Carolin Zeitler
on Women who Impact
Imagine two women riding their motorbikes from Cape Town to Alexandria.
Sounds unrealistic?
Carolin Zeitler is one of them, making this SF scenario a reality. She is a courageous, warm-hearted Culture Alchemist, Business Coach and Writer with a passion for social innovation, the type of person you instantly feel a connection with.
After living in numerous countries and being a citizen of this “beautiful blue planet”, Carolin has been awed by many of the amazing changemakers she has encountered. She facilitated workshops, masterminds and coaching sessions for social innovators around the world. Her mission is simple, yet complicated: using storytelling to make people aware of how businesses can be run in more inclusive, future-conscious and impact-driven ways while inspiring them to change the way they work – because changing the way we work and make money changes the way we live.
One of her biggest long-term dreams was to ride across Africa on a motorbike. She is currently bringing the vision and this dream together! During “Women Who impAct”, a 10 month journey, she is going to ride her motorbike together with Documentary Filmmaker Ana Marija Marinov across Africa via 12 different countries: Cape Town, South Africa, via Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Sudan to Egypt, and finish the journey in Alexandria. They plan to spend a month each with at least 8 socially innovative, women-centric projects that focus on community and social #impact. Africa has an abundance of amazing initiatives by courageous women and social innovators.
Carolin believes that “in many parts of Africa, particularly the more rural areas, women are often the backbone of the community as they are naturally more inclined to build community, to look for connection rather than competition. We can learn a lot from many African cultures where community living is still the natural and organic way of life.”
If this wasn’t enough, what do you think about the fact that they will co-create a mini documentary about these unsung ‘sheroes’ who have defied the odds and created an impact through their work and life? The story continues: all these experience will be part of a multi-sensory memoir about the whole journey, the challenges and the joys, the excitement and the fears, the laughter and the tears. A book filled with videos and photos, playlists and recipes – lots of ways to fully immerse yourself in the experience, to feel like you are right there with them!
Follow Carolin Zeitler in her remarkable journey and dive deeper into her inspiring story and answers for #inspirators!
Thank you, Carolin, for being so Courageous!
#INSPIRATORS QUESTIONNAIRE
Name: Carolin Zeitler
Company / Institution: The Impact Collective
Title: Culture Alchemist
Website: theimpactcollective.eu and womenwhoimpact.co
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolin-zeitler
Country of origin: This beautiful blue planet!
Country you currently live in: I’ll be spending this year on the African continent. During a ten month journey, we are going to ride on our motorbikes from Cape Town to Alexandria via 12 different countries. During this time, we plan to spend a month each with at least 8 socially innovative, women-centric projects that focus on community and social impact.
Your personal definition of Sustainability: Set up in a way that it doesn’t deplete, exploit or annihilate any living being or vital resource. Set up with the wellbeing of the next seven generations in mind.
Main driver that keeps you going: My purpose - which is to co-create more flow and connection in the world, through social innovation and impact.
The trait you are most proud of in yourself: Ability to keep learning.
The trait you most value in others: Courage, follow-through, gentle discipline.
Passions & little things that bring you joy: Amazing conversations with inspiring people, the sea, nature, dogs, kids at the beach, community, riding motorbikes
The #inspirators who determined you to take the sustainability path:
Anita Roddick;
Teachers and inspiring people I met along the way;
Awesome social innovators I had the privilege to work with, like Ka-Lai Chan, Sara Haven and Sour Rathakanha.
A hint or starting point for companies or professionals that are taking the first steps in the sustainability journey: Find your own authentic way of doing it! Sustainability needs to be sustainable for your organization, too.
Books that had a major impact on you:
The Forty Rules of Love - Elif Shafak
The Surrender Experiment - Michael Singer
Effortless - Greg McKeown
Daring Greatly - Brené Brown... and so many more… I love to read!
Movies / Documentaries you would watch all over again: Demain (or ‘Tomorrow’ in the English translation), my favourite documentary.
Music that makes you (and your heart) sing: Where do I even start? There’s so much great music in the world! I love Jamaram, Jesse Cook, Jack Johnson, Babylone (Arabic band), a lot of African music, etc.
Places you travelled to that left a mark on you: I’ve traveled to about 40 countries, lived and worked in many of them for at least a few months and every single one has left some kind of mark on me. However, I feel a connection to the African continent that I’ve never felt anywhere else.
Best places for business networking (online or offline): Open Space Technology events (aka ‘Unconferences’)! Feel free to reach out if you want me to help you set one up.
Associations, business clubs, tribes you belong to – and why: I highly recommend being part of a great mastermind and asking anyone who inspires you to mentor you! These two things have done so much for my personal and professional growth.
Sustainable Development courses / trainings / certifications that really teach us how to have an impact: I loved this course: https://acumenacademy.org/course/design-kit-human-centered-design and I also love the B Corp certification, including the process and the community built around it.
Reasons to feel optimistic about our future in 2030: Because there are more and more social innovators out there doing fabulous work!
Quote that inspires you:
“Everything in the universe is within you. Ask all from yourself!”
(Rumi)
Your own quote that will inspire us:
