Inspired Evolution with Amrit Sandhu: A Mind, Body & Soul Podcast

In this week’s episode, Amrit interviews Simone Dowding who has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and has spent a year studying meditation and Buddhist philosophy with “His Holiness”, the Dalai Lama in the Himalayas. Simone is the founder of Conscious Business Evolution. She is a social enterprise expert, conscious business keynote, conscious capitalist, brand developer and strategist. 

Simone used to be the Managing Director at Change Coffee, and not long ago Head of this social enterprise at World Vision Australia, the first social enterprise on a mission to eradicate global poverty by 2030 and to use their profits to fund life-changing projects globally focusing on the economic empowerment of women.

In this special chapter of Inspired Evolution, Amrit interviews Simone on two different occasions to talk about how Simone thrives to connect, inspire and make a difference in every single moment of her life, and how she loves to support people making conscious choices that positively impact their lives and the world.

The first interview is live and takes place at “Get Hacked & Get Hi” in Melbourne, Australia, and the second one is performed virtually some other day in which they dive into the whole conversation a bit further.

In the biohacking wellness event they talk about Simone’s three principles that make a difference in the world and solve humanity’s most urgent challenges, her journey finding these key values, what was it like walking back into the actual environment with a conscious leadership model that operates with kindness and compassion, and how these values help her day by day with the decision making process.  

Furthermore, they talk about all the challenges she had to face bringing awareness of leadership into the world, tools to manage all what she wants to achieve, how to break the pattern of worry and the importance of facing fears.

In addition you will enjoy 5 minutes of meditation with Simone to release dark energy and honour a space of white seeds.

In the second interview, they dive in a bit further. According to Simone, corporates hold the key to solving humanity’s most urgent challenges. They must employ commercial enterprise to create sustainable initiatives and lead by example by being profitable, accountable, responsible and conscientious.

They talk about the inner work Simone does every day to build a bigger mountain of white seeds to create mental wellness, the world as a space of conscious capitalism, new systems to be seen in the business world and the importance of having conscious corporate leadership.

In this episode you will learn how to consciously operate with kindness and compassion, master the tools to manage all what you want to achieve, face fears, build resilience, shift to a place of “we” instead of “me” taking self responsibility in actions and mindfully making choices that are in service to all, articulate what you stand for, and consciously evolve your organization in alignment with your principal values.

About Simone Dowding:

Simone Dowding is the founder of Conscious Business Evolution. She is a social entrepreneur and strategic business consultant who harnesses the power of business to drive social change. Simone transforms businesses for the greater good and creates purpose impact models for change. 

From being a coffee shop owner, then creating “The Blessed Bean” a nationwide award winning coffee roasting company with a wholesale distribution network spanning across Australia for over thirteen years, to being Head of Change Coffee, a social enterprise at World Vision Australia, that intends to eradicate global poverty and uses 100% of their profits to fund life-changing projects globally focusing on the economic empowerment of women.

As a passionate advocate for social change, Simone’s vision for the corporate future would see every organisation realise its fullest financial potential whilst also contributing to the health of the planet.

Simone believes that business holds the key to solve humanity’s most urgent challenges by utilising the power of commercial enterprise to create sustainable initiatives and that they should lead by example by being profitable, accountable, responsible and conscientious.

The businesses Simone works with are proven to be more resilient, meaningful, and profitable, while creating huge social and environmental impact.

“I believe in people’s basic human needs to connect, be inspired, and make a difference”

Tune In Part I: 

Welcome Simone Dowding to the Inspired Evolution!: (00:00)

About Simone’s principles: connect, inspire and impact: (00:17)

Simone strongly believes we are all change makers and can change this world we live in. She refers to three values that help her shape her reality. Her three principles are connect, inspire and make a difference. Which are yours?

“It all comes down to what can we do to change this world”

How Simone’s principles help her with the decision making process?: (01:33)

“Look for three pilars to guide you and behave in a positive way into the world when things get difficult.

Setting up businesses aligned with own values: (03:00) 

Your principles can weave into any environment. If you believe in yourself and your values, it will weave its way through your whole organization, through your family, and through everything you do.

“Create impact by being yourself and what you stand for”

Simone’s journey in finding her three key values: (04:51) 

“Make a difference by operating with kindness and compassion”

Walking back into actual environment with a conscious leadership model:(07:20)

You must share all that you know that can help change this world. Simone would have loved to stay and live her whole life in the monastery, but instead, she decided to go out and share Buddhism philosophy to the world and try to make a change.

“Our responsibility is to bring awareness of conscious leadership into the world”

Challenges in bringing awareness of leadership into the world: (09:20)

There is a conversation going on about a Buddhism spiritual paradigm that says that every action is contributing to creating our world. They talk about white seeds and black seeds. We all need to plant white seeds, kindness and love, that will be good for us and others. When things are not right we need to plant more.

“Every action contributes to create our world”

Live meditation with Simone to release dark energy: (12:02)

Tools to manage all what Simone wants to achieve: (17:04) 

“Chose thoughts of love that will keep you stable”

Breaking the pattern of worry and building resilience: (20:50)

“Track fears that are holding you back to rise up into the space of who you really are” 

The importance of facing fears: (22:21)

“Face your fears and transform them into love thoughts”

Brief Q and A & another mantra: (23:18)

Tune In Part II: 

Welcome back to the Inspired Evolution, we are diving in a bit further!: (28:35)

Simone’s inner work day-to-day and benefits: (28:59)

Building a mountain of white seeds; operating with love, kindness and compassion is work to be done every day and should be weaved into family, community, business and every aspect of our lives. Simone refers to the healing she brings at every moment integrated with whom we truly are

“How you behave in every moment is authentic in integrity with your truth” 

About the world as a space of conscious capitalism: (32:32)

Building new systems in the business world: (35:21)

The idea is to “capitalize” on capitalism. The structure is here and if it disappears we would be in a complete chaos. So, we need to turn capitalism into a conscious capitalism. After all, a thriving community is a thriving business.

“The opportunity is transformation in innovation of the capitalist system”

About the world not shifting in time so species can live in harmony with it: (37:36)

“Corporates will lead the change because they know that resources aren’t infinite”

Conscious awakening alluding to systems that we are going to be living in: (39:01)

“The systems that were serving us were leading us into disaster” 

Tomorrow's conscious corporate leadership according to Simone: (42:53)

“We can still be profitable in this system” says the enterprise expert. The whole idea is that corporations should employ commercial enterprise to create sustainable initiatives and lead by example by being profitable, accountable, responsible and conscientious.

“There will be a lot of purpose driven leaders with a lense around sustainability, humanity and planet”

Principles aligned with what is ahead for us: (45:26)

There is a huge sense of positivism. Simone is convinced we are shifting more to a place of “we” instead of “me” connected more with others and earth. 

“Be self responsible in your actions and make choices that are in service to all”

Making decisions on ethical choices while others are not: (47:23)

“Show others that there is something that may be different and inspire them to behave differently”

Thank you Simone for connecting, inspiring and making a difference!: (48:39)

Mentioned resources:

• World Vision Australia: https://www.worldvision.com.au/ 
• Change Coffee: https://www.changecoffee.com.au/ 
• The Blessed Bean: https://theblessedbean.com.au/ 

Connect with Simone Dowding:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simone.mitchelldowding/about 
• Instagram: 
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simone-dowding/?originalSubdomain=au 

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• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/InspiredEvolution/  
• Website: https://inspiredevolution.com/