Greater Than Myself

What would your life look like if you were independent of others' opinions? Just imagine! The opinions of others are often the biggest obstacle to achieving extraordinary things. They are 95% of the time unhelpful or even paralysing. But how can we learn to ‘ignore’ these 95%? And how do we know when to actually learn from the 5%? Today, I share the three strategies I use to deal with others&#...

What if one LINKEDIN post CHANGED your LIFE? ✨ What if your mission, greater than you, opened doors to an abundance of opportunities? 🌍🚪 It did for Sonia. From Warsaw to London to Silicon Valley. Join us in this lighthearted conversation with my dear friend Sonia Piorek to hear about the benefits and hardships of networking. Don’t miss it if you want to know how to: Leverage your impact mission...

Building four impact-driven companies across four sectors? Scary, right? But according to Ilona, founder of Octopus Energy Germany, fear doesn’t need to stop us. Ilona Ludewig believes that your curiosity can be your greatest strength. Before exiting her company to join Octopus Energy, she founded a consultancy, a bilingual school, and an organic leather company. As an impact-driven founder, whene...

Andy Shovel, the founder of the vegan meat company THIS, knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur since he was 18 years old. He didn't pay much attention to studying and started his first business while still at university. Being a successful entrepreneur seemed to be the ultimate fulfillment… until one day he discovered something Greater Than His Business. THIS started as a 'great business op...

Michelle Li had a successful career and loved her work at Salesforce and DocuSign. But somehow, it never felt like enough: "Why would I save for my retirement if I don't know if I will ever be able to retire?" She left in search of her new "climate job" and despite her experience, struggled to find anything. She didn't yet know that she would never need to look for a jo...

Happiness = Events - Expectations What if we make ourselves miserable because of the unrealistic expectations we set in the world? We all know this world isn’t always fair, and people aren’t always loving. Yet we spend hours on negative self-talk: ‘he/she shouldn’t act like that,’ ‘why is this happening to me?’ ‘I worked so hard, I should have got it…’ What if we accept the world’s ‘imperfections’...

"Doing something for someone else without expecting anything in return may well be a game-changer for your career and life.” Driving extraordinary change involves building deep, authentic relationships with those who empower us and whom we can empower to make the impact story a reality. In this episode, I welcome James Mitra, who, at the age of 25, decided to rewrite the narrative of the recr...

Ready for a dose of inspiration, empowerment, and gratefulness? Today, I'm exploring one of my favorite concepts that keeps me motivated: how the actions of change-makers in the past continue to impact you and me today, and therefore why what we do matters. Let’s embark on this journey back to the 20th century to hear the stories of… Coco Chanel, who wasn’t afraid of wearing trousers. Patricia...

What is a woman’s first thought when she finds out she is pregnant? There are probably many, but Ryan's wife had a unique one: 'Wow, but... how will we move to Ghana now?' But they did. They also moved to the US, the UK, and now to Kenya, all in pursuit of a passion for changing the world for the better, a passion for... WASTE. Many young people ask, 'Can I start a family without s...

Have you ever experienced a sense of meaninglessness? Or do you possess a clear understanding of your 'why'? Do you believe that you are the one choosing the meaning of your life? Today, I am sharing how the work of two thought leaders on this topic, V. Frankl and S. Sinek, has influenced my feelings and thoughts about my greater purpose. Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, psychiatrist,...

An hour of meditation every day as a fresh start-up founder at Y Combinator (world's #1 start-up accelerator)? Reece Griffiths proves it is possible and explains why it is the most important hour of his day, asserting that time spent on self-awareness practices pays off exponentially. Join us on this journey of awakening as change-makers, connecting with our true selves to drive transformation...

What if someone gave you a ‘time machine’ which for every year of your life gave you additional three years? What if by that you could then increase the impact you have by x40? That’s what making my life ‘agile’ did for me. Welcome to my series of the 5 biggest lessons I have learned so far on my impact journey. I believe these lessons can help any change-maker achieve their full potential while a...

How to set personal boundaries when your work is meant to 'save' lives? When women enter the International Development sector, they often encounter the harsh reality of 14-hour workdays, burnout, and workplace harassment. Their passion may turn into depression and they may abandon their dreams. But does it have to be this way? In today's episode, my guest Camille Neyhouser, who spent 1...

What if you believed in making the impossible possible? What if you could impact people's lives in a way you have never imagined before? Welcome to my series of the 5 biggest lessons I have learned so far on my impact journey. I believe these lessons can help any change-maker achieve their full potential while also taking care of themselves. Have you ever heard of Roger Bannister, who was the...

My guest today has led pro-democracy strikes in Hong Kong, set up an educational social enterprise at the age of 16, designed strategies at McKinsey and built a new fund at SoftBank. With every new experience on his journey, his perception of how to bring real change has been slowly evolving. Today, James Lo is a Co-Founder and CEO of Mana – the app designed to make entrepreneurship more accessibl...

Have you ever allowed fear to be more important than your meaning/mission? What if you could leverage your mission to give you strengths in the most challenging moments? Today I talk about my experience of quitting McKinsey during the recession to follow what I deeply believe in and commit to the impact I want to have. I share some of the hardest and most vulnerable moments and the lessons I took...

‘Greater than myself’ is your go-to place to hear stories from inspiring change-makers, reflect on how you want to choose a meaning ‘greater than you’ and create a fulfilling yet impactful life. Conversations about finding, pursuing and achieving the mission you choose for yourselves and for the betterment of humanity. Stories from social and environmental change-makers from different backgrounds...