Syntropic World

To read the blog. 365 days of contemplations and Sunrise photo's.

James Bartle is the founding CEO of Outland Denim, the denim brand making jeans differently and setting a new standard in fashion manufacturing. Driven by the desire to curb the trafficking of young girls into the $99 billion illicit commercial sex industry, Bartle created Outland to generate training and employment opportunities for women vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. Over six years Bartle developed a unique business model that would enable each of his seamstresses to gain a covetable skill set in tailoring while earning a living wage, receiving ongoing support and life-enhancing education, and crafting artisan quality jeans to compete in the global premium marketplace. In 2016, he took Outland to scale, securing international investment and distribution to further the company's mission to employ more young women while concurrently investing heavily in supply chain and environmental stewardship. With a background in manufacturing and start-up ventures, Bartle has taken a hands-on approach to developing Outland's signature jean styles, eschewing automation in favour of craftsmanship. He lives with his wife and two young daughters in the hills of the Gold Coast hinterland, Australia. In this episode we talk about the journey, the commitment, how James stayed true to the mission and purpose of the company against the odds. The incredible luck of having a member of the Royal Family choose to wear their jeans and how that has impacted the company,and enabled 46 more women to be employed. This is a heartfelt conversation from a man who believes we can end slavery. I was moved many times. Please enjoy this episode.

Robb Smith is a leader and social innovator in human development and integral metatheory, advising entrepreneurs, executives and thought leaders on leading-edge social innovation, vertical development, leadership development and company growth. He is CEO and co-founder, with American philosopher Ken Wilber, of Integral Life, a digital hub supporting the global trend towards meta-integrative human capacities (representing ~4% of adults in advanced economies). At Integral Life, he has spearheaded dialogues, courses and events that build skills and tackle pressing problems, including climate change and the rise of populism and the end of US hegemony. He has produced media and events that include Full Spectrum Mindfulness, The Future of Christianity, The Fourth Turning, WhatNEXT, Beyond Seeking, the Climate Leadership Campaign and Loving Completely. He was founder and CEO of Chrysallis, the world's most comprehensive human development app, which offered hundreds of practices across more than 50 areas of human life. Chrysallis was nominated for the 2015 Goldman Sachs Healthcare Startup of the Year and the IONS award for Transformational Technology before being acquired in 2016 by ADURO, where he now chairs the Advisory Board and supports Fortune 500 companies to deploy full-spectrum human performance initiatives. He was a co-founder and partner in Nevada Ventures, the state's first venture capital fund, dedicated himself to building Nevada's innovation economy (syndicating over $200 million in capital). He is a former director of Alere, a three-time Inc. 500 awardee, which became the largest population health management company in the United States. Robb is a graduate of University of Nevada, the Venture Capital Institute and held the Certified Management Accountant and Certified in Financial Management designations. He is a fellow of Desert Research Institute, a former fellow of Aspen Institute and former trustee of Nevada Museum of Art. He was named to Nevada Top 20 under 40 lists in three different decades and in 2012 he was nominated for the TED Prize. He gave a TEDx talk in 2013 on The Transformational Life. In a mushed up world of Politically Correct, hard right, hard left, #metoo, identity politics, too much/too little sexualization in the media, the rise of the fundamentalist view, this podcast provides contours for most of these experiences. www.robbsmith.com We experienced some minor technical issues with the recording. They do not take away from the conversation.

A seemingly insatiable curiosity, distinctive laugh and unique dress sense are three of Desmier’s more prominent features, but it’s his ability as a branding strategist that truly sets him apart from his peers.  Having originally trained as a designer (before realising his talents lay elsewhere), Matt is able to apply a design-thinking approach to help businesses understand their positioning, their messaging and their audience’s motivations, and he uses these tools to help authentic brands evolve.  Through his agency Wise Old Uncle (a loose collective of equally talented individuals), Desmier and his team have worked with some impressive organisations, including the UK’s largest crowdfunding platform, the UK’s most respected insurance company and a global leader in mapping technology, helping them discover their voice, grow their audience and develop products and services fit for the 21st century.  A regular feature on many annual digital lists (including the BIMA’s Top 100, the Maserati 100 and the Digital Leaders Top 100, where he came Runner Up as SME Digital Leader of the Year), Matt is an influential digital champion in the UK and his counsel has been sought by the likes of 10 Downing Street and St James’ Palace, as well some other far less prestigious organisations.  When he’s not busy running around helping brands, he’s busy running around picking up after his two young children or, as a keen runner, he’s just busy running. In this episode we discuss confidence, vulnerability, dealing with the darkness of depression and anxiety, women in leadership, being a father and choosing to be a very present and engaged father, and much more.

Dr. Mark Goulston is the host of the “My Wakeup Call” podcast where he interviews people on the wakeup calls that changed who they are and made them better human being and at being human. He is one of the world’s foremost experts on deep listening, radical empathy and real influence with his book, “Just Listen,” becoming the top book on listening in the world, translated into twenty languages and a topic he speaks and teaches globally including training managers of the Russian Federation in Moscow. He is an advisor, coach, mentor and confidante to CEO’s, founders and entrepreneurs helping them to unlock all their internal blocks to achieving success, fulfilment and happiness. Originally a UCLA professor of psychiatry and crisis psychiatrist for over 25 years, and former FBI and police hostage negotiation trainer, Dr. Goulston's expertise has been forged and proven in the crucible of real-life, high stakes situations including being a boots on the ground suicide prevention specialist and serving as an advisor in the OJ Simpson criminal trial. Including, “Just Listen,” he is the author of seven books with multiple best sellers. He writes or contributes to Harvard Business Review, Business Insider, Biz Journals, Fast Company, Huffington Post, Psychology Today and has appeared as an psychological expert in the media including: CNN, Headline News, msNBC, Fox News, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Forbes, Fortune, Psychology Today and was the subject of a PBS special. He lives with his wife in Los Angeles, California. This episode is filled with practical tools and skills for anyone seeking to navigate life, especially the dark night common to most of us.

Mark is an Anglo-Aussie living in the US with his wife Danielle and two kids Jack and Emily.  Mark emigrated to Australia immediately after finishing his BSc in Management Science from the University of Manchester and started to work with PwC in Sydney.  He stayed with PwC for 10 years working in the Assurance, Corporate Finance and Consulting practices and gathered great experience working in 6 countries and 5 separate industries where he became interested in the underlying social systems in the different companies, industries and countries he was exposed to.  Mark left PwC when IBM acquired the consulting arm and became GM Strategy & Business Development within Coles Myer Limited (now Wesfarmers) where he remained for 4 years prior to becoming the Chief Executive Noodle of Wagamama in Australia.  At this time Mark had his first experience of executive coaching and it was so impactful that he decided to become a qualified coach himself and created his leadership style around coaching.  Mark then co-founded an e-commerce company in Sydney which was the first pure-play major shoe store in Australia which he exited in 2013 and relocated to the US to support Tony Hsieh’s Downtown Project in Las Vegas.  He is currently supporting the U.S. Air Force’s culture of innovation initiative called AFWERX working with the 670,000 men and women of the Air Force to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of grass roots innovation on base and also helping connect the Air Force with the private sector and academia. In this episode we discuss Mark's journey of self expression and self discovery across 4 countries as Mark determines that the key performance indicator that matters most to him is how many happy minutes fill his days and the days of those around him.

Phillip Ullmann is the Chief Energiser of Cordant Group, the UK’s second largest recruitment and services firm with revenues of £840 million employing 125,000 people. Phillip has been responsible for driving the business forward since joining in 1996. This has been achieved through a series of acquisitions and organic growth but also by hiring highly talented people in key roles. As the original architect of the Social Enterprise at Cordant, it is now a vision owned just as much by the board and the senior management. Phillip has an Engineering degree from Cambridge University, an MBA from Brunel and is a qualified Chartered Accountant. He is married to Deborah and has four children and two grandchildren. He began his career at KPMG and Sainsburys' and is a keen Arsenal supporter.

Jack is the CTO and co-founder of workonblockchain.com and has been involved in numerous blockchain projects and education events around the world since 2015. He completed a masters in computer science in 2017 and now lives in Amsterdam. He enjoys both business and technical problems and working with diverse teams in fast-paced environments. Jack is an avid globetrotter and has lived, worked and studied in the USA, Ecuador, Colombia, Mexico, England and the Netherlands.

Brad Dunne is the founder and managing director of Projects Queensland, a national Australian building and construction company that creates the built environments for most of the worlds exotic luxury retail brands. Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Channel and Dior are some of the company’s major clients. The company also works closely with Governments, Universities and  Hospitals as a trusted building partner as well as private clients bringing to life almost anything that’s conceivable.  Having grown up in the Western suburbs of Sydney in the 70's Brad quickly found his passions for surfing and sailing more suited to Queensland’s Gold Coast. Not possessing the greatest schooling credentials Brad made his way north based only on his ability to dream, his sense of humour and a good dose of curiosity.  After what on the surface appeared a blessed life Brad became faced with significant mental health issues, all unfolding and affecting everything within his life. Facing this with the absolute honesty and transparency and with all the faith and trust he could muster, Brad emerged again to reclaim his life not only mentally but with a greater connection to mind, body and soul. The very bottom of the darkest pit was in fact the opportunity to rebuild the foundations that stand him again strong and able to live a full and meaningful life with relevant purpose. Today living in Perth Western Australia, married and with 4 Children, Brad runs the same company he founded almost 30 years ago. Other activities included the development company he runs with his wife Sharon and eldest son Bennet and his involvement in motorsport in the Porsche Carrera cup program.  Brad remains passionate about his surfing and takes advantage of the magnificent West Coasts waters through boating.  Having faced the debilitating real life issues of depression and anxiety that effectively went on for 15 years, Brad is the living example of what might appear to others as an “enviable” life, which can in fact be a life of living hell. His commitment to being of help to organisations supporting those with mental health issues or to individuals suffering depression and anxiety has become a passion which provides great personal fulfillment. Being able to give back through listening and a genuine care for humanity is something that we as connected human beings must embrace.  His fundamental beliefs are now based on these reconstructed foundations. “We are born to live full and meaningful lives, we are not born to struggle. When we become honest with ourselves we open the pathways to find our real values which lead us to our purpose”. Web www.projectsqld.com

Dr Christine McDougall is a Mentor and Coach for 'Type A' leaders, mavericks and change makers hell bent on creating businesses that support a world that works for everyone. If you want a team of people who are mostly self managed, take full responsibility, handle breakdown and upset with ease and speed, you're in the right place. If creating healthy relationships and a more balanced life is something you deeply desire, Christine can help. R. Buckminster Fuller has been her main mentor since her mid twenties. As an ongoing student of his work she speaks systems, design and the geometry of relationships and integrity with fluency. Christine was one of the global founders of the Coaching Profession in the 90's. She was the first non USA Board member of the Global Board of the International Coach Federation (ICF) holding this role for five years, in the final year as Vice President. She was the founding President of the Australasian ICF, setting up the Chapter system in Australia and around the world. Christine has worked within the corporate, leadership, startup and future of business space with 100% focus since 1998 – in the early days as a coach, then evolving to create and lead businesses, partner with teams worldwide and mentor leaders who are creating a whole new kind of world. In 2013 she pitched Sir Richard Branson an idea around his book, Screw Business as Usual. This pitch led to the creation of a world class event, Big Blue Sky, in 2015 and 2016, in her local city, to convene multi sectorial members of the community, plus a few provocateurs from around the world, to co-create solutions for the future of the city. Christine is the Founder of 223AM, which includes this podcast, interviewing men on what it means to be a man in today's world. Find her at 223am.com, or on twitter @chrismcdougall8

Martin Lucas is an award winning strategist & problem solver who has modeled the Why of human behaviours: how to leverage that data and use it to drive science-based growth for marketing and advertising. Martin has just completed a three year study to decode the human algorithm in order to understand how we make decisions, what drives our emotions, bias, behaviours, habits and which science, psychology, philosophy and math you can use to model those insights to create positive change. His career has been a mix of award-winning Enterprise Sales, Marketing & Product Management leadership alongside the Entrepreneurship of creating three businesses and publishing three books. In this episode we discuss the importance of emotional intelligence, the Alan Watts quote…"You can't address the thought until you address the thinker", the future of humanity, social media and its affects, And much more.. Please enjoy this conversation.

Richard Hames is considered to be among the world's most influential intellectuals and foresight practitioners. An Australian citizen, educated in Europe and domiciled in Thailand, Richard has been honoured with numerous awards including a French Government Scholarship, a Leverhulme European Fellowship, the Mondadori Professorial Fellowship and the inaugural Lord Attlee Fellowship. Richard is Executive Chairman of the Centre for the Future, Director of HamesMcGregor + Partners, and Chairman of the Asian Foresight Institute. He is also an elected Fellow of the World Academy of Art & Science. Richard is a member of various advisory boards and has been a personal mentor to Presidents, Heads of State, and some of the world's most innovative CEOs. A compelling public speaker, Richard is the author of seven books, the latest being Heresies:Essays on the Future of Humanity.  He is father to ten children and has fourteen grandchildren. In this episode we discuss fatherhood the second time around, losing his own father at age seven, power and its various manifestations, that if we do not handle vulnerability we become fragile (less resilient), the need for a pluriversal education system, and much more. The conversation has humour and emotion in it, offering wisdom from years of commitment towards building a better world.

Adam is a serial innovator with a twenty year global history of starting fast growth businesses in sport, information and media. Outspoken and opinionated with a revolutionary bent, Adam has a Masters of Entrepreneurship and Innovation and has studied at the Judge Business School, Cambridge University.  With deep expertise in fast growth business development, Adam was the CEO of BRW’s 2010 Fastest Growing Private Company (under $100M), Sportsnet Corporation.  Adam is the Founder, Chief Steward & Council Member of global democracy movement MiVote which was a finalist in the 2016 Singularity University Grand Global Challenge Awards. He is a member of the UN Blockchain for Social Impact group and is featured in the book Democracy Squared. Despite his career milestones, Adam's most important job is that of partner to Mel and father to four wonderful angels; Kennedy, Percie, Avery and Jasper. Adam lives in Melbourne, Australia but travel extensively. The world is his innovation lab. Our conversations ranges from fathering, dark nights, asking for help and working with a highly diverse team. We ended the conversation with a discussion about power. Adam talked about 3 types of power, and how they are playing out on the world political stage. We talked about the global propaganda machine lead by Rupert Murdoch, and how those who have enduring leadership power are comfortable presenting all sides of an argument as a matter of integrity and respect.

Murray is the mind behind some of the most progressive and influential projects in Australia. With an award winning career spanning multiple industries, including design, media, advertising and events, Murray is unlike almost every entrepreneur you’ve ever come across before. A proud father and mental health advocate, his online projects include Australia’s first ever successfully funded Kickstarter campaign called ‘Pretty Rad for a Dad’ and Dads.Co, a global community of digital dads. But it’s his offline work, in large scale, emerging technology events where he has truly made his mark. With a deep sense of curiosity and a unique ability to connect cultural, political and technological dots, Murray has helped design and deliver events like Pause Fest in Melbourne and Myriad in Queensland. In this conversation we talk being a dad, how to manage the low points, fishing as meditation and developing sustainable healthy habits using a simple technology.

48 seconds on the work behind this podcast

Dr. David E. Martin is the Founder of M·CAM® the international leader in innovation finance, trade, and intangible asset finance. Actively engaged in global ethical economic development, Dr. Martin's work includes financial engineering and investment, public speaking, writing and providing financial advisory services to the majority of countries in the world. Dr. Martin is the architect and founder of the Global Innovation Commons and is the author of the international legal framework for the Heritable Knowledge Trust and Heritable Innovation Trust programs. David and I have been friends since our first conversation in 2009, which inspired me to write this article on Field Effects, which is mentioned at the end of this episode. Show notes Business is about creating theatre The old industrial model of business The perpetually generative util

Christine presents the  "Distinction Between Purpose and Animating Idea" Jonathon Porritt speaks to a life dedicated to the care of our home planet and the remarkable optimism he feels as the new administration is ushered into the USA. Sarah Scott, our Syntropic Blue community of practice member and Syntropic Masterclass Alumni speaks of her groundbreaking work in Tanzania.

On this Syntropic Alumni+ Open call Christine speaks of the need to design polarity into any system in order for it to hold its shape. We have special guest Jeremy Lent, author of The Patterning Instinct-a cultural history of humanities search for meaning And Syntropic Alumni, Gina Yallamas, Urban Sharman - bringing people into greater integrity and wholeness through connection with nature and cycles. **Please note this is the raw audio, unedited. 

Syntropic Alumni Open Call (October): Guest - Daniel Wahl, author of Designing Regenerative Cultures & Alumni Manuela Damant, Azkua + Christine McDougall speaking on Synergistic Accounting. Each month we host a Syntropic Enterprise Alumni +Open to ALL call. The purpose is for Masterclass Alumni to learn, connect and present case studies, and for guests to step into Syntropic World to explore if it is a place they might like to spend more time. Held on the third Thursday of the month (Australia time). 

A brief introduction to Syntropic World An introduction to a core model, Steward Leadership, presented by Christine McDougall Our guest, Kent Langley, Empowering People through Technology Our alumni, Mark Eckhardt, CEO, Common.is