechanistic models to more humanistic models. All are acting toward a future where people and the planet thrive.

Transitioning to a Wellbeing Economy

As part of the Global Regenerative CoLab (GRC), I had the opportunity to listen to Amanda Janoo talk about the Wellbeing Economy Alliance and the shift to a well-being economy. ?Two transitional mentions during the presentation stood out.

• To move from an economy where people and the planet are here to serve the economy to an economy that is here to serve us (and the planet).
• To shift beyond criticisms of the current system toward one that establishes a well-being economy as a viable goal.

Janoo showed the current model which is to grow the economy as its goal and through that and use taxes to collect some of the wealth. The taxes are then used to fix the damages done to people and planet. It felt like such a simple way to present our current insanity.

The organization’s process in transition is to first, make knowledge more accessible. They want to be a place to share and connect people in the process of this transition. In the presentation, Janoo even had a slide with nine strategies across the globe doing this work.

Second, they want to work to shift the narrative from the problems of the current system to goals with possibilities. We simply waste too much time and energy on what is not working. Our focus should be on what is imagining and vision around what is possible while focusing actions on parts that we can do now.

Finally, the organization hopes to create spaces where diverse stakeholders can connect as well as facilitate their collaboration.

In the end, the following is the desire:

“A wellbeing economy that values activities and behaviors by their contribution to social and ecological wellbeing.”

Join the GRC for more great talks like this. The presentation can be found here. Special shout-out to Carolina Carvalho who plays host to many of these conversations.

The transition from inaction to action

As part of the Climate Coaching Alliance’s (CCA) Global Festival 2023, I had the amazing opportunity to listen to Clover Hogan, a youth climate activist. There was way too much wisdom to summarize in a few short paragraphs, so I will focus on the ones that felt the most meaningful to me.

In the meantime, acknowledge. Hogan did not sidestep the truth that any movement to action must not bypass the pain, especially for young people, in the current various crisis. Hogan focuses on climate, but we know all the current crises are connected. She spoke about her own pain and the need to be able to speak it and process it so that it doesn’t prevent movement through overwhelm.

Mindset. Hogan spoke to the fact that technology has been out there for decades to “fix” the climate crisis and yet little movement has taken place. The mindset shift we need is to believe that we are not separate from Earth, nor from other human beings or creatures of the planet. She also spoke extensively about the “too small” stories we tell ourselves about ourselves and the world like “I am just one person; I have no power.” “I don’t have the skills or expertise.” “It’s really in the hands of policymakers.” We can and must, each of us, do our part, starting with examining our beliefs and mindsets.

Focus: With a future-oriented and possibility mindset in place, Hogan urged the group to focus on aspects of the crisis that are most meaningful to them and what is in their control. Her and her organization, Force of Nature, focus on working with companies that don’t need their youth faces to be public in any way. They take seats and the table to effect change and not much else. They refuse to affiliate “for the optics” – to simply be seen as working with youth but not actually equally partnering.

Two other things I took away. The first was around “youthwashing” where they have youth speak in public but don’t really listen to their wisdom. When I heard that it made me think that every board or council should have a minimum of 3 youth as members with equal voices since they are the most affected by decisions. The second was that Hogan continually questions her own motives and beliefs. Some questions she’s been asking herself recently is;

“Am I just helping patch the same system or am I helping people defect so a new way can emerge?”

The transition from mechanistic to humanistic

Also, a part of CCA was Giles Hutchins, author of several books including Regenerative Leadership and Leading by Nature, both of which I own and have read or am reading. Much of the work I do is similar.

Hutchins's work is in the area of leadership in businesses and organizations. Hutchins talked about three levels of this transition.

Understand. ?This understanding first starts with us being aware of ourselves and our environment – the inner and the outer. We must constantly work to examine our inner state of being and how we show up in the world. This is a constant journey of consciousness. We must also understand the inner and outer relationships of our organizations.

Embody. We must be authentic is “walking the talk.” We must recognize that we are systems within systems. We must continually pause, breathe, reflect and tune in to our bodies to allow emergence. We must ask ourselves how we listen. And keep listening.

Bio-social-spiritual. Hutchins referred to this as the Quantum level. At this level, we must tune into life, nature, and all its wisdom. What is calling?

I feel like so much of the work I do in this area is still at Level 1: Understand. I am slowly working in the embodied, but because this is so foreign to people, I feel much resistance. I keep adding small pieces at a time and hope that some small seedlings will grow. I do tap briefly into the spiritual or transcendent in my Human-Nature Connection workshop series, but I tread lightly until I feel like my network is more open.

Hutchins also briefly mentioned tools from his book that help us LET GO, ACKNOWLEDGE INSECURITIES and HOLD SPACE FOR TENSIONS. These are also required in this transition from mechanistic to humanistic because we don’t know – the future is uncertain.

I loved two questions Hutchins asks himself at the start of each day;

“How do I grow today? How do I give today?”

My transitions

I’ve been transitioning for the past five years, and I can attest to the difficulties both Hogan and Hutchins spoke about in doing so. I am now more curious about the dark parts of me and my environment and can approach them with less fear. I know there will be light on the other side, even if I’m unsure where the light will ultimately lead.

Many of my workshops are the result of my learning through my own transition, both internally and externally. Contact me if you need help through your inner or outer transition. ?