In the first of a 3-session Learning Journey, Erik Fernholm shared honestly about where IDG is right now – and why a transformation is needed if we want this movement to stay alive, regenerative and truly owned by all of us. A few years ago, IDG started as a small initiative exploring inner development for systems change. None of us expected it to grow into a global movement with 800+ hubs and so many committed people around the world. From the outside, the website and big partner logos can make IDG look like a large, well-funded organization with dozens of people in a big Stockholm office. In reality, it’s a tiny team doing what they can with very limited time and resources. That mismatch has created a real bottleneck. Erik named a few pieces of this: - The founding group has been quite homogenous (Northern European, mostly male and white). - The current, centralized “startup” structure is now slowing the movement down instead of enabling it. - Too many initiatives wait in a “permission queue” – especially those without funding. The shift: from “IDG does this for us” to “WE are IDG” Erik’s proposal is bold and very aligned with inner development: - The board will give away its central mandate rather than hold onto it. - Decision-making and agency move closer to where the work is actually happening – in hubs, circles, projects, local contexts. - People get clear mandates to act in coherence with IDG principles, without needing to constantly ask for permission. *** Unfortunately I couldn't stay for the breakout rooms, but the question that was proposed was this: "How do we together cultivate the conditions for agency, learning and practise within the movement?" Let's have this conversation here - in the comments. And @Denise Pang, @Sibylle Breiner, @Maria Niermann, @Veronique Sikora Gasser, @Mark Vandeneijdne who were at the call, please share what was discussed in your breakout rooms.

Having worked in wetlands and water resource conservation for 6 years my radar has always been tuned to sustainability and even more so to regeneration. While sustainability focuses on maintaining balance and preventing harm, regeneration goes further—restoring, renewing, and enhancing ecosystems, communities, and systems to thrive beyond their original state. Which is why this interactive Regenerative Paradigm Map created by Dr Vanessa Taveras-Dalmau on 14 Sep 2025 retained all my attention. The Regenerative Paradigm Map (see the link below) has 7 core principles, 33 themes, and 253 specific elements detailing regeneration’s ‘what, why, and how’. The seven themes are: 1. Start with inner transformation (this occupies 13 of the 33 themes and is by far the most important) 2. Adopt pluralistic, post-capitalistic economic models (5 themes) 3. Practice participatory and ethical governance for regeneration (2 themes) 4. Put community first (2 themes) 5. Work with place as living (2 themes) 6. Use systems approaches (2 themes) 7. Learn from existing regenerative practices or complementary approaches (7 themes) Without wanting to simplify the breath of this research I am truly inspired by the inner development work that we have cut out for us! The 13 themes of Inner transformation include: Elevate your consciousness, integrate diverse knowledge, embrace a new mindset, shift to an ecological worldview, embrace a different discourse, honor negative emotions, channel positive emotions, embrace new leadership, develop new values, acknowledge your inner compass, develop multi literacy, develop soft skills, nourish people and place connectedness. Each one is explained in greater detail in the interactive map and our job is to bring this alive in our work to shift the discourse. It's a lot to digest for sure, but nothing this complex is going to be easy. We in this community are the one's who are helping to create shifts and bring about change.

Such a deep, meaningful and often vulnerable discussion today framed by the Core Inquiry and the Ethics of Decolonising. There are so many layers to unpack and bring into our own consciousness in both "rational" and felt sensed way. If you were in the room or not, do share what these questions evoke for you.

💥Fascinating discussion today with over 30 global citizens, thank you to all of you who were able to attend Here is the link from the break out groups harvest that will give you a sense of the richness of perspectives, ideas and insights. At the end of the plenary discussion the idea of universality did come up. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1we64_Qj2iLmnjI5gygnrudzcK20ffsbJzL09g79uLK4/edit?usp=sharing

Dear friends, Our Client Value workshop today was such a rich exchange — thank you to everyone who joined from across the globe! A few highlights: - Language matters. We spoke about bridging the gap between what clients want (often external solutions) and what they truly need (the inner development piece). - Pain points vs. outcomes. In breakout rooms, we harvested words clients use to describe their struggles — powerful insights we can all bring back into our work. - The “sell what they want, give them what they need” paradox. We explored how to frame our work in language that draws people in, while still offering the deeper transformation they may not yet see. - The role of internal movements. Team Green in Germany was shared as an inspiring example of how inner advocates can drive lasting organizational change. We’re keen to continue this conversation with all of you and will keep you posted about the 6-week challenge. Here’s to making the invisible value of inner development visible — one conversation at a time. With warmth, Sarah P.S. Don’t forget to join us in our first Decolonization Session with @Rukmini Iyer tomorrow, Aug 28th. >>sign up here P.P.S. I’ve been sharing some of the main takeaways from the docu-series ‘Hope’ as an alternative to ‘The Week’. I’m curious to read your comments