Catalyzing Radical Systemic Change

When we observe the state of affairs on a broad scale, we become painfully aware that the institutions governing the planet are operating on outdated systems. For new pluralistic governance models to emerge, we need to rethink the foundations, mechanisms, and processes at play on a fundamental level and prepare for an inevitable transition.

It’s my great pleasure to share this podcast with Anastasia Kalinina, co-founder of the reState Foundation, which aims to reimagine the future of governance and global collaboration.

Find here the most exciting nuggets we explored:

• After discovering the ceilings of what legacy systems are capable of in senior positions at international organizations and institutions, like the UN and WEF, with reState Foundation, we’re aiming to reimagine the future of governance, global collaboration, and accelerating the transition to more desired futures as a human family. 
• Governance systems worldwide struggle to harness the full potential of emerging technologies, limiting people's ability to shape agendas on both local and global levels. 
• On a global level - we need better planetary coordination mechanisms to define and manage global commons. Peer-to-peer, participatory, global citizen assemblies, new planetary institutions, etc.
• We are sleepwalking toward the edge of a cliff, against the backdrop of a planetary catastrophe that is only beginning to unfold, destined to drastically reshape our lives. What we need is calm and non-delirious systems thinking, a skill that can be developed over time.
• We need to enhance cooperation to the level of a mature Technosphere. This is really what the new ecosystemic technologies such as Web3, blockchain, open source and the like are about, to move from a narcissistic vision of isolated entities, unaware of their impact, to cooperative and ecologically aware ecosystems.
• We're failing to convey the magnitude of the shift we're experiencing. It is our generation that is being called upon to make this transition. Our lifestyles are destined to transform, whether we like it or not. While history has seen a few collapses of civilizations, what sets this moment apart is that we're now part of a fully entangled planetary civilization — where food systems, energy systems, oceans, technology, and everything else are intricately intertwined and impact one another.
• Transitioning from the enlightened Newtonian worldview to a quantum worldview, how can we broaden the notion of agency and rights to include all forms of life? Considering that the Earth's population encompasses not only humans, how do we design for a more-than-human world? How does this expand accountability vis-à-vis the wholeness of life?
• How can we reimagine energy systems, food systems, urban design, education, logistics, data, policy, finance, future of monetary systems, economic systems, healthcare, governance and organizational culture? 
• A case for the planetary commons: I advocate for cosmo-localism, i.e. the subsidiarity of material production, but the supersidiarity of immaterial collaboration. The evolution of civilization can be seen as a pulsation of the commons, with the extractive institutions of markets and states in charge of ascending periods, followed by a popular striving to re-invent the only regenerative and protective institution that is the commons. 
• Planetary commons recognize the complexities and interdependencies inherent in the Earth system and acknowledge the potential of an all-encompassing commons approach that extends its focus beyond facilitating equal access to resources (current international law around commons), to one that is focused on safe-guarding critical Earth system regulating functions. 
• When we look at the future of network states, we recognize that there are roughly 35 million digital nomads in the world, with the financial power equal to the GDP of Germany, so people choose kinship based on shared visions and aspirations as opposed to geographic proximity. We see a plethora of experimental spaces in governance - private cities, regenerative communities, free zones with their own governance structures. All of these are important spaces for the future of governance discussions. 
• How does inner work influence outer outcomes? What does conscious leadership mean? Can our policy-makers and business role models explore and spread that? What does it take? A departure from conventional thinking and bold, audacious action - transcending traditional notions of authority - understanding the interconnectedness of the world - nurturing the collective vision for desirable futures - satisfying the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations

Anastasia Kalinina has always been involved in system change, social impact, community building, global affairs, international diplomacy, and creating alternative futures. She has held senior positions in global non-profits such as Amnesty International and the International Service for Human Rights, as well as international institutions like the United Nations (Senior Advisor) and the World Economic Forum (Director for Eurasia). She was also a member of the founding team of the Global Shapers Community. 

Once she discovered the limitations of traditional institutions, she started an independent journey by co-founding a Swiss-based non-profit, reState Foundation, aiming to reimagine the future of governance and global collaboration, and accelerating the transition to more desired futures as a human family. The foundation campaigns for acting as one species and tackling challenges as a human collective. reState provides a platform for designing, building, and testing viable alternatives to existing systems.

Anastasia holds a BA in Arts from Bard College New York, MA in Public Affairs from the University of Northern Iowa, MS in Human Rights from the London School of Economics, and an Executive Master degree in Global Leadership, delivered jointly by Columbia University, INSEAD, London Business School, Wharton Business School, and China Europe International Business School. Anastasia is a World Economic Forum Global Leadership Fellow, an Apolitical Academy Fellow, John Smith Fellow, and an honorary member of the International Project Management Association. Anastasia regularly writes for various international outlets, including the Independent, the New Atlanticist, Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society’s blog, etc. Her areas of expertise and interest include public governance, planetary commons, conscious leadership, social innovation, civic tech, policy, and global affairs.

It seems our culture appropriates, wraps and repackages almost anything it can get its hands on. So, after yoga, meditation, plant medicine, the newest buzz word seems to be trauma. But beyond it being - in my eyes often banalized - what is actually trauma? And how does it relate to NeuroBalancing?

It’s my great pleasure to be in this virtual room together today with Johannes Eisenburger, one of my closest friends and a trained trauma therapist. So, like always in this podcast series, before we dive into the topic itself: What were the pivotal moments in your life that made you the human being that you are - and how do they relate to the overarching topic of today?

• Let’s start defining trauma: The difference between shock, developmental and attachment trauma.
• Survival strategies and coping mechanisms.
• Your near death experience and the biggest aviation accident in German history.
• Why do people - depending on the depth of their trauma - continuously retraumatize themselves?
• The Drama Triangle - and how to break free of that vicious cycle. 
• Our healing journeys: Let’s share some commonalities in our healing journey (shock trauma) and maybe also some differences. Especially where the different modalities helped us. 
• Neuro-states dictate how we feel, think and engage with the world. 
• Nervous system eats strategy for breakfast.
• How does trauma relate to a dysregulated nervous system?
• The dark side of the psychedelic renaissance, like psychosis or spiritual narcissism.
• Choose your guides wisely! 
• Finally - why did you consciously coin your work neuro-balancing, instead of trauma healing?

Co-creation has been one of the most abused buzzwords in the last years, alongside maybe sustainability. So, why should cocreation as a cultural change technique be of such importance for the many challenges we face as humanity, from local communities, to city planning, to global governance issues?

It’s my pleasure today to share this virtual room together with Jascha Rohr, who works with participatory design and cocreative processes and formats for over 25 years, on a micro, meso and macro scale.

Like always, starting the podcast, and before we dive into the concepts, the scaffolding and architecture of the design of cocreation, I want to start with the human being.

• Jascha sketched his biography from the ecological question and exponential growth, permaculture and participatory design. 

• Basics of cocreation: What exactly does the term “cocreation” mean and why did you decide to write a whole book about it?

• Areas of application: In what social and organizational contexts do you see the greatest potential for the principles of cocreation? Jascha shares two examples, one to inject cocreative DNA into a process design on the parliamentary level in Germany around nutrition and another one on a whole city level, in the city of Frankfurt/Main for innovation in the schooling sector. 

• Discerning the basic ingredients: When we look at the models, concepts and methods such as the Cocreative Commune, Governance Design, and the Field Process Model - they all have a radically nondual process orientation and the breakdown of mental silos (e.g. in between inner and outer work).

• Challenges: What obstacles and challenges often arise when people try to cocreate, and how can they be overcome? Experience is the only way to understand, so we need opportunities to participate in good facilitated processes.

• What role does tech play in the area? I reckon through a full stack lens, there are many different layers and applications that are needed. So, what tech is available, and what tech solutions are lacking in the space to facilitate a co-creative process? Instead of again putting nature, society, and technology into mental and emotional silos, we explore the concept of “Gaia the Cyborg” from Donna Haraway.
  

• Future of cocreation: How do you see co-creative processes developing in the future? Are there any trends or developments that might become particularly relevant in the coming years? The pivotal moment will be a shift from methods to processes, to attitude, to paradigm. 

• Practical Tips: For listeners who are excited about the concept of cocreation after this conversation: What first steps do you recommend they take to implement co-creative principles in their own work or communities? It’s always the same principles: create a field of playfulness, potentiality, and agency, invite people to it, protect the qualities, otherwise let go and, above all and anything, trust the process.

Jascha Rohr

is philosopher, social entrepreneur, developer and facilitator of participatory and co-creative design processes. He works on new ways of collaboration that enable us to discover our collective potentials and develop solutions and ideas for acute social problems. My goal is to enable participation that can change the world we live in for the better.

He is also founder, benefactor and board member of the Cocreation Foundation. I see myself as a process artist and hands-on intellectual. Using models, concepts and methods such as the Cocreative Commune, Governance Design and the Field Process Model, I believe I can support new attitudes and ways of seeing and working towards a more vibrant, sustainable world.

He lives with his partner and wife Sonja Hörster, my son and a demented cat in an eco-settlement in the countryside near Oldenburg and in Berlin. Two co-daughters have already left home.

From “Breaking Open the Head”, “Quetzalcoatl Returns”, “How Soon is Now?”, “Conspiranoia”, and “When plants dream”, I’ve been following the footsteps of Daniel Pinchbeck for over a decade now. I appreciate his radical honesty, speaking truth to power, slaughtering holy cows, and bridging many different areas of exploration.

Sometimes, your writing seems like advocating doomsday scenarios - and albeit many of the signs point

in the wrong direction, I want to distill in our conversation today what gives you hope.

Before that, let’s start with giving the listeners an overview of your body of work.

Easiest is to run through your oeuvre, the books, and articles you have written. I want to know what made you write these pieces, as well as how they shaped your reality forward.

• Please sketch from a meta-perspective how you see your body of work evolving from “Breaking Open the Head”, “Quetzalcoatl Returns”, “How Soon is Now?”, “Conspiranoia”, “When plants dream”.
• What were the crucial, pivotal points that moved you from one paradigm to the other?
• How do your personal experiences link to your body of work?
• What’s the quintessence from your own work? 
• What body of work are you currently working on?
• What gives you the most hope? I know you reference yourself more on the pessimistic side but nevertheless, what are signs of hope?

Key Arguments from Post-Capitalist Philanthropy:

• Capitalism has inherent flaws that perpetuate inequality, environmental degradation, and social injustices.
• Philanthropy, as practiced within the capitalist system, often maintains the status quo and fails to address root causes.
• Post-capitalist philanthropy seeks to transform the underlying systems and structures that create and perpetuate societal problems.
• Philanthropists should prioritize systemic change, challenge power imbalances, and support movements working towards equitable and sustainable futures.
• Collaboration and solidarity among philanthropic organizations and grassroots movements are essential for effective systemic change.

Key Arguments from Alnoor Ladha

• Capitalism's focus on profit maximization and growth leads to exploitation of people and the planet.
• Philanthropy, in its current form, acts as a Band-Aid solution that fails to address the root causes of systemic problems.
• Philanthropists must shift their focus from charity and individual projects to challenging and transforming the systems that perpetuate inequality and environmental destruction.
• Genuine change requires redistributing wealth and power, democratizing decision-making, and centering marginalized communities.
• Social and environmental justice movements are critical catalysts for systemic change, and philanthropists should support these movements by leveraging their resources and networks.

Podcast Questions

• How can post-capitalist philanthropy challenge the systemic flaws of capitalism and contribute to radical systemic change?
• What are the limitations of traditional philanthropy in addressing root causes, and how can we move towards a more transformative approach?
• What strategies can philanthropists employ to actively challenge power imbalances and support movements working towards equitable and sustainable futures?
• How can collaboration and solidarity between philanthropic organizations and grassroots movements strengthen the impact of systemic change efforts?
• What role does wealth redistribution, democratizing decision-making, and centering marginalized communities play in catalyzing genuine and lasting change?
• How can philanthropists effectively leverage their resources and networks to support social and environmental justice movements?
• Finally, since the book is about anything post-capitalist: How do you envision a post-capitalist society?

Alnoor Ladha

Paving the Path for a Sustainable Planet

When I look back at the last 38 episodes, quite a lot of them focus on the lever that money has. Money makes the world go round, as the saying goes. So, before we dive deeper into the nitty-gritty of impact investing - and the why, how, and through what you make a difference, I want to start with the human being, Alessa Berg.

• Who are you as a person, what do you care about, and why are you building what you’re building?

• Let’s reverse your journey. So, where are you standing now, beyond Top Tier Impact with ESG360 and the upcoming series on Gaia TV?

• Please share with us your personal journey that led you into the realm of impact investing. What was your initial spark of interest, and how did you nurture it into your current career?

• What is Top Tier Impact? How do you differentiate it from other networks of impact investors? What is your personal vision behind the creation of Top Tier Impact? How does it align with the wider objectives of sustainable and socially responsible investing?

• Where do you see the market for impact investing currently? In this context, do you see yourself more as a market-maker, or as an adopter? 

• How do you address the issue of ESG criteria sometimes being used as greenwashing instruments in impact investing? What steps can we take to prevent this?

• Please highlight some of the investments you have made, especially those that have had significant systemic leverage across sectoral boundaries?

• Why do you believe that impact investing is crucial for the transition towards a planetary civilization, particularly at this critical juncture in human history?

• Can you shed some light on the potential you see in Blockchain and DLT for enhancing the transparency, accountability, and impact of your investments?

is an entrepreneur, investor, and active board member of several companies. Swiss-born and fluent in six languages, Alessa created her first business at eleven years old, and has been investing in the blockchain and biotech sectors since graduating from Oxford University in 2012. After covering product at early-stage technology startups, Alessa worked in private equity at Blackstone, and in venture capital at Mosaic Ventures. She’s the youngest member of her Oxford degree’s advisory board. 

Alessa is the co-founder of ESG360, a climate and ESG risk management SaaS platform that enables its enterprise clients to quantify the financial impact of climate and ESG factors, then take strategic decisions on that basis.

Alessa Berg speeches.

Alessa also founded Top Tier Impact (TTI) to accelerate the mainstream adoption of impact and sustainability. TTI has become the global ecosystem of leaders focused on the critical issues of our time, present across more than 45 countries. For Alessa and TTI, “impact” represents a positive paradigm shift towards a sustainable, equal and joyous society.

Luca Ruggeri

Co-Founder & Platform Design Micro-Enterprise Lead

Electronic engineer since 2003, he has worked in the telecommunications industry for 10+ years with large corporations. From 2013, struck by lean & agile thinking, he began to engage with startups up to co-found one in the context of smart mobility and cleantech, selected and funded by the EU (Incense) among the best 28 cleantech startups in 2016. Well connected with the local entrepreneurial and startup ecosystem as a director of Roma Startup and mentor/advisor of some startups, he is an expert in change management, service & process design, the impact of technology, and business model innovation. Consultant for the Italian government on the use of emerging technologies (above all AI & DLT) till 2020, he coordinated the task force of AI experts that led to the first whitepaper on AI for public administrations in 2018. Since 2016, he has been firmly committed to the development of the Platform Design Toolkit and co-founded Boundaryless in 2018.

“Making inner, personal development accessible to large parts of the population is a prerequisite for stable and flourishing democracies.”

There seem to be patterns that connect individual personal development (cognitive, moral) to the development of societies through stages from pre-modern, to modern, to post-modern and beyond. The question is then, how can we collectively raise the level of consciousness of the citizens? Through which means? And what can we learn from societies collapsing? And with the looming fate we collectively face, where many signs of the omni-crises point into collective Armaggedon and Apocalypse until the end of this century, where do you personally see signs of hope? What could be a “third attractor” beyond the extremes of surveillance state capitalism China style and late stage extractive capitalism in the West? 

• Whereas it seems clear to us that the meta-crises, omni-crises and meaning-crisis are all interlinked, what are ways to build the capacities for meaning making to adresse the many converging global challenges?
• As you spent more than a decade exploring with the leading renegades and experts the field of societal development, what are your main takeaways?
• What can we extrapolate from the Nordic Secret? Meaning the uprise of Scandinavia due to large investments into public education?
• From the many endeavors you are supporting as a philanthropist and serial social entrepreneur, what are promising examples?
• From all the initiatives and projects you helped kick-start, what will you do differently in the years ahead? What is the legacy you want to leave behind?
• Do you see a realistic change in the next decades ahead that some of the code explored in your books, moves into more mainstream applications? Or the other way put, are there already large scale applications of personal development into societies that you see taking fruition? 

Tomas Björkman has a long career behind him as entrepreneur in a variety of businesses within financial services, IT, property and banking – working all over Europe. He founded Investment Banking Partners AB and served as chairman of EFG Investment Bank.

In 2008 Tomas established Ekskäret Foundation in Stockholm. The foundation has established a conference facility on its island Ekskäret in the Stockholm archipelago. The mission of the foundation is to facilitate personal development and social change with the aim to help create a more conscious society. A special focus of the foundation is supporting the development of social entrepreneurs and the understanding of the complexities of social change. The foundation also operates the Ekskäret Klustret co-working space in central Stockholm with the aim to bring together organizations working towards a more conscious society.

Tomas is also a member of the Club of Rome, a fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Science and a fellow of the World Academy of Arts and Science. Among Tomas' initiatives are the Perspectiva Institute in London, Co-Creation Loft in Berlin, the Emerge media initiative (www.whatisemerging.com) and the digital platform for personal growth: 29k.org.

Tomas has published three books: The Market Myth (2016), The Nordic Secret (2017, co-authored with Lene Andersen) and The World We Create (2019).

Is there any methodology or framework that can help us approach creatively and solve the many entangled wicked issues we face collectively.

I want to start with a quote:

“In the past, changing the self and changing the world were often regarded as separate endeavors and viewed in either-or terms. But in the story of the Great Turning, they are recognized as mutually reinforcing and essential to one another.” 

― Joanna Macy & Chris Johnstone, Active Hope

In my own biography from an early age I was overwhelmed with what today is called the omni-crisis, multi-crisis or poly-crisis. When we look at the state of affairs on planet Earth, we are faced with runaway climate change, many of the crucial planetary boundaries crossed, large macro-economic changes away from a Western dominated narrative and exploitative late stage capitalism going haywire.

It seems we need to adjust to chaos. But I reckon most listeners will agree, that’s not what we are used to in our brains that pretty much haven’t changed since we roamed the Earth as hunters and gatherers. 

• So, where does Human System Dynamics (HSD) fit into the puzzle of the Great Turning?

• “Certainty used to be the foundation of knowledge and action. Those days are gone. Today, uncertainty is the only certainty. HSD’s Pattern Logic helps you make decisions and take action, even when you can’t predict or control anything in your world.” Please explain that quote from the website. 

• If I got it right, HSD is not a ™ but an open source methodology that everyone can nudge, tweak, integrate into her respective toolbox? What do you think is the cooperative advantage that follows that open source approach?

• Is HSD more than “just” another change management methodology?

• Please start with describing HSD, at best by using a hands-on example?

• What are the crucial ingredients of HSD?

• What’s the vision? I read on the website “Our Vision: People everywhere thrive because we see patterns clearly, seek to understand, and act with courage to transform turbulence and uncertainty into possibility for all.” What does that mean in practice?

• Please highlight some best practice examples and success stories where HSD has made a difference.

• Where do you see the future of HSD?

• What’s the legacy you want to leave behind?

Dr. Glenda Eoyang 

works with public and private organizations to help them thrive in the face of overwhelming complexity and uncertainty. She is a pioneer in the field of human systems dynamics (HSD), which she founded. Through Human Systems Dynamic Institute, Glenda uses her Models and Methods to help others see patterns in the chaos that surrounds them, understand the patterns in simple and powerful ways, and take practical steps to shift chaos into order. Her clients include Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Oxfam International, Canada School of Public Service, Cargill, Fraser Health Authority (BC), and Roche/Genentech.

In episode 34 of our podcast, we delve into the current state of Web3 amidst recent crypto market downturns, with a specific focus on Cerulean Ventures and their investment strategy. While some remain skeptical about the transformative potential of blockchain technology, others fail to discern meaningful endeavors from mere speculation. Cerulean Ventures, however, believes in the regenerative power of natural assets and backs crypto and Web3 companies that are building the necessary infrastructure and tools for scaling climate impact. By taking a hands-on approach, they assist their portfolio companies across various domains, from technical aspects to marketing and operations. One significant theme explored is the shift from ownership to stewardship of the Earth, facilitated by Web3 and blockchain technology, which enables novel forms of value exchange and interlinked hyperlocal communities. We highlight examples of promising initiatives, such as stakeholder governance and accounting systems for nature, alongside the regenerative renaissance—a term emphasizing the regeneration of soil, biodiversity, and other natural assets. While some aspects of Web3 are overhyped, Cerulean Ventures remains focused on unlocking value through interblockchain communication and other infrastructural innovations. The episode concludes with a call for discernment in evaluating Web3 initiatives and emphasizes the potential of Web3 and the regenerative renaissance in unlocking systemic change and shifting towards stewardship of the Earth. For more information, visit Cerulean Ventures at cerulean.vc.

Jahed Momand

co-founded Cerulean Ventures with his partner Matthew Stotts. Cerulean Ventures backs crypto / web3 companies building the infrastructure and tools necessary to scale climate impact in this decade.

Cerulean Ventures is an investment firm that believes natural assets will unlock the next $50 trillion in growth, while incentivizing the regeneration of Earth through new coordination technologies.

We focus on the ecosystems in Cosmos Network and Regen Network, but invest actively outside it, as we believe the value unlocked by interblockchain communication (IBC) and other infrastructural innovations will rapidly scale climate impact through user-focused web3 tools.

We take a deeply hands-on approach informed by our own experience and background as founders, helping our portfolio with everything from the technical (mechanism design, product management, data engineering) to marketing and operational (community engagement, governance, tokenomics design, recruiting).

He also actively contribute to DAOs, as a steward to both PrimeDAO and GnosisGuild.

Since times unknown people retreat into darkness. What was once a space for hermits and monks has now spread as a practice all around the world.

With this podcast, we want to shed light upon some of the misconceptions around darkness retreats, share best practices, talk about neurobiological correlates accompanying this practice, share quite a bit about our own experience, as well as take a deeper dive into the spiritual market as a whole. 

• Let’s start with our own experience with the darkness retreat.
• The background from different spiritual traditions.
• Common Misconceptions about Darkness Retreats
• After having hosted more than 600 darkness retreats at The Hermitage Severin is sharing some best practices around: 
• Let’s talk about the neurobiological correlates that are processed in the nervous system whilst spending extended periods in darkness:
• Let’s disentangle the experience in darkness from a psychedelic experience.
• What are no-gos?

Severin Geser is a dedicated meditation practitioner and a passionate astrologer who loves to share his wisdom and hold space for those who are ready to begin their own journey. He spent fourteen months as an ordained monk in a monastery in Thailand, one year as an Ashtanga Yoga teacher at a center in Colombia, and two years in and out of extended silent meditation retreats and a three-month Meditation Teacher Training Course at Hridaya Yoga before co-creating The Hermitage on Lake Atitlán, in Guatemala.

Since times unknown people retreat into darkness. What was once a space for hermits and monks has now spread as a practice all around the world.

With this podcast, we want to shed light upon some of the misconceptions around darkness retreats, share best practices, talk about neurobiological correlates accompanying this practice, share quite a bit about our own experience, as well as take a deeper dive into the spiritual market as a whole. 

• Let’s start with our own experience with the darkness retreat.
• The background from different spiritual traditions.
• Common Misconceptions about Darkness Retreats
• After having hosted more than 600 darkness retreats at The Hermitage Severin is sharing some best practices around: 
• Let’s talk about the neurobiological correlates that are processed in the nervous system whilst spending extended periods in darkness:
• Let’s disentangle the experience in darkness from a psychedelic experience.
• What are no-gos?

Severin Geser is a dedicated meditation practitioner and a passionate astrologer who loves to share his wisdom and hold space for those who are ready to begin their own journey. He spent fourteen months as an ordained monk in a monastery in Thailand, one year as an Ashtanga Yoga teacher at a center in Colombia, and two years in and out of extended silent meditation retreats and a three-month Meditation Teacher Training Course at Hridaya Yoga before co-creating The Hermitage on Lake Atitlán, in Guatemala.

Since times unknown people retreat into darkness. What was once a space for hermits and monks has now spread as a practice all around the world.

With this podcast, we want to shed light upon some of the misconceptions around darkness retreats, share best practices, talk about neurobiological correlates accompanying this practice, share quite a bit about our own experience, as well as take a deeper dive into the spiritual market as a whole. 

• Let’s start with our own experience with the darkness retreat.
• The background from different spiritual traditions.
• Common Misconceptions about Darkness Retreats
• After having hosted more than 600 darkness retreats at The Hermitage Severin is sharing some best practices around: 
• Let’s talk about the neurobiological correlates that are processed in the nervous system whilst spending extended periods in darkness:
• Let’s disentangle the experience in darkness from a psychedelic experience.
• What are no-gos?

Severin Geser is a dedicated meditation practitioner and a passionate astrologer who loves to share his wisdom and hold space for those who are ready to begin their own journey. He spent fourteen months as an ordained monk in a monastery in Thailand, one year as an Ashtanga Yoga teacher at a center in Colombia, and two years in and out of extended silent meditation retreats and a three-month Meditation Teacher Training Course at Hridaya Yoga before co-creating The Hermitage on Lake Atitlán, in Guatemala.

Millions of digital nomads live a life many aspire to. The numbers are hard to quantify, but the statistics speak for 16 million digital nomads from the US alone. And over 35 million at least worldwide. And the numbers - especially during and after the pandemic keep rising sharply. They are anticipated to grow to 1 billion people working remotely by 2035. Most of us share the dream of working and living remotely for at least a couple of months per year. And some dream of living in a community as a way of life. In this episode, we will deep dive into Cohere - The Future of Living with Dakotah Apostolou.

The question then becomes - how can we create a regenerative business model that serves the many generations after us, whilst enjoying a life free of the constraints most of us don’t want to endure anymore? Who out there really wants to spend more time in an office than really needed? 

How can we create incentive mechanisms that create a commons based around food security, water, and being surrounded by inspiring people?

These are some of the questions that we are going to explore in today’s podcast around Cohere - the next generation of a community co-owned cooperative that aims to precisely solve at least some of the questions many of us ponder over.

• Why the name Cohere?

• What’s exactly the niche that you’re focusing on?

• Why connect change makers, social entrepreneurs, and change agents?

• What’s the broader ecosystem or meta-network that you want to serve with Cohere?

• What are you trying to do differently than other players in the market serving the needs of digital nomads? Please differentiate yourself from the other players in the market.

• How do you make sure you give back to the local, indigenous communities, where normally most of the value added is extracted from? How do you create an incentive mechanism that includes them?

• Every start-up has to start somewhere. Please sketch your involvement in

• Costa Rica

• Berlin

• Guatemala

• Peru

• Ecuador

• Colombia

• What about Cohere excites you most?

• Let’s take a deep dive into the Web3 part and the tokenomics behind Cohere

• Let’s disentangle the tokenomics from the broader Crypto market!

• Where do you see the biggest potential in the market?

• Finally, for the crucial junction in history we find ourselves in, what are the contributions and the leverage Cohere provides for the broader ecosystem?

Dakotah Joseph Apostolou is a designer of buildings, networks, and businesses. As an instigator of community, his passion is applying design thinking to create regenerative systems for the physical environment as well as inspiring collaboration between people and businesses. The latest expression of this is through his work with Cohere, a global network of member-owned coliving communities that blur the lines between work, life, and travel. 

Graduating top of his class at Taliesin, the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, Dakotah embodies the ethos of Wright by virtue of his commitment to developing financially accessible human settlements that connect people to the natural world while restoring the health of the local ecosystem and communities.

To name but a few: Psychedelic tourism leads to endangering the very species the ceremonies rely on, and a lot of the sacred medicines, from Ayahuasca to Peyote are threatened by extinction. The psychedelic sacraments are in danger in consumerist societies being abused instead of unlocking their potential.

There are a lot of phony gurus and curanderos around in the market. And the market is very opaque - mainly, obviously also due to the fact that in many countries working with the sacred sacraments is illegal. A lot of people sell shortcuts to healing and enlightenment. There is little interest in setting standards, procedures, processes, and a culture of care - and instead, the market forces are taking over, creating the next gold rush.

• What are key learnings working as a coach and spiritual guide in the last years?
  • What are the pitfalls?
  • What are the lessons and iterations in teaching?
• How to summarize the correct approach?
  • How did you make an inventory of your own teachings?
  • We see a huge wave of people doing plant medicine but I personally see too little integration into everyday life, and also way too few offers in terms to integrate those peak experiences. Also, truly we need preparation for these intense, transformational spaces to really stick.
• Let’s dive deep into the psychedelic renaissance:
  • What are ways to create conscious capitalism and awaken people that have leverage?
  • How can we out-innovate capitalism?
• What can we do to prevent spiritual bypassing, spiritual materialism, and spiritual narcissism? Especially in the last years, instead of people getting “rid” of their egos, I see supercharged egos, using micro-dosing to quench the last bit of efficiency and genius in work life.
• How is the conscious use of psychedelics and Web3 interlinked?
  • How can we encode mutually beneficial values of exchange that represent the myriad of different flows?
  • How can we create the next evolution of the internet?
  • How can we codify the linguistics of the visionary realms into code for blockchain and ERC20 tokens?
  • How can we unlock the value of creativity?

is a business leader, sacred plant psychedelic influencer, podcaster, and entertainment innovator, blockchain innovator and platform creator. He is motivated by social purpose with experience in founding and leading a USA 501c3 charitable organization.

• When we take a look at sustainability through the lens of the Bell curve, where can we sense the biggest leverage for the decades ahead? Is it more in the realm of adoption and mainstreaming of less bad (like saving energy, and carbon) behavior in business? Or is it rather in radically rethinking business models at the core?
• Some of the examples of Tariq's work
  • that are outstanding in their ripple effects across sectors
  • that have the potential to build templates for other projects, as to massively scale
  • and finally, some examples that failed, and also why?
• We dive deep into the concepts of de-growth, post-growth, decolonizing growth, reciprocal stewardship, and beyond species.
• What do “Public-Planet-Partnerships” mean?
• Where are business models in place that are already exemplary for the regenerative paradigm? And if so, in which sectors? And that can scale.
• Let’s talk about system demonstrators. Let’s imagine for a moment we could choose some bioregions in the world where together with legislators, business leaders, and new technology we could showcase that the regenerative paradigm truly works in action. What would be a scale in action that would be sufficiently big enough to showcase? Yet small enough of a sandbox to allow for failure - which obviously is very much needed when we are sailing into uncharted territory.
• Finally, what do we think are the necessary steps toward a planetary civilization ahead? Taking into account the leverage points that unlock through the role at 3BL but also through the other organizations and adjacent networks where we can make a difference.

is Co-founder of a global ecosystem of social and planetary systems enterprises, including 3BL Associates, Diversity on Board, Recipes for Wellbeing, and Public-Planet Partnerships. He is among the first 100 certified biomimicry specialists in the world, with a diverse educational background in degrowth, post-growth economics, exponential innovation, investment & financial risk management, and spiritual ecology. Tariq has held advisory board, and co-chair roles with organizations such as the World Economic Forum, UNESCO, EAT Foundation, and Greenpeace MENA (Ummah for Earth). He is Ubuntu peer peace coach and community leader with a decade of experience within international climate movements. He is an experienced speaker, having conducted training and workshops across six continents to over 120+ nationalities. He is featured in publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, and Stanford Social Innovation Review. He was host of the Dubai Expo 2020 ‘People and Planet’ Podcast. Also he is fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), and has received multiple global awards and recognitions for leading projects that contribute toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

In this episode:

We will dive into your biography and sketch some of the defining turning points from your childhood, adolescence, and adulthood that connect to the topic.

• What comes after the liminal/sense-making web?
• How do we get our hands dirty in building a good world?

I know you are involved in many different projects, please sketch a couple, especially focussing on where you see the levers for systemic change