153: Reconnecting with Life - Ryan James on Degrowth, Worldview, and the Entrepreneur's Journey

Seeds of Tao: Impact entrepreneurs seeding regenerative paths beyond sustainability

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In this thought-provoking episode, we sit down with Ryan James, a world traveler, entrepreneur, and advocate for the degrowth movement. Ryan shares his incredible journey from a promising baseball career to living in a remote village in Cameroon, and how these experiences fundamentally shifted his worldview. He challenges us to look deeper at the stories we tell ourselves about business, culture, and our relationship with the Earth.

Join us as we explore the tension between entrepreneurship and degrowth, the importance of inner transformation for creating outer change, and how we can deprogram ourselves from "business as usual" to create enterprises that are truly life-affirming. This conversation is a must-listen for any "regenpreneur" who feels the pull to create a more beautiful and harmonious world but struggles with how to do it within our current systems.

Highlighted Promotion:

Do you feel like you're trying to build a new world with old tools? You're not alone. The journey to create a regenerative enterprise requires more than just a good business plan—it requires a shift in worldview. If you're ready to explore what it means to build a business that is in right relationship with life, we invite you to join the Regenerative Business Economies Ecosystem (RegenBEE). It's our free and open community for impact entrepreneurs, where we explore these questions together. Let's move beyond sustainability and into our regenerative future, together. Click here to learn more about the regenBEE community.

Show Notes:

[01:52] - Emily and Noam introduce the episode, discussing the tension between entrepreneurship and the degrowth narrative.
[06:34] - Ryan James joins the conversation and shares his morning ritual of connecting with the earth and giving thanks to water.
[13:53] - Ryan discusses the book "The Hidden Messages in Water" and the importance of giving before taking.
[17:19] - Ryan shares what excites him about his work: reinvigorating people's understanding of the magic of life.
[22:43] - Ryan explains his work as a process of shifting worldviews and the difference between skill set and mindset.
[30:10] - Ryan describes the individuals who are drawn to his work, often those feeling disillusioned with the current system and seeking community.
[32:43] - The beginning of Ryan's story: leaving a promising baseball career to explore the world.
[37:07] - Ryan's transformative experience living in a remote village in Cameroon and confronting the saviorism mentality of international development.
[44:29] - How his experiences led him to Hawaii, where he connected with teachers who deepened his spiritual and interrelational understanding of the world.
[50:51] - A discussion on culture, cultivation, and how our modern understanding has become disconnected from place.
[56:11] - Ryan challenges the binary thinking that separates humans from nature and discusses the concept of "human exceptionalism."
[01:08:45] - Ryan's key takeaway for entrepreneurs: get curious, don't neglect beauty, and remember that every job is a climate job.
[01:19:07] - The importance of unlearning and deprogramming ourselves from "business as usual."
[01:20:55] - How to connect with Ryan and his work at Rebiz.

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