I really enjoyed my conversation with Susanne Ritzenhoff about her life and Toi Ora and the work they do – check out the links we mentioned in the conversation:

Toi Ora link: Toi Ora Live Art Trust

Gallery with art for sale: Gallery Shop - Toi Ora Live Art Trust

The Circle: Careers with Impact Book: The Circle: Careers with Impact - Seeds

Interview with Neil Ieremia: Neil Ieremia on founding Black Grace and the role Dance can play in commenting on our past and our future - Seeds

Shakespeare Festival link: Contact Us : Shakespeare Globe Centre NZ

Annie Dillard quote:

“One of the things I know about writing is this: spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book or for another book; give it, give it all, give it now. The impulse to save something good for a better place later is the signal to spend it now. Something more will arise for later, something better. These things fill from behind, from beneath, like well water. Similarly, the impulse to keep to yourself what you have learned is not only shameful, it is destructive. Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes.”

Here is a short summary of sessions held at the reent two day Institute of Directors Leadership Conference.

The full article can be accessed here with a lot more summaries of other sessions as well! https://theseeds.nz/iod-leadership-conference-2025-summary-of-sessions-and-key-themes/

Why not join the next one in Wellington in September 2026? Info is at the IOD site here https://www.iod.org.nz/2026-leadership-conference

For more content visit www.theseeds.nz

Julie Woods went blind as an adult and in this episode we hear about her journey and what that was like and how she embraces life fully today. I was really inspired by this conversation and hearing how she has overcome challenges to really live life. I guarantee you will come away inspired by this conversation.

Her website is here https://www.thatblindwoman.co.nz

One million names in braille initiative is here https://www.thatblindwoman.co.nz/1-million-names-in-braille/

CCS Disability Action page: https://www.ccsdisabilityaction.org.nz/

Blind Low Vision site https://fundraise.blindlowvision.org.nz/

Tom Cooney interview mentioned https://theseeds.nz/podcast/professor-tom-cooney-on-inclusion-to-entrepreneurship-for-marginalised-groups-such-as-former-prisoners-refugees-and-those-with-disabilities/

More info www.theseeds.nz

Audio of panel discussion just held at the Zero Waste Summit on 8 September 2025 discussing Tools for Transformation: System Change for a Zero Waste Future.

More on the Zero Waste Network is here and worth signing up for their newsletter https://zerowaste.co.nz

Panelists:
Sue Coutts, Moderator from Zero Waste Network
Steven Moe, Parry Field Lawyers Limited
Dr Saeid Baroutian, University of Auckland
James Griffin, Sustainable Business Network

Description of the session:

Panel Discussion: Tools for Transformation - System Change for a Zero Waste Future

Achieving zero waste requires more than good intentions—it demands deep systems change. In this panel, leaders from business, legal, academic, and innovation spheres come together to explore how their sectors can enable, accelerate, or obstruct a zero waste future.
How can business models shift from extraction to regeneration? What legal tools and policies are needed to drive accountability and equity? Where is research shining new light—or holding old assumptions in place? And how can innovation challenge the status quo without reinforcing it?

This conversation will surface tensions, opportunities, and cross-sector insights to help us build a more circular, just, and resilient Aotearoa.

Thanks Craig Fisher for taking the photo!

More content at www.theseeds.nz

Mark Laurence and I had a great discussion on AI and the future and A.icehouse, a new initiative for SMEs that he is working on with Icehouse, to learn more about the future of AI and what it might mean for companies and directors and business owners as well as charities and other organisations. Have a look at these links to find out more.

A.icehouse website: https://www.theicehouse.co.nz/a.icehouse

Ten Past Tomorrow site: https://www.tenpasttomorrow.com

Icehouse: https://www.theicehouse.co.nz

For more episodes visit www.theseeds.nz

More on A.icehouse:

"You don’t need to master every new app, platform or update. You need practical and pragmatic AI knowledge that powers your business to navigate the evolution AI is asking of you.

AI is moving faster than leaders can follow. It can feel overwhelming, noisy, and hard to know what really matters.

A.icehouse is designed to give Kiwi SME owners and senior teams clarity, in practical and tangible ways. No hype. No waffle. We focus on AI literacy and skills first, then layer in the tools so you can build the confidence to make better informed decisions.

Back in 2000, Icehouse helped SMEs make sense of the internet and the knowledge era. Today, with applied AI expertise from Ten Past Tomorrow, we’re helping businesses make sense of AI and the intelligence era.

In A.icehouse you’ll find:

Plain-English explanations and demonstrations to build AI literacy around what AI is, what it isn’t, and how it is reshaping business models and industries, right now.

Practical AI skill training, so you yourselves become powerful users of frontier AI tools to drive radical and immediate efficiency and productivity in your own roles.

Pragmatic strategies and maps so you can drive the same AI-powered efficiency and productivity as mentioned above, throughout your entire organisation

Time-respectful sessions designed for busy leaders.

Honest conversations about unknowns and trade-offs, not hype or silver bullets.

A mix of formats, from quick webinars, online courses, to live in-person in-depth symposiums; so you can choose what fits your time and needs.

A trusted partnership: Icehouse’s 20+ years of SME support with Ten Past Tomorrow’s applied AI excellence."

This is the audio of a talk I gave the other day to about 100 lawyers on principles and habits for life - it comes from content in the recent book: The Circle: Careers with Impact which is a download here https://theseeds.nz/articles/the-circle-careers-with-impact/

If it is of help, why not forward it on to someone else?

More content is at www.theseeds.nz

In this session I talked with Dr Brett Mann about conflict and how it influences board dynamics and he had a lot of wisdom to share on this fascinating topic. This is part of our ongoing commitment from Parry Field Lawyers to hosting important conversations that help you all. Forward on or tag someone in it may interest?

Dr Brett Mann joined me in a conversation we need to have about conflict and board dynamics. Brett shared his perspective as an educator and communication skills trainer and draw on his experience with governance to explain connection points as we cover:

- Looking at conflict - what do we mean by that?

- What do Chairs and all those on Boards need to consider when it comes to conflict?

- What role does our personal history around past conflict play in this?

- Is conflict ‘bad’ or can it help unlock new ways of thinking?

- What are some ‘Rules of engagement’ to manage conflict?

- How do you suggest we address three common, often unspoken, ‘minor conflicts’ to improve board dynamics?

Earlier seeds conversation with Brett on the impact of stress on our bodies: Dr Brett Mann on the impact of stress on our bodies, psychotherapy and 'somatisation' - Seeds

Recent book on Careers with Impact: https://theseeds.nz/articles/the-circle-careers-with-impact/

Biography of Dr Brett Mann

Brett is a medical educator and recently finished forty years as a general practitioner. He had a central role in the design of the New Zealand general practitioner communication skills training programme. This included introducing training on ‘dealing with conflict.’ which, for the last eighteen years, has been an important part of the programme. He has given many seminars to doctors and provided many hours of one to one and group training in this area.

Hat tip to Grant Adams for the suggestion.

The audio version of my recent book on careers, work, identity, purpose and impact.

You can download the book here https://theseeds.nz/articles/the-circle-careers-with-impact/

Contents

The Circle
Introduction
Part I: Our source of identity
Part II: Misconception about work
Part III: Purpose and your values
Part IV: Why all this impacts you
Part V: Developing seed habits
Part VI: Creativity and vulnerability
Part VII: What are you building?
Part VIII: Closing the loop of the circle

More content at www.theseeds.nz