VONA Talks

In this episode, Sofiia speaks with Mansi Jasuja, a practitioner of the Art of Hosting, international speaker, systems change professional, and warrior of the heart. Mansi shares her long-standing quest to understand why we face so many challenges, particularly those linked to climate change, a journey that led her to participatory leadership and systems change.

Born in India to a Sikh family, Mansi carries the intergenerational trauma of lost ancestral lands after the partition of India and Pakistan. Growing up in New Delhi, she was shaped by stories and values that fostered her understanding of community and belonging.

Following her creative impulses, Mansi pursued architecture, where she first encountered systems thinking. Her passion for sustainable development brought her to the Netherlands for a Master’s in Urban Environmental Management, and The Hague has been her home since 2002 with its vibrant blend of nature and cultures.

Early in her career, she worked with organisations like the UN, EU and various international NGOs. Despite outward success, she grew unsettled by the disconnection and hierarchy in these spaces that left her searching for something more meaningful and aligned with her values. In 2008, a visceral sense of climate urgency led her to reorient and began on a new path of unlearning and relearning. This search brought her to the Art of Hosting and Harvesting Conversations That Matter. Over the past 15 years, this practice has become part of her core work, helping her facilitate participatory leadership, systems change, and empowerment through building capacities and skills.

In this podcast, Mansi shares her journey and explores the power of connection, how participatory leadership works with collective intelligence, and why this matters for tackling critical issues like climate change, gender equality, and security.

If you want to connect to Mansi, check out her Instagram and LinkedIn account.

Relevant links and recommendations:

Her website: https://www.acupofambition.nl/mansi-jasuja

More on Art of Hosting: https://www.aohnetherlands.org/

For more on VONA:

Sign up for our monthly Newsletter at www.VONA.international

Instagram @vona.international

Twitter @VONA_int

LinkedIn VONA International

Podcast hosted by Sofiia Shevchuk

Visuals and podcast production by teevee.studio

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Sofiia talks to Tena Lavrenčić, an Ethical Fashion Advocate and a senior Social Media Expert with the European Commission. Some people might know her by Thinking Threads, as that is the name she uses online. Tena spends most of her time thinking about sustainable as well as ethical fashion and that is what this episode is about. Tena is also one of the Directors with the Fashion Revolution Belgium, Belgian branch of the biggest global activism movement in fashion. Tena was born in a Bosnian household, in Croatia, in the middle of the war, and those experiences have forever affected her sense of justice. While Tena was always passionate about human rights movement, fashion was not part of her advocacy work until she met a survivor of child labour and modern slavery. Tena shares many facts and stories of the fashion industry - from the Rana Plaza collapse to why every April now you can observe many fashion activists events happening around the world. Is fashion an environmental, gendered and a security issue? - to answer this question, listen to the episode.

If you want to connect to Tena, check out her Instagram and LinkedIn account.

Relevant links and recommendations:

Why is there no winner in a "vegan" vs. real leather race? - Tena’s article for Vogue

Fashion activist Tena Lavrencic: 'If I bought fast fashion, my style would be boring'

Learn more about Tena and Thinking Threads

Learn more about Fashion Revolution Belgium

For more on VONA:

Sign up for our monthly Newsletter at www.VONA.international

Instagram @vona.international

Twitter @VONA_int

LinkedIn VONA International

Podcast hosted by Sofiia Shevchuk

Visuals and podcast production by Tamas Viski

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Sofiia talks to Elise Buckle, Co-Founder and Co-Director of SHE Changes Climate, CEO of Climate & Sustainability; Leadership Mentor and a Co-Chair of the Climate Impact Group. Growing up in a French countryside, in nature, Elise started her career in the humanitarian sector in Tajikistan, Chile, and several other organisations active in disaster reduction, where she became aware of the connection between climate change and poverty reduction. Then with COP11 Elise started working on climate change, as an advisor for members of the European Parliament. It is precisely then, when climate change has been a red thread throughout Elise’s professional career and personal commitment to the cause throughout working with diverse organisations. Early on Elise also realised how important women’s role is in climate negotiations - in order to bring different perspectives, to bring empathy, and include every voice. Today Elise leads SHE Changes Climate, an organisation that advocates for more women in climate negotiations at all levels. Elise shares more about her COP experience across years, about starting with SHE Changes Climate, the idea of a mentoring programme for younger generations and more - listen to episode to here more and get inspired.

If you want to connect to Elise, check out her LinkedIn account; as well as the Linkedin account for SHE Changes Climate.

Relevant links and recommendations:

UNITE FOR CLIMATE SOLUTIONS SUMMIT by SHE Changes Climate

Climate Justice - book by Mary Robinson

Be One Mentoring - mentoring programme by SHE Changes Climate

For more on VONA:

Sign up for our monthly Newsletter at www.VONA.international

Instagram @vona.international

Twitter @VONA_int

LinkedIn VONA International

Podcast hosted by Sofiia Shevchuk

Visuals and podcast production by Tamas Viski

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Sofiia talks to Maureen Walschot, a climate security expert and consultant. Through her dedicated work, Maureen delves into unravelling the intricate connections between climate change, peace, and security. Her focus spans across various domains such as water diplomacy and cooperation, as well as the intersection of gender, climate, and security. Despite the persistent presence of environmental and feminist studies throughout Maureen's life, they existed in parallel. It wasn't until her university studies and subsequent PhD journey that she started exploring the convergence of gender, environment — specifically transboundary water management — and security. Maureen shares her rich experience, recounting her involvement in empowering local stakeholders in conflict resolution during armed conflicts in Central America. Additionally, she discusses her efforts in safeguarding marginalised communities residing in areas controlled by armed groups and de facto authorities (AGDA) in Afghanistan — regions marked by environmental vulnerability and conflict.

Maureen is also officially part of the VONA team, so towards the end of the episode we also shared some news, updates and VONA plans for 2024.

If you want to connect to Maureen, check out her LinkedIn account.

Relevant links and recommendations:

Saline water, peace, and security. Analyzing the impact of desalination on transboundary groundwater interactions in the Middle East, by Maureen Walschot published in L. P. Batista da Silva et al., New Perspectives on Transboundary Water Governance Interdisciplinary Approaches and Global Case Studies, Routledge, 2023.

For more on VONA:

Sign up for our monthly Newsletter at www.VONA.international

Instagram @vona.international

Twitter @VONA_int

LinkedIn VONA International

Podcast hosted by Sofiia Shevchuk

Visuals and podcast production by Tamas Viski

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Sofiia talks to Gabriel Nuckhir, a Gender and Peacebuilding Adviser at Conciliation Resources. In 2023, Gabriel, as part of the Conciliation Resources project, collaborated with partners from Pakistan, Uganda and the Philippines to unearth much needed insights into how gender dynamics, climate change and conflict are interacting in contexts experiencing worsening climate change and conflict impacts. Gabriel shares about his professional journey through peacebuilding so far, and how this led him to the recognition that it is critical to take a joined-up approach to the meta-challenges concerning gender equality, climate change and violent conflict.

This episode surfaces and explores the concepts masculinities, social norms and expectations, cultural identity and links these with climate change and ultimately conflict - listen to learn more.

If you want to connect to Gabriel, check out his LinkedIn account, as well as the accounts of the Conciliation Resources - LinkedIn, Twitter.

Relevant links and recommendations:

Gender, cultural identity, conflict and climate change - report by Conciliation Resources.

Beyond Feminist Foreign Policy Series: Climate Change - by Conciliation Resources.

For more on VONA:

Sign up for our monthly Newsletter at www.VONA.international

Instagram @vona.international

Twitter @VONA_int

LinkedIn VONA International

Podcast hosted by Sofiia Shevchuk

Visuals and podcast production by Tamas Viski

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.