Democracy depends on citizens being informed
- Howard Zinn
Through knowledge sharing, advisory and coaching I help individuals and organisations in charting a course towards a free and democratic society. I provide support in the following ways:
Workshops
Lecturer
Podcast & vlog
Advisory & consulting
FOCUS
We are living in turbulent times. The current reality is often descibed as ‘VUCAD’: volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous and disruptive. That creates feelings of uncertainty, fear, doubt and powerlessness. Which sources are reliable and trustworthy? What is my personal contribution to such large processes?
The root cause of uncertainty is partly that the we have a limited map of the realities facing us. To make sound, well-founded decisions, a clear an comprehensive map of reality is needed, that is constructed with diversity of information, sources and viewpoints. Often, through mass-media or even education it is not possible to get the full picture.
For years, I have researched voices of independent journalists, scientists, historians, political philosophers, economists. Taking a systems thinking approach, by observing how a systems’ structure creates behavior, various political, social an economic developments have become apprehensible. I share my insights in articles and through advisory, workshops, lectures and podcasts.
These insights provide calm, oversight and ability to shape your future from a source of personal autonomy and leadership. Taking ownership will shield you against getting lost in the daily madness.
SERVICES
The current time is very ambiguous: there is an official reality that is prescribed by the mass media, education and government. That reality is increasingly divorced from ‘material’ reality. So much so that people are increasingly looking for the real story. In this search, it is possible to feel flooded by contradictory information. And if you are doubting the mass media, what other sources can you trust? Added to that, because search engines and social media are filtering and censoring information it can be a real challenge to find what you are looking for.
My workshops are designed to support you in your search. They take a systems perspective. Instead of diving into the stream of daily contradictory news, I will show you the system’s structure, and how that structure creates behavior, phenomena and information. This background knowledge will help you filter and judge the daily stream of news, or accelerate your own research.
Information is an important factor in creating awareness. But it is just one of the steps. A flood of just information can have a paralyzing effect. In these workshops there is ample room for reflection and discussion, to let the information ‘land’, and review what you can do with it personally.
In conclusion, the workshops will deliver:
- Knowledge/ a reality check: the discrepancy between the official reality and what is behind it will become clear – you will have more insight into how the system is functioning in reality.
- Concrete leads to improve your own research: Because improved insight into the system’s functioning, you can better judge the information coming from it. Moreover, I will share a list of sources. Because of the algorithms and censorship some of them are increasingly hard to find.
- Dialogue and reflection: Questioning the official reality raises a lot of questions in the average person. Also, many feel alone in search for truth or the real story. The workshop will provide the space for exchange and reflection.
- Inspiration for concrete action: Some of the topics of the workshops are very high-level. Yet, there are practical things each of us can do.
By leading you through the process of reflection, the ‘reality check’, exchange, dialogue and exploring courses of action, the goal of every workshop is to empower you to set a course for a positive, constructive future in these turbulent times.
Workshop topics:
- Democracy versus empire and deep state
- Journalism versus propaganda
- Health care versus sick care
- Science versus dogma
- Psychological resilience in uncertain times
- The financial system: scarcity versus surplus models
- Education versus indoctrination
Newsletter ‘from the samizdat’
Do you want to stay up to date about upcoming lectures and new articles? Than subscribe for the newsletter. The newsletter is sent once a week, and also contains an overview of interesting articles from that week.
Lectures
• Democratising the economy: back to a human scale
• Introduction to 5G: what you won’t learn from the mass media
• Jungian and depth psychological background to the current crisis.
Interview series: ‘Breaking through the propaganda barrier’
Increasingly, a divide can be observed in society: those who trust the mainstream news sources, and those that seek refuge into alternative sources. This divide cuts through relations, friendships and famility. How can find a bridge to common ground?
In personal conversations I have noticed that for people who started seek information outside the mainstream there was a very specific inflection point. A moment at which it was no longer possible to align what you read or see in the news with what you know is true. The topics differ. But in each case, it changes the way you look at the world. It changes your relations. Because of corona, many people are now experiencing this proces.
In this interview series I speak with different people about there inflection point. If you are going through this process currently, I hope it will give you comfort to know about others that went through this. If you think that your friend or familily member has suddenly changed into a ‘conspiracy thinker’, I hope that these podcasts will help you understand where they are coming from. Eventually, my hope is that through a shared understanding we can find middle ground for open debate.
The current system is broken. There is no back to ‘normal’. The question that arises is: what will replace the old systems?
The collective current seems to lead us into the distopia that is called ‘The Great Reset’. It is not inevitable. When enough people start to think about how they want to live together, and actively shape the society they want to live in, a more human and sustainable alternative will arise. It is important that we start visualizing an alternative future, as individuals, or through the organizations we work with. From this vision, we can start building the foundations of renewed democracy and community.
Through advise, consulting and coaching I help individuals and organizatiosn to formulate and shape their posititive, constructive vision of the future and their role in it. I help them become future-proof by:
- Mapping the current environment, taking into account social, economic, political and personal processes from a systemic or ‘systems thinking’ perspective.
- Developing a strategy, formulating actions and developing resilience
- Personal leadership when navigating a set course
For more information, email info[@]vanhamelen.eu
BIO
Because of a strong sense of idealism, I started my career in sustainabilty. I was convinced that business has a pivotal role to play in the transition to sustainability. However, in practice, sustainability has matured into a whole business segment, that applies standardized methods and is promoted through slick marketing. No better way to sell ‘feel good’ than by calling something sustainable. Despite all this, real impacts that can be traced through improvements in human rights conditions, or reduction of environmental pollution are limited if not absent.
Often, companies seem to be stuck in the system themselves, which limits the capacity for real breakthrough innovative change. It became increasingly clear to me that sustainabilty is not separate from the global geopolitical context that has arisen after the second world war.
Solutions cannot be found through approaches that are limited to managing environmental and social impacts, or progress in technology. To identify the real solutions we first need to recognize the real history of the previous 75-150 years, and then evalate: what is the basis voor community? Under what conditions does a democracy work? How do you guard the human measure in largers organisational structures? To make our civilization last for another 100, or even 1000 years, a very thorough reevaluation of the systems that currently drive us is pivotal.
My most basic motivation to contribute to a better world through improved relations with each other and nature is still the same. The road to get there has some detours. To achieve the transition to a sustainable society awareness is needed about the (geo)political, social and spiritual realities that are facing us – in tandem with development of personal leadership and real democracy.
That is why I have shifted my attention from a more narrow, technical focus on sustaianbility to supporting the development of awareness that enables sustainability.
references
“Elze is wonderfully brilliant. From brainstorming ideas to tactical execution, she delivers only the highest quality of work. She brings a lot of expertise and dives deeply into new topics and quickly masters them. She’s also a delight to work with. Working with her raised my standards for what is possible for a team to achieve.”– Carrie Staller. Business Development Director, Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI)
“Elze is able to dig into opportunity and reshape it in an engaging way for multiple audiences. I supervised her work with a firm to identify a way to start using sustainability as a catalyst for change with employees and customers. She brings a very systemic view to the development of unique strategies.”– Cynthia Scott. Ph.D. Core Faculty, Presidio Graduate School.
blog
James Corbett – 3D chess as a metaphor for the global power structure
For De Andere Krant, I interviewed James Corbett about his metophor of 3D chess, to understand geopolitical dynamics and the global power structure. Or may
Interview with UN Rapporteur on torture Nils Melzer on investigation into police violence
See the interview in English here:;
