Let's Explore Empowerment with Anneloes Smitsman
Empowering change as a vector of love
We live in times of unprecedented changes: the worsening climate crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic have contributed to growing polarisation between people and countries. For many people it feels like the world is on the brink of collapse. The pursuit of unlimited and extractive economic growth, based on fossil fuels, has created immense harm to the planet and our future wellbeing.
As we look at a world in chaos, under threat from climate change and the ravages of human greed, life can seem dark and hopeless. But for Anneloes Smitsman, there’s a lesson about love to be learned from crises.
Biography
Dr. Anneloes Smitsman (Ph.D., LLM) is a visionary scientist, futurist, published author, system architect, and leadership catalyst. She is the Founder and CEO of EARTHwise Centre, co-author of The Quest of Rose and the Future Humans Trilogy with Dr. Jean Houston, author of Love Letters from Mother Earth, as well as many other publications. She is the lead author of the r3.0 Educational Transformation Blueprint, lead architect of the SEEDS Constitution, and an architect and researcher of Hypha and SEEDS for co-developing the regenerative renaissance tools and systems. Her unique transformation programs have empowered thousands of people and organizations from around the world. Anneloes is a member of the Evolutionary Leaders Circle of the Source of Synergy Foundation, and a founding member of the Global Development Board of the Laszlo Institute of New Paradigm Research.
Marginalia
Code red for humanity: Matt McGrath, “Climate change: IPCC report is code red for humanity.” BBC, 9 August 2021.
2014, PhD research project as an external researcher with the Maastricht Sustainability Institute of Maastricht University. Smitsman A. (2019). Into the Heart of Systems Change. Doctoral dissertation, International Centre for Integrated assessment and Sustainable development (ICIS), Maastricht University.
Identifying the various conditions and barriers for developing our systemic capacities to thrive and flourish. Find a brief overview of these systemic thrivability barriers here.
A mantra from Maya Angelou that I kept telling myself during this period: “love liberates.” Dr. Maya Angelou on
“Love Liberates”.
In 2016, I took a year off from my PhD research to make space for my personal transformation, and to reflect on my next steps while caring for my children and supporting their own transitions. Around that time, I was inspired to write a book, Love Letters From Mother Earth — The Promise Of A New Beginning. And in 2016, I gave a TEDx talk, How Love Can Provide A Solution For Our World In Crisis. Also, explore the stories behind the TEDx talk.
Systemic barriers reveal that we do not understand that life is essentially a unified reality, and so we do not recognise the systemic boundaries of our interdependence. Explore further.
The empires of the past have now become the corporate empires of today. See and listen to my interview with Dr Elisabet Sahtouris on this topic.
Using systemic thrivability barriers as a diagnostic tool can also reveal the ego and shadow dynamics that emerge from separatist thinking and dualistic belief systems of otherness and differentness. To learn more about this, read: Smitsman A. (2019). Into the Heart of Systems Change. Doctoral dissertation, International Centre for Integrated assessment and Sustainable development (ICIS), Maastricht University.
