This first episode of the season explores the question why inner work matters for NGOs and funders—and their efforts to change systems. We consider concrete examples of the linkage between inner-led change and systemic change but also discuss how to overcome obstacles in today's time of uncertainty, polarisation and funding cuts.   Our guide in this discussion is Luis Camargo, founder and director of the Colombia and US-based Organization for Environmental Education and Protection (OpEPA) which works to reconnecting people to nature as a way to accelerate the transition to sustainable and regenerative cultures. Luis also serves as a Board Member of WWF Colombia and Regional Vice Chair of the IUCN's South America Commission on Education and Communication. https://www.linkedin.com/in/luisalbertocamargo/?locale=es_ES https://opepa.org/ (in Spanish) If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing to our podcast or leaving a review. In doing so you make it easier for people to discover our podcast. We thank you for your support.   Season 5 is part of the lead-up to the 2025 Inner Development Goals Summit in Stockholm, where the Inner Green Deal will curate a full-day track on this theme. Over the course of six episodes, we'll be speaking with inspiring guests about the role of inner development in organisational and systemic transformation—and what it takes to fund and support this work meaningfully.  If you are interested to join the Inner Development Goals Summit, we have a special discount code to offer: “MeSummit2025" gives our listeners a 15% discount on in-person and 50% discount on digital tickets. We thank the Robert Ho Family Foundation for their kind support to the Summit and the podcast. For more information on the Summit, go to: https://innerdevelopmentgoals.org/events/summit2025/ About the Inner Green Deal  The  Inner Green Dea (https://innergreendeal.com/#_blank)l supports changemakers in cultivating the inner capacities needed for meaningful action in the face of today’s interconnected climate, ecological and social crises. The Inner Green Deal is a mission-driven non-profit based in Cologne and Brussels, with a growing global community. Its mission is to serve as a catalyst for deep, regenerative change—within individuals, organisations, and systems. Our podcast is hosted and produced by Tamsin Walker. Executive producer is IGD co-founder Jeroen Janss. For more information, visit us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/inner-green-deal-initiative#_blank), innergreendeal.com (http://innergreendeal.com) or write to info@innergreendeal.com (mailto:info@innergreendeal.com). (mailto:info@innergreendeal.com%23_blank)   Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Welcome to a new season of the Inner Green Deal podcast. In this season, we turn our attention to the role of inner development in NGOs and other impact organisations—at a time when many are navigating deep uncertainty, political pressure, and increasing resource constraints. We’ve seen incredible commitment and creativity across the sector. And yet, in the face of today’s complexity, many NGOs and funders still focus primarily on external action—often viewing inner development as a personal pursuit rather than a powerful lever for organisational, cultural, and systemic change. But what if inner development were not a luxury, but a foundation? What if investing in inner capacities could help us respond with greater clarity, compassion, and collective intelligence? In this season, we’ll explore: How inner development supports staff wellbeing and strengthens mission delivery What it takes to shift organisational culture toward trust, resilience, and regeneration Why this work is often underfunded or misunderstood—and how that’s beginning to change And how inner work connects to outer impact, through stories, tools, and lived examples This series is part of the lead-up to the 2025 Inner Development Goals Summit in Stockholm, where the Inner Green Deal will curate a full-day track on this theme—bringing together NGO leaders, funders, and changemakers to deepen this field of practice. We’re grateful to the Robert Ho Family Foundation for supporting both the podcast and this work at the summit. Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

We sat down with Daniel Christian Wahl to talk about the nature of regenerative cultures and what the world might look like if that were the dominant model for our societies.   Daniel Christian Wahl originally trained as a biologist before going on to study holistic science and completing his PhD in Design for Human and Planetary Health. He is an educator, consultant and author committed to shaping a world that harmonizes human and planetary health and wellbeing. His book 'Designing Regenerative Cultures,' is regarded as a seminal work in the field. Born in Germany, he now lives in Mallorca, where he is custodian of a Mediterranean regenerative food forest that serves as a sanctuary and model for sustainable living.   If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing to our podcast or leaving a review. In doing so you make it easier for people to discover our podcast. We thank you for your support.   In the four years since it has been running, the Inner Green Deal podcast has been entirely self-funded and we are committed to keeping it that way, which means commercials-free. To live up to this ambition, we are inviting you to support us. Every contribution, however small, makes a difference and allows us to continue sharing inspiring stories that highlight how understanding what is going inside can help in tackling the climate crisis. If you would like to donate, click here for more details (https://www.betterplace.org/en/organisations/53134-inner-green-deal-ggmbh).     https://app.regen.network/ https://www.danielchristianwahl.com/ About the Inner Green Deal    The Inner Green Dea (https://innergreendeal.com/#_blank)l is a non-profit organisation based in Cologne and Brussels with a growing community around the world. We address the human dimension of sustainability and support leaders, change makers and facilitators to accelerate the green transformation. We offer a range of short and longer programmes cultivating capacities such as collaboration, systems thinking and compassion.   In addition to programmes for organisations, we empower facilitators and offer train-the-trainer programmes, access to curricula and digital tools to create cohesive communities of change. Our podcast is hosted and produced by Tamsin Walker. Executive producer is IGD co-founder Jeroen Janss. For more information, visit us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/inner-green-deal-initiative#_blank), innergreendeal.com (http://innergreendeal.com) or write to info@innergreendeal.com (mailto:info@innergreendeal.com). (mailto:info@innergreendeal.com%23_blank)   Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

If marketing is a key driver of behaviour that leads to ecological overshoot, can it be used to reverse it? Each year, we collectively use up more resources than the planet can regenerate. A new paper names the human behaviour crisis as the driver for this ecological overshoot and analyses the role of marketing.   Tamsin Walker sat down with Phoebe Barnard who co-authored the paper to discuss the history of our collective consumer behaviour, what role marketing could have in slowing overshoot and what it takes to reach a social tipping point.   Phoebe is a biodiversity and climate scientist, systems and policy strategist, societal futurist, writer and film producer. She is campaign advisor at the Global Evergreening Alliance, convenor of the Global Restoration Collaborative, Affiliate Professor at the University of Washington, and Researcher at the University of Cape Town.   If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing to our podcast or leaving a review. In doing so you make it easier for people to discover our podcast. We thank you for your support.   In the four years since it has been running, the Inner Green Deal podcast has been entirely self-funded and we are committed to keeping it that way, which means commercials-free. To live up to this ambition, we are inviting you to support us. Every contribution, however small, makes a difference and allows us to continue sharing inspiring stories that highlight how understanding what is going inside can help in tackling the climate crisis. If you would like to donate, click here for more details (https://www.betterplace.org/en/organisations/53134-inner-green-deal-ggmbh).     Links https://www.phoebebarnard.com/ (https://www.phoebebarnard.com/%EF%BF%BChttps://www.evergreening.org/) Paper: the behavioural crisis driving ecological overshoot (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00368504231201372) https://www.evergreening.org/ https://www.stableplanetalliance.org/restoration   About the Inner Green Deal    The Inner Green Dea (https://innergreendeal.com/#_blank)l is a non-profit organisation based in Cologne and Brussels with a growing community around the world. We address the human dimension of sustainability and support leaders, change makers and facilitators to accelerate the green transformation. We offer a range of short and longer programmes cultivating capacities such as collaboration, systems thinking and compassion.   In addition to programmes for organisations, we empower facilitators and offer train-the-trainer programmes, access to curricula and digital tools to create cohesive communities of change. Our podcast is hosted and produced by Tamsin Walker. Executive producer is IGD co-founder Jeroen Janss. For more information, visit us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/inner-green-deal-initiative#_blank), innergreendeal.com (http://innergreendeal.com) or write to info@innergreendeal.com (mailto:info@innergreendeal.com). (mailto:info@innergreendeal.com%23_blank)   Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

We are welcoming Nipun Mehta, founder of ServiceSpace, a global movement that touches millions of people through the merging of volunteerism, technology and the gift-economy. Tamsin spoke to Nipun about the potential and far-reaching impacts of an unexpected act of kindness. Not only for the recipient, but for oneself, society and the world at large. Nipun set up ServiceSpace (https://www.servicespace.org/) after quitting his first and only job as a software engineer to become a full-time volunteer. Fast forward more than two decades and ServiceSpace has evolved to become a global ecosystem of over 1.5 million members, delivering millions of dollars in service for free. He has also been honoured by the Dalai Lama as an "Unsung Hero of Compassion". Our podcast is hosted and produced by Tamsin Walker. Executive producer is IGD co-founder Jeroen Janss. For more information, visit us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/inner-green-deal-initiative#_blank), innergreendeal.com (http://innergreendeal.com) or write to info@innergreendeal.com (mailto:info@innergreendeal.com). (mailto:info@innergreendeal.com%23_blank)     In the four years since it has been running, the Inner Green Deal podcast has been entirely self-funded and we are committed to keeping it that way, which means commercials-free. To live up to this ambition, we are inviting you to support us. Every contribution, however small, makes a difference and allows us to continue sharing inspiring stories that highlight how understanding what is going inside can help in tackling the climate crisis. If you would like to donate, click here for more details (https://www.betterplace.org/en/organisations/53134-inner-green-deal-ggmbh). Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

The language we use to talk about things shapes our perception of the world. The more we use certain terms, the more entrenched our perspectives become. What if we started describing things in a new way? Tamsin Walker sat down with Inez Aponte to talk about how different ways of measuring success can lead to a more connected and ultimately healthy experience of life. Both for people and planet. Inez is an educator, storyteller and consultant in Barefoot Economics, which using a fundamental needs framework to assess economic wellbeing, can serve as a tool to change the narrative around economic success. With a background in performance storytelling and improvisation, she focuses on the interplay between language, narrative and behaviour change, working with groups to cultivate what she calls a ‘radical collective imagination’, as the basis for addressing our shared complex challenges. In 2021, she founded a social enterprise called Crazy Beautiful World with her then 16-year-old son. Their mission is to connect young people with the adults who care about their future to explore compassionate and wise ways to navigate the challenges of the 21st Century. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing to our podcast or leaving a review. In doing so you make it easier for people to discover our podcast. We thank you for your support.   Links https://www.linkedin.com/in/inezaponte/?originalSubdomain=uk https://crazybeautiful.world/our-story/   About the Inner Green Deal  The Inner Green Dea (https://innergreendeal.com/#_blank)l is a non-profit organisation based in Cologne and Brussels with a growing community around the world. We address the human dimension of sustainability and support leaders, change makers and facilitators to accelerate the green transformation. We offer a range of short and longer programmes cultivating capacities such as collaboration, systems thinking and compassion. In addition to programmes for organisations, we empower facilitators and offer train-the-trainer programmes, access to curricula and digital tools to create cohesive communities of change. Our podcast is hosted and produced by Tamsin Walker. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamsin-walker-768133219/) Executive producer is IGD co-founder Jeroen Janss (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeroenjanss/). For more information, visit us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/inner-green-deal-initiative#_blank), innergreendeal.com (http://innergreendeal.com) or write to info@innergreendeal.com (mailto:info@innergreendeal.com). (mailto:info@innergreendeal.com%23_blank)  In the four years since it has been running, the Inner Green Deal podcast has been entirely self-funded and we are committed to keeping it that way, which means commercials-free. To live up to this ambition, we are inviting you to support us. Every contribution, however small, makes a difference and allows us to continue sharing inspiring stories that highlight how understanding what is going inside can help in tackling the climate crisis. If you would like to donate, click here (https://www.betterplace.org/en/projects/131867?utm_campaign=user_share&utm_medium=ppp_stats&utm_source=Link). Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode, originally recorded during the 2020 elections, Inner Green Deal co-founder Jeroen Janss spoke to Bryan Welch, leading publisher on sustainability, former CEO of mindful.org (http://mindful.org) and committed rancher from Kansas.He asked Bryan how he felt about the prospect of a second-term Donald Trump presidency and what a contested election means for America.Knowing the system from the inside, he points to the divisions that he has seen deepening over the years and the media and vested interests that have played a role in that. Yet despite the challenging outlook, Bryan also sees many positive developments and talks about the millions of people that discover the power of compassion – a quality that he sees not only as distinctively human - and grounding - but also as critical at a time of societal division, environmental mass extinction and climate change. So take a deep breath and listen to Bryan’s wisdom while the US election season gets underway in earnest. More about Bryan Welch at https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-welch-3383311/.About the Inner Green Deal The Inner Green Dea (https://innergreendeal.com/#_blank)l is a non-profit organisation based in Cologne and Brussels with a growing community around the world. We address the human dimension of sustainability and support leaders, change makers and facilitators to accelerate the green transformation. We offer a range of short and longer programmes cultivating capacities such as collaboration, systems thinking and compassion. In addition to programmes for organisations, we empower facilitators and offer train-the-trainer programmes, access to curricula and digital tools to create cohesive communities of change. Our podcast is hosted and produced by Tamsin Walker. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamsin-walker-768133219/) Executive producer is IGD co-founder Jeroen Janss (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeroenjanss/). For more information, visit us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/inner-green-deal-initiative#_blank), innergreendeal.com (http://innergreendeal.com) or write to info@innergreendeal.com (mailto:info@innergreendeal.com). (mailto:info@innergreendeal.com%23_blank) In the four years since it has been running, the Inner Green Deal podcast has been entirely self-funded and we are committed to keeping it that way, which means commercials-free. To live up to this ambition, we are inviting you to support us. Every contribution, however small, makes a difference and allows us to continue sharing inspiring stories that highlight how understanding what is going inside can help in tackling the climate crisis. If you would like to donate, click here (https://www.betterplace.org/en/projects/131867?utm_campaign=user_share&utm_medium=ppp_stats&utm_source=Link). If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing to our podcast or leaving a review. In doing so you make it easier for people to discover our podcast. We thank you for your support.  Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy (http://ausha.co/privacy-policy) for more information. Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Despite the importance of resilience, many myths continue to exist. In this episode we take a deeper dive and explore the nature of resilience and how to cultivate it collectively.Our guest is Chris Tamdjidi (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-tamdjidi-b786192/), co-author of The Resilient Culture and co-founder of Awaris (https://awaris.com/), a global consulting and training company.Tamsin Walker spoke to Chris about where resilience comes from, the benefits of being curious and how engaging with the natural world can open us up to a deeper understanding of ourselves.With a focus on mindfulness, enlightened leadership and understanding cause and effect, Chris has notched up more than 25 years working in business consulting, leadership development, mindfulness practices and change management. Drawing on that experience and knowledge, he has now co-authored a book out in July together with our Inner Green Deal co-founder Liane Stephan (https://www.linkedin.com/in/liane-stephan-93396911b/): The Resilient Culture – How collective resilience leads to business success (https://www.resilientculture.info/). It explores, amongst others the linkage between resilience and natural world and how it can become woven into the fabric of an organisation. Our podcast is hosted and produced by Tamsin Walker. Executive producer is IGD co-founder Jeroen Janss. For more information, visit us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/inner-green-deal-initiative#_blank), innergreendeal.com (http://innergreendeal.com) or write to info@innergreendeal.com (mailto:info@innergreendeal.com). (mailto:info@innergreendeal.com%23_blank)   In the four years since it has been running, the Inner Green Deal podcast has been entirely self-funded and we are committed to keeping it that way, which means commercials-free. To live up to this ambition, we are inviting you to support us. Every contribution, however small, makes a difference and allows us to continue sharing inspiring stories that highlight how understanding what is going inside can help in tackling the climate crisis. If you would like to donate, click here (https://www.betterplace.org/en/projects/131867?utm_campaign=user_share&utm_medium=ppp_stats&utm_source=Link). If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing to our podcast or leaving a review. In doing so you make it easier for people to discover our podcast. We thank you for your support.   Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this very short episode following the European elections, we offer a pause to reflect on the divisions revealed by the elections and invite you to join us for a short exercise. While the knee-jerk reaction might be to seek distance from 'the other side', could that ultimately lead to deeper polarisation? In this special episode, we introduce a brief exercise based on the work of Emma Stenström (https://www.hhs.se/en/person/?personId=3831033)that offers a way to reach out and consider 'other' opinions with a view to building bridges and fostering understanding. For more information on this exercise: https://www.hhs.se/en/research/sweden-through-the-crisis/bubble-hopping/We hope you find this exercise useful and appreciate the moment to pause amidst the frantic news coverage. Please share with us your reflections on our Inner Green Deal linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/company/inner-green-deal-initiative/mycompany/?viewAsMember=true) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/innergreendeal/?locale=en-us) page. Or write to us on info@innergreendeal.com (mailto:info@innergreendeal.com).About the Inner Green DealThe Inner Green Dea (https://innergreendeal.com/#_blank)l is a non-profit organisation based in Cologne and Brussels with a growing community around the world. We address the human dimension of sustainability and support leaders, change makers and facilitators to accelerate the green transformation. We offer a range of short and longer programmes cultivating capacities such as collaboration, systems thinking and compassion. In addition to programmes for organisations, we empower facilitators and offer train-the-trainer programmes, access to curricula and digital tools to create cohesive communities of change. Our podcast is hosted and produced by Tamsin Walker. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamsin-walker-768133219/) Executive producer is IGD co-founder Jeroen Janss (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeroenjanss/). For more information, visit us on innergreendeal.com (http://innergreendeal.com). Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

We only need to walk down a street, open a browser or turn on the TV to understand that we are being addressed as consumers. But what if behind that narrative, there were another waiting to step into the limelight and reshape the communities and countries in which we live?Jon Alexander, author or Citizens, Why the Key to Fixing Everything Is All of Us, argues that there is. He calls it the citizen story. Tamsin Walker sat down with Jon Alexander to talk about exactly what that is, what can happen when even a small group of people decide to take matters into their own hands, and how some leaders are also daring to dabble with more participatory forms of co-existence. Jon started his professional life in an advertising agency in London, but a decade in, had come to see that treating citizens as eternal consumers was undermining their inherent power as individuals. He returned to university and co-founded the New Citizenship Project (https://www.newcitizenproject.com/), a strategy and innovation consultancy operating on the belief that given the right opportunity, people can and will shape the things that matter to them for the better. To date, NCP as it is known for short, has worked with the European Central Bank, the Guardian and many others to shift the story of the individual in society away from that of consumer to that of participatory citizen.Since publishing his book Citizens (https://www.jonalexander.net/) in 2022, he has met with and heard from people all across the world, who he says are finding one another, organising together, and stepping into whatever power they have to shape the future for the better.About the Inner Green Deal The Inner Green Dea (https://innergreendeal.com/#_blank)l is a non-profit organisation based in Cologne and Brussels with a growing community around the world. We address the human dimension of sustainability and support leaders, change makers and facilitators to accelerate the green transformation. We offer a range of short and longer programmes cultivating capacities such as collaboration, systems thinking and compassion. In addition to programmes for organisations, we empower facilitators and offer train-the-trainer programmes, access to curricula and digital tools to create cohesive communities of change. Our podcast is hosted and produced by Tamsin Walker. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamsin-walker-768133219/) Executive producer is IGD co-founder Jeroen Janss (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeroenjanss/). For more information, visit us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/inner-green-deal-initiative#_blank), innergreendeal.com (http://innergreendeal.com) or write to info@innergreendeal.com (mailto:info@innergreendeal.com). (mailto:info@innergreendeal.com%23_blank)  Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.