291 - Simon Mont, Part 1 - How Do We Build the World Our Hearts Know Is Possible?

Jul 8

“Whatever you're ultimately concerned with is, definitionally, your God. That's what it means. That's what the word God is, right? God comes from the German, that which you invoke. It's what you're invoking in every moment.” - Simon Mont

This episode is a welcome balm for every point along our effed-up timeline. So, apply its lessons liberally and repeat often.

Now, I can’t promise that a chat with Simon Mont will soothe away the complexities of our current socio-political environment. But, it can reconnect us to the big feelings and deep thoughts that we often abandoned in favor of surviving these "unprecedented times.”

Profound, right? Maybe even a little scary. Fear not! There’s plenty of lightness, humor, and wisdom ahead. But first, an introduction. Simon is co-founder of Harmonize, the consulting firm that helps groups bridge the gap between values, vision, and impact. “I help people solve problems,” says Simon matter-of-factly.

Side note: If you haven’t queued up my conversations with Simon’s business partner Tamila Gresham, do so now!

“I'm really interested in this puzzle of organizational development,” he continues. “So, when we get together as a group of people to make an impact on the world, how do we actually take collective action to build the world that our hearts know is possible?”

Before answering, Simon poses a few additional questions. “How do we work with all of the different layers of our personal histories and psychologies, traumas, and bodies to pull that off?” Simon asks. “How do we form good relationships? How do we build strong organizations that can create the systems, ideologies, and worlds that we know we deserve?”

The short answer is we must allow outdated systems, methods, and modes to collapse. The debris will fertilize our souls and clear the way for something new to bloom. “I do think the lived experience of that happening (the collapse) in an unavoidable way is really important because as we have more of them,” Simon explains, “we get a little bit better at inviting them.”

Expanding our collective consciousness means building our capacity to compost the old and nurture the new. We have to get familiar, if not comfortable, with this practice.

Simon agrees. “When all the context shatters, “there's something else that's like, oh, I know how to go toward my sense of the good.”

Tune in to Part 2 of my conversation with Simon.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Charlie Parker

Consciousness Academy

Indiana Jones and the Temple Of Doom

Internal Family Systems

Paul Tillich

Dynamics of Faith

RECOMMENDED EPISODES

Tamila Gresham, Part 1 - Therapy is Political: Learning the Actions to Go With the Activation

Tamila Gresham, Part 2 - Engaging a Framework of Power, Belonging and Justice

Deborah Ooten - How to Make Sense of These Tenuous Times Using the Enneagram and Spiral Dynamics

Khaled ElSherbini - How a Scientist Interprets Ancient Wisdom Traditions for a Modern Audience

Mishara Winston - A Model for Communal Mental Wellness

Sarah Suzuki - You’re Not a Damaged Product

GUEST CONTACT & BIO

Harmonize Consulting

Instagram

Simon Mont is a lifelong learner, doing his best to remember and respect the sacredness of the world, and help others do the same. When he's not helping to keep the movement moving by supporting organizations to bridge the gap between values, vision, and impact with Harmonize Consulting, you can find him writing poetry, making music, building furniture, or playing whatever sport someone invites him to.

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