The Dignity of Generous and Authentic Giving E14
Dr. Valerie Nkamgang Bemo, Deputy Director at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation says: “Give aid while recognizing the dignity of the people receiving aid.” How do we honor dignity, of ourselves and of others? Valerie shares how it all starts with being authentic, sharing from our true selves, without expecting anything in return. And give to others in a way that recognizes that they like to make their own choices.
She also shares how we can learn about Ubuntu (I am because we are) and generosity from the poor. Said Valerie about one person who received a bag of rice and turned around to share it with others: “You cannot be happy and centered if everyone around you is not.” Listen to this episode of Rooted & Unwavering and connect more deeply to your generous self.
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty.
In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Mark Suzman, under the direction of co-chairs Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates and the board of trustees.
Dr. Valerie Nkamgang Bemo is a distinguished leader, motivational speaker, coach and mentor and an internationally recognized expert in global health and humanitarian response. Born and raised in Cameroon, educated in France and Spain, Dr. Bemo has established a strong reputation as a cross-cultural connector and thought leader. Her ideas and reflections are inspired by her multi-cultural lived experiences, a multi-lingual education, and her spirituality. With over 20 years of experience as an international development practitioner, she has worked with communities, governments, local and international organizations to strengthen systems, and empower leaders to create lasting social change.
On behalf of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Dr. Bemo has worked with poor and vulnerable communities across the globe, especially those impacted by natural disasters, disease outbreaks and conflicts. Examples of her work include leading the Foundation’s global humanitarian response program such as Haiti earthquake, West Africa, Ebola outbreak, cyclone Idai in Mozambique, investing in programs to strengthen the capacity of local and regional humanitarian agencies to better respond to emergencies, supporting the design and implementation of sanitation and health programs for Rohyinga refugees in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh and Syrian refugees in Jordanian refugee camps, and co-leading interventions as part of the Foundation’s Africa response to the Covid 19 pandemic.
Throughout her work Dr. Bemo’s approach is grounded in a commitment to and passion for solutions that will shift mindsets and remove institutional and systemic barriers to empower individuals and groups to create locally grown solutions. She brings an abundance of optimism, energy, and authenticity to her work. As a team leader and facilitator, Dr. Bemo cultivates an atmosphere of playful creativity and innovation, a sense of adventure, and collaboration.
Dr. Bemo received her Medical Degree (MD) from the University of Cote d’Ivoire, an Epidemiology Diploma at the University of Paris, and her Master of Public Health (MPH) from Madrid Autonoma University. She is a certified trainer and coach.
About Rooted & Unwavering
Peace, Compassion, Wisdom, Purposefulness, Creativity and Strength come online in us when we deeply connect with the true, unwavering greatness that lives within ourselves and others.
In this podcast and radio show, Hylke Faber, seasoned transformational coach and author of the award-winning Taming Your Crocodiles series, engages in deep inquiry with leaders from all walks of life about courageously connecting with our true selves, others and the world at large.
How do we stay connected to our true selves and our greatness, especially when we are challenged? How do we rest in the heart, also when our mind keeps us restless? What becomes possible when we truly stay committed to our own and others’ best selves, also when we don’t feel it? How do we practice staying connected to our true selves, in the midst of our busy lives?
Join us and leave inspired to act on your heart’s greatness and that of the people around you.
About Our Host
For as long as he can remember Hylke Faber has been curious about what this life is about. His ongoing inquiry has become his work: helping people individually and collectively to discover what is possible in life and express that authentically and fearlessly.
Hylke started his work life with Towers Perrin as consultant and then as Partner with Strategic Decisions Group, serving a wide range of industries, including financial services, manufacturing, consumer electronics and life sciences companies. A major shift occurred during this critical phase of his life. He had become the typical, hard-charging, 16-hours-a-day strategy consultant, and was burning out at a rapid clip.
When he discovered meditation, everything changed. He was so taken by his new discoveries that he chose to bring to business what he was learning: that there is a way we can have it all – we can be fulfilled, do work we love, and create extraordinary results with others. He thinks of it as creating a sense of ease in business.
He learned how to coach and facilitate human transformation completing his coaching certification with Newfield Network and by working at Axialent, the culture and leadership company. After a few years, he founded Co-Creation Partners together with other leaders in the field of transformation and personal development. Then he formed Constancee to help people grow by creating the conditions where deep personal, interpersonal and organizational shifts happen routinely.
He leads Growth Leaders Network, the culture and team development consultancy. He has also taught coaching at Columbia Business School Executive Education and has contributed to Harvard Business Review. He is currently teaching a course on Climate Conscious Leadership at Arizona State University. His award-winning book, Taming Your Crocodiles: Unlearn Fear & Become a True Leader, was published by Dover in 2018.
His next book, Taming Your Crocodiles Practices for Leadership Depth, came out in 2020. Besides helping others grow, which he loves, he is a trained opera singer, enjoys hiking and writing, is an avid reader, in particular of biographies, and is always in the process of growing himself. He integrates all of what he learns in his work with executives.
Connect with Hylke on LinkedIn.
About Our Sponsor
Realizing Your Greatness
We are a team of experienced facilitators and coaches dedicated to helping individuals, teams and organizations thrive by helping them recognize their innate greatness and putting it to work.
- Executive Coaching: we work with clients individually to help them connect to their calling and use every challenge as an opportunity to help them grow more into what makes them great.
- Team Performance: we help teams evolve to their next level of excellence, connectedness and impact by working on the root drivers of team performance.
- Culture Development: we help organizations to evolve their culture by creating clarity about where they aspire to go, and by building role models, coaches and systems that catalyze people being energized to work the new way.
- Key Notes: we deliver powerful speeches at conferences and other events that help audiences become energized, more connected to themselves and each other, more open to discovery and ready to commit to the next stage of learning in their career and life journeys.
Growth Leaders Network (GLN) serves Fortune 500 companies, smaller organizations and non-profits globally.
GLN clients report that we catalyze significant business transformational impact and profound shifts in people, team and organizations at the root cause level.
Learn more about the Growth Leaders network here.
