The Great Full: Recent Episodes
Michelle Grant
The Great Full podcast is here to help you contribute to a more sustainable world through how you eat, live and lead. Join me on a journey around the world to connect with thinkers and doers working to build more sustainable food systems, communities and lives. They share insights into the challenges we collectively face, highlight the solutions they are bringing to life and offer up wisdom they have gained along their journey. All to inspire you to explore how you want to make a contribution, both personally and professionally, and give you some tools to do so in a way that is impactful, fulfilling and supports your own wellbeing.
Are you wondering why things have been quiet over here at The Great Full podcast?
It is because we have been working on an exciting new podcast for you!
It is called Emotions of Change and here is what you can look forward to:
Changemaking isn’t just strategy, indicators, or mission statements. It’s deeply emotional.
In this show, we dive into the emotions behind doing work that tries to make the world a better place. From anger to compassion, anxiety to joy—we’re here to share things we don’t usually see in LinkedIn posts or slide decks.
Why does this matter?
Because when you're trying to create change, feeling a lot is not only normal—it’s inevitable. Yet we rarely get space to understand how those emotions shape our work. That’s what this show is here for.
In each episode we explore one emotion through the raw, unfiltered story of a woman leading change somewhere in the world. These are not polished success stories. They’re honest and brave stories from the messy middle—the vulnerable, often invisible parts of changemaking.
Then, we speak with guides—philosophers, therapists, practitioners—who help us learn how to navigate these emotions in ways that support both our well-being and our well-doing.
And all of this in a narrative storytelling format - so you can expect an immersive story and soundscapes to make listening as enjoyable as possible !
We made this podcast to help change-makers like you feel less alone and more supported in your emotional journey to make a difference.
If you’re doing the work and feeling everything that comes with it—we made this for you.
🎧 Come join us! 🎧
Listen here:
https://www.thegreatfull.com/eoc-podcast
Or search for Emotions of Change wherever you get your podcasts!
My guest in this episode is Rirhandzu Marivate, a regenerative food systems practitioner and socioecologist currently based in the Western Cape of South Africa.
Rirhandzu leads the Living Soils Community Learning Farm initiative, which aims to empower young black women through jobs in regenerative farming to grow nutrient-rich produce, strengthen local community food security and create sustainable livelihoods.
In this episode we talk to Rirhandzu about how she collaborates with the team and the community to really embody regenerative leadership while they do regenerative agriculture.
We cover:
- How Rirhandzu’s career path diverged from working with apes to working with food!
- How Living Soils simultaneously tackles unemployment, food insecurity and unsustainable farming.
- What fosters the special energy in how they collaborate so that people ‘feel’ more than ‘see’ the project.
- How systems approaches need constant learning and adaptation.
- What intentionally building and nurturing community looks like.
- What it means to center individual and community growth, learning and development AND make a tangible impact.
- How they use regeneration as a lens for their work - not only in terms of how they produce food but also in terms of human development.
- The daily practices that help her embody regenerative leadership each day.
Further information:
Find more information about The Living Soils Community Learning Farm here: https://www.sustainabilityinstitute.net/research-learning/collaborative-projects/living-soils-community-learning-farm/
For more information about Rirhandzu Marivate go to Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rirhandzu-marivate/?originalSubdomain=za
Are you interested in food and sustainability? In our carefully curated monthly newsletter we bring you fresh insights at the intersection of food, sustainability and leading change. Sign up here: https://www.thegreatfull.com/contact
You might also like The Great Full cookbook: www.thegreatfull.com/book
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!
This week we are tackling a big topic together – your personal resilience and what it means for planetary resilience!
I dive into lessons I have learned working with this topic personally and professionally over the last decade and dig out key insights and practical tools that will help you on your journey to create a more just, generative and joyful life for yourself and others.
Before you jump in – there is a free workbook that accompanies this episode. You can download it here!
Listen in to this episode to explore:
-
What personal resilience means.
-
The myths surrounding vs what is actually backed up by science.
-
What change-makers, or aspiring change makers, need to know about how resilience impacts them.
-
Six key science-based insights to help you build your resilience.
-
The relationship between personal and planetary resilience.
-
Some tools and practices you can use help build your resilience.
All the tools and practices that are mentioned at the end of the episode have been pulled into a free workbook for you, which you can download here:
https://www.thegreatfull.com/podcast/ep35-your-resilience-why-it-matters-how-to-build-it-michelle-grant
Thanks for listening!
Further info:
The resilience workbook that accompanies this episode is available here.
In our carefully curated monthly newsletter we bring you fresh Food for Thought at the intersection of food, sustainability and leading change. Subscribe here to join us: https://www.thegreatfull.com/contact
Check out our leadership and coaching programs for women working to build a more sustainable world here: https://www.thegreatfull.com/coaching-and-programs
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts
My guest today is Kylie Flanagan, the author of a brand new book called “Climate Resilience - How we can keep each other safe, care for our communities and fight back against climate change”.
“Climate Resilience brought me to tears of recognition, relief, solidarity, and hope. It’s the book we need to survive this human moment together.” (Lily Diamond - author of Kale & Caramel and coauthor of What’s Your Story?)
It was a pleasure to sit with Kylie on the release of her important book and chat about: the climate leadership we need; why she felt it was important to centre voices other than her own in this book; and how learning from people who do things differently and prioritise values like interconnectedness, humility can deepen the dominant climate conversations.
This book is an extension of Kylie's work as a climate justice and resilience strategist, educator and director of a small, place-based foundation. She partners with communities to develop sustainability + climate resilience strategies grounded in social justice.
During this episode we explore:
- What Kylie learned during a brief adventure as a ‘goat midwife’
- The opportunities that climate justice work offers us to reorient society and communities around wellbeing
- What made Kylie write this book and how it is different to any other climate book
- The myth that there are two options when it comes climate action—individual changes and systemic changes—and what's possible beyond that binary
- Her decision to not include any cisgender men in the book
- Why people who are most impacted should be at the helm of designing and implementing climate solutions
- The most important lessons she learned from the 39 diverse leaders who contributed to her book
- How to navigate the overwhelm that is inevitable in climate and social justice work
- How somatic work is an important tool in our kit to facing the challenges in front of us right now
Further information:
Find Kylie’s new book “Climate Resilience” at Penguin Random House: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/724024/climate-resilience-by-kylie-flanagan/
Connect with Kylie on LinkedIn
Connect with Host Michelle on LinkedIn
In our carefully curated monthly newsletter we bring you fresh Food for Thought at the intersection of food, sustainability and leading change to you. Subscribe here to join us: https://www.thegreatfull.com/contact
Check out our leadership and coaching programs for women working to build a more sustainable world here: https://www.thegreatfull.com/coaching-and-programs
Follow The Great Full on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreatfull/
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!
This week I am delighted to chat with Nina Simons, co-founder of Bioneers and social entrepreneur passionate about reimagining leadership, restoring balance to the feminine and masculine, and helping to heal relations with ourselves, each other and the Earth.
In this episode we talk about how Nina experienced her call to purpose, how healing imbalances in the world and within systems starts with healing imbalances in ourselves, and Nina’s evolving understanding of leadership that is increasingly relational and from the heart.
The topics we cover are:
- The moment when Nina got clarity on her purpose
- How we are all being called to step into our leadership potential right now
- What helps us take action in service of what we believe in and what we love
- How her definition and understanding of leadership has changed over her life
- How redefining leadership helps women appreciate their own contributions and leadership
- The one thing in nature that is offering her guidance right now
- Nina’s personal practices to cultivate systems of care
- Why cultivating community and relationships, starting with the relationship to ourselves, is the key to tackling the challenges of our times
- The historic reasons for the Internal barriers women have in speaking our truth and take space
- What makes the annual Bioneers gathering so special in integrating inner and outer work
Further information:
- Find more information about Nina Simons on https://www.ninasimons.com/
- Nina Simon’s book Nature, Culture & The Sacred: A Woman Listens For Leadership https://www.ninasimons.com/writing
- Free download of the introduction to Nina’s book Nature, Culture & The Sacred: A Woman Listens For Leadership https://bioneers.org/ncs/
- Find the mentioned documentary “Burning Times” here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34ow_kNnoro
- Need support on your leadership journey? Join the next cohort of women in the Be The Change group coaching and leadership training program starting late August 2023: www.thegreatfull.com/bethechange
- Are you interested in food, sustainability and leading change? In our carefully curated monthly newsletter we bring some fresh Food for Thought to you at the intersection of food, sustainability and leading change. You can subscribe here: https://www.thegreatfull.com/contact
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!
My guest this episode is Mona Mijthab, social entrepreneur, international speaker and designer with a focus on circular design and social innovation.
Mona founded Mosan, a social enterprise improving living conditions in low-income communities with circular sanitation systems, offering safe sanitation to people while also transforming human excreta into nutrient-rich biochar for soil health in agriculture.
Mosan currently offers its services in indigenous communities in the Lake Atitlàn region of Guatemala, where they work together to improve hygiene standards, protect water and environment, and create opportunities for local communities.
In this episode, Mona and I talk about how Mosan came to life and why 2023 is the most exciting year for their team so far, as well as:
- Why she shifted from traditional design to design for social innovation
- How the smart, circular, dry sanitation system developed by Mosan works
- The multiple social, health and environmental benefits it brings
- How they use human excreta and urine to produce biochar for soil regeneration and food production
- What circular, participatory and inclusive design looks like on the ground
- How building local innovation ecosystems, relationship and trust has been key to their success
- Why not being afraid of failure is a great asset in creating change
- How incremental innovation supports transformative changes
- What everyone should know about sanitation and circularity, especially if you live in a city
- What Mona has learned about leadership from the communities she works with
Find more information about Mona Mijthab go to https://www.linkedin.com/in/monamijthab/
Find more information about Mosan on https://mosan.com/
Need support on your leadership journey? Join the next cohort of women in the Be The Change group coaching and leadership training program starting in Aug 2023: www.thegreatfull.com/bethechange
Are you interested in food and sustainability? In our carefully curated monthly newsletter we bring some Food for Thought to you with fresh insights at the intersection of food, sustainability and leading change. Sign up here: https://www.thegreatfull.com/contact
You might also like The Great Full cookbook: www.thegreatfull.com/book
Follow Michelle Grant on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-grant-577885/
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!
On today’s episode I am joined by Sarela Herrada, co-founder of SIMPLi foods. Born and raised in Lima, Peru, with a background in industrial engineering and food supply chain management, she and her husband Matt have now founded SIMPLi - a food business that wants to do things differently.
In this episode we chat about her journey to bring SIMPLi to life and how they are trying to simultaneously tackle big complex topics like climate change, biodiversity loss and farmer livelihoods through the work that they do.
The topics we cover are:
- How the story of quinoa in Sarela’s home country Peru inspired her to look for more regenerative ways to produce and trade food.
- SIMPLi’s mission to lead regenerative and sustainable change in the food industry
- Sarela’s journey to creating SIMPLi
- How they create transparent supply chains and empower farming communities through ethically sourced ingredients
- The role of regenerative organic for a more sustainable and just food system and what the Regenerative Organic Alliance is trying to achieve
- Sarela’s lessons in authentic leadership learned from working with indigenous and farming communities
- Perceptions of time and the importance of grace in building authentic relationships with partners
Further information:
For more information about Sarela Herrada go to https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarela-herrada-58665643/
Find more information about SIMPLi on https://eatsimpli.com/
Need support on your leadership journey? Join the next cohort of women in the Be The Change group coaching and leadership training program starting in Aug 2023: www.thegreatfull.com/bethechange
Our carefully curated monthly newsletter brings you fresh insights at the intersection of food, sustainability and leading change. Sign up for Food for Though here: https://www.thegreatfull.com/contact
You might also like The Great Full cookbook: www.thegreatfull.com/book
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!
In this episode we gathered in a small circle of The Great Full community members to chat about what community means to us and our work. We discuss how we have experienced community in our own personal and professional lives and what impact it has had on us. We explore how communities are built, run and sustained and in what ways they help people on their journeys of driving, and responding to, change and transformation.
The topics we cover are:
- How we each define community and how that understanding has evolved;
- The role community plays in fostering change and making a positive impact in the world;
- The role community plays in collective care, shifting narratives and fostering belonging;
- Our key ingredients to foster to community;
- How communities have supported us in navigating change;
- How to start building community.
At the end we share some reflection questions for you to explore on your journey! You can find the questions here (LINK)
- What does community mean for you?
- When and how has community supported you in either responding to or driving change?
- How do you actively contribute to fostering and building community in the spaces that you occupy?
- Where in your life or work, do you need the support of a community right now? And where might you find it?
Further information:
Need support on your leadership journey? Join the next cohort of women in the Be The Change group coaching and leadership training program starting in Aug 2023: www.thegreatfull.com/bethechange
Are you interested in food and sustainability? In our carefully curated monthly newsletter we bring some Food for Thought to you. You can subscribe for fresh insights at the intersection of food, sustainability and leading change here: https://www.thegreatfull.com/contact
Find more information about Michelle on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-grant-577885/
Find more information about Shruti on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/shrutispatel1/
Find more information about Kenza on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/benabderrazik-kenza/
Find more information about Sina on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sinamarleenpetersen/
Find the mentioned documentary “Together we grow” ton YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_D7cVx7O0ek
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!
My guest this episode is Ana Pantelić, Executive Director of the MIT D-Lab. Ana is an international development professional who has guided and grown social impact organisations working at the interface of systems change, innovation, and economic opportunity for women and girls.
As the Executive Director of the D-Lab at MIT, she works with people around the world to develop and advance collaborative approaches and practical solutions to global challenges.
In this episode we talk about her experience with guiding students towards designing for sustainability and through challenges of power dynamics, design constraint and complexity in innovation processes for a more equitable future.
The topics we cover are:
- What designing for a more equitable world looks like in practice;
- How scarcity fuels creativity;
- What working at the intersection of international and sustainable development looks like;
- How her experience of spanning cultural contexts affect her work and leadership;
- The importance of taking systems approaches and decolonizing development;
- The experience of being at home everywhere, and sometimes nowhere;
- Leadership learnings that come from participatory and inclusive design approaches;
- How to live a value-led life and remain joyful while doing complex work in the world.
Further information:
For more information about Ana Pantelić go to her Website and follow her on LinkedIn.
Further information on MIT D-Lab.
Looking for a supportive community on your leadership journey? Join the next cohort of women in the Be The Change group coaching and leadership training program starting in Aug 2023: www.thegreatfull.com/bethechange
Looking for fresh insights at the interface of food, sustainability and leadership? Sign up for Michelle’s Food for Thought newsletter, delivered to your inbox each month: https://www.thegreatfull.com/contact
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
This episode is a space for you to reflect on the relationship between your own wellbeing and your well-doing in the world. In other words, the connection between your self-care, systems of care and ability to make sustainable change.
Join me for a chat about:
- What led me to start caring so deeply about this topic
- The wellbeing and contribution feedback loop
- Why it’s not your fault - how burnout and wellbeing are about self care AND systems of care
- The irony that social and environmental impact oriented organisations are seeing high levels of employee burnout
We wrap up with some reflection and journalling questions for you to explore this topic for yourself and close with a reading from a book that I love!
Further information:
-
Find an overview of the reflection questions here.
-
Need support on your leadership journey? Join the next cohort of women in the Be The Change group coaching and leadership training program starting in Aug 23: www.thegreatfull.com/bethechange
-
Michelle sends out a carefully curated monthly newsletter called Food for Thought which offers fresh insights at the intersection of food, sustainability and leading change - sign up for it here! https://www.thegreatfull.com/contact
-
Find the article ‘Where to start if you feel burned out at work’ here: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/where_to_start_if_you_feel_burned_out_at_work
-
Read the Climate Burnout Report here: https://www.climatecritical.earth/report
-
Want to learn more about the symptoms of burn out? The BAT (burnout assessment tool) was developed in a three year research project. Scroll down to find the questionnaire in your language here: https://burnoutassessmenttool.be/handleiding_vragenlijst_eng/
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!
My guest this episode is Liz Ogutu, Policy, Advocacy and Regional Coordinator for Africa at HarvestPlus. Liz has dedicated her career to tackling malnutrition in Africa and currently focuses on using biofortification to improve nutrition while also giving agency back to smallholder farmers.
In this episode, Liz and I talk about what biofortification is and how it can help tackle food system challenges, and explore how she has navigated tradeoffs and power structures to find a career that nourishes herself and others.
The topics covered include:
- What biofortification is and how it can help tackle food system challenges in Africa
- Specific examples - from orange flesh sweet potatoes in Mozambique to iron enriched beans in Rwanda
- How innovation needs passion and patience to have an impact
- How Harvest Plus prioritises women in their work
- How Liz came to find her specific calling, and how she managed trade offs along the way
- How she made courageous choices and found the will to re-start at the bottom
- Liz’s experience in navigating power structures as an indigenous African woman
- What appreciating our own value has to do with the fight for equity
Further information:
For more information about Liz Ogutu follow her on Linkedin or @lizogutu on Twitter
Further information on HarvestPlus:
Song created for High Iron Beans in Rwanda: https://youtu.be/fo6449Rd3I0
Harvest Plus Founders Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiFF4gJCSQk
Harvest Plus and Prioritising Women https://www.harvestplus.org/responding-to-crisis-increasing-nutrition-and-protecting-farming-dependent-livelihoods/
If you are interested in food and sustainability and what you can do to create change, you might like The Great Full cookbook: www.thegreatfull.com/book
Check out our leadership programs for women in food and sustainability: https://www.thegreatfull.com/coaching-and-programs
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!
In this episode, Michelle Grant (Founder of The Great Full) explores meditation as a leadership practice. Michelle integrates meditation into her leadership trainings and uses this episode to answer common questions participants have around what meditation is and what makes it a leadership practice. The aim is to help you explore how mediation might be a tool that supports you on your journey to lead change, and help you get started with your own practice.
In this episode, Michelle shares:
- What led her to meditation and how she finally started a regular practice (3:42)
- What meditation is and isn’t (8:59)
- What we are actually doing when we are meditating (25:04)
- Why mediation is a leadership practice (31:45)
- What the science says about mediation as a leadership practice (41:29)
- What the difference between mindfulness and meditation is (47:52)
- Which meditation is the ‘best’ type (50:40)
- When the best time to meditate is (52:50)
- If meditation can be addictive (53:48)
- How to start, and stick with, a meditation practice (57:21)
- A 10 minute guided practice that you can come back to anytime you need it! (1:02:01)
Further information:
Looking for an inspiring community to support your leadership journey? Join the next cohort of women in the Lead The Change leadership and facilitator training program starting on 26 April 2023: www.thegreatfull.com/leadthechange
You can read the full research paper on mindfulness and leadership development here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053482221000164
Here is the link to Insight Timer, the free meditation app mentioned in the episode: https://insighttimer.com/
My guests this week are Corinna Hawkes, Shu Wen Ng and Rebecca Namara from the Next Gen(D)eration Leadership Collective.
Food presents a huge opportunity to improve the health of people and the planet while also supporting the livelihoods of millions. Yet, despite growing calls to reform our food systems for the sake of human and planetary health, things aren’t getting better.
What is missing is the bold and courageous leadership needed to put solutions to work. The Next Gen(D)eration Leadership Collective was established based on the belief that making transformative change to our food systems means transforming both how we lead and who leads.
In this episode with the collective's co-founders and task force members, we chat about:
- How their personal and professional paths led them to conclude that we need to transform leadership;
- The 8 courageous leadership practices outlined in the Manifesto for Leadership by the Next Gen(D)eration Leadership Collective;
- How we can start working with these practices in our own work and lives;
- Why courage is the leading principle in the work of the Next Gen(D)eration Leadership Collective;
- Their vision for this leadership movement and how you can get involved.
The 8 practices from the manifesto that we discuss are:
- Prioritise social purpose
- Persist by learning and adapting
- Deviate from the norm
- Lift others up
- Listen with curiosity
- Reflect individually and collectively
- Connect with others for collective action
- Speak openly and authentically
Further information:
Find more information about Next Gen(D)eration Leadership Collective on https://www.nextgenderationleaders.org/ You can find their manifesto here: https://www.nextgenderationleaders.org/our-manifesto
If you are looking for support on your own leadership journey check out Lead the Change, our 6 month leadership training program for women working in food systems and sustainability:
https://www.thegreatfull.com/leadthechange
Applications are now open for the next cohort, starting April 26 2023!
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!
We are happy to be back with Season 3 of The Great Full podcast! In this episode, Michelle Grant (Founder of The Great Full) chats with participants of Lead the Change to dig deeper into their experience in the program.
Lead the Change is a 6 month leadership and facilitation training for women wanting to lead sustainable change. It was created to support you to lead with intention, empower others and facilitate change. So that you can make a contribution in a way that is both purposeful and joyful.
This episode will help you explore if Lead the Change is a fit for you in your personal and professional development journey. Applications are now open for the next round of the program that will kick off on 26 April 2023.
In this episode, we chat about:
- How Lead the Change is designed to help you feel calm, confident and connected as you make a positive impact through your work
- What we cover in the 3 modules: Leading Yourself, Leading Others, and Leading Change
- What participants have to had to say at the end of the program about: how their perspective on leadership changed; what their biggest take aways and shifts are; how they found the structure and flow of the program; and how it was to learn in a community of women from around the world.
Further information:
Looking for support on your leadership journey? Join the next cohort Lead the Change - Advanced Leadership and Facilitation Skills for Sustainable Change - a group leadership and facilitator training program starting in 26 April 2023:
https://www.thegreatfull.com/leadthechange
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!
This week I am chatting with Nabeeha and Yumna, two incredibly inspiring high school students who are on a mission to make healthy food accessible to all children in the UK through their engagement with Bite Back 2030.
Founded by Jamie Oliver but fully youth-led, Bite Back 2030’s mission is to enable better access to healthy food for everyone and to create more sustainable food systems. Yumna and Nabeeha are on the youth board and in this episode we hear their inspiring stories of youth leading change.
We chat about:
- How Yumna and Nabeeha started campaigning for healthier food for young people while still in school
- How their own lived experience and personal stories motivated them to stand up and demand change
- Bite Back’s most recent campaign to end junk food advertising in the UK
- How fast food restaurants actively targeting young consumers
- How Yumna and Nabeeha feel about the praise but lack of support from adults in their efforts to lead change
- Important leadership skills they have learned from each other on their journey
- The problems in the food system from a young person’s perspective
- They action they want their government representatives to take
- How they both navigate the overwhelm from juggling campaigning while they’re still at school
“Our government needs to do more to make sure that young people’s voice and their concerns are not being taken as tick-boxes but are directly embedded within decision-making. And, you know, we aren’t necessarily asking for seats at the table any longer - we’re building our own tables, we’re building our own chairs and we’re making spaces where young people’s voices truly matter.” Yumna
Further information:
- Find out more about Bite Back 2030 here: https://www.biteback2030.com/
- Need support on your leadership journey to create sustainable change? Join the next cohort of the Be The Change group coaching and leadership training program starting in Sept 2022: www.thegreatfull.com/bethechange
- If you are interested in food and sustainability and what you can do to create change, you might like The Great Full cookbook: www.thegreatfull.com/book
- Follow The Great Full on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreatfull/
- Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!
My guest this episode is Jerusha Klemperer, the Director of FoodPrint.org, a media platform dedicated to helping people understand the impact of what they eat on animals, planet and people.
Prior to leading FoodPrint, Jerusha was a Co-Founder of FoodCorps, an organization that works with local communities around the US to serve healthy food in schools, and before that led campaigns at Slow Food USA. She has a 15+ year career working for places with “food” in the title, to support a food system that is better for the planet, more just, more humane and more delicious.
We chat about the lessons Jerusha has learned in her various food roles, how everyone can contribute towards a more sustainable food system, and how she sees the role of anger, storytelling and inspiration in communicating important issues.
The topics we cover are:
- How Jerusha started working with food after starting her career as an actor
- The one book that made her (and me!) aware of the problems in the food system
- What she learned while working on improving school lunches with Slow Food USA and FoodCorps
- How to work out what your Foodprint is, and what to do to reduce it
- How you can start eating more sustainably today
- The role of anger in advocating for sustainability and change
- What inspires and motivates Jerusha to stay positive in challenging times
- The hype around plant-based meat alternatives, its consequences for people and the planet and the critical questions we should be asking
- Leadership practices that have inspired Jerusha though her work
- Storytelling and its role in creating change
Resources mentioned in the episode:
- The book “Fast Food Nation” by Eric Schlosser
- Guides by FoodPrint on how to start eating more sustainably: https://foodprint.org/eating-sustainably/
- The “What You’re Eating” Podcast: https://foodprint.org/what-youre-eating/
Further information:
- Learn more about Food Print on their website, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (all @FoodPrintOrg).
- Connect with Jerusha Klemperer on Twitter and LinkedIn.
- Need support on your leadership journey? Join the next cohort of women in the Be The Change group coaching and leadership training program starting in September 2022 - get on the waitlist here: www.thegreatfull.com/bethechange
- If you are interested in food and sustainability and what you can do to create change, you might like The Great Full cookbook: www.thegreatfull.com/book
- Follow The Great Full on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreatfull/
- Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!
My guest this week is Dr. Jessica Hernandez (Maya Ch’orti’ & Binnizá), the author of the new book “Fresh Banana Leaves - Healing Indigenous Landscapes through Indigenous Science”. Jessica is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Washington Bothell, a Climate Justice Policy Strategist at the International Mayan League and the Environmental Justice Representative of the City of Seattle Commission of Urban Forestry.
In this episode, Jessica helps us understand how indigenous and western science can be complementary, and what we need to know about colonialism, eco-colonialism and ecological grief if we want to tackle climate change. Jessica shares the wisdom she has gathered on her leadership journey, particularly around framing and tackling imposter syndrome.
The topics we cover in our conversation are:
- The fascinating story behind the title of her book “Fresh Banana Leaves”
- What it means to be an indigenous scientist
- How settler colonialism impacts indigenous communities
- What eco-colonialism means and why it is important
- What people working in the field of sustainability need to understand about indigenous science
- How Jessica is integrating her experiences as an indigenous and western scientist and how both approaches can complement each other
- The concept of ecological grief
- The restorative agricultural practice of Milpas
- Spirituality and our relationship to nature
- How Jessica found the courage to pursue her path integrating indigenous and western science
- How Jessica frames and navigates imposter syndrome
- What it means to her to be good ancestor
- What we can learn from leadership in matriarchal pueblos of the Zapotec nation
- Indigenous-led movements that inspire Jessica
- What the food system would look like if it were returned to indigenous peoples
- How Jessica stays grounded and manages her time and energy
Find more information about Jessica Hernandez on her website and twitter.
Order your copy of Fresh Banana Leaves - Healing Indigenous Landscapes through Indigenous Science here.
Find the book trailer here.
Need support on your sustainable leadership journey? Join the next cohort of women in the Be The Change group coaching and leadership training program starting in September 2022 - get on the waitlist here: www.thegreatfull.com/bethechange
If you are interested in food and sustainability and what you can do to create change, you might like The Great Full cookbook: www.thegreatfull.com/book
Follow The Great Full on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreatfull/
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!
This episode is a special / unusual one. Instead of sharing the inspiring story of a human being leading sustainable change, I am sharing some wisdom for a little puppy named Polly!
This last year we were foster parents or “puppy raisers” for a guide dog puppy. That meant volunteering our home, time and energy to socialise a little Labrador puppy before she goes off to school where she is trained as a guide dog for the blind or as an assistant dog for people who use wheelchairs.
This adorable little ball of fluff turned our lives upside down and to my surprise taught me an awful lot about life and leadership along the way. So, I decided to summarise my top 10 lessons from Polly the puppy to share with you here.
This episode also includes some reflections and food for thought that I hope offer you some new insights into how you live and lead!
Here are the lessons Polly wants to share with you on this episode:
- Learning is play and play is learning
- Resolve to begin again
- Learn to face your fears
- This too shall pass
- Don’t miss the joy in the small things
- Face things when they are little or they will grow big and bite you
- Don’t always hold leash so tight
- Stop and smell the roses, and the poop. Be willing to experience it all.
- Slow down, you’re moving too fast
- Bark when your needs not met
And a bonus 11th if you listen to the end!
Further information:
For more adorable puppy pictures of Polly check out: https://www.thegreatfull.com/podcast/ep20-life-leadership-lessons-polly-the-puppy
Need support on your leadership journey? Get on the waitlist to join the next cohort of women in the Be The Change group coaching and leadership training program starting in Sep 2022: www.thegreatfull.com/bethechange
Sign up for The Great Full newsletter, your monthly inspiration for how to eat, live and lead for a sustainable world: https://www.thegreatfull.com/contact
Follow The Great Full on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreatfull/
If you want to learn more about being a puppy raiser for the Foundation Swiss School for Guide Dogs for the Blind you can learn more here: https://www.blindenhundeschule.ch/unterstuetzung/patenhunde
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!
My guest in this episode is the inspiring Jacquie McGlade, a professor of sustainability and resilience at University College London and Strathmore University in Kenya. She was formerly the Chief Scientist at the United Nations Environment Program and the Executive Director of the European Environment Agency for 10 years. Though originally from the UK, Jacquie now lives in the Masai Mara with her husband and their community.
In the episode, Jacquie shares meaningful insights into her life and career, as well as her views on how effective leadership, courage and community will shape the transition towards a more sustainable world.
The topics we cover are:
- The story of how Jacquie came to live in the Masai Mara in Kenya
- How food insecurity and climate change are affecting their lives
- How they’re adapting to these challenges
- The biggest changes we need to make as humanity for sustainability
- The circular bio economy of wellbeing
- What kind of leadership we need to transition towards a circular bio economy of wellbeing
- What personal development future leaders need to engage with
- What meditation taught Jacquie about communication and conflict resolution
- Where she found courage in difficult or dangerous situations
- People and books that have inspired Jacquie on her path
- Two projects that Jacquie is inspired by working with communities in the Masai Mara on regenerative forestry and porous alpha water purification
- How the world and especially in the area of science and academia was different for a woman when she started her career
Further information:
To watch further talks from Jacquie on the topics discussed here check out: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/professorships/environment-professorship/
Find more information about Jacquie on Linkedin
Need support on your leadership journey? Join the next cohort of women in the Be The Change group coaching and leadership training program starting in September 2022 - get on the waitlist here: www.thegreatfull.com/bethechange
If you are interested in food and sustainability and what you can do to create change, you might like The Great Full cookbook: www.thegreatfull.com/book
Follow The Great Full on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreatfull/
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!
This episode I chat with Beccie D’Cunha, founder of the Courage Lab. Beccie has extensive experience in leadership roles in the not for profit sector and as a professional facilitator and conflict mediator.
At Courage Lab, Beccie offers coaching to enable courageous conversations, strengthen relationships and create the leadership we need for a positive change in our organizations and in the world around us.
In this conversation we explore the role of courage in leading change, how it connects to confidence and some practical tips on how to build your own courage.
The topics we cover are:
- What motivated Beccie to set up the Courage Lab
- The role of courage in the transformation towards a more sustainable world
- The main connections between courage and leadership
- The difference between courage and confidence
- How vulnerability and courage are connected
- Artificial harmony and avoiding difficult conversations
- Beccie’s take on armored vs. daring leadership
- Courage building practices you can engage with
- The negotiation techniques BATNA, WATNA and MLATNA
- Beccie’s advice for aspiring women leaders
Further information:
Find more information about The Courage Lab on https://www.couragelab.co/
For more information about other offerings at The Great Full to help you eat, live and lead for a more sustainable world, check out: www.thegreatfull.com
If you are interested in exploring your role in leading sustainable change, and how to build the calm, clarity and courage to step into your potential check out the Be The Change program: www.thegreatfull.com/bethechange
Follow The Great Full on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreatfull/
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!
My guest this week is Louise Mabulo - chef, farmer, and founder of the Cacao project, a social venture and agroforestry project working with farmers in the Philippines. At just 23 years old, she’s a Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 list maker, a UN Environment Program Young Champion of the Earth, and Outstanding Farmer of the Year 2018 in the Philippines. As a chef, Louise won the Best Dessert in Asia Award at the Disciples des Escoffier Young Talent Trophy and was a finalist in the TV cooking show Junior MasterChef.
In our conversation, Louise shares her story on how she entered the world of food at a very young age, how her upbringing influenced her career from the kitchen to the field and how she founded the Cacao project after a typhoon devastated the region where she grew up. We explore the intersections of traditional and modern knowledge, and how generations can learn from each other when it comes to food systems and leading change.
The topics we cover are:
- Louise’s story and how she got connected with food from a very young age
- How an extreme weather event motivated her work with the Cacao Project
- The goals of the Cacao Project - from sustainable agriculture to local value adding
- Challenges for farmers in the Philippines and how the food system can be transformed to be more resilient
- How being homeschooled influenced her attitude towards taking initiative and solving problems
- What different generations can learn from each other when they collaborate The opportunities at the intersection of traditional and modern knowledge
- How social stigmas about farming are engrained in society and the school system in the Philippines
- How they are using Farmer-Field-Schools to tackle this stigma and offer innovative education
- How Louise juggles the different roles she has as a chef, farmer, entrepreneur and activist
- How Louise uses storytelling and public speaking in her work
- The way that Louise’s understanding of leadership has changed along the way The topic of gender in the food system and women Louise looks up to
Further information:
Find more information about Louise on her website: https://louisemabulo.com/
Read all about the Cacao Project here: https://louisemabulo.com/the-cacao-project
You can follow her on Instagram @louisedgmabulo
If you are interested in food and sustainability and what you can do to create change, you might want to:
Join the next round of Be The Change, a leadership training and coaching program for aspiring women leaders. Applications closing soon: https://www.thegreatfull.com/bethechange
Read The Great Full - Sustainable Eating with Purpose and Joy (including 70 vegetarian and plant based recipes along with inspiring stories of changing our food system!): https://www.thegreatfull.com/book
Follow The Great Full on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreatfull/
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!
In this episode we explore Imposter Syndrome - understanding better what it actually is, the myths surrounding it, the systemic issues that can lead to it and what we can do individually, and collectively, to manage it.
At the moment, Imposter Syndrome holds back the very people we need to be leading change. It stands in the way of us shifting the status quo so that we can build a more sustainable, just and joyful world. So in this episode we tackle:
- What Imposter Syndrome actually is
- Who suffers from it, and the myths around this
- The systemic issues and environments that feed Imposter Syndrome
- Why Imposter Syndrome is a phenomenon and not an illness
- The research that shows you are far from alone if you experience it
- The impacts of Imposter Syndrome on us as individuals and on society
- How Imposter Syndrome gets in the way of us leading change, sharing our gifts and experience and shifting the status quo
- Why we need to work at both the systemic and individual level to actually tackle imposter syndrome
- Concrete tips for how to manage imposter thoughts when they arise for you
- Ways that we can collectively tackle the issue in our organizations and communities
Further Information:
Learn more about Be The Change and how to apply at http://www.thegreatfull.com/bethechange
HBR Article “Stop telling women they have imposter syndrome” by Ruchika Tulshyan and Jodi-Ann Burey: https://hbr.org/2021/02/stop-telling-women-they-have-imposter-syndrome and the follow up article “End Imposter Syndrome in your workplace” https://hbr.org/2021/07/end-imposter-syndrome-in-your-workplace
Dare to Lead podcast episode with the HBR article authors: https://brenebrown.com/podcast/imposter-syndrome/
Book by Valerie Young ‘Secret Thoughts of Successful Women’: https://impostorsyndrome.com/book/overview/
Hidden Brain podcast episode on self-doubt featuring an interview with imposter phenomenon researcher Dr. Kevin Cokley https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/the-psychology-of-self-doubt/
My guest on this episode is Jehane Akiki, a Lebanese social entrepreneur and systems designer. She’s the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Farms not Arms, a collective bringing Lebanese people and refugees together to build food security and social cohesion.
Jehane is also the Co-Founder of ioi Strategic Design and Learning Blocks. All of these efforts have seen her acknowledged as one of the World Economic Forum Global Shapers.
Jehane and I talk about the philosophy and vision behind Farms Not Arms and her personal leadership journey to work at the interface of food systems, social justice and sustainable development.
The topics we cover are:
· The catalyst for Jehane’s work in food and agriculture
· What her work has taught her about about social integration and the refugee crisis
· How she worked with a collective from around the world to create Farms Not Arms using a collaborative systemic design process
· The idea, philosophy, and principles behind Farms Not Arms
· How this internationally co-designed project was able to be locally embedded
· The biggest challenges they faced when implementing the project
· Gender issues that emerged during her work
· Personal challenges Jehane has overcome on her leadership journey
· How to manage the self-doubt that can arise when we tackle complex challenges
· Moments that have personally touched her while working with Farms not Arms
· How Jehane creates space for feminine leadership values
· What living a great and full life mean for her
Further information:
Need support on your leadership journey? Join the next cohort of women in the Be The Change group coaching and leadership training program starting in Feb 2022: www.thegreatfull.com/bethechange
Follow The Great Full on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreatfull/
Find more information about Farms Not Arms on https://www.designfarmsnotarms.org/
You can follow them on Instagram and Facebook @farmsnotarms
Find out more about Jehane at https://www.jehaneakiki.com/
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!
Season 2 of The Great Full will include solo episodes like this one, where we dive into challenges you might face in your work to create change in the world.
One of the most common questions I hear from my coachees and students is: What to do when you face an inner resistance to being visible, using your voice and taking up space to make the contribution you want to? It is a topic I am all too familiar with, and over the years have found a lot of useful tools that can help. That is exactly what we will explore in this episode.
This episode is for you if you are called to create something, to put something out into the world that you think can be of service or impact others, but you feel held back by a lot of doubts about your own value or the value of the idea that you had.
It's for you if you're stepping into a new leadership role and you feel held back by a lot of questions about how to do that and how to really take up your space there.
It's also for you if you're hovering in the background, like you have a lot of potential, a lot of things that you would like to share but you feel a lot of fear or procrastination holding you back from actually doing what you're called to do.
To help you move forward, this episode explores:
- Common situations where you might have trouble using your voice, sharing things with the world or taking up your space
- The real reasons we procrastinate, resist or get stuck in these situations
- Why not having enough time is never the reason
- The mindset we need if we want to create change and lead ourselves
- The underlying fears that may be coming into play and holding us back
- The influence of culture, socialisation and your individual lived experience
- The multiple costs of not using your voice, including your own happiness
- Four practical tools and methods you can use to help yourself move forward; including how to manage your inner critic.
For more information about career and leadership coaching and trainings for women working in sustainability, check out: www.thegreatfull.com
Follow The Great Full on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreatfull/
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!
My guest on the show today is Clara Rowe, CEO of Restor, an exciting new open-data platform enabling the global restoration movement. Restor was recently named as a finalist in the Earthshot prize for the incredible potential it offers to tackle climate and biodiversity challenges on our planet.
Clara and I chat about how either-or-thinking in terms of restoration, and in our own lives, can be detrimental. We discuss the misunderstanding around the 1 Trillion Trees campaign and how Restor has integrated the lessons learned. We also explore Clara’s leadership journey to develop and establish Restor.
The topics we cover are:
-
How Restor aims to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss through restoration
-
How Clara’s upbringing in Costa Rica influenced her career path
-
The one creative practice Clara makes time for every day
-
Her work on sustainable Palm Oil in Guatemala with the Earthworm foundation
-
Moments of impact that stood out in her work
-
How she came to lead Restor
-
The risk of simplifying issues and proposing single solutions with the example of the 1 Trillion Trees campaign
-
What it means to do restoration the right way
-
Some of the challenges Clara faced when starting to lead the organization
-
How she deals with overwhelm from navigating such an ambitious project
-
The topic of gender in restoration work
-
What she learned from nature about her own restoration and regeneration
Further information:
Restor: https://restor.eco/
Follow them on:
Twitter @Restor_Eco
Instagram and Facebook @Restor.eco
Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/company/restor-eco/
Clara Rowe: Twitter @clarawrowe
Resources mentioned in the episode:
For more on the 1-trillion-trees debate, check out Tom Crowther’s TED Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJX1Te0jey0&ab_channel=TED and this recently published Guardian article https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/01/ive-never-said-we-should-plant-a-trillion-trees-what-ecopreneur-thomas-crowther-did-next-aoe and the original Science paper here: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aax0848
For more information on leadership coaching and trainings for women wanting to build a more sustainable world, visit: www.thegreatfull.com
If you are interested in food and sustainability and what you can do to create change, you might like The Great Full cookbook: www.thegreatfull.com/book
Follow The Great Full on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreatfull/
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
My guest on the show this week is the wonderful Kavita Prakash-Mani. I had the pleasure of chatting to Kavita right before she was leaving her role as Global Conservation Director at WWF to embark on a professional sabbatical. Stepping back from it all to get some perspective. Naturally, we talked about why taking breaks is crucial, especially when you’re working on topics such as conservation or climate change which can sometimes be overwhelming. Kavita also shared her insights on the interface between conservation and the pandemic and why it’s important to integrate sustainability into the economic recovery packages. Finally, I also got to pick her brain on what each of us can do in our personal and professional lives to contribute to a better world.
Since talking to Kavita, she has moved to Singapore where she is now the CEO of Mandai Nature, an NGO dedicated to protecting threatened species, nurturing healthy ecosystems and creating vibrant communities where wildlife and people can thrive and co-exist.
The topics we chat about are:
- Why periodically taking a break from it all is so important to get perspective and reset
- The insights and impacts from the range of fascinating projects Kavita worked on during her time at WWF
- Why WWF has started focusing more on the consumer side of environmental problems
- How Kavita has personally changed her behaviour as a result of her work in conservation and sustainability
- The interface between zoonotic diseases like Covid-19, our food consumption and nature conservation and what action we need to take to reduce the risk of future pandemics
- How we can integrating sustainable practices into the economic recovery packages
- How growing up in India has influenced her career path
- Kavita’s advice for people just starting their careers in sustainability
- Important leadership attributes needed to tackle big global challenges
- How Kavita tried to juggle her own wellbeing while working on overwhelming global challenges
Further information:
Find some more information about Kavita at: https://events.globallandscapesforum.org/speaker/kavita-prakash-mani/
For more information about other offerings at The Great Full to help you eat, live and lead for a more sustainable world, check out: www.thegreatfull.com
If you are interested in food and sustainability and what you can do to create change, you might like The Great Full cookbook: www.thegreatfull.com/book
Follow The Great Full on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreatfull/
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:
On the show this week, I chat to Dr. Jess Schulschenk, the director of the Sustainability Institute (SI) in South Africa - a pioneer in transformative learning for just and generative futures. Jess and I talk about the essence of the unique work at the SI, what led her towards a career in sustainability, how she deals with some of the challenges that her work brings and how it all relates to the bigger picture of how live well while doing well. We discuss how tools like effective storytelling and changing narratives can be used to solve sustainability challenges while also being crucial for personal wellbeing and intentional leadership.
The topics we cover are:
· The unique approach to learning and research at the Sustainability Institute
· An overview of how the Sustainability Institute is embedded into an ecologically designed community that is deeply intentional about integrating mixed income households from diverse backgrounds
· Insights from her PhD research on leadership and sustainability across the African continent
· The importance of narratives and storytelling in creating change
· How Jess became interested in sustainability and how she created her own career path
· The role of community in finding the confidence to become active in sustainability
· Personal and leadership challenges people working in sustainability face and practices she uses to manage these
· Balance and the narratives around self-care in the sustainability world
Further information:
Find more information about the Sustainability Institute at www.sustainabilityinstitute.net.
You can follow them on Instagram and Facebook @sustainability.institute
For more information about other offerings at The Great Full to help you eat, live and lead for a more sustainable world, check out: www.thegreatfull.com
Interested in leadership and sustainability? Check out the Be The Change program: www.thegreatfull.com/bethechange
If you are interested in food and sustainability and what you can do to create change, you might like The Great Full cookbook: www.thegreatfull.com/book
Follow The Great Full on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreatfull/
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
This episode is the second of our little series on “Can mushrooms save the world?”. My two guests this week are Natan, who’s the founder of a Lisbon-based startup called NAM mushroom and Ivanka, who’s the founder of Ekofungi, Serbia’s first circular economy company. Ivanka is sometimes referred to as the mother of mushrooms, and Natan learned the art of mushroom growing in Ivanka’s school.
In this episode, we dive into the science behind using mushrooms to create circular food systems and business models. They both share their wisdom and experience in mushroom growing, leading change and how they overcame obstacles and learned from failures in their journeys.
The topics we cover are:
· The role of mushrooms in building a sustainable food system and circular economy
· How Natan created a circular economy around coffee, mushrooms and fertilizer in Lisbon
· How NAM recreates the natural growing environment for mushrooms inside of shipping containers
· How growing mushrooms has influenced how Natan engages with food
· Lessons he learned from failures and advice to anybody wanting to start a project shaping the food system
· Natan’s favourite way to cook mushrooms
· The story behind Ekofungi and how Ivanka was one of the first to start growing mushrooms on coffee waste
· What makes her school and its educational approach special
· How to translate nature’s circularity into sustainable business models
· Ivanka’s surprising thoughts about the statement “Mushrooms can save the world”
· How she faced obstacles as a female leader and entrepreneur
· The importance of having social support when leading change or building something new
· Ivanka’s favourite way to cook mushrooms
Further information:
Find more information about NAM mushroom on https://nammushroom.com/
You can follow them on Instagram and Facebook @nam.mushroomfarm
Find more information about Ekofungi on https://www.systemekofungi.com/
You can follow them on Instagram and Facebook @ekofungi
For more information about other offerings at The Great Full to help you eat, live and lead for a more sustainable world, check out: www.thegreatfull.com
If you are interested in food and sustainability and what you can do to create change, you might like The Great Full cookbook: www.thegreatfull.com/book
Follow The Great Full on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreatfull/
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:
My guest on the show today is the phenomenal Chido Govera, founder of The Future of Hope Foundation in Zimbabwe. Inspired by her own life experience, Chido started taking action at a very young age to empower women and orphans through growing mushrooms to build healthy food systems.
Chido is a transformative leader with an insatiable hunger for change. She shares her insights on issues such as gender inequality, power imbalances in food production, environmental and social issues in Zimbabwe and why she believes mushrooms will help save the world.
During our conversation we chat about:
-
The impact of the Future of Hope Foundation
-
Why mushrooms are at the center of their work and how she believes they can change the world
-
How we can stop the commodification of vulnerable people
-
How improving food security creates greater independence for women
-
How resilience and diverse food production are connected
-
What she learned during the lockdown in Zimbabwe
-
The importance of creating programs locally using local materials and local knowledge
-
What responsible leadership is and why we need it
-
Her personal story and how this gave her a hunger to lead change
Further information:
Find more information about The Future of Hope Foundation here: https://www.thefutureofhope.org/
Find out how you can contribute to their work here: https://www.thefutureofhope.org/contribute/
You can follow them on Instagram @tfohf
To watch the film Fantastic Fungi: https://fantasticfungi.com/watch/
For more information about other offerings at The Great Full to help you eat, live and lead for a more sustainable world, check out: www.thegreatfull.com
If you are interested in food and sustainability and what you can do to create change, you might like The Great Full cookbook: www.thegreatfull.com/book
Looking for support in your journey to lead change? Check out the leadership coaching opportunities at The Great Full: www.thegreatfull.com/bethechange
Follow The Great Full on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreatfull/
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!
In this episode Prof. Corinna Hawkes, director of the Centre for Food Policy at City University of London, joins me to chat about how changing the food system, and changing how we lead, can build a better word.
Corinna is exactly the person to talk about these topics – she leads interdisciplinary research teams to work out how we can create policies that prevent malnutrition and build sustainable food systems. She also leads and contributes to more international processes and reports than I could possibly mention, but just to name a few: The Global Nutrition Report, The EAT Lancet Commission on Food, Health and Planet and London’s Child Obesity Task Force.
We talk all about the purpose of the food system, how it’s not serving everyone the way it should and different starting points where we can tackle challenges to create change. Corinna also discusses how creating a personally fulfilling life can fuel sustainable leadership and shares how she stays energized and works with overwhelm while engaging with work that tackles big global challenges.
Listen to our conversation to learn more about:
-
Childhood experiences that influenced Corinna’s work in food
-
What we should all know about the findings from the EAT Lancet report
-
How our economic system shapes food how we need to shift this
-
Why rethinking our political systems is important to create change in food systems
-
The role of human behavior change and the right type of leadership in building healthy food systems
-
How to create a life that is personally fulfilling while creating change in the world
-
Corinna’s insights on how she deals with overwhelm
-
Her favorite practices to stay energized and weave joy into her day-to-day life
-
What living a great and full life means for her
-
Corinna’s tribute and call to action to all the women working in food systems and her hopes for how women will shape the future of food.
Further information:
You can follow Corinna’s work on Twitter @CorinnaHawkes
Read Corinna’s blog at https://www.thebetterfoodjourney.com/
To find out more about the Be The Change coaching and leadership program for aspiring women leaders in food and sustainability check out www.thegreatfull.com/bethechange (applications closing soon!)
If you are interested in food and sustainability and how you can personally engage with change, you might like The Great Full cookbook: www.thegreatfull.com/book
Follow The Great Full on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreatfull/
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!
Today I have a special episode of the podcast for you! Applications are now open for a program I run called Be The Change. It is a 4 month online leadership and group coaching program for aspiring women leaders who want to contribute to a more sustainable world through their work, while living a life that is fulfilling and personally sustainable. Over the 4 months together we explore how we can lead sustainable change, how that starts with you, what your unique role can be and how to make your contribution in a way that also supports your own wellbeing.
In case you are considering to join us for the next round, I thought you might like to hear directly from past participants how they found the program, the impact it had on them and what surprised them about the experience. So, in this episode, I am speaking to some of the women (coming from Switzerland, Brazil, the UK, Morocco, Zimbabwe and the USA) who have just finished the program to learn how it has supported them to lead change from the inside out.
For more information on the Be The Change program and how to apply please visit:
www.thegreatfull.com/bethechange
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis starting from 11 January 2021. The program starts on 15th February 2021.
My guest on the show today is Meret Brotbek, a climate activist and social entrepreneur. Meret is co-founder and managing director of Soul Spice, a spice company that focuses on sustainable, organic and ethically sourced ingredients to make delicious and high quality spice blends. She is also a director at Climate KIC, an EU funded knowledge and innovation community that tackles climate change.
Meret shares her journey towards creating Soul Spice, from being a lawyer to an MBA graduate to working on sustainable procurement at Unilever to eventually find her passion at the interface of food systems and climate change. She gives insights into the rarely talked about challenges in the spice industry and how they are tackling them to improve conditions for the farmers, as well as what she has learned about managing your own time and energy when being very impact driven.
During our chat we explore:
- The story behind Soul Spice and her journey to create it
- The murky history of the spice trade and the challenges that leaves today for both producers and consumers
- Socioeconomic problems in the industry and how they try to tackle them
- How they work directly with farmers to improve conditions on the ground
- How this work has influenced her personal consumption choices
- What helps her stay motivated in the face of challenges
- What a portfolio career is and why this way of working fulfils her
- The importance of saying no to avoid overwhelm
- Meret’s leadership advice for people wanting to create change in food systems
- Why communication and collaboration are important as an entrepreneur
- What living a great and full life means for her
Further information:
Find more information about Soul Spice on https://soul-spice.com/
You can follow them on Instagram and Facebook @soulspice.tastethatmatters
For more information about EIT Climate-KIC visit https://www.climate-kic.org/
For more information about coaching and education opportunities at The Great Full to help you lead the change for a more sustainable world, check out: www.thegreatfull.com
If you are interested in food and sustainability and what you can do to create change, you might like The Great Full cookbook: www.thegreatfull.com/book
Follow The Great Full on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreatfull/
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
In this episode I chat with Christoph Inauen, co-founder and CEO of Choba Choba, a chocolate brand with a revolutionary business model. Christoph was once responsible for sustainable sourcing at a large Swiss chocolate producer. Through his collaboration with Peruvian cocoa farmers he was able to experience the deeper challenges of the chocolate industry, leading him to co-found Choba Choba in an effort to address sustainability through an entirely new approach.
Christoph shares how Choba Choba is leading a chocolate revolution, what makes their products different and how they want to inspire change even beyond their industry. We also discuss how joy and purpose are integrated into his work and what leadership and life lessons he learned from working with farmers in the Peruvian Amazon.
On the show we talk about:
- How Christoph and Eric decided to start their own chocolate company
- What allowed them to take the risk
- What makes Choba Choba revolutionary
- How Choba Choba is tackling the social and environmental sustainability challenges in the chocolate industry
- How we can create change the chocolate industry and even in other industries
- The role of consumers in changing the industry
- How to increase biodiversity in cocoa production
- The loss of cultural connections to the cocoa plant
- Which part of the journey has brought him the most joy
- Leadership and life lessons he learned from the cocoa farmers
- His biggest challenges in founding the business
- What practices he integrates to live a life he loves while doing meaningful work
- What living a great and full life means for Christoph
- How their chocolate is different in terms of ingredients
Further information:
Find more information about Choba Choba on https://www.chobachoba.com/
You can follow them on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @ChobaChobaChoc
For more information about other offerings at The Great Full to help you eat, live and lead for a more sustainable world, check out: www.thegreatfull.com
If you are interested in food and sustainability and what you can do to create change, you might like The Great Full cookbook: www.thegreatfull.com/book
Follow The Great Full on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreatfull/
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!
Sandra Mikhail, clinical dietitian and founder of Nutrition A-Z, joins me on the podcast today. We chat about why and how to improve your gut health, Sandra’s foundational practices for overall wellbeing and the danger of misinformation on social media. She also shares insights on the interface between nutrition, health and sustainability and what motivates her and gives her purpose in her work.
On the show we talk about:
- How Sandra got into the field of nutrition and gut health
- How diet, gut health and mental health are connected
- The four pillars of wellbeing that guide her work and life
- Two simple tweaks to support your gut health
- The role of fiber in our bodies
- How stress can manifest physically
- The difference between prebiotics and probiotics
- The health misinformation on social media
- The interface between health and sustainability
- The nuances of sustainable eating
- Common challenges people face when transitioning to a plant-based diet
- How Sandra found the courage and support to start her own practice
- What fuels her motivation and purpose
- Her practices to deal with stress and overwhelm
- What a great and full life means for her
Further information:
For more information on Nutrition A-Z: https://nutrition-az.com/
You can also find her on Instagram @nutritionaz_by_sandramikhail , on Twitter and Facebook @NutritionAZ
For more information about other offerings at The Great Full to help you eat, live and lead for a more sustainable world, check out: www.thegreatfull.com
If you are interested in food and sustainability and what you can do to create change, you might like The Great Full cookbook: www.thegreatfull.com/book
Follow The Great Full on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreatfull/
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!
My guest today is Irena Loloci, founder and CEO of Rena Roots. Irena worked for many years as a humanitarian aid worker with the World Food Programme in various parts of the world. This experience motivated her to launch an ethical skincare brand Rena Roots which focuses on transparent and sustainable sourcing of ingredients to create opportunities for farmers in regions of crisis.
Irena shares insights from her work in the field, how she discovered beauty, humanity and resilience in times of crisis and how she found the inspiration and confidence to pivot from humanitarian assistance to setting up and running a social business. We also talk about the importance of maintaining your own energy and self-care when doing meaningful work in the world.
On the show we talk about:
- How growing up in Albania during a crisis influenced her professional path in life
- Her experiences and learnings from working with the United Nations World Food Programme to build food security in crisis situations
- What to remind yourself when you feel like you’re not doing enough
- How each of us can impact and make a difference in our daily lives
- Why she started Rena Roots and her long-term vision
- How she selects her suppliers to source ethically and sustainably
- How she wants to bring the SDG 17 “partnerships for the goals” into the skincare industry
- What has brought her the most joy on her journey with Rena Roots so far
- How she built her confidence and found her voice
- The importance of self-care during times of stress and crisis
- How small rituals help her find a calm and grounded place to work from
- What living a great and full life means for her
Further information:
For more information on Rena Roots: https://www.renaroots.com/
You can also find her on Instagram @RenaRoots and on Facebook.
For more information about other offerings at The Great Full to help you eat, live and lead for a more sustainable world, check out: www.thegreatfull.com
If you are interested in food and sustainability and what you can do to create change, you might like The Great Full cookbook: www.thegreatfull.com/book
Follow The Great Full on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreatfull/
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full podcast? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!
Joining me on the show today is the wonderful Maureen Muketha. Maureen is the founder of a community organisation in Kenya called Tule Vyema – which means “Let’s Eat Right” in Swahili. She started this organization in her early 20’s in parallel to finishing her studies in Nutrition.
Maureen shares how she works with her community to combat challenges of poverty and food insecurity, what helped her find the confidence to start her organisation at such a young age and how she finds the courage to keep going - even through a pandemic.
On the show we talk about:
- The role of indigenous vegetables in tackling malnutrition, food insecurity and in building sustainable food systems
- How Tule Vyema educates women of reproductive age about eating well and supports them to grow indigenous vegetables at home, making healthy eating more accessible and cost-effective
- What inspired Maureen to study nutrition and do the work she does
- The key ingredients in Tule Vyema’s success
- How to engage and work effectively within a community
- How Tule Vyema’s work is impacted by COVID-19 and what they are doing to face the challenges
- How Maureen makes eating well a lifestyle rather than an event
- What helps Maureen find the courage to do the work she does and how she keeps learning and build her confidence
- Maureen’s tips to not lose hope when facing big issues and how to lead yourself and others sustainably and with intention
Further information:
For more information on Tule Vyema, follow @tulevyema on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
To read Maureen’s Oxfam article about her organisation: https://oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/lets-eat-right-women-tackling-malnutrition-through-urban-farming/
For more information about other offerings at The Great Full to help you eat, live and lead for a more sustainable world, check out: www.thegreatfull.com
If you are interested in food and sustainability and what you can do to create change, you might like The Great Full cookbook: www.thegreatfull.com/book
Don’t want to miss an episode of The Great Full? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!
My guest on this episode is the fabulous Ronni Kahn, founder and CEO of OzHarvest, the pioneering food rescue organization in Australia. Ronni was recently featured in the film Food Fighter, a documentary that followed her journey to build OzHarvest and replicate it around the world. I spoke to Ronni just before the release of her brand new book “A repurposed life”, a memoir about how she found her voice and stepped into her calling to nourish the country.
Ronni joined me to talk about how we can find purpose in our food system and our lives, shared some of the vast leadership experience she has gained setting up OzHarvest, and offers inspiration for how we can all make a contribution to a better world, and food system, each day.
On the show today we talk about:
- Ronni’s insights into leading a purpose driven organization
- How to build a volunteer community that is engaged
- The role of gratitude in managing the ups and downs of impact oriented work
- The importance of mindset and attitude as a basis for leading change
- How OzHarvest has faced COVID 19
- The importance of advocacy and lobbying for policy change as a key role to create lasting impact at the root of the issue
- The dual issues of food waste and hunger and how to tackle both
- The role of education to help us really value food and understand the true cost
- Ronni’s insight into how her work has influenced how she eats and leads on a daily basis
- How she stumbled onto her purpose in the food system and how it has changed her life
- The small beginnings of what has grown into a leading model for food redistribution in the world
- How a mindfulness practice supports her to do the work she does
- Ronni’s perspective on what it means to live a great and full life
Full episode notes and links:For the full show notes see: https://www.thegreatfull.com/podcast/ep1-ronni-kahn-finding-purpose-food-system-and-lives
For more information about other offerings at The Great Full to help you eat, live and lead for a more sustainable world, check out: www.thegreatfull.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreatfull/
The Great Full podcast is here to help you contribute to a more sustainable world through how you eat, live and lead.
Join me on a journey around the world to connect with thinkers and doers working to build more sustainable food systems, communities and lives. They share insights into the challenges we collectively face, highlight the solutions they are bringing to life and offer up wisdom they have gained along their journey.
This is all to inspire and empower you to explore how you want to make a contribution, both personally and professionally, and give you some tools to do so in a way that is impactful, fulfilling and supports your own wellbeing.
As an author, educator and coach who is continually navigating this path, I also share the tools I have found supportive and transformational for how I eat, live and lead. Insights that will help you combine purpose and joy, contribution and wellbeing and personal development and sustainable development.
It is my intention to share a diversity of voices and perspectives, to connect you to inspiring stories and new insights and to help you reflect on your own role in building a more sustainable world and food system.
For more information and other resources, check out The Great Full