The ADDA

Phenomenal Women: Art & Entrepreneurship - Creating a Market, One Pot at a Time with Albana Meta | EP22

What does it take to build a market for something people don't yet know they need?  Albana Meta returned to Tirana after 12 years abroad and built Albania's first contemporary art café and pottery studio — not just a business, but a genuinely new idea about what people deserve access to. In this episode, Deepa and Albana get into the real work of cultural entrepreneurship: convincing people to show up, creating a space that gives people permission to make something, and what it means to build something countercultural in a city remaking itself at speed. They also talk honestly about what it takes to carve out space as a female entrepreneur; not as a story of struggle, but as a lived reality worth examining. This is a conversation about belief; in art, in people, and in the stubborn act of building something that didn't exist before you decided it should. Topics covered: creative entrepreneurship, building new markets, art and community, female entrepreneurship in Albania, Tirana's cultural transformation, the power of making. Do share it and better yet, start your own ADDA to talk about it! This is the first in our Phenomenal Women Series. For further information:  Muzart Café: https://www.instagram.com/muzatartcafe/ [https://www.instagram.com/muzatartcafe/] Tirana Pottery Studio: https://www.instagram.com/tiranapotterystudio/ [https://www.instagram.com/tiranapotterystudio/]  The ADDA is brought to you by The Deep & Meaningful Consultancy. Host: Deepa Mirchandani Music: Unreasonable World by Bernard Schimpelsberger (http://www.bernhard.co.at/ [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbndDZmxEaFZtN1o2blUycVVwLWtSMERRNXU1UXxBQ3Jtc0ttT3BEZFMwdnlYTG9qRGM1Z2ZLNlA5bThfZHRCTkdwdlZNOG9yZGRTbnlFZjUwRDM0bzJUb2R2TUI2eGJscTZSU0E5Vzh4ZlpyS1RLdGF0ZHAwdEpjUkJ1d1pSVWNSQlB4QzBhQmI2NDZCc0dSU3Uzcw&q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bernhard.co.at%2F&v=ZWy2ZRYwjrg]) To find out more about the Deep & Meaningful Consultancy, to sign up for our monthly newsletter and also check out our Group ADDA sessions, please have a look at: https://www.deepandmeaningful.co [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbmR2ZHgzT3dNSEhPSWJGZ19nbHJpdFBsU1BRZ3xBQ3Jtc0tuZk1ITHVyZmR1V1VEak5oSVo1OFUxU3JHZkJLSWxUZEkyUTRtTi1ucjU2VzdLQ0NsRHAyUlU3SDZRTWZUQ1hya2RITlExbDVYZldtVnRveWRrM2dGeXhhQm1SdUtTclQzMEhnMF8xVWtBU0x5NlFhcw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.deepandmeaningful.co%2F&v=ZWy2ZRYwjrg].

Navigating Borders: Travel, Culture & Identity in a Complex World with Laura Payette | EP21

Boundaries - real or imagined? What does it take to consciously cross borders, navigate different cultures, languages, and ways of living? What does it take to do that responsibly and respectfully? In this episode, Deepa talks to Laura Payette about navigating nomadic life as a family. This conversation looks not just at the joys that travel brings but also speaks to some of the loneliness and isolation that you can encounter along the way, how our perceptions of home changes and we get into the responsibility and privilege of travel and how to navigate those when you’re a guest in someone else’s country. We also get into the personal transformation that happens along the way and how to hold, navigate and respond to the shifts in perspective that curiosity and wonder bring. This is a special episode as it’s the first in-person recording that we’ve done as Deepa navigates the start of her own nomadic journey. This was recorded in Tirana, Albania.  Do share it and better yet, start your own ADDA to talk about it! For further information:  Laura’s substack: https://laurapayette.substack.com/ [https://laurapayette.substack.com/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laura_joyce_coaching [https://www.instagram.com/laura_joyce_coaching] The ADDA is brought to you by The Deep & Meaningful Consultancy. Host: Deepa Mirchandani Music: Unreasonable World by Bernard Schimpelsberger (http://www.bernhard.co.at/ [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbndDZmxEaFZtN1o2blUycVVwLWtSMERRNXU1UXxBQ3Jtc0ttT3BEZFMwdnlYTG9qRGM1Z2ZLNlA5bThfZHRCTkdwdlZNOG9yZGRTbnlFZjUwRDM0bzJUb2R2TUI2eGJscTZSU0E5Vzh4ZlpyS1RLdGF0ZHAwdEpjUkJ1d1pSVWNSQlB4QzBhQmI2NDZCc0dSU3Uzcw&q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bernhard.co.at%2F&v=ZWy2ZRYwjrg]) To find out more about the Deep & Meaningful Consultancy, to sign up for our monthly newsletter and also check out our Group ADDA sessions, please have a look at: https://www.deepandmeaningful.co [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbmR2ZHgzT3dNSEhPSWJGZ19nbHJpdFBsU1BRZ3xBQ3Jtc0tuZk1ITHVyZmR1V1VEak5oSVo1OFUxU3JHZkJLSWxUZEkyUTRtTi1ucjU2VzdLQ0NsRHAyUlU3SDZRTWZUQ1hya2RITlExbDVYZldtVnRveWRrM2dGeXhhQm1SdUtTclQzMEhnMF8xVWtBU0x5NlFhcw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.deepandmeaningful.co%2F&v=ZWy2ZRYwjrg].

Science & Spirituality: Bridging Worlds for Systemic Transformation with Thomas Legrand | EP20

Can you transform institutions from the inside without them transforming you first? What happens when consciousness work meets UN bureaucracy? And how do you harness inner transformation without killing what makes it transformative? In this episode, Deepa talks to Thomas Legrand, author of Politics of Being and lead of the United Nations Development Programme's Conscious Food Systems Alliance. They explore how integrating science, spiritual wisdom and inner transformation creates more effective pathways to systems change - and what gets lost or found when these worlds collide. Thomas brings shamanic training and ecological economics to institutional development work, asking hard questions about "consciousness washing," the paradoxes of mainstreaming spirituality, and what real maturity looks like in how we design systems and institutions. They dig into why understanding our inner conditions might be more radical than any policy change, and whether there's genuine hope for transformation from within the systems that created our crises. This conversation is a rare bridge between worlds that don't usually talk - and Thomas offers practical insight into the uncomfortable work of creating change at institutional pace when the world is burning. Do share it and better yet, start your own ADDA to talk about it! For further information:  The Conscious Food Systems Alliance Summit: https://consciousfoodsystems.org/bhutan-summit-2026/ [https://consciousfoodsystems.org/bhutan-summit-2026/] The Politics of Being (Thomas’ book): https://politicsofbeing.com/ [https://politicsofbeing.com/] Details about the BookClub: https://politicsofbeing.com/book-club/ [https://politicsofbeing.com/book-club/] The ADDA is brought to you by The Deep & Meaningful Consultancy. Host: Deepa Mirchandani Music: Unreasonable World by Bernard Schimpelsberger (http://www.bernhard.co.at/ [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbndDZmxEaFZtN1o2blUycVVwLWtSMERRNXU1UXxBQ3Jtc0ttT3BEZFMwdnlYTG9qRGM1Z2ZLNlA5bThfZHRCTkdwdlZNOG9yZGRTbnlFZjUwRDM0bzJUb2R2TUI2eGJscTZSU0E5Vzh4ZlpyS1RLdGF0ZHAwdEpjUkJ1d1pSVWNSQlB4QzBhQmI2NDZCc0dSU3Uzcw&q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bernhard.co.at%2F&v=ZWy2ZRYwjrg]) To find out more about the Deep & Meaningful Consultancy, to sign up for our monthly newsletter and also check out our Group ADDA sessions, please have a look at: https://www.deepandmeaningful.co [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbmR2ZHgzT3dNSEhPSWJGZ19nbHJpdFBsU1BRZ3xBQ3Jtc0tuZk1ITHVyZmR1V1VEak5oSVo1OFUxU3JHZkJLSWxUZEkyUTRtTi1ucjU2VzdLQ0NsRHAyUlU3SDZRTWZUQ1hya2RITlExbDVYZldtVnRveWRrM2dGeXhhQm1SdUtTclQzMEhnMF8xVWtBU0x5NlFhcw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.deepandmeaningful.co%2F&v=ZWy2ZRYwjrg].

A Designer & Social Innovator's Guide to Regenerative Venture Building: Systems, Spirit & Risk with Neelam Chhiber | EP19

What comes first, the regenerative venture or the systems change? Is it about the modality to venture design, funding and execution that makes the difference? Or does it actually come down to how well an entrepreneur knows themself? In this episode, Deepa talks to multi-award winning entrepreneur Neelam Chhiber, founder of Industree Foundation. They explore whether designers have the secret sauce to being regenerative and systems changing entrepreneurs, the complexities of capitalisation and finance in achieving scale and what kind of relationships it takes; with risk, with collaborators and with one’s self to stand the course of time. They also get into the personal and talk about values, humility and spirituality and how these influence and shape not just what is done but how it’s done too.  Neelam is a power house in the social venture world and this conversation is a masterclass in thinking about systems change with both disruptor and pragmatist lenses at play.  Do share it and better yet, start your own ADDA to talk about it!  For further information:  Industree Foundation: https://www.industree.org.in/ [https://www.industree.org.in/] Creative Dignity: https://www.creativedignity.org/ [https://www.creativedignity.org/] Catalyst Now: https://catalystnow.net/ [https://catalystnow.net/] The ADDA is brought to you by The Deep & Meaningful Consultancy. Host: Deepa Mirchandani Music: Unreasonable World by Bernard Schimpelsberger (http://www.bernhard.co.at/ [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbndDZmxEaFZtN1o2blUycVVwLWtSMERRNXU1UXxBQ3Jtc0ttT3BEZFMwdnlYTG9qRGM1Z2ZLNlA5bThfZHRCTkdwdlZNOG9yZGRTbnlFZjUwRDM0bzJUb2R2TUI2eGJscTZSU0E5Vzh4ZlpyS1RLdGF0ZHAwdEpjUkJ1d1pSVWNSQlB4QzBhQmI2NDZCc0dSU3Uzcw&q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bernhard.co.at%2F&v=ZWy2ZRYwjrg]) To find out more about the Deep & Meaningful Consultancy, to sign up for our monthly newsletter and also check out our Group ADDA sessions, please check out https://www.deepandmeaningful.co [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbmR2ZHgzT3dNSEhPSWJGZ19nbHJpdFBsU1BRZ3xBQ3Jtc0tuZk1ITHVyZmR1V1VEak5oSVo1OFUxU3JHZkJLSWxUZEkyUTRtTi1ucjU2VzdLQ0NsRHAyUlU3SDZRTWZUQ1hya2RITlExbDVYZldtVnRveWRrM2dGeXhhQm1SdUtTclQzMEhnMF8xVWtBU0x5NlFhcw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.deepandmeaningful.co%2F&v=ZWy2ZRYwjrg].

Accolades, Prizes & Recognition: Dirty Words or Gateway Drugs to Being Good? with Lauren Scott-Harris | EP18

Is it morally corrupt to need an incentive to show up for your local community or is it just the reality of today’s modern age? In this episode you get a glimpse into a recently held Group ADDA session where Deepa was in session with Lauren Scott-Harris, founder of the platform Earnt,  and an incredible group of leaders all working at engaging people to show up and take action in response to different societal challenges. What does it take to get people on board? Earnt’s going with the shiny carrot approach by partnering with cool brands and providing often VIP or exclusive access in exchange for local community activation hours.  The discussion wove through all the angles; behaviour science and mental models, storytelling frames, brand greenwashing and societal disconnect. We even got into exploring what we need of each other in order to take an ecosystem approach to championing different kinds of community building. It was a lively discussion and we hope you enjoy this edit. For more information and to connect with Earnt: Web: https://earnt.co.uk/ [https://earnt.co.uk/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earnt_/ [https://www.instagram.com/earnt_/] The ADDA is brought to you by The Deep & Meaningful Consultancy. Host: Deepa Mirchandani Music: Unreasonable World by Bernard Schimpelsberger (http://www.bernhard.co.at/ [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbndDZmxEaFZtN1o2blUycVVwLWtSMERRNXU1UXxBQ3Jtc0ttT3BEZFMwdnlYTG9qRGM1Z2ZLNlA5bThfZHRCTkdwdlZNOG9yZGRTbnlFZjUwRDM0bzJUb2R2TUI2eGJscTZSU0E5Vzh4ZlpyS1RLdGF0ZHAwdEpjUkJ1d1pSVWNSQlB4QzBhQmI2NDZCc0dSU3Uzcw&q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bernhard.co.at%2F&v=ZWy2ZRYwjrg]) To find out more about the Deep & Meaningful Consultancy, to sign up for our monthly newsletter and also check out our Group ADDA sessions, please check out https://www.deepandmeaningful.co [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbmR2ZHgzT3dNSEhPSWJGZ19nbHJpdFBsU1BRZ3xBQ3Jtc0tuZk1ITHVyZmR1V1VEak5oSVo1OFUxU3JHZkJLSWxUZEkyUTRtTi1ucjU2VzdLQ0NsRHAyUlU3SDZRTWZUQ1hya2RITlExbDVYZldtVnRveWRrM2dGeXhhQm1SdUtTclQzMEhnMF8xVWtBU0x5NlFhcw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.deepandmeaningful.co%2F&v=ZWy2ZRYwjrg].