Barbara van den Bogaard
on Regenerative Storytelling and Creative Communication
Regenerative stories are narratives of wonder.
They are part of the transformative times we live in. They express their wisdom with humility, celebrating freedom. Investigative and curious, they embrace uncertainty. These stories “are not here to deliver one absolute truth but to remain open to new possibilities.” Their only fear is stagnation and rigidity. Still, they boldly walk the path of the unknown.
Barbara van den Bogaard is a filmmaker, storyteller and community builder who masters the art of storytelling.
In school, she realised the world was not as borderless and united as she had imagined. Still, she held onto her belief that, at our core, we are all connected. Reading the works of Kees Klomp and Daniel Christian Wahl helped her understand the essence of regenerative cultures, “the economics of coming home.” She witnessed the fading of outdated systems that no longer serve us collectively, seeing firsthand how regenerative cultures can respond to shocks and changes: “They evolve and regenerate through fresh ideas, innovation, and new patterns that provide alternative pathways back to flourishing and thriving.”
Barbara recognizes that the dominant narratives shaping our world are ending. It's time to craft new ones: “Now is the moment to go on a quest. Walk on an uncertain path. Experience everything that comes our way. Be challenged and bring our wisdom back to our communities. We need to share our stories with the world and bring them to life for present and future generations. In all these different stories, we find the story that resides in all of us.”
One question has always puzzled Barbara: Why do we focus so much on negative stories? Why does destruction seem more seductive than acts of kindness? She reflects on the negativity bias, the human tendency to register and dwell on negative stimuli more than positive ones: “Negativity bias means recalling insults better than praise. It partially explains our preference or even fascination for negative or sensational stories. This bias leads you to pay much more attention to the bad things, making them seem more significant than they really are.”
Through Global Storytellers, Barbara nurtures a deep curiosity for others and their stories close at heart. She publishes interviews with inspiring thinkers from all over the planet: “I see my stories as my companions. They travel with me wherever I go. Every now and then, they find their way into the world and into people’s ears, hearts and minds. I share what lives inside me and listen to what lives inside you.”
Read Barbara van den Bogaard’s answers for Inspirators and remember that the stories we tell profoundly shape the way we see the world. Positive stories hold a beautiful promise: that something has gone right, that change is possible. That hope is not in vain.
Thank you, Barbara, for being a Global Storyteller!
#INSPIRATORS QUESTIONNAIRE
Name: Barbara van den Bogaard
Company / Institution: Global Storytellers
Title: Initiator; Storyteller; Filmmaker; Writer
Website: www.globalstorytellers.global
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbaravandenbogaard/
Country of origin: The Netherlands
Country you currently live in: The Netherlands
Your definition of Regeneration:
I always look at regeneration in relation to storytelling.
Stories are regenerative in their essence. They might grow a new beginning, a new ending, a new phrase or chapter. Regenerative stories have a strong core and are malleable in their subtleties. They adapt to shocks and changes if they need to. And as I see it, it is this talent of stories and storytellers that is much needed in today’s world.
Other words for regenerative are rebirth, reconstruction and transformation. Regeneration means the regrowth of a damaged or missing organ part from the remaining tissue. In my storytelling practice, I learn that stories have the same abilities of rebirth, reconstruction and transformation. And looking at our current world we can see that stories regenerate parts of society that are injured, lost or forgotten. Voices that long have been unheard are getting stronger.
I wish our stories to be perceived as tangible and open to transformation, evolving with the journey this planet and all living creatures on it are travelling.
Main business challenge you face: Finding funding for the good initiatives that are undertaken around the world so people working in the field of change and transformation, storytelling and communication, healing and regeneration can live a decent life while continuing their good work.
Main driver that keeps you going: Hope.
The trait you are most proud of in yourself: Curiosity.
The trait you most value in others: Curiosity.
Passions & little things that bring you joy: My wolfdog, my family and friends, being in nature.
The Inspirators who determined you to take the regenerative path:
Daniel Christian Wahl
Laura Storm
Charles Eisenstein
Bayo Akomolafe
Lyla June
Giles Hutchins
Nora Bateson and many others.
A starting point for companies or professionals that are beginning the regeneration journey: Try joining the Regenerative Leadership Journey by Laura Storm and the Cards for Life by Tom Mansfield! Also, read the work of Daniel Christian Wahl and Giles Hutchins.
Most used and abused clichés in sustainability that bother you: Using the word green or using the color green for all that is called sustainable.
An honest piece of advice for young people who lose hope: Be a stubborn, kind, naïve, optimistic idealist.
Read the stories of Indigenous Cultures. For example, the essays of Lyla June who communicates to us that we do have the wisdom to sustain life and that we have already done so for a long time. I just love this essay by Lyla: “I am asking you to sing with me. No matter what color of skin you have, no matter what language you speak or where you are from, you are my family. When we remember this, we will finally come upon the wealth of our ancestors: the wealth of joy, the wealth of love, the wealth of fulfilment, the wealth of laughter and the wealth of health. Human beings, we were made to love.”
Books that had a great impact on you / Must-Reads for any regenerative professional:
This is a must-read for every person alive: Women Who Run with Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes
Movies / Documentaries you would watch all over again: Human
Websites / Podcasts you visit frequently: This TED talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (The Danger of a Single Story) has been life-changing to me!
Music that makes you (and your heart) sing: The Wailin' Jennys - "Light of a Clear Blue Morning".
Places you travelled to that left a mark on you: The forest near Breda where I live.
Global Regenerative Voices you recommend us to follow:
Victor Ochen, African Youth Initiative Network
Trends in Regeneration we should keep an eye on: Regenerative Communications and Storytelling (I’m currently co-authoring a book, and in 6 months I'll be able to share more about).
Reasons to feel optimistic about our future in 2030: There is no other way than to be optimistic! Through my work on a global scale, I just know that there are many, many, many people working to make the world a better place for all.
Reasons to feel pessimistic about our future in 2030: Witnessing too many older men being elected or self-elected as “leaders”, that look at the world and life on earth through the lens of war.
Regenerative Leadership qualities much needed today: Creativity, listening, loving, slowing down, focus.
The Inspirator(s) you are endorsing for a future edition:
Barbara Lima
Jean-Phillippe Steeger
Cedar Wood
Victor Ochen
Bayo Akomolafe
Lyla June
The quote that inspires you:
I hope you will go out and let stories happen to you, and that you will work them, water them with your blood and tears and you laughter till they bloom, till you yourself burst into bloom. (Clarissa Pinkola Estes)
Your quote that will inspire us:
