We are living in more engineered fear than at any point in our lifetimes. And the antidote isn't winning more arguments, cancelling each other and certainly not hoping for karma. It's being in-person, together, listening, curiously. If we can't hold space for each other, we have no common ground, and with no common ground we can't unite. Unite for what exactly? Well let's discuss that at the next panel 😅 So! I've compiled 6 of my favourite insights that came up from our illustrious panel from last week, thank you again to: Marcin Dakowski, Ewa Bulska Celina Kretkowska-Adamowicz Jerzy Brodzikowski And to the wonderful teams at @Venture Cafe and @CIC Warsaw for holding that very space we need to have these conversations. But before I go, I gotta say: As a certified coach: we don't have to live in this much fear. Most of it isn't real. As a strategic advisor: much of the fear is deliberately engineered. Division and outrage in this current system is just so profitable.... for a few. But sets a terrifying future for our children. We must reject this. And lastly, as an amateur empathy scientist: Real empathy is gaining perspectives, which gives you worlds more information to make better decisions. And I've seen how working on the fundamentals such as curiosity, listening, holding space cuts through all of the above. More #empathy please.

It's weird and awful that planting the wrong tree can kill people. But it did. 62 people died in Portugal's worst ever forest fire in 2017. Most of them trapped in their cars. 70% of the burned area was covered in eucalyptus plantations - not native to Portugal. Planted for pulp and paper profit. Unfortunately this sounds like the usual profit over people story in politics and in business. The science was there. The fires had already happened before. Warnings existed. People died. And yet the lobbying to keep planting eucalyptus continues anyway. As it does for so many other things that hurt both people and the planet. We don't have a forestry problem. We have a people problem - specifically, people making decisions without empathy, without care. Now with Trump in power, the corporate gloves are off. Some of these firms care less about optics than they did just a few years ago. Inevitably, when the pendulum swings back, remember this. Stronger regulation with competent enforcement, run by well administered institutions is not anti-competitive or bureaucratic sludge. It is the missing system that creates healthy competition - ensuring businesses exist to solve problems and make profit in the process. Not the other way around. Please vote, advocate, learn and engage meaningfully. It takes more of us paying attention than them paying lobbyists. Save this, share this or just read and watch.

Wondering what you can expect when you join? Here is what Mudit Sharma had to say about his experience in our ASC Mentorships sessions: "It was a very well-designed session. Loved the energy and people of this community. Looking forward to our next session and learning from folks of this community." Our mentorship program is built to foster genuine connections, provide structured learning, and surround you with an energizing network of driven individuals. Spots are strictly limited for this Wednesday’s session. Secure your place today and sign up for the ASC mentorship program here: https://aseanstartupconnect.org/en/asc-mentorship-programme#mentee #ASC #Mentorship #Entrepreneurship #Community #ProfessionalGrowth #Founders #ASEANStartups

But he turned down a stranger's donation because he didn't want to be a burden. Turns out this stranger was a millionaire. This is integrity, kindness and empathy rolled neatly into a single Hungarian. This week's radar: Adam Csomor, Commercial Director at MIELL GREEN. MiellGreen takes plastic waste and turns it into fencing, pallets, garden furniture etc. that last 20-30 years. They've already given new life to over 1,100 tonnes of recycled plastic - the equivalent of 56 million PET bottles. Here's where it gets interesting. Hard-core sustainability professionals (often loudly) share their anti-plastic concerns. (I'm one of them 😅 ) Fair enough, but when only 9% of plastic worldwide is actually recycled, and with adoption and innovation in new materials still lagging... We need a solution to deal with the waste we have... Right. Now. Instead of being defensive, Adam gives them the space to say their piece. Get it all out. Feel heard and understood because he agrees! And then he asks one question: given that only 9% of plastic worldwide is actually recycled, and given what treated wood is doing to construction - don't we need everything in our arsenal? We do. We must all do what we can. That's Adam's whole philosophy. And it's MiellGreen's too. The best sustainability companies aren't perfect. They're relentlessly honest about where they are and where they're going. If you're interested in Adam's environmental or activist story (more in the comments), give Adam Csomor a follow and check out MIELL GREEN - good people doing necessary work.

Some important work happening for women's rights right now is being done quietly, by people you've been told are the enemy. Not because they're secretly good. But because the system they're operating inside makes transparency dangerous and silence strategic. It's a messy situation: 1) Oil revenue holds governments together. 2) Those governments write the rules. 3) The rules protect the revenue. Anyone who threatens that architecture (including a company trying to do right by its female workforce) risks being shown the door. This is not a defence of oil and gas. The spills happened. The emissions are real. Places in New Zealand, my home, are now uninsurable. But cancelling people is easier than understanding them. And we've seen what happens when climate action becomes a culture war - we lose the very people we need to change their minds. Thanks Stop Oil. Before you write someone off this week - ask yourself one question. What don't I actually know about this person? That question is where change starts. With curiosity. With empathy.