Rhiannon Rosalind is the Chief Visionary Officer and Co-Founder of The Global Institute for Conscious Economics, a not-for-profit organization that strives to create systemic change within the new economy. The organization leads projects like HeARTwork, a campaign to look at the needs of women and non-binary employees in corporate companies who feel ignored or unheard. Using the tools of storytelling and music, HeARTwork focuses on how to gather real information through deep listening and a desire for understanding rather than cold data.

In today’s episode, Rhiannon Rosalind joins us to discuss the challenges of starting her own venture, why deep listening is a huge benefit to leaders, and what it means to engage a truly diverse group of people looking towards a more equitable future.

1. You want to learn about resilience in the face of business challenges — both internal and external.
2. You want to find out about alternative approaches to co-creating the new economy.
3. You want to be challenged to re-think the ways in which you approach conversations about the topics you’re passionate about, especially on an intergenerational level.

• The Global Institute for Conscious Economics
• HeARTwork
• The Indigenomics Institute 
• Economic Club of Canada

• When you simply look at the data without actually listening to people’s personal stories, you only get half the story. Deep listening requires digging deeper and getting to the root of issues.
• If teams don’t employ deep listening, they work in siloes — and solutions created in siloes never work for everyone.
• To encourage deep listening, you also have to communicate in a way that’s easier to hear. HeARTwork shares women’s stories not in a traditional whitepaper, but using a more creative, storytelling approach. This lets employees share what they might normally be afraid to talk about in the workplace, and it makes it easier for others to actually listen to that message.

• Change that is real — and lasting — comes from hearing everyone’s concerns and working together to co-create a new reality.
• So many of us want to create change on a deep, meaningful level, but we’re not willing to get out of our echo chambers. True co-creation requires understanding diverse perspectives, with diverse voices from different genders, races, backgrounds, and ages.
• There are many groups that aren’t being invited to the table that should absolutely be there.

• Pushing people to make change is important, but it can be exhausting. Sometimes it can be just as powerful to attract the right people to a movement.
• As an entrepreneur, resilience isn’t about not being afraid. It’s about moving forward despite the fear.
• When building a meaningful career, it’s important to follow your own intuition and desires. Everyone else will have ideas about what you should and shouldn’t do, but you’re the only person who knows what lights you up.

“Solutions have to be based on hearing the truth first.” - Rhiannon Rosalind