Charlottte Dufour is founder of Narayan, a retreat space which followed years of work in humanitarian aid and international cooperation (LinkedIn, Twitter). She is a nutrition expert, having worked in Afghanistan in the early 2000s on child malnutrition before moving to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (a UN agency), where she specialised in Food Security, Nutrition and Livelihoods. She is also a qualified yoga instructor.
The key theme of our conversation was Charlotte's hard-won perspective that challenges we face are invitations to not look for happiness in the fulfilment of our material desires, but to have the wisdom to find the stillness within. From that deep place we can work on what is very important:the quality of relationship between humans, and between humans and nature.
You'll hear me say a couple of times that the perspective can sound fluffy. But if you read Charlotte's book on her time in Afghanistan, then you would know the tough and grounded experiences from which that perspective has grown.
We recorded the interview in early Sep 2022. Worth knowing that Charlotte and I were at university together, and she introduced me to my late wife in 1999.
Links
Listening Inspires, which Charlotte co-founded, "brings together a rich network of individuals committed to inspiring creative solutions to modern-day challenges through deep listening – to ourselves, each other and Nature."
4SD on engaging thousands with Food Systems Summit Dialogues
Powerful Times interview with David Nabarro
Land of Eternal Hope: Ten Years of Lives Shared in Afghanistan, Charlotte's book which tells the story of her time in the country, and also gives voice to her Afghan friends on their stories.
Polly Higgins' Earth is our Business.
Conscious Food Systems Alliance
The Art of Possibility by Zander and Zander
Timings
0:50 - Q1 What are you doing now? And how did you get there?
10:15 - Q2. What is the future you are trying to create, and why?
18:23 Q3. What are your priorities for the next few years, and why?
28:25 - Q4. If someone was inspired to follow those priorities, what should they do next?
31:39 - Q5. If your younger self was starting their career now, what advice would you give them?
33:04 - Q6. Who would you nominate to answer these questions, because you admire their approach?
33:44 - Q7. Is there anything else important you feel you have to say?
More here.
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Thank you for listening! -- David
