Hi everyone 👋 Greetings from Arcos de Valdevez in Portugal! Today, our desk is set up in Northern Portugal at the regenerative farm of our community member, @Maria do Céu Bastos. Nadene and myself arrived on Monday evening to spend a few days helping Maria on the farm, cooking together, and exploring how inner development meets the land. Yesterday on our 'Virtual Farm Tour event' we had planned to have a thoughtful conversation about resilience and life skills. And then, life handed us the real thing. Shortly after arriving, wildfires broke out in the hills just northeast of the farm. Yesterday, flames were visible from the house, thick smoke rolled into the valley, and Canadair firefighting planes roared overhead scooping water from the river. When an aerial tower burned down, our internet went completely dark. With emergency bags packed and the cats carrier ready, our conversation turned from abstract concepts to what resilience actually feels like in our bodies: - The More-Than-Human Grief: Waking up in the middle of a smoke-choked night, unable to see, hearing an owl call out in the dark—and feeling the deep ache for the trees, wild animals, and mountain cattle living through this. - The Fiction of Hyper-Independence: For years, society told us to "do it on your own." But when disaster approaches, online followers can’t hold a hose or bring dinner. Last night, it was Maria’s local neighbors who checked in. Real physical community is our truest safety net. - Emotional Resilience in the Disconnect: When Maria didn't immediately reply to phone calls from her family, panic quickly crept in for loved ones trying to reach us. It was a sharp reminder of how reliant our nervous systems have become on instant replies—and how vital it is to cultivate the inner capacity to stay grounded in uncertainty. Yet amidst the smoke, the grounding rhythm of the farm carried on: picking sweet grapes straight off the vine, simmering pasta sauce with garden tomatoes and beans, and gathering quince. Rather than dreaming of escaping to bunkers or private islands, real resilience is about showing up right here—for the land and for each other.

I know many of us are listening to Nate Hagen's podcast 'The Great Simplification' I really liked his latest episode with 15 unordinary things we can do now to prepare for a Better future! If you listen to it, I'd love to hear your thoughts on his ideas. My personal favorites are 4, 11 and 12. And joining the local Repair Café is not only helping me learning that pre-industrial skill, but also gives me a sense of belonging. Number 7 also made me think of our gathering at @Maria do Céu Bastos s farm and harvesting together! You can still join us in September!!

This week we were in conversation with Elif whose story begins not with action, but with a pause. After years in research, social science, and academia—and the disorienting experience of moving between countries—Elif found herself “getting lost in the kitchen,” a phrase she uses to describe the quiet unraveling and reassembling of her sense of purpose. It was in this space of stillness and introspection that she began to reconnect with herself. Time slowed down, and with it came the opportunity to reflect deeply on the choices she had made—and the ones she still could. Fast forward to COVID and she attends the 2022 IDG summit online and something clicks, she senses a shift in her and all the pieces she’s been reflecting upon begin to align.... It's 2024, she’s back in Turkey, her country of birth, when 79 women are elected as mayors across Turkish cities. Watching this happen Elif feels a strong calling to reach out to them, believing that the knowledge of the IDGs would support their leadership as mayors. Immediately five very curious newly elected mayors responded! Soon they gathered for an initial meeting where they focused on their inner compass, took time to tell their stories, shared their values and discussed how they wanted to lead as mayors. This initial meeting created a deep bond between them, for the first time they felt connected to each other as well as to something greater that they could aspire to. Over the next 8 months, despite their hectic schedules, the mayors met 3 more times and their energy to co-create change grew stronger. Each session was initiated with intention, and they embarked on a theory U journey, co-sensing leading to co-creation. All the while Elif is connecting the dots of her own uncertainty and understanding from her experiences in Caux, with the IDGs, the SDGs, and with a change process. In December she proposes that the mayors focus on women and climate and organize World Café discussions in each of their cities. Despite numerous obstacles with Elif’s guidance they spend 4 months organizing the events. In April 2025 in 5 cities Turkish women from different backgrounds come together to connect and engage on climate change in their cities.

@Nadene Canning and I just wrapped up a wonderful summer hangout with community members, and it felt like the perfect moment to turn on the camera and record a quick update for you. In true ID@Work style — completely unpolished, one-take, no-jacket-required (it’s hot!) — we sat down to talk through three upcoming events we are so excited about. What makes these extra special is that all three grew organically out of collaborations with members right here in our community. Here is what’s coming up: 1. 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰-𝐮𝐩: 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 🌿 - Date & Time: Thursday, August 6th at 6:00 PM CEST - Guest: Nadine McCormick (World Business Council for Sustainable Development) - The Story: During London Climate Action Week, community member @Denise Pang invited ID@Work to collaborate. This follow-up session is an informal, deep-dive discussion with Nadine about how she integrates Inner Development Goals into her day-to-day sustainability work — what’s been easy, what’s been hard, and what she's learning along the way. - Access: Please register here (We’ll also record this session for anyone who can’t make it live). 2. 𝐀𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 "𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐅𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭" 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 🌺 - Date & Time: Thursday, August 13th at 9:00 AM CEST - Guests: Community member @Wendy Harper & her team (Adelaide, Australia) - The Story: Wendy and her team successfully integrated the IDG framework across the entire 7-day program for Adelaide Climate Action Week. In this session, they'll share their "Root to Fruit" strategy — how it came about, why they did it, and how inner development can anchor large-scale climate initiatives. - Access: Please register here. (This session will also be recorded). 3. 𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐆𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: "𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬" & 𝐁𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫

I have been quiet here I have been busy elsewhere The 3rd CauxIDG Forum ended yesterday. This year’s theme was Forgiveness Over 220 people joined from all over the world. I will need time to process the richness of the encounters. ONE thing came up again and again is the importance of our connection to each other and all living things to thrive. To the InnerDevelopment@Work friends who crossed my path @Elif Kus Saillard @Andreas Rechter @Simone Reeves @Sandra Lace @`Mila Aliana @Sara Ramsey @Montserrat de Muller @Veronique Sikora Gasser @Andres Marquez-Lara @Montserrat de Muller @Sara Øllgaard @Nina Bressler @Ines Mokdadi @Leigh Johnson @Virginia Williams @Peter Nielsen @Barbara Holzner @Caroline Wacker @Kevin Leinbach @Marina Protopopoff @Sibylle Breiner Thank you for doing ALL that you bring into this world 💕🌸🌟🙏🏼 Hope to see everyone who can make a summertime hangout online during the summer to hear more about what each of you have been brewing 😊