2021 in glimpses + strategic consultation 💌

Hey wonderful being! Happy New Year! Wishing you 2022 full of abundance and miracles… Last year was a milestone year for me. I always feel so fortunate for the amazing people in my life who shower me with love, guidance and support. If you are here, you are probably one of them. The biggest challenge I confronted in 2021, multiple times, was my fear to share my work and feeling confident about what I had to offer. To break this pattern, this is my first step towards getting past my nervousness with writing and showing up, dropping the urge to seek perfection. Let me share highlights - both, moments I am proud of and epic failures - of 2021 with you.

• 2021 started with my mind and body screaming at me to slow down, pace it out and pick my battles. A panic attack and some therapy later, I was able to calm the voice shaming me for taking a break or investing in my wellbeing.

• I graduated with a master’s degree in Strategic Product Design from TU Delft, Netherlands. My dream university! That was most of my 2021, from March to September. What I found most gratifying was being able to initiate a thesis project that brought together my deep yearning to bring traditional knowledge or intangible culture to young people, in a context where they find relevance and meaning in exploring intangible culture. I got the chance to work with an exceptional heritage organization, Workshop Intangible Heritage, Belgium (and a few others), with elders and wisdom holders from different parts of the world and (the most exciting part) with the youth - getting them all to see each others’ perspectives. You can watch a recorded version of my graduation presentation and read the thesis here.

• Did my first ever 3-day juice fast with Satvic Movement. It felt extreme and I could barely keep my spirits up on the first two days but I felt great from day three onwards and all was good again.

• Established my sole proprietorship, called Rasya (more on that later), in the Netherlands to start working as a freelance strategic designer and a creative consultant. I have had many struggles finding work, understanding the ins and outs of making proposals, invoicing, filing taxes among countless other things. On the other hand, it has been extremely fulfilling to be a master of my own time, decisions and routine. Still an ongoing experiment here but it’s work in progress!

• Tried my hand at visual harvesting/ visual reporting for the COP26’s Tomorrow is Now innovation event hosted remotely in various locations in the Netherlands, led by Sail for the Future. The goal was to showcase the power in taking action, iterating and mainly involving the next generations. I reported from Geleen in the Netherlands and got a chance to present my harvest through Zoom to the audience attending from Glasgow.

• Went to Barcelona in November for a symposium after a year-long Holistic Visions training programme hosted by the Le Ciel Foundation. Such a joy to be in the company of elders and a community driven by the purpose to make our world a better place.

• Continued contributing to organizations whose efforts I whole-heartedly believe in and support such as Tribal Wisdom.

  • At Tribal Wisdom, we facilitate the connection between the wisdom holders and the youth, companies and other wisdom elders. We strive to bring awareness of traditional ways of being and doing to as many people as possible so that we can be grounded and guided in our daily practices.

• Also, got involved with organizations that are putting their heart and soul into changing the narrative in various spheres.

  • At Expat Valley, we are putting children in the purview of large organizations, governments and parents when thinking of global mobility. We are determined to create the World’s Happiest Ecosystem for Children on the Move.

  • At Ki Culture, we provide training, access to resources and a support network to those in the cultural sector. We believe culture plays a massive role in our sustainable future and those of future generations.

  • At Heartwork, we are helping companies, institutes and organizations move from a profit-driven to a purpose-driven way of working. We guide the change and transformation from the inside out, from the individual to the organization and from awareness to step-by-step action.

If I have to put it in a few words, I would say with these organizations, we are redefining the way we do business, challenging what wealth and wisdom mean, bringing in newer and fresher perspectives while keeping our people, the plant and purpose active in our minds, and therefore our contributions.

Looking to 2022

• Wellbeing has been on the top of my mind since last year. The current lockdown situation doesn’t make it any easier. In striking a balance between emotional giving and receiving, I often keep myself aside for others' needs. But I have realised there is nothing wrong with asking for my space. Holding space for myself only means I can hold space for others.

• Rasya: The name of my company, Rasya, comes from the Sanskrit word Rasyashastra meaning alchemy. I chose this name because it represents the alchemy of traditional knowledge and modern knowledge, which I believe go hand-in-hand. While traditional knowledge is soaked in the wisdom of living in symbiosis with nature, modern knowledge is equally important to drive our work in today’s context. Using a strategic design approach, I strive to design the reconnection to wisdom:

  • Reconnect with organizational wisdom (through leadership, decision making, systemic thinking, designing meaningful services and experiences)

  • Reconnect with intergenerational wisdom (by bridging the gaps and initiating communities that bring different people of different ages together)

  • Reconnect with personal wisdom (to find comfort in our multiple identities, global connectedness and cultural heritage)

• To bring my learnings to life, I need a vessel to practice. Therefore, I invite you to schedule a 45-min call with me. Ask me difficult questions or tell me if I can be of service to you. For the next 3 months, I am devoted, to spending half a day each week, to share my knowledge, experiences, design skills or strategic advice for a project you are working on or anything else you feel I can add value to.

Here’s to 2022 that brings us closer to our wisdom! Love and gratitude,

Poornashri Kandade