The Power Within: Regenerative Futures & Inner-led change
Understanding of life begins with the understanding of patterns, Fritjof Capra
This article marks the beginning of a series exploring the journey of Scaling Deep, where we delve into the intricate links between inner and outer transformation, and the challenges, paradoxes, and dilemmas faced by organisations, funders, and systemic and regenerative practitioners in advocating for and funding this vital work. It’s an account of a fact-finding mission, a process of map-making, and a shared exploration of uncharted territory all while engaging in the "PR for the future"- building a narrative that champions the slow, deep work needed to repattern our systems and pave the way towards regenerative futures.
Through Inner Ripple's collaboration with the School of System Change, I recently led the "Leading with Consciousness" Seedling Series webinar, exploring how integrating inner and outer transformation can act as a powerful catalyst for systemic change. This article explores the visible and less visible link between the patterns we shape internally and the systems we influence externally. How does our level of consciousness either block or open the door for new paradigms to emerge?
An emergent field
In today’s chaotic world, the call for deep transformation—both within ourselves and in the systems that shape society—is louder than ever. We often see inner and outer change as separate, but what if they’re more connected than we realize? Real, lasting change might start with something we often overlook: an individual and collective journey of expanded consciousness—opening up the possibility of an individual or collective "healing process." Though it may seem like a luxury reserved for a privileged few, what if, instead, questioning our mental models is the crucial step in shaping and allowing new patterns and paradigms to emerge?
Can healing ourselves be the key to healing our systems?
Inner transformation involves personal growth through self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and spiritual development, leading to shifts in mental models, values, and behaviours. While both aspects are crucial, efforts for social and environmental change frequently neglect the inner dimension, which limits progress toward achieving a true systemic shift. Global challenges like climate change and inequality stem from deeper dysfunctions in our collective consciousness. Gus Speth noted, “The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed, and apathy. To deal with these, we need a spiritual and cultural transformation.” Neglecting our disconnection from ourselves, others, and nature—makes systemic efforts incomplete. Otto Scharmer’s Theory U highlights this "story of separation" as central to global crises and moving beyond it requires an expanded awareness of interconnectedness and wholeness. In this context, how can our change efforts foster this interconnectedness and pursue systemic change through a deep-scale approach that integrates both inner and outer interventions?
Noticing both internal and external patterns
Shifting systems means recognizing and addressing the patterns that shape them. Patterns are the language of living systems; they reflect the underlying structures that influence our behaviours and cultural norms. These patterns can either reinforce harmful dynamics, such as competition, division, and short-termism, or promote collaboration, resilience, hopeful imagination and regeneration.
Patterns aren’t just out there—they’re within us too. Our mental models, beliefs, and emotional reactions are all patterns that shape how we interact with the world. To change the world around us, we have to start by changing these inner patterns. How might we expand our capacity to question inner patterns and create space for new ways of thinking and being, while shifting away from unconscious habits that shape both our inner lives and the world around us?
Embodying and embracing complexity and paradoxes
Complexity and paradoxes are the connective tissues of our current reality. Yet, they are not problems to be solved but rather complexities to be embodied. They require us to hold space for both the old and the new, the known and the unknown, the visible and the invisible. Complexity and paradoxes are often showing up as adversity in our bodies, triggering our fight or flight response, flooding our bodies with adrenalin and cortisol thus contributing to our sense of overwhelm, repeating existing patterns and sustaining old systems, habits and mental models. This short reaction between stimulus and response fuels our individual and collective sense of overwhelm, reinforcing old patterns. As Viktor Frankl said, "Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." Without this space, we risk perpetuating overwhelm and reinforcing the very patterns we aim to change.
Cultivating inner spaciousness
By cultivating inner spaciousness—creating mental and emotional room to engage with paradoxes and tensions—we open the door for new neural pathways to form. This process is further supported by a calmer nervous system, along with the release of endorphins and oxytocin. As a result, we nurture our capacity for choice, power, agency, and hope thus serving as antidotes to the story of separation. This expanded space between stimulus and response becomes fertile ground for cultivating interconnectedness and wholeness. As we increase this space, we tap into what Buddhism calls the "sacred pause" or what yogic philosophy refers to as the neutral, conscious mind. What if this pause is the true catalyst that allows us to break free from extractive patterns and collective overwhelm, guiding us instead toward regeneration and new possibilities? Many great thinkers, teachers, and visionaries have long emphasized the importance of balancing our inner and outer worlds. Perhaps now is the time to build on this wisdom, inviting both organizations and individuals to embrace inner-led change as a vital component of leadership and regenerative practices. However, this will demand a nuanced approach, carefully balancing attention to both inner and outer dimensions. Focusing too much inwardly can lead to paralysis, or at the very least, significant slowness. While we recognize that slowing down is essential for fostering new paradigms, action is still necessary. Striking a balance between our inner and outer worlds will be key, ensuring that both advance in parallel as we navigate this journey.
A story of integration
How do we begin “the powerful unleashing of human inner potential to care, commit to, and effect change for a better life”[1]? Several organizations are already at the forefront of scaling deep[2] by offering programs and support in systems change and regenerative futures, bridging the gap between practices that engage the head, the heart, and the hands. I like to describe this work as "scaling deep" because it truly captures the essence of this often invisible yet transformative work, which can be challenging to fully articulate or justify – especially towards funders and investors.
The head is traditionally and rationally predominantly engaged in the field of transformation as a way to connect with and approach the field of transformation, system and futures thinking, or foresight. A western, business rational and cognitive way to approach change – traditionally our individual and collective approach to Future Consciousness.
The heart includes very personal practices such as mindfulness, compassion, and any and all practices that connect us more deeply to each other and to the energy and wonders of life – our individual and collective capacity for Inner spaciousness.
The hands symbolize the tangible actions we take, shifting away from focusing solely on our "footprint" (our consumption and impact on the planet) towards incentivising positive “handprint” (positive action towards regenerative future) – our individual and collective capacity towards positive action.
How might we design ways to integrate and balance the head, the heart and the hands in our transformation efforts? Equally important how might we bridge the gap between these different communities—those focused on Futures & system thinking, those deeply committed to consciousness, and those embodying activism.
The million dollar question (pun intended) - who will fund this work?
Despite the growing recognition of the transformative power of work that focuses on “scaling deep”, traditional funding models continue to favor quick, quantifiable outcomes over long-term, systemic transformation. Funders often gravitate towards projects that deliver measurable, short-term results, leaving initiatives that focus on deeper, slower processes under-resourced. The deeply ingrained business mindset, with its focus on growth, efficiency, and competition, perpetuates this imbalance, making it difficult for initiatives focusing on deep scale to gain the necessary financial support. And perhaps most critically, how do these initiatives secure financial stability in a world that funds and rewards the very systems they are trying to transform?
In an upcoming article, we’ll dive into the complexities of funding this crucial yet often overlooked work, exploring how the current funding landscape reflects broader challenges in valuing deep, transformative change. We’ll offer insights on how organizations and funders can surface deeply ingrained dilemmas and facilitate conversations on how to better align funding practices with the deeper, slower work to nurture and pave the way towards Regenerative Futures.
I am currently collaborating with the School of System Change, the Three Horizon Network, and Inner Green Deal—organizations that are at the forefront of deep scale transformation, though often underrecognized and undervalued for their vital work. Their programs bridge the head, the heart, and the hands, laying the foundation for regenerative futures. Despite the profound impact they have, the significance of their contributions to systemic change remains largely unseen. There is no doubt that there are many organisations, individuals out there investing their time and energy to this deeper transformational work.
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[1] As coined and defined by Christine Wamsler 2020
[2] Scaling Deep works at the level of values, relationships, and collective consciousness. It recognizes that meaningful, long-lasting change requires nurturing inner growth and shifts in collective behaviors, ultimately creating fertile ground for sustainable systemic change. By bridging the inner and outer dimensions, Scaling Deep seeks to create a ripple effect that transforms both individuals and the larger systems they engage with.
