What is “Thriving while Burning”?
Thriving while Burning (TWB) is the only term I’ve manage to create that encapsulates how living across the last decade has felt. It explores the contradictions of our current systems, how we might reimagine them, and our human experience throughout this… to process, heal & build alternatives.
Are you constantly trying to pivot in broken, unjust systems?
Do you obsess with what’s wrong… and struggle to imagine alternatives?
… cue crescendo: are you trying to… thrive in systems…
that you simultaneously sometimes just want to burn down?
Welcome to Thriving while Burning (story of my life & many others)
I share short, and sometimes long, musings about:
Contradictions ~ observations & tensions that don’t resolve neatly
Roots & Routes ~ personal fragments on place, identity, & humans
Systems (et al.) ~ professional-ish bits on systems, tech, capital et al.
Who am I to talk about Thriving while Burning?
Hi, I’m Christian (in name, and occassionally religion).
That’s me below, talking about taboo investing, ayahuasca, and the inherent contradictions of capitalism at the inaugural SXSW London (classic).
I live (as a long-term tenant) at the very real contradiction of Thriving while Burning. A reality for many, particularly those working on what we call: systems change. Defined simply as:
understanding our present reality,
to reimagine the alternatives,
and build healthier systems.
I professionally (advise, coach, invest, speak, write)
~ and personally (play, scream, explore) with people Thriving while Burning,
often towards a degree of systems change, whether they realise this or not.
The Professional Elephant in the Room
Now, because an ongoing contradiction is balancing my professional persona, working with clients, alongside my personal need to write freely on systems that many love to ignore… there is another version (still part of me) that lives on the internet.
The professional biography, glossy global career, accolades, acronyms, buzzwords and occassional evidence that points to me knowing a lot about Thriving while Burning.
This is for everything that doesn’t neatly fit there, sometimes they will inevitably collide, which maybe is the point.
You can find that more presentable version of me on my website and LinkedIn. To keep Thriving while Burning, I do work with interesting people. From startups and investors, to organisations who want to think differently — you can definitely chat with me there. For everything else, stay here.
So in a nutshell, I’ve lived for many years - very viserally - embedded in these systems, I still am, and can occassionally be in circles with people who just want to purely thrive, yet tend to always gravitate toward the fire starters…
Keep TWB’ing,
Christian.
