Going Conscious Nikki Trott

This episode is a recap of four conversations I’ve had with incredible pioneers of finance for people and planet. Impact investing, but not just done the same old way. Each is creating something completely different and truly new. And each is also a person I consider to be very special and am blessed to have as a friend.
 
You’ll just hear a snippet of each conversation, so you can then go and listen to the whole episodes you feel drawn to. Now that we have over 150 episodes, we occasionally make a summary episode to help you navigate the library which still remains highly informative and relevant.
 
In episode #148, Patrick Somerhausen, co-founder and -CEO of Funds for Good, talks about honour loans where they give entrepreneurs in need loans that they only pay back if they can. 92% come back, to go round again to another entrepreneur in need. He also talks about “funds for love” which is a beautiful concept and words you don’t typically hear together in finance! 
 
You’ll hear from Jacqueline van den Ende who, in episode #143, shares how she built Carbon Equity so far, the innovative platform enabling private individuals to invest in breakthrough climate tech. We talk about how to build something that outlives you, a new perspective on money greater than money itself, shared ownership structures, and legacy thinking, as well as getting personal and vulnerable at the end of the episode.
 
Episode #135 with Brenden Keon is close to my heart as Brenden is my partner at our fund Barefoot Ventures, and he shares how his journey from finance to permaculture brought him to designing a new model for finance that can be truly regenerative - that’s when we met a couple of years ago.  We discuss some of the core principles and thinking underpinning our fund. 
 
Finally in episode #129, Monika Vollmer shares how you can develop personally through investing, the challenges of changing rapidly, and how to feel into a company you believe in when investing, with this less tangible side being key to investing as well as the rational and analytical.
 
I loved having all of these conversations, and together they make a rich tapestry of a future of finance that looks very different to the system today. Enjoy!
 
Please let me know in a short review which episode, guest or takeaway grabs your attention, and always feel free to reach out to me on instagram or linkedin with any questions.
 
To listen to the full episodes, search for:
 
#148 From investing to society: Loans of honour with Patrick Somerhausen
#143 From investor to founder: A new perspective on capital with Jacqueline van den Ende
#135 From finance to impact investing: Stewarding regenerative business with Brenden Keon
#129 From business to investing: The personal side of positive impact with Monika Vollmer
 
Discover show notes, book recommendations and more on www.goingconscious.com.
 
Connect with Nikki:
Instagram & LinkedIn @nikkitrott
www.consciousaccelerator.com
 

Anne is a pioneer of the regenerative movement in the Netherlands. In March 2024 she moved to the 45 hectare Lenteland regenerative community farm in Lochem, having started Bodemzicht farm and foundation with her partner in Malden in 2019. She’s a founding farmer of the European Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture (EARA) and previously worked on the relationship between humans and the rest of life at Artis Royal zoo and co-founded the Embassy of the North Sea in Amsterdam.
 
In this episode we talk about combining art and nature in culture, how to move beyond the dichotomy of ‘nature’ and humanity, how to find radical clarity with your statement of purpose (in 3 steps), the benefits of reconnecting with the seasons and cycles of life, and how to become native again as the deeply interconnected beings that we are.
 
Discover all episodes and more on www.goingconscious.com.
 
Connect with Anne:
LinkedIn Anne van Leeuwen
 
Connect with Nikki:
Instagram & LinkedIn @nikkitrott
www.consciousaccelerator.com
 

In this special episode, Nikki shares her insights on the main five themes she’s learned from over a hundred interviews for Going Conscious. What a milestone! She couldn’t have done it without all of you listeners, and extends her gratitude to each and every one of you.
 
Listen carefully as she tells a secret!
 
Discover all episodes and more on www.goingconscious.com.
 
Connect with Nikki:
Instagram & LinkedIn @nikkitrott
www.consciousaccelerator.com
 

In this special episode we bring you a guided meditation to help you to connect with your true self and create your most fully expressed life.Connect with and embody your radical authenticity, enabling you to live as the most genuine version of yourself.
 
This is a profound journey of alignment. Embracing your authenticity means you can align with the most fulfilled version of yourself, as well as with your highest skills and gifts. Being truly authentic, firstly with yourself, can feel like a brave leap into the unknown or away from a pack. And it is for the brave. But it is a journey that promises freedom, happiness, and connection will fill your life. 
 
I invite you to listen to this meditation every day and notice how your life starts to change.
 
This meditation is set to music using Alpha waves to help you enter a deeper meditative state, bringing you calm, mind-body integration and learning.
 
Discover podcast notes, all episodes, book recommendations and more on www.goingconscious.com.
 
Connect with Nikki:
Instagram @nikkitrott
www.nikkitrott.com

Patrick is Co-founder and Co-CEO of Funds For Good which has €600 million under management and donates half of its profits and at least 10% of its income to societal impact, helping people in precarious employment to create their own jobs and supporting entrepreneurs whose primary aim is to help solve society's problems. As you’ll hear, I’m a real fan of their innovative and highly impactful model.
 
In this episode we talk about how to approach wanting to do something more useful, where entrepreneurship and finance meet, funnelling money towards people in precarious situations, loans of honour, why size matters, micro finance as a tool to fight poverty, funding the agriculture transition, radical collaboration and business with love.
 
Discover all episodes and more on www.goingconscious.com.
 
Connect with Patrick:
LinkedIn Patrick Somerhausen
 
Connect with Nikki:
Instagram & LinkedIn @nikkitrott
www.consciousaccelerator.com
 

Caterina is an ESG and Sustainability advisor with focus on the luxury and fashion industries. Her clients include Maison Alaïa, Chloé and Aspesi, and she supported Chloé’s journey to become the first luxury brand certified as a B-corp. She also advises several United Nations initiatives and is a social entrepreneur herself as the Founder of SeeMe, a pioneer ethical jewellery brand whose heart shaped jewellery is handcrafted by women survivors of violence. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of World Fair Trade Organisation, a seasoned speaker and a Guest Lecturer at SDA Bocconi on the MA Luxury Business Management course.
 
In this episode we talk about the moment of collective awareness in Paris that spurred her into social enterprise, why the human aspect of fashion’s responsibility is undermined, how we can bring our infinite growth economy to positive impact, what social procurement is and why it’s the new attitude that can really change lives, and how to understand the waves of every decision you make.
 
Discover all episodes and more on www.goingconscious.com.
 
Connect with Caterina:
Instagram @caterina_occhio
LinkedIn Caterina Occhio
 
Connect with Nikki:
Instagram & LinkedIn @nikkitrott
www.consciousaccelerator.com