Oliver Dauert
on Wilding the World through Ecopreneurship
Mufasa’s wisdom is timeless: “Everything you see exists in a delicate balance. As king, you need to understand that balance and respect all creatures. You must take your place in the Circle of Life.”
When The Lion King movie made its debut, it forever changed Oliver Dauert’s life. A nature lover was born. From that moment, Nature became his favorite place to be and his North Star in every decision. While others found inspiration in cars, Oliver was drawn to the gentleness of birds, insects, and fungi. Dreaming of making companies a force for good, Oliver travelled the world seeking to understand human behaviour and explore the wildest places. Always sensitive to the beauty and pull of the natural world, he discovered early on the profound impact biodiversity had on creativity, productivity, and mental health: "I love the wilderness and what it sparks in people. There are roughly two million species on this planet. We share our home with them, yet they don't have a voice. I attempt to give them one and showcase the magic of nature and why it matters to protect it, for their sake and ours."
Triggered by eco-anxiety, Oliver deepened his connection to nature by becoming a safari guide. He also made a bold decision to quit his corporate job and asked himself: “Are you ready to Wild Ya? Wild yourself, so to say.” That is when Wildya was born, a platform dedicated to empowering people to build a wilder world. Oliver is now an Ecopreneur, Biodiversity Builder, founder of Wild Business Mates, and co-author of The Customer is the Planet.
On LinkedIn, he became a Top Green Voice after building a fantastic community of nature lovers by generously sharing an abundance of resources designed to help people transform their environmental passion into impactful action. Simply put, Oliver hopes to leave the world a little better and a lot wilder: "Nature is not just for hippies. It is our life support system. We all need it to survive and thrive, regardless of our political views, interests, or professions. It’s our collective responsibility to keep this life support system in top shape."
He reminds us of a simple truth we often forget: we are animals too. “As a species, we have spent much more of our history immersed in nature than surrounded by grey cities. Of course we feel far more at peace in a forest than in urban environments that overstimulate our senses", he reflects. It seems happiness is within reach if we take responsibility for our choices. Tiny daily actions add up over time: "You can live beyond your limits. Our planet is incredible and keeps on giving. Yet, it is sending us clear signals that she is out of her comfort zone."
Read Oliver Dauert’s answers for Inspirators and let your mind wander through its own wilderness!
Thank you, Oliver, for being a Wild Ecopreneur!
#INSPIRATORS QUESTIONNAIRE
Name: Oliver Dauert
Company / Institution: Wildya
Title: Founder
Website: https://wildya.earth
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliver-dauert-49016075/
Country of origin: Germany
Country you currently live in: France
Your definition of Regeneration: Bringing back life and life quality.
Main business challenge you face: Sustaining myself financially with the actions that drive the biggest impact while not sacrificing my values and opinions.
Main driver that keeps you going: There are roughly >2,000,000 species in our home. We share this home with them. Yet they don't have a voice. So I attempt to give them one and show the marvellous beauty of our natural world and why it matters to protect it for their and our sake.
The trait you are most proud of in yourself: My endless curiosity. I love to keep learning about our world, continuously grow and always attempt to transform my learnings into action.
The trait you most value in others: If they are taking action. It's easy to complain about our world. Yet there are only a few who actually get into action mode. We need more of those.
Passions & little things that bring you joy: Being in nature and observing animals. No matter if they're big whales or tiny ants. Just seeing life around me gives me immense joy and energy.
The Inspirators who determined you to take the regenerative path:
Kris Tompkins and Yvon Chouinard, both leaders at Patagonia. They have proven the power of regenerative companies. They made a clear case study that companies can do good while being financially lucrative.
A starting point for companies or professionals that are beginning the regeneration journey: Read The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek. A great book that shows clearly that if you want your company to thrive in the centuries to come, there is no other way than going regenerative.
Most used and abused clichés in sustainability that bother you: "Nature is only for hippies." Our natural world is our life support system. We all need it to survive and thrive. No matter our political direction, interests, jobs and co. It's our collective responsibility to keep our life support system in top shape.
An honest piece of advice for young people who lose hope: Take action and gather. Taking action is giving you hope, because you will see that change is possible. Finding people who want to make these changes with you holds you accountable, inspires you, and makes the entire journey more fun.
Books that had a great impact on you / Must-Reads for any regenerative professional:
I love to read, so tough question for me. I will stick to 3 books:
Atomic Habits by James Clear. Most of our destructive force comes from bad habits. So, learning how to transform your negative habits into habits that boost you and nature is the key.
Belong by Radha Agrawal. Find your people, create community and live a more connected life. A great book for everyone who currently feels lost. It helped me immensely to reflect on who I am, who I want to be, and who I want to surround myself with.
Rewilding: The Radical New Science of Ecological Recovery by Paul Jepson and Cain Blythe. One of my favorite nature books. Because it simply explains the power of rewilding. In a nutshell, this is how we can improve our credit card score: by bringing back those species that we have lost. Rewilding is a concept that really paints a positive picture.
Movies / Documentaries you would watch all over again:
Into the Wild. Just a wonderful movie about the joy of life, finding yourself and how to change society.
Our Planet - This fantastic documentary series shows the beauty of our planet and how we depend on it.
Websites / Podcasts you visit frequently:
Diary of a CEO: Great podcast to get a holistic perspective on all areas you can improve personally and as a society.
The Rewild Podcast: Wild stories from inspiring rewilding initiatives all across Europe that showcase how we can bring back life.
Music that makes you (and your heart) sing: Simple Bob Marley does the job every single time. Especially "Three Little Birds", my all-time favorite.
Places you travelled to that left a mark on you: Botswana. That place is just wild. I have never seen that much wildlife. Experiencing the Okavango Delta was just out of this world. Waterways with hippos, elephants on little islands, and stunning sunsets. I just never seen a place like this.
Global Regenerative Voices you recommend us to follow:
Cain Blythe - top rewilding voice that taught me everything I know about rewilding
Belinda Bramley - top ocean voice and one of the first nature voices I found on Linkedin. The ocean is often overlooked and Belinda is championing every single day for our ocean.
Frank Hollemann - Top voice when it comes to shifting our diet. Your food choices have an immense impact on biodiversity and climate. He will help you reduce your impact.
Trends in Regeneration we should keep an eye on: Slightly biased, but I believe biodiversity will become more of a topic in regeneration and sustainability. We have plenty of work ahead, but boosting biodiversity will have so many positive effects on our climate and people that it would be dangerous to ignore it.
Events we should attend / Best places for networking (online or offline): For biodiversity related topics I have to say Wildya. Offline, I really enjoyed the Blue Earth Summit. It was the right size for me. Not too small, not too big. An interesting mix of companies, activists, governments etc.
Impactful and relevant Sustainable Development or Regeneration courses or certifications:
The course that changed my life and broadened my perspective on nature was a field guide course in South Africa. Five weeks in the bush, just incredible.
Reasons to feel optimistic about our future in 2030: The science is clear. We know the causes. We have the solutions. We just need to wake up people, make these challenges our top priority and get into action mode.
Reasons to feel pessimistic about our future in 2030: Waking people up and getting them to change is quite challenging.
Regenerative Leadership qualities much needed today: Listening. In a world where everyone talks, you need to be one of the few to listen. Listen to doubts, fears, and concerns and then have an honest conversation. It goes much further than screaming at each other.
The Inspirator(s) you are endorsing for a future edition:
Belinda Bramley
The quote that inspires you:
"Hope is not free, you have to earn it." (Kris Tompkins)
Your quote that will inspire us:
