Welcome to the summer version of Stories for the future - my Summer shorts. Today I am talking about how staying comfortable is a habit that is worth breaking, and what an amazing feeling it is when you see that you have managed to stretch your comfort zone. I take you through my journey of stretching my comfort zone during the last few years, and how looking back makes me realize how much that has made me grow. Here is the link to the video challenge I mention in this episode, and the...

Are the business schools of today doing enough to educate the leaders we need in the future? What kind of knowledge do we actually need in order to secure a sustainable future? Katarína Halušková and Karolina Sobczak from The Academy of Business in Society (ABIS) have been working a lot on these questions and today they are here to share some of their findings. No doubt there are positive changes on the way, but there are also big gaps that we need to close, sooner rather than later. And...

We spend up to 90% of our time indoors, but the spaces we create very often doesn't serve our health and overall wellbeing in the best way. Do you want to learn more about how you can change this? My first guest this season is interior designer Johanna Winter. She has specialized in biophilic design; a concept used to bring natural elements into our indoor environments. This conversation and Johanna's practical tips will give you tons of inspiration to change your own surroundings. For...

Finally, Stories for the future is back! And today I will be introducing season 4 along with a new friend: the famous elephant in the room. When it comes to sustainability and how to create a better future, we often talk about what businesses can do and what we can do as individuals on our "home territory". A part I often feel we forget is what we can do as individuals when it comes to the choices we make in our careers. And this is what I want to address in season 4. You will still meet...

This is a message to tell you that season 4 is just a couple of days away! Season 3 ended in an unintentional way, with an involuntary break from my side. But with 20 episodes all together I am very pleased with the season and the break marks a natural transition to a new season. For all resources and everything mentioned in the episode, go to Storiesforthefuture.no There you can also sign up to receive my newsletter and to get noticed every time I release another...

It's been quiet here for a while. In more than one way. Today I share with you a short status update and the reason behind the silence. Having temporarily lost the ability to hear, and as a consequence, also to communicate, I have learned the hard way how important our hearing is for all areas of life.  Alongside my quick update, I share a lovely voice note I got from my dear friend and podcasting mentor, Regina Larko. This friendship and her support is a result of connecting over a...

Did you know that in addition to stage fright and the fear of public speaking, the fear of dealing with authority figures is one of the most common social phobias? Why does it suddenly feel so scary to approach people when you know them to be some kind of authority or celebrity? And how can not knowing them, because you are new to the area they are known for, lead to the most interesting and fascinating experiences? Being a beginner and the new kid in the playground can have its' perks,...

Today I talk about necessity and how I use it to move forward.  It's a great tool to use to nudge yourself into action - I highly recommend it!  You know this saying, Necessity is the mother of invention. I think we can elaborate on that and say that Necessity is the mother of action. Necessity is the father of collaboration. It might also be the brother of self discipline. And the sister of moving out of your comfort zone. This episode is partly to keep you a bit in the loop about what I...

A keyword for this episode and today's guest is collaboration.  I think we can all agree that the times we are in call for more and better collaborations and better ways to leverage all the different skills we all have. How do we match the right skills with the right challenges? And how do you find the right people to collaborate with? These are things we will definitely talk about today.  Mark Hooley is a marketing and communications specialist, a founder of CollabMaker and a Climate Reality...

I have a big plan, and I am now using a strategic move to get myself to follow through: I tell you about it! I did this in order to get myself to launch this podcast and I have done it before by sharing plans in my blog Coconut Moments through the years. I haven't succeeded every time, but I am absolutely sure it improves the odds. Back in 2016 I watched this TED talk by a man called Scott Dinsmore. The name of the talk was "How to find work you love" and it completely changed the course...

How can we solve the biggest problems facing humanity and the planet by leveraging the power of businesses to create positive change? My guest this week has dedicated his time, skills and resources to address this question in the most impactful way possible. Anders H. Lier  is an international impact investor and a leader in the field of innovation and technology. He has been pioneering early stage impact investing, he is Co-founder of Katapult Group and he is an active angel investor. We...

Have you heard about serendipity? And do you know the magic this beautiful word can bring to your life? Listen and learn! This word was elected elected Britains most favorite word in 2000, ahead of love, peace AND football! It's also on the list of the 10 most difficult words to translate into Norwegian.... Merriam-Webster defines it like this Serendipity — the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for. If you google serendipity + entrepreneurship you...

What are the metrics that really matter for a podcaster? For many, me included, the download numbers often determine the mood of the day. Or at least my feeling of success or lack of it. But is this the right metric for me and for my vision for Stories for the future?  Thanks to one of my new favorite podcasts called Mastering the Podcaster Mindset, it dawned on me, how frustrating and dissatisfying these numbers are. Even if they improve and give me a sense of accomplishment in the...

My guest this week has been right in front of me for a while, and suddenly I realized that what she is talking about and working on is highly relevant to the topics of this podcast. Efwa Hagström helps sustainability leaders to get buy-in and speed up the action needed to progress positive change. Efwa is passionate about upskilling leaders with simple communication methods that fast track collaboration, innovation and implementation. She is the founder of Lederhjelpen.no and author of...

A few weeks ago I talked about how I use deign thinking to try to design my work life and also try to use that in many parts of my life, I quoted Bill Burnett. «No plan for life survives first contact with reality»  This quote came up and tapped me on the head this week.  Like; you said this out loud, now I will show you this in real life.  I had all these plans this week. I was going to do an interview that I was really looking forward to, I was going to record this great solo episode, I had...

Imagine you woke up one morning and realized that you would have to build your life back up again, almost from scratch. You would leave the network and safety of your people, most of your family and friends and you would walk away into the unknown - set out on a journey to find your new tribe. And maybe the hardest part - you would have to rediscover who was the real you. What were your values, beliefs and what opinions would you have on all sorts of issues.  This is hard to imagine for most...

For those of us who always work best under pressure, we are now busy doing the planning for this new year, the part we should have done in December of course.  But I always feel so motivated in January, so for me, these first few days are the best for making plans. I have this great new planner - the same as the last four years - it’s blank, empty, clean pages and there are so many opportunities to fill those pages with interesting stuff I want to try out.  So as I am planning, sorting out...

Today's guest is Anoushka Nordby from Fjord CleanUP. Fjord CleanUP is a non-profit environmental organization supporting the restoration and protection of the Inner Oslo Fjord’s natural marine environment. They organize weekly voluntary cleaning events  where they provide volunteers with stand up paddle boards, kayaks, diving equipment and all the gear necessary to clean marine pollution out of the fjord. Their fun and engaging way of making a change is spreading, and hopefully we can se...

I had some really busy days finalizing a program I did with Startup Norway called Circular Startup Venture Studio. Now I want to tell you about how happy I am that I jumped into this and why!   This was the first batch of entrepreneurs doing this program, but there will be more, and I really encourage you to pay attention to opportunities like this. Who knows what they can lead to? I learned a ton, challenged myself and  met some really great people. I will certainly tell you more about it...

My guest in today's episode is Sam Chevallier. Sam - or Samuel, is the founder and managing director of Rewild Africa, a company working to enable ecological restoration through storytelling, film, education and experiences.  He is also the reason I discovered the amazing word of biomimicry, which we will talk a lot more about in this episode.  He is also a Climate Reality leader and we first met last summer when I was mentoring a group from South Africa in the first global Climate Reality...

I am trying something new!  In these short "In between and behind the scenes" episodes, I will challenge myself to move a bit out of the familiar structure. I will share more about the podcasting journey with you; the ups and downs, the mistakes and successes, the doubts and the joys.  And I will also bring you in on the overall goals with the podcast and the decisions I make along the way.  In this first one I share with you the three main reasons why I choose to make these short,...

Siri Abrahamsen is a public speaker, author and the founder and CEO of the company World of Empathy or Gleding, which is the name in Norwegian.  She is also the mother of three boys and a really wonderful person, which I am absolutely certain you will agree with me on after listening to this episode. Her message about how small actions create big impact and how we all need to be seen, heard and included, brings a really important element to the work to create a better future.  This message...

This is the second part of my conversation with Arjun SriHari. In this second part he goes into more details about his ideas for what he wants to do next.and we also spend quite some time around his vision for the future and how he thinks we can all have a much bigger impact on how our society evolves. Arjun is a big advocate for bursting the bubbles and coming together, across the many barriers and divides existing today. He started his career with a strategic communications consultancy -...

Today my guest is Arjun SriHari.  "The only way that we are going to solve this climate crisis is if the world comes together." Arjun is a big advocate for bursting the bubbles and coming together, across the many barriers and divides existing today. He started his career with a strategic communications consultancy - and clear and effective communication is something he values highly. He has spent 5 years building a rooftop solar company in India with the clear goal of helping speed up the...

Today my guest is Maria Peltokangas from Corporate Good.   Maria has been working in Sweden, Malaysia, Singapore and Norway in the IT and oil- and gas industry with marketing and communications.  In 2015 she changed direction and has since then dedicated her time and effort to corporate responsibility and sustainability.  She is also a Climate Reality Leader, and she is active in the Nordic network of  The Climate Reality Project.  In addition Maria is a B Leader and can offer guidance and...