Operating from the Inside Out

Operating From The Inside Out is Episode 11 of The Mindful Living Show and I talk to Gary Shearer, CEO of The Saville Foundation, a philanthropic family foundation whose mantra is to educate, enable and nurture. The Saville Foundation is re-imagining philanthropy and supporting change makers in projects across the world.

The foundation is working in initiatives that address some of the deep challenges in the world of education and business. As Gary explains, there is a powerful thread that runs through all of the projects work from the inside out, helping human beings become so much more than they are.

As I talk with Gary it’s clear that the most successful projects and those seeking investment in their ideas, are the ones that put true investment in the development of people at the core, rather than simply focusing on the financial balance sheet.

We can learn so much from this ethos, about mindful philanthropy and entrepreneurial investment.

As The Saville Foundation describe, “One thing we can all be sure of. We are living in extremely challenging times! Question is, do we realise we are now at a crossroad? In need of something new? Perhaps a change in in the way humanity operates?

We certainly believe this is the case. And to address this need, The Saville Foundation is well into its second decade of searching for and supporting initiatives that can substantially alter the outdated paradigms currently in existence within society.

Using education as a core focus, our aim is to support the enablement of individuals across the spectrum – as well as actively encourage the shifts required within development and philanthropy to meet this critical element of any chance of a better future.

To do so, we connect with and pay attention to the insights of practitioners who engage closely with the individuals and challenges on the ground, always without our own lenses or objectives driving the engagements.

Importantly, we form strategic partnerships with these practitioners for meaningful lengths of time to help ensure their success and impact.

The bottom line is that it’s not going to be about technology or AI, terms like scale or systems change – or even cleverly crafted financial mechanisms like social impact investments – that are going to solve societies most pressing challenges.

What it’s actually all about is meeting people where they’re at, and developing their sense of Self and their will to act and respond positively to life’s challenges, in order for them each to be uniquely successful in their respective lives.”

You can also listen to this interview on my podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.