Alison Whybrow

One of the often used phrases during 2020 as people reflected on what we were learning, was a notion that we’d seen behind the curtains, that the scales had fallen from our eyes and we could no longer unsee what we now knew. As we paused during those early days of the COVID 19 Pandemic, we couldn’t help pay attention. Images of nature returning to our streets in a way that has not been seen for generations sat alongside the increasingly stark awareness of the depth of social inequality and extent of the degradation of our planet and its life giving systems. In the words of Otto Scharmer, the system could not only see itself, but also sense itself. This systemic awareness is something that can enable dramatic change. The disruption and fear of collapse of earth’s capacity to support human and other forms of life as we know it is making almost daily headlines. Moving from here, what is ours to do?

• How do we hold onto and embed a vision that what’s good for the planet is good for us?
• How do we allow the future to unfold, giving up the illusion of control and embrace the reality of complexity, knowing that that is the path to bring a flourishing future into being?
• How do we find the courage to challenge the status quo and reach into living systems principles and values, are there blueprints we can hook up with and use?

Coming from an abundant, loving perspective, rather than scarcity and fear, we bring together research exploring:
• The importance of this topic to employees, employers, coaches and coaching psychologists.
• Our confidence and that of our clients to make the necessary changes.
• Our readiness to shift.

We share recent survey work from our own research, that of our colleagues, and wider sources. We share case studies of business interventions in Vancouver, Canada and share some of the business landscape changes more widely.

As we touch on how well equipped coaches and psychologists feel to work in this space and some of the strategies they are working with, we invite you to explore your own awareness of this changing landscape, the importance of this existential crisis to you, your own confidence in stepping into this work and your readiness to do so.

We intend to leave you with practical ways forward and a sense of your own agency.

It is our conviction that we already have exactly the tools that we need, but our social constructs and Business as Usual perspective does not easily facilitate this flourishing future. By connecting the tools with what nature herself has been trying to tell us all along, we can design interventions using living systems principles and values. In doing so we can individually and collectively flow into a more purposeful and impactful way of operating.

We represent a global and diverse collaboration and look forward to bringing our intersectional insights to share and explore with you.

Learning outcomes:
• Clarifying and embedding that what is good for the planet is good for us
• Raising awareness of the importance of immediate action, personally and professionally
• Insight into how to take action with our clients through case study work, aligning with clients to achieve their own sustainability goals and engaging employees fully in the process.