Laura Sullivan is a firestarter in the best possible way – sparking conversations, igniting change, and refusing to settle for the way things have always been. A seasoned leader in the NGO world, she’s cut her teeth at organisations pioneering change like ActionAid and We Move Europe, bringing courage and clarity to every space she enters.

Laura doesn’t just talk about change – she lives it. Whether she’s moderating climate justice panels in Brazil, facilitating dialogue in Brussels, or weaving together Indigenous wisdom and European policy, Laura’s mission is clear: dismantle the tired old systems that keep power locked in the hands of the few, and build something bolder, fairer, and more human.

She shows how coming together, connecting with our neighbors, and standing in fierce solidarity are the rocket fuel we need to launch ourselves into a future where we all rise together

So, what's the big takeaway? Resilience is about passively waiting it out and dealing with things the best we can. Beyond resilience is about actively reshaping our entire world. We've got the incredible power to dream up and then build completely new systems, not just tweak the old ones

References

• Plum Village: A sanctuary of Buddhist activism, for cultivating resilience through meditation and community. https://plumvillage.org/
• J Game: Laura's daily resilience ritual: Journaling, Gratitude, Act of Kindness, Meditation, Exercise.
• Fearless Cities: A global movement where cities are daring to confront fear and build radically inclusive urban spaces.
• Emergence Strategy: A mind-blowing book that provides a blueprint for adaptive vision and turning dreams into reality.
• ActionAid: The NGO where Sullivan honed her skills in community-led development and became a champion for grassroots power.
• Reflective circles: A transformative approach inspired by Paulo Freire, designed to ignite community empowerment and political consciousness

Laura can be reached on LinkedIn

Angela Philp and Carolyn Gibson totally get us excited about shifting from just assuming things to being genuinely curious. They dive into how we humans naturally pick up biases, which inevitably shrink our world, keep us stuck and definitely keep us from truly seeing others (and ourselves!)

But guess what? By getting curious enough to challenge those old mindsets – from what you're capable of or good at to the big global challenges like poverty – we open up a whole universe of fresh possibilities and find way better solutions.

We passionately advocate for curiosity. Developing the habit of asking new questions and embracing that "magical" feeling of discovering totally new perspectives, to open up everything - starting from the inside out

Get out there and practice curiosity! Seriously, it's a game-changer. When you start asking different questions, it's like a secret key that unlocks new actions and creates brand new realities for you, your relationships, and even your organisations.

Curiosity will change your life!

Keetie Roelen is a globally recognized expert on poverty, particularly focusing on the lived experience of those in poverty. As the founder and host of the "Poverty Unpacked" platform, Keetie offers crucial perspectives on resilience, empowerment, and the systemic factors that influence poverty.

Keetie challenges the common definition of resilience, especially when applied to poverty, arguing that it's more than just "bouncing back" and must include a sense of security beyond just income.

She highlights how focusing solely on individual resilience can overshadow critical systemic issues like lack of employment and insufficient welfare. Her insights shed light on the substantial cognitive load faced by people in poverty – a frequently overlooked form of resilience – and she advocates for empowerment as a pathway for individuals to actively choose their own destinies and enhance their well-being, moving beyond restrictive scarcity narratives.

The key takeaways from her work emphasize that true resilience is not an isolated individual effort but is deeply rooted in community and social support.

Moving beyond merely surviving adversity requires empowerment coupled with the freedom to choose.

Keetie emphasises that addressing poverty necessitates a shift from individual blame to actively tackling systemic inequalities. Ultimately, cultivating empathy, moving past judgmental attitudes, and dismantling harmful narratives such as "no pain, no gain" are crucial steps toward building a more supportive, equitable, and humane society.

In this World Beyond Resilience Podcast, Angela and Carolyn dive into the subtle but powerful difference between resignation to acceptance. The shift we need to make to transform not only how you deal with life's curveballs, but how you amplify and grow anything that's already working!

You'll find out how resignation masquerades as acceptance and how to distinguish the difference between the two to give you more freedom and choice.

If you're resigned, you'll always have a sense of "gritting your teeth" and pushing, defensively holding on to "that's just the way it is," or 'you're right and they're wrong' black and white ideas.

True acceptance is about bravely facing the whole truth of a situation, holding more of the complexity, processing emotions, and then freely moving forward.

Holding onto resentment or frustration - other telltale signs you're resigned - is "poisonous" and blocks creativity.

Acceptance will give you a moment of grace, like a flowing river, opening to fresh new possibility.

You'll also find out that accepting your limits isn't giving up; it's simply a process of identifying them so you can choose how to grow beyond them.

The biggest takeaway?

Don't confuse "I'll just have to accept it" with genuine acceptance!

True acceptance is a moment-by-moment practice of being with reality as it is, not as you think it should be or ideally wish it to be.

It's about letting go of control and allowing yourself to feel emotions like powerlessness without judgment.

This shift alone can unblock situations, improve interactions with others, and unleash your creative potential.

So next time you're facing a challenge, ask yourself: Am I resigning, or am I truly accepting?

A deeply moving and illuminating conversation with Josianne Gauthier, a human rights lawyer and Secretary General of CIDSE, who invites us to explore the profound connection between grief, resilience, and finding light in the darkest of times.

Gauthier redefines resilience as a profound journey through grief, where acknowledging and processing pain becomes an "alchemy" for growth and transformation. She emphasizes that true strength comes from acceptance, embracing vulnerability, and recognizing our limitations, allowing us to regenerate and emerge from challenges fundamentally changed, with new wisdom and purpose.

At the core of her message is the idea of cultivating an inner "light"—a metaphor for hope and the human spirit's enduring power—and sharing it to create a ripple effect of positivity, giving us the capacity to strengthen our own resilience and foster meaningful connections within our communities.

Key Takeaways

• Grief is not an obstacle to overcome, but a powerful catalyst for growth and transformation.
• Acceptance, vulnerability, and humility are essential components of true resilience.
• We emerge from challenges not as the same, but as stronger, wiser, and more compassionate individuals.
• Cultivating our inner light and sharing it with others is a powerful way to create hope and connection.
• Embracing interdependence and reciprocity strengthens our resilience and enriches our lives.

References

• CIDSE: The international family of Catholic social justice organizations where Gauthier serves as Secretary General. (www.cidse.org)
• Laudato Si: An encyclical letter by Pope Francis on integral ecology, which Josianne recommends for its wisdom and message of caring for our common home.
• Gathering Moss by Robin Wall Kimmerer: A book that contains the sentence "Life attracts life" which resonated deeply with Josianne

In this episode of the World Beyond Resilience Podcast with Angela and Carolyn, we have zeroed into a topic that's often overlooked but is super important for individuals as much as for organisations: vision.

Forget the idea that having a vision is just for CEOs or Olympians. We talk about having a personal vision as a powerful current pulling you forward, helping you make powerful choices and joyfully say "no" to what doesn't serve you.

It's about crafting the experience you want to have in life, not just accumulating degrees because you think you're not enough or avoiding FOMO.

We emphasise that building your vision is an ongoing, evolving process, not coming up with a rigid, finished product. It's about setting aside time (even in 15 minute coffee breaks!) to reflect on what you want, refine it, and be pulled toward your most creative and fulfilling life.

So, what's the big takeaway?

Your personal vision is your secret ingredient in getting out of struggle mode and into a state of "generative effort."

You get to stop gritting your teeth and white knuckling through when you have something inspiring pulling you forward, allowing for more choice and less reaction to circumstances.

Start by asking yourself: "What experience do I want to have of my life?" And remember, your personal vision is a gift you give yourself – a fun, evolving journey of discovery.

If you want Angela's free 'Create your Vision worksheet' email her at angela@wildspiritleadership.com

In this episode we are thrilled to chat with the phenomenal Cécile Biasio, COO of Airbus Protect.

Cécile is not just a leader in a male-dominated industry; she's a founding member of Women in Aerospace, a member of European Women on Boards, and the impulse and driving force behind Balance for Business at Airbus.

Her mission? To inspire everyone, especially women, to step into leadership with courage and authenticity.

Cécile redefines resilience as a joyful, collaborative journey driven by purpose, challenging the outdated "no pain, no gain" mentality.

Cécile doesn't just champion conscious choice and strategic self-awareness - she's living proof that no matter how busy you think you are - shifting from obligation to active selection in our daily lives can be done. Starting with micromoments.

Listen to find out how to create the micromoments of choice in your over full agenda!

As a COO, Cécile embodies authentic leadership, proving that bringing your whole, unique self – even a soft pink shirt in an engineering environment! – fosters trust and enhances performance.

She firmly advocates for gender diversity as a crucial business strategy, emphasising that varied perspectives lead to stronger teams and better navigation of uncertainty.

Key takeaways:

• Embrace joy (even if it seems counter intuitive, and my goodness it feels counter intuitive in this world) and authenticity
• Strategically manage your energy building in micromoments of choice
• Practice deliberate engagement to build trust and safe spaces.
• Your clear vision acts as a compass through challenges - your distinct approach is vital
• To those in leadership: actively seek diverse voices, valuing what unique individuals bring to the team.
• For women leaders: invest in yourself and choose your authentic path forward.
• Women leaders, we need you!!! A collective shift towards more inclusive, high-performing systems will only happen by embracing choice, joy, and diverse perspectives over outdated narratives of struggle.

Today, we’re flipping the script from endless problem-solving to the most underrated 'beyond resilience' quality of all: creativity. YOURS!

Angela enthusiastically reveals that after much research, she notice our learned focus on overcoming and enduring completely masks our natural born creative power. The gift every human gets at birth

Are you confusing your creativity with artistic talent? This isn’t about arts and crafts! Or knowing how to paint. It's about our fundamental human capacity to create new ways forward, independent of circumstances. Because that's just what we do!

Forget the old "resilience" grind of just bouncing back from the next hurdle; this podcast is all about redimensioning to creative leadership!

Key Points:

• Everything we know about "resilience" is linked to a reactive, problem-solving mindset, & about bouncing back from adversity, until the "next rock" hits us. Are we only going to define ourselves by the next hurdle?
• This podcast highlights the important shift from reactive to creative leadership, recognizing our innate ability to create rather than just endure.
• Society dismisses traditional creativity (art, music) as soft and inconsequential yet paradoxically fears true creative thinking because it challenges the status quo.
• Real creativity, like fixing a car with a hairpin or making a meal from leftovers, is about finding new solutions and possibilities, often for the pure joy of it.
• In today's distributed power landscape (hello, internet!), creativity is an unstoppable force, offering new avenues for influence and leadership beyond traditional positions of power.

Key Takeaways:

• You are inherently creative; we invite you, our listener to acknowledge and embrace this fundamental aspect of yourself. Trust the process of creativity, even when you don't know where it's going – it leads to new places and better solutions.
• Give up the illusion of predictability, especially in today’s world; we need more than ever to connect with our inner creativity to navigate uncertainty.
• Let your work be infused with joy, connection, and humanity, recognizing that creativity and fun don't have to be separate from your job.
• Embrace the contagious energy of creativity to inspire ripple effects in your own life and the lives of those around you.