New Ventures West’s founder, James Flaherty, joins Adam Klein for the first of a two-part series on how to respond to the world’s crises.

With change happening faster than we’re designed to process—not to mention the fact that there is so much we can’t do anything about—why is it important to stay present and try to understand it anyway? How can we do this without getting overwhelmed?

James and Adam tackle this complex conversation with eye-opening thoughts and useful resources.

Here are some of the topics covered in the Stepping In podcast episode Responding to Our Times, Part I:

Studying and responding to the world using intelligence and communicating with our environment.
Limitations of existing institutions to address current problems and the impact of rapid change on human capacity to respond.
Discerning noise from important information and the effect on the nervous system inducing anxiety and depression
Understanding wider context and long-term trends, the importance of sociological understanding, the breakdown of solidarity between communities, and governmental response to transnational problems.
How to be engaged not just with immediate concerns, but long-term, as the world will always be in some type of crisis.

By studying the world’s current situation with intelligence and discernment, understanding historical and sociological contexts, and making conscious choices in information consumption, individuals can gain a deeper understanding and engage with reliable sources.

Resources mentioned in this episode
Zygmunt Bauman: Author of “Liquid Times”, explains the challenges faced by people whose jobs have become unnecessary due to changes in the economic landscape.

Thomas Friedman: Author of “Thank You for Being Late” is cited to emphasize the idea that the speed of change is outpacing human adaptability and our ability to respond effectively.

Rebecca Solnit: Author of “Hope in the Dark”, highlights the importance of maintaining hope and understanding broader global contexts.

About James Flaherty
James Flaherty, MCC, is the founder of New Ventures West, co-founder of Integral Leadership LLC, and author of Coaching: Evoking Excellence in Others, widely recognized as a seminal text in coach education and is used internationally in universities and coach training institutions.

James developed New Ventures West’s approach to coaching by integrating recent discoveries in linguistics, developmental psychology, twentieth-century philosophy, and biology into the practical and customized methodology called Integral Coaching®.

He designed the Professional Coaching Course and dozens of other programs. Over the past two decades, he has led coaching and leadership courses involving thousands of people throughout North America, South Africa, Asia, and Europe. He has coached top executives at many Fortune 500 companies and is a highly sought-after speaker at meetings and conferences.

About Adam Klein
Adam is dedicated to creating a more just, sustainable, creative, and loving world. Before joining New Ventures West, he helped create a first-in-class business solution to combat global slavery and relaunch a San Francisco Bay Area center for integral spiritual formation.

Adam has a Master’s degree in Engineering from Santa Clara University. Some time ago he entered the world of Ironman triathlons and ultra-running as a means to further understand the importance of the body and the deep, integral nature of being human.

Adam focuses on integrating NVW’s purpose and bringing it to fruition. He oversees strategy, tech, and the flow of various internal work streams, as well as supporting graduates and ensuring ICF compliance.

He regularly leads the Professional Coaching Course, hosts our orientation events in San Francisco, is the creator and host of the NVW podcast Stepping In, and has his own business coaching leaders and individuals.

About the Stepping In
Stepping In is a podcast of bold inquiry into life’s biggest challenges with one of the world’s oldest and most distinguished coaching schools, New Ventures West.

In a spirit of curiosity, compassion, and honesty, we delve into how Integral Coaching can address some of the most pressing issues we face as individuals, communities, and stewards of our planet.

In the Stepping In Podcast, we explore what it takes to develop the sensitivity and capacity required to live and thrive in an increasingly complex world.

About New Ventures West
From its humble beginnings to one of the top accredited coaching schools in the world, New Ventures West pioneered one of the deepest, most transformative forms of human development available for coaches, leaders, and anyone looking to bring people alive in possibility.

Further Exploration
New Ventures West: https://www.newventureswest.com/
Getting Started with Integral Coaching: https://www.newventureswest.com/get-s…
Free and paid Integral Coaching events: https://www.newventureswest.com/class..

Timestamps
00:51 Introduction and studying the world situation
01:18 Perspective on world events
02:50 Our complex world
04:30 Economic challenges and political responses
06:37 The pace of change
07:58 Impact of information overload
08:55 Information and anxiety
10:40 -Discerning what’s important
11:38 How to study world events
12:33 Avoid speculation.
14:26 Challenging narrow viewpoints
14:42 Handling overwhelm
16:20 Information overload
17:55 Effects on us
18:33 Monitor effects on your nervous system
20:59 Don’t jump to conclusions
22:09 Methods to study events
23:40 Historical and sociological perspectives
25:43 Staying engaged

Walk on the Wild Side by Lou Reed used with permission
License 1504673862 Date 4/30/24
©EMI Blackwood Music Inc OBO Oakfield Music LTD

Responding to Our Times, Part 1