Creativity with Fiona Bennett

Michael leads an environmental start-up in Portugal. Passionate about the food system, his organisation is pioneering the use of wasted energy of buildings to grow plants.  His first role in the world of work was with McDonalds and this set him on a path of a successful corporate career.  He then went on to transition into health and environment through study.  A significant aspect of Michael's experience was undertaking experiential learning in relation to human behaviour and leading in groups.  This integration of various disciplines allows Michael to work with impact now.

Fiona is a creative facilitator, poet, theatre practitioner, and podcaster.  She is a founder and director of The Map Consortium, a company that integrates artistic fields of practice with leadership, professional and organisational development. Fiona's own work as a poet explores themes of connection in a disconnecting world. She is also the founder and director of The Poetry Exchange, a national and international project exploring the place of poetry in people's lives.  This is done both live and through an award-winning podcast. 

Matthieu is a highly regarded organisational consultant who works across various sectors.  A key part of his work is organisational strategy. He has a deep interest in regeneration in organisations as they live into the future.  Consulting to religious orders in relation to their relevancy, impact and contribution to the world has deepened his practice and opened up spiritual questions in work and life.  He recently published a book about his experiences of consulting to religious orders.  

Zohar has worked extensively with individuals and groups, using her own experience and training in voice dialogue. She currently works at the university level, enabling participants to discover their own unique contributions and influences as they study across various helping professions. Her own story is one of learning and tenacity and her experiences have influenced her desire to offer people processes and ways of working that are truly liberating. 

Through her early experiences in both the family and living in Africa, Alison was inspired to study Medicine.  She went on to become a GP and did further studies in Homoeopathy.  Believing that health is about the whole person, their environment and relationships Alison has taken her learning and applied it to organisational life.  She currently leads in the National Health Service in the UK and continues to work with a systemic understanding of leadership. 

Martin is interested in the influence of unseen realms or forces on our experience of being human.  He is a priest in the UK, a community leader and has a keen interest in constellations and human systems.  He also designed a set of reflective cards, in the spirit of tarot, using Christian symbols and history.  The Orisons. In this episode, we explore his cards and the experiences he has had actively working in the context across various organisations.  Martin's capacity to access his own experiences, to learn and share is always inspiring. 

Marie's career began in social work and over time she moved into community development, eventually leading large collaborative social care organisations.  Her dedication to her own learning and reflection enabled her significant contribution to the social care sector in Ireland.  Today she serves on various boards, consults in systems psychodynamics and enjoys being able to continue to offer support to important social organisations in society. 

James learned very early on that certain types of environments enabled him to thrive, while others were not very useful.  His tenacity and openness to trying new things led to applying experiential learning approaches in his leadership.  Today James successfully leads a team as the CEO, enabling a large retail chain, and continues to apply insights with the people he works with.

At a young age, Liz observed people in society who were at the margins.  At its core, her work in the world has been about working toward social change.  Creating spaces, movements and organisations that are able to provide an environment for people to hear each other and connect in order to make progress together.  She is currently a DIrector with Collaboration for Impact, an organisation dedicated to developing the capacity to create a more equitable and inclusive society.  Liz's commitment to learning is both ongoing and inspiring, providing the impetus for her powerful impact through the roles she takes up in the world.  

Dan was born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya.  He relocated to the United States and along the way lived and worked in Asia. Traversing such vast differences in culture, he navigated many challenges.   Upon arriving in the U.S, he had to forge a career from scratch.  Today he is the General Manager of a hotel, leading a large team to provide outstanding customer service. His capacity to listen to others and learn from experience is truly inspirational.