One Humanity Lab: Into an Ecology of Wholeness

This episode of the One Humanity Lab Podcast is for leaders, coaches, and changemakers who care about economic justice, systems change, and the power of deep listening. Guest hosts Mia Cellucci and Pauline de Castelnau welcome Mercedes Bidart, CEO and Co‑founder of Quipu, a social enterprise using AI and alternative data models to provide equitable credit access for micro‑entrepreneurs in Latin America. Drawing from her journey running community development projects in informal settlements in Argentina, earning a Masters in City Planning at MIT, and moving to Colombia, Mercedes shares how Quipu has supported tens of thousands of micro‑businesses that have been structurally excluded from traditional banking. She invites listeners into the story of pivoting from the idea of creating a local currency to real‑world access to fair credit, and how falling in love with the problem her team is solving—not their original idea of what a solution might look like—can unlock human‑centered innovation. Together, they explore leadership, risk‑taking, and “playing” with ideas while staying grounded in what communities actually need. The conversation offers both practical insight into inclusive fintech and deeper reflections on leading system change from a place of courage, humility, and service. This episode features: How Quipu is using non-traditional data and AI (videos, social media, phone and wallet usage) to assess risk and approve micro‑loans for entrepreneurs in seconds.The origin story of Quipu in informal settlements and why building local wealth—not just access to services—matters.Mercedes’ early experiments with community currencies and local marketplaces, and what she learned when those models didn’t work as her team had hoped.The pivotal moment when a microfinance institution rejected a woman entrepreneur, and why Quipu decided, “If no one else will lend to her, we will.”How Quipu evolved into both a lender and a technology partner for banks, MFIs, and digital wallets seeking to serve the informal economy.Leadership lessons on falling in love with the problem, staying flexible, and holding ideas lightly while staying deeply committed to the people you serve.How AI can be used to hyper‑personalize financial products and actually humanize finance instead of excluding those already at the margins.Mercedes’ vision for changing the rules of lending within traditional institutions and educating financial leaders to use AI for inclusion. Resources & Links: Learn more about Quipu: https://quipu.com.co/Follow Quipu on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quipulatamLearn more about Escuela Quipu: https://quipu.com.co/escuela-quipu/Connect with Mercedes Bidart on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mercedes-bidart-argentina/Follow Mercedes Bidart on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mercedesbidartFollow the One Humanity Lab: https://leadershipcoaching.cepl.gwu.edu/ Mia Cellucci and Pauline de Castelnau are Executive Coaches, alumni of the One Humanity Leadership Coaching Program, and Founding Fellows of the One Humanity Lab at the George Washington University Center for Excellence in Public Leadership.www.miacellucci.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/mia-cellucci/www.paulinedecastelnau.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/paulinedecastelnau/ Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, & share!https://leadershipcoaching.cepl.gwu.edu/podcast/

This episode of the One Humanity Lab Podcast is a must-listen for anyone curious about the intersection of leadership, inner growth, and collective transformation, and how the One Humanity Lab is cultivating leaders for a world in transition. In this special episode kicking off Season 3, guest hosts Pauline de Castelnau and Mia Cellucci turn the tables on the usual hosts, Dr. Ina Gjikondi and Dr. Bonnie Buckner, to explore the deeper story behind the One Humanity Lab — a global hub for innovation and learning at the George Washington University Center for Excellence in Public Leadership. Together, they discuss what it means to lead from a place of connection, cultivate wholeness-based leadership, and awaken a sense of shared humanity. This episode features:The story of how Ina and Bonnie met and began collaborating.How dreaming, intuition, and creative collaboration became the foundation of the One Humanity Leadership Coaching Program.What it means to lead from wholeness, connectedness, and healing in a time of rapid global change and transition.The One Humanity Lab’s vision of collaborative elevation rooted in inner transformation and collective action.The Lab’s latest initiatives, including a fellowship for executives seeking a strategic pause and an accelerator for changemakers leading community-based projects. Dr. Ina Gjikondi and Dr. Bonnie Buckner share how they support leaders who want to make a positive impact in the world through wholeness, inner work, and dreaming. Resources & LinksLearn more about the One Humanity Lab and sign up for updates: https://leadershipcoaching.cepl.gwu.edu/onehumanitylab/ Discover the One Humanity Leadership Coaching Program and learn how to apply for the next cohort: https://leadershipcoaching.cepl.gwu.edu/program/onehumanitycoachingcertification/ Learn more about the One Humanity Accelerator and upcoming calls for applications:https://leadershipcoaching.cepl.gwu.edu/program/onehumanityaccelerator/ Explore the One Humanity Executive Fellows Program and request an invitation: https://leadershipcoaching.cepl.gwu.edu/program/onehumanityexecutivefellowsprogram/ Learn more about the International Institute for Dreaming and Imagery: https://institutefordreamingandimagery.com/ Follow the One Humanity Lab on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/one-humanity-lab-at-gwu Connect with Dr. Ina Gjikondi on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/inagjikondi/ Connect with Dr. Bonnie Buckner on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonniebuckner/Follow the One Humanity Lab Podcast: https://leadershipcoaching.cepl.gwu.edu/podcast/Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, & share! https://leadershipcoaching.cepl.gwu.edu/podcast/

Meet Tamala Floyd, whose deep commitment to healing spans over 25 years. In our conversation, Tamala shares her journey from traditional social work and teaching to pioneering accessible paths for emotional healing, particularly for women navigating trauma, mothering, and relationship challenges.We began our conversation by discussing Tamala’s latest book, Listening When Parts Speak, and explored the philosophy behind her work. Drawing from Internal Family Systems (IFS), a therapeutic model that views the mind as made up of distinct “parts” or sub-personalities, Tamala reveals how healing begins not by silencing these parts, but by approaching them with compassion and curiosity. Through IFS, individuals learn to relate to these inner voices from a place of calm, clarity, and connection, led by the unbroken "capital S" Self within.Our discussion touches on profound ideas about how healing does not require a therapist’s office, how ancestral legacies can both shape and burden us, and how true transformation often begins when we listen with openness to the wounded protectors within. Tamala also speaks candidly about her own life, mothering five children, including three adopted, and making bold moves to create a life filled with purpose, adventure, and international travel.Beyond personal healing, Tamala emphasizes the power of community and shared experience, especially when confronting inherited wounds. Her retreats and new audio program, Healing the Wounded Mother, create spaces where women can unburden the past and reclaim joy for future generations.Throughout our conversation, Tamala invites us to reflect on what parts of ourselves still need to be heard, what legacies we are ready to release, and how our healing might ripple outward to our families, our ancestors, and the world.We know you will leave this episode feeling inspired, softened, and deeply hopeful about your own capacity for transformation.

Meet Director Thennie Freeman, the powerhouse behind the DC Department of Parks and Recreation, who most recently launched the innovative Youth Development Professional Certification Program in partnership with the GW Center for Excellence in Public Leadership. But first, how did she get to this point—where she’s empowering other leaders to inspire youth in the workforce today?Director Freeman’s passion for community work started at Job Corps, and she has since dedicated herself to supporting children, young adults, and those who lead them today—many of whom have faced adversity. Having learned on the fly early in her career, she understands the challenges of navigating the workforce and has made it her mission to equip leaders with the tools they need to guide young people toward success. You’ll learn a lot from her three tools. Much of her life’s work focuses on shifting power back into the hands of youth, helping them build confidence and take control of their futures—ultimately leading to the launch of this program, which aims to equip future leaders with the skills needed to effectively mentor and support youth across various educational and community settings.In this episode, Director Freeman also shares insights about her latest project—the newly launched Joy Evans Therapeutic Recreation Center. She tells the story of the facility’s namesake, Joy Evans, a young woman born with developmental disabilities who spent much of her short life in an institutional facility. Inspired by her family’s experience, advocates pushed for keeping families together while also supporting children of different abilities. That same vision led to the creation of this state-of-the-art center, which features outpatient therapeutic services, a temperature-controlled therapeutic pool, and comprehensive family support—all while fostering inclusivity. And it’s open to the public.A key aspect of the facility is its unique biophilic design, which embraces the healing power of nature. Every detail has been thoughtfully crafted to accommodate individuals of all abilities, ensuring both accessibility and comfort for them and their families.For someone who wears many hats in the community, you might be surprised by where Director Freeman spends much of her time thinking and reflecting. Hint: It may inspire you to jump in! She also teases some exciting upcoming projects focused on bringing learning beyond the classroom and into community spaces.We hope you leave this episode feeling as inspired as we did after hearing Director Freeman’s story and her dedication to creating an inclusive space for all.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, & share! https://leadershipcoaching.cepl.gwu.edu/podcast/

With a clear vision for empowering women, we are joined on the podcast by author and speaker, Leslie Grossman, a trailblazer in leadership, gender equality, and women's empowerment. After decades of coaching and mentoring women leaders in America, Leslie is now largely focused on helping women gain sight of and reach their vision. Her interest in the topic of vision and vision formation stems from a study she once conducted as a researcher, asking women whether they had a vision within their role as leaders. More often than not, they did. It’s the next step, trying to get to their vision, where many often get stuck. What Leslie has learned after years of working with women in business, is that a crucial step is often to simply get out of one's own way. Leslie describes a phenomenon where people become complacent when things are going "fine." Sometimes, it's only when we're pushed out of our comfort zone that we truly discover our vision, and where we want to get to. One important thing to keep in mind? No one reaches their vision alone. Having a “circle of collaboration” around you is vital in creating your vision. Leslie provides tools for creating a vision, explains the difference between visions and goals, and discusses how visions can evolve over time. We left this conversation inspired to re-evaluate our own visions, and we believe you will too. You can read Leslie's latest book, "Start with Vision," to help you start considering your own vision.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, & share! https://leadershipcoaching.cepl.gwu.edu/podcast/

Dr. Unique Morris-Hughes has dedicated her career to public service and currently serves as the Director of the District of Columbia Department of Employment Services, leading a robust team. Throughout our conversation, she shares insights on balancing her career and motherhood—a challenge faced by many parents, especially women, every day. While some may avoid the topic of managing both children and a career, Dr. Morris-Hughes addresses it head-on, always striving to make the workplace better for future generations. Dr. Morris-Hughes discusses the significant impact that coaches and leaders have had on her journey, particularly when she began her career, while at the same time becoming a new mother. Dr. Morris-Hughes highlighted the distinction between being a leader and being the leader, sharing a personal story where she initially thought coaching was being offered because she was falling short. In reality, it was the opposite—she was being given the support and resources to grow into the potential her superiors saw in her. From the beginning of her coaching journey, values have been a cornerstone of her professional and personal growth, prompting all of us to reflect on our own guiding principles: What values do we prioritize? Later in the episode, Dr. Morris-Hughes talked about how her upbringing influenced her career and how coaching helped her realize that she didn’t need to "burn the candle at both ends." This realization not only made her a more effective leader but also a better mother, demonstrating how an external perspective can dramatically reshape our own. Towards the end of our conversation, she introduced the concept of "becoming a corporate athlete" and emphasized how the same steps an athlete takes to stay at the top of their game also apply to leaders aiming for peak performance. Dr. Morris-Hughes also discussed her concept of “professional vacations”—time she sets aside specifically for innovation—and how she encourages her team to do the same, leveraging the coaching and development tools that have been instrumental to her success. We concluded our conversation with Dr. Morris-Hughes shares three key lessons she’s learned through coaching: protect your time, create space to rest and recharge, and always maintain perspective. She carries each of these every day, and does her best to instill them in each person she mentors along the way.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, & share! https://leadershipcoaching.cepl.gwu.edu/podcast/

If you ask Tara Palacios about her passion for small businesses and entrepreneurship, she may answer you, “Small business is my schtick.” With a background in marketing and PR in the private sector and a stint helping her father reinvent his own career, Tara followed her gut, moving to a role where she could use her honed skills to help businesses in the community grow. After joining Arlington County over twenty years ago and eventually founding the BizLaunch initiative, she’s never looked back.Tara’s interactions with her clients often start when they bring her a dream. The work then begins: molding that dream into a reality, assessing the sustainability of the business, moving the plan forward through tangible and calculated actions, making valuable connections, and working through the challenges that inevitably arise. Tara and her team lift up their clients with the tools, resources, and, maybe most important of all, support and encouragement, while entrepreneurs turn their dreams into viable businesses that support the Arlington community.Tara sees the entrepreneurs and small business owners she works with go through the highs and lows of starting a business, and she empowers them to be successful. Throughout the episode, Tara speaks to the importance of helping people get out of their own way, without judgment, allowing their ideas to grow. Tara talks about the ideal candidate and how crucial it is for people to be willing to receive feedback to make their dreams a reality. And the joy her clients feel when that ribbon is cut or the goal is achieved. Tara brings joy to every person she leads, every entrepreneur in the Arlington community and beyond she works with, and certainly brought joy to this episode of the podcast. Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, & share! https://leadershipcoaching.cepl.gwu.edu/podcast/

Ever feel helpless about the state of the world? Investigative journalist Roberta Baskin discusses her shift to finding hopeful stories about businesses creating positive social and environmental impact. She talks about Aim2Flourish, a program she helped to start, and where students discover these companies and write stories that focus on the UN Global Goals. Roberta emphasizes the importance of B Corporations and consumer choices while offering practical tips for reducing your carbon footprint and leaving the world a better place. Tune in and discover how businesses can be a force for good, and what you can do to be part of the solution.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, & share! https://leadershipcoaching.cepl.gwu.edu/podcast/

Equipping the younger generation with environmental awareness and a deep fascination for nature might be our best bet at keeping the planet livable for the foreseeable future. We don’t see a lot of people doing that right now, but those who do are doing it in incredibly innovative and inspiring ways. Today’s guest makes such an impact in this regard. Frank Sesno is the executive director of the GWU Alliance for a Sustainable Future, a bold university-wide initiative that will form a collective front against the threat of climate change. He's also the director of strategic initiatives at the GW School of Media and Public Affairs, and previously spent 21 years at CNN where he served as White House correspondent, anchor, and Washington bureau chief. Join in as Frank talks about the role of education, the impact of experiential learning, and the importance of fostering curiosity and resilience in students. Tune in and learn how positive forces in society are winning the bid for a more sustainable future.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, & share! https://leadershipcoaching.cepl.gwu.edu/podcast

In a world that is run by numbers and views people as parts of a machine, it can be so easy to lose ourselves and connect to what matters. Adriana Machado fills in the missing piece that connects the corporate world with purpose: systems thinking. Adriana is one of Latin America’s most celebrated women business leaders and an outspoken advocate in the impact economy space. She is a former CEO of GE Brazil and Founder of the Briyah Institute, a Benefit Corporation that bridges innovation, practice, and purpose. In this episode, she shares with us how systems thinking emphasizes that instead of machine parts, people themselves are living systems that have the power of self-organization that no machine can ever have. When we apply this to business, we can make a true difference and an even bigger impact not only to ourselves but to the world. Find out more about systems thinking, the importance of spirituality in business, biomimicry, and more in today’s conversation!Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, & share! https://leadershipcoaching.cepl.gwu.edu/podcast/

We are all on an ever-going journey of self-transformation. Angela Franco has been transforming herself from the inside-out along with the communities she has been a part of. Throughout her journey, she found herself constantly being guided by her passion for helping others. This passion took her from Bogota to Washington, DC, where she is now the President and CEO of the DC Chamber of Commerce. In this episode, Angela shares with us her inspiring journey of not only self-transformation but also transforming businesses and leadership. She talks about her work and how she brings and lifts others up along with her, especially those minorities, to grow, connect, and attract opportunities. Through it all, Angela shows that true transformations come from the self. Only by doing this does success and the impact you wish to create happen. Join today’s conversation and discover transformation from the inside-out.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, & share! https://leadershipcoaching.cepl.gwu.edu/podcast

Becoming an effective leader is not just about charisma and authority but also wisdom and intellect. Senior Organization Development Consultant Karen Wilhelm Buckley of Communicore Consulting sits down with Ina Gjikondi and Bonnie Buckner to talk about cultivating wise leadership. She explains how this requires inner commitment to always take action with intention, purpose, and authenticity. Karen discusses how leaders should act when their vision clashes with the rest of the team and the power of pursuing deeper and steadier development. She also shares how to use the five levels of consciousness in leadership to guide others on making a real difference in the world.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, & share! https://leadershipcoaching.cepl.gwu.edu/podcast/

One of the great things about coaching is how it helps us see beyond the surface and unearth the things inside us that we never thought were causing us stress or even pain. Coach, leader, and visionary Sook Yee Tai is all about helping people see the world from a different lens, leading them to a profound way of seeing themselves and the world. Prior to this extraordinary mission, Sook Yee was on a remarkable spiritual journey that enlightened her about the power of her mind and faith. In this episode, she joins Ina Gjikondi and Bonnie Buckner to share this with us and the amazing wisdom she earned along the way. She reflects on her upbringing as a Malaysian and third-generation Chinese, where she learned to integrate her Confucian background with her Christian faith, as well as her career path as a woman leader in a male-dominated field. All of this led Sook Yee to her passion for coaching and nurturing young executives. Find out how her spiritual journey influenced her coaching system and earn key insights on mind-body alignment, healing, and transformation.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, & share! https://leadershipcoaching.cepl.gwu.edu/podcast/