Water is Power - A Conversation with Melissa Meeker

Water is Power - A Conversation with Melissa Meeker

Guest: Melissa Meeker, CEO, The Water Tower  About this episode What does it look like when a 35-year water industry veteran finally steps fully into her power and decides to use it to change everything? In this episode, we sit down with Melissa Meeker, CEO of The Water Tower, a nonprofit water innovation centre in Georgia, to talk about workforce transformation, community healing, women in leadership, and why water might just be the most powerful force for human change we have. Melissa chose the Power card and what unfolded was a conversation about what becomes possible when we stop pretending we don't have any. In this episode, we cover * Why so many leaders spend their careers not quite owning their leadership and what shifts when they finally do * The difference between Big “L” and little “l” leadership, and why the little l matters most * How The Water Tower is transforming lives through non-traditional workforce recruitment in the water sector * The systems-level vision: connecting water utilities, social services and community health into one self-sustaining cycle * Women in water - the post-pandemic leadership gap and what it's really telling us * Why language is generative, and how naming new kinds of roles could change who steps into them * Melissa's one piece of advice for every young professional just starting out Guest bio Melissa Meeker is the Chief Executive Officer of The Water Tower, a nonprofit water innovation centre based in Georgia. With more than 35 years of experience in water resources management, Melissa has worked across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, with a focus on water supply diversity and resilience through alternative sources including reuse, stormwater, and desalination. Her expertise spans public policy, regulation, innovative technologies, workforce development, and public engagement. Quotes from this episode "Water is a purifying factor - so why can't we use it to give people a fresh start?" "School cannot be all things to all people. We need different ways to serve people with different perspectives if we want to create the world, we actually want to live in." "Language is generative. It generates the future. When we get clear about that and talk about things out loud - that starts to matter." "Do it. Even before you feel ready." Resources & links mentioned * The Water Tower [https://www.theh2otower.org/] * ReSoLve [https://www.resolvewater.org/]  * Philadelphia Workforce Hub [https://www.phila.gov/programs/philadelphia-workforce-hub/]

Moving at the speed of trust

A conversation with Carolina Garcia, Co-Founder & CEO, Myzelio Episode summary In this episode, we sit down with Carolina Garcia - sustainability leader, Antarctic explorer, and founder of Myzelio - to explore what it really takes to drive transformative climate and nature action. Carolina draws on nearly a decade at AB InBev, four years at the WWF and her work building Myzelio to make a bold argument: the planetary crisis we face is, at its root, a spiritual crisis of disconnection. And the antidote is not more alarming data - it’s wonder, trust, and love. About Carolina Garcia * Co-Founder & CEO of Myzelio — embedding on-demand teams that execute, finance, and scale climate, nature, and circularity solutions across value chains. * Nearly 8 years at AB InBev, including leading the global 100+ Accelerator and serving as Global Director for Nature. * Almost 4 years at the World Wildlife Fund, contributing to climate advocacy and international negotiations. * Homeward Bound Fellow (Antarctic Explorer) and Aspen Institute First Mover Fellow. * Recognised as one of the Women of the Future Initiative’s 50 Rising Stars in ESG * One Young World Ambassador and leadership team member of the Mundo Común foundation.  What we cover in this episode * Carolina chose the “Trust” card and what moving at the speed of trust actually means in practice. * The planetary crisis as a spiritual crisis: how disconnection from nature is driving systemic collapse. * Why the apocalyptic narrative is counterproductive and what to do instead. * How Myzelio reignited wonder in a PepsiCo strategy session before touching a single KPI. * The concept of refugia from ecology and how it applies to human communities and organisations. * Daughters for Earth: what 24 women protecting seven ecosystems taught us about dispensable leadership. * Dissolving the hero paradigm and why that is freeing for everyone, regardless of gender. * How Myzelio operates as “a practice of the future, in the present”: self-organised, non-hierarchical, and trust-led. * Mythical time, outrageous joy, and why work does not have to feel like a box of scarcity.  Key concepts mentioned * Planetary boundaries — humanity has breached 7 of the 9. Scientists now refer to this as the Anthropocene era. * Refugia from ecology: geographical areas where species survive periods of severe environmental change. Used by Mundo Común as a metaphor for communities that hold and regenerate possibility. * Islands of Coherence - spaces where people can breathe, reimagine, and reconnect before re-entering the noise of the system. * The hero paradigm - the dominant leadership model of the indispensable, all-knowing individual at the top. Carolina argues we need to dissolve this to unlock collective, regenerative leadership. * Mythical time - Carolina’s concept for those experiences where time seems to expand, everything flows, and the work is joyful. A signal you are doing the right work, in the right way. * Speed of trust - the idea that when trust is genuinely present, transformation accelerates. Carolina contrasts this with the transactional, extractive mode most organisations default to  Podcast mentions * Myzelio [https://www.myzelio.com/]  * Anthropocene geological era - What is the Anthropocene and why does it matter? | Natural History Museum [https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-is-the-anthropocene.html] * Holocene geological era - Holocene epoch | Causes, Effects, & Facts | Britannica [https://www.britannica.com/science/Holocene-Epoch] * University of Derby – Human connection to nature has declined 60% in 200 years, study finds - https://www.theguardian.com/environment/20

We Are Custodians, Not Owners - Victoria Edwards on Endurance, AI, and Reimagining Water

In this episode of Meaningful Conversations, Annyse speaks with Victoria Edwards - former concert pianist, founder of FIDO Tech, and CEO of K622 Tech. Victoria is using acoustics and AI to revolutionise how we detect and manage water loss, and she brings one of the freshest perspectives in the global water conversation. Victoria drew the Endurance card and what unfolded was a powerful discussion about what it truly means to be a custodian of water, why real collaboration needs a commercial backbone, and how the sector must urgently reposition itself as the most compelling career destination on the planet. In this episode we cover: * Why "custodian" is a more powerful framing than "owner" and what it demands of all of us * How FIDO built catalytic communities around stressed watersheds, including the Colorado River Basin * Why commercial constructs are not a compromise — they are the engine of lasting impact * AI in water: the difference between a precision tool and "Wikipedia on steroids" * The talent crisis in water and the seatbelt law analogy that reframes how we solve it * Why everyone knows the price of oil but almost nobody can tell you the cost of water About Victoria Edwards: Victoria Edwards is the Founder Emeritus of FIDO Tech and CEO of K622 Tech. A winner of the Earth 05 Prize and member of the UK's Future Fifty, she specialises in innovative models for accelerating technical responses to the water crisis and building cross-sector catalytic communities at scale. Mentions  * Fido Tech - FIDO AI: Advanced water leak detection and management [https://fido.tech/] * Colorado River Basin / FIDO initiative - Meta launches AI water program in Farmington, NM [https://fido.tech/news/meta-joins-collaborative-effort-to-leverage-ai-to-drive-solutions-for-water-scarcity-in-colorado-river-basin/]  * Water neutral - What Is Water Neutrality? [https://www.graf.info/en-gb/knowledge-hub/blog/what-is-water-neutrality.html] * Water positive - Definition – [https://waterpositive.es/definition/] * Slow water movement - Erica Gies – Slow Water — by Erica Gies [https://slowwater.world/] * Maya civilisation and water  - Technology, Rainwater, and Survival of the Maya [https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/technology-rainwater-survival-maya/] * Digital Twins - What Is a Digital Twin? | IBM [https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/digital-twin] * AI Hallucinations - What Are AI Hallucinations? | IBM [https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/ai-hallucinations]  * Quantum AI - Quantum AI: What it is and why it matters | SAS Ireland [https://www.sas.com/en_ie/insights/analytics/quantum-ai.html] * Bluey cartoon character - Bluey Characters | Learn More About Your Favourites!| Bluey Official Website [https://www.bluey.tv/characters/]

Wisdom, water & the courage to ask why — with Cindy Wallis-Lage

What does it mean to be truly wise about water? In this episode, host Annyse speaks with Cindy Wallis-Lage, a long-career water sector leader, about indigenous knowledge, the danger of solving the wrong problem, and why water needs to become a want — not just a need. Cindy chose the Wisdom card and from that single image of waves and flowing water, an expansive conversation unfolded. Drawing on her experience as a former president at Black & Veatch Water and decades working across the sector, Cindy challenges some of the water industry's most embedded assumptions: about how we solve problems, who we invite to the table, and what relationship we want to have with water at all. From the One Water movement and tribal community knowledge to the importance of vulnerability in leadership, this episode weaves together systems thinking, indigenous wisdom, and a powerful reframe - what if we stopped treating water as an entitlement and started treating it as something worth truly desiring? Show Notes  * US Water Alliance – Vision for a One Water Future - US Water Alliance [https://uswateralliance.org/about-us/vision-for-a-one-water-future/] * True root cause analysis - What is Root Cause Analysis (RCA)? | ASQ [https://asq.org/quality-resources/root-cause-analysis?srsltid=AfmBOooOlcFGI5i9GKyISBcnSdUVOc-4TppNJlAPrUllb4noVpETUsaK] * 5 Whys - 5 Whys - What is it? | Lean Enterprise Institute [https://www.lean.org/lexicon-terms/5-whys/]  Cindy L. Wallis-Lage, Retired C-Suite Executive Cindy Wallis-Lage has served in the water industry for over 39 years through a combination of her work at Black & Veatch and service to public, private and non-profit industry organizations. Throughout her career, her focus has been on helping public and private entities successfully develop, enhance and manage their water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure via a variety of solutions and delivery methods. Prior to her retirement, she served as Executive Director, Sustainability and Resilience for Black & Veatch to accelerate an enterprise-wide focus on sustainability and resilience solutions to support clients in the water, energy and telecommunications markets. Previously Wallis-Lage served as the President of the company’s global water business between 2012 and 2021 where she was responsible for the leadership and management of the company’s global water business. She also served on Black & Veatch’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors from 2012 until her retirement. Currently Ms. Wallis-Lage continues to engage in the water industry by serving as a board member for several companies and co-leading ReSoLve, a non-profit focused on empowering and retaining women in the water industry. Using her position, passion and knowledge, she is a champion of the Sustainable Development Goals and seeks to educate how holistic systems thinking can provide the needed long term human infrastructure to achieve social, economic and environmental sustainability goals.

Nicole Brown — Water is Life, and It's Time We Act Like It

About this episode What happens when a sector becomes so good at its job that it makes itself invisible? In this episode, Annyse sits down with Nicole Brown, a nationally recognised water leader, equity champion, and founding Vice President of the Black Water Professionals Alliance, for a conversation that is equal parts practical and profound. Nicole brings 27 years of experience in the water sector to a question that goes far deeper than infrastructure: how do we build a new story for water - one rooted in abundance, reverence, and belonging - and who gets to be part of telling it? What we explore in this conversation * Why Nicole chose curiosity as her word for right now and what it means to choose forward motion over steady state * The water sector's "invisibility problem" — how decades of operational excellence have disconnected the public from the value, the wonder, and the careers behind their tap * The scarcity mindset that runs through water conversations and why Nicole is intentionally refusing it * Robin Wall Kimmerer's The Serviceberry and what an economy of gratitude, reciprocity, and community could look like in the water space * What it means to be a steward of water and why abundance and reverence are more connected than we think * The Black Water Professionals Alliance, the Fairmount Water Works, and the power of exposure in building the next generation of water professionals * Why constructs don't need to be destroyed - they can be dissolved, and something better built in their place A moment that stayed with us "The water sector has done a great job at being invisible. We've been so good at what we do that we've made water seem like magic - and when something seems like magic, people stop asking how it works." About Nicole Brown Nicole Brown is the Area Growth Lead for the Water Sector at GFT, where she helps utilities align innovation with meaningful public engagement. She is the founding Vice President of the Black Water Professionals Alliance, a non-profit dedicated to workforce equity and community connection in the water industry. In 2024, she received the WEF Mentorship Award for her dedication to growing the next generation of water professionals.   Show notes  * The Serviceberry – Robin Wall Kimmerer - Robin Wall Kimmerer [https://www.robinwallkimmerer.com/] * Black Water Professional Alliance Philadelphia - Black Water Professionals Alliance - Home Page [https://bwpa.org/] * Philadelphia Fairmount Water Works - Fairmount Water Works – Discover. Connect. Act. [https://fairmountwaterworks.org/] * Epigenetics - Epigenetic Inheritance of Trauma Across Generations: A Review of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Epigenetic Mechanisms, Challenges and Implications for Today’s World | OxJournal [https://www.oxjournal.org/epigenetic-inheritance-of-trauma-across-generations/]