Hope and Humility in Metamorphic Times: Curtis Ogden on Energy Systems, Indigenous Wisdom, System Change, and the Power of Tapping into Compassion, Care, and Love to Regenerate

We Are Untold Stories

The thoughtful and relentlessly wise strategic network thinker, Curtis Ogden, shares his journey into systemic change work. He emphasizes the importance of facilitative leadership and the skills needed to navigate societal fractures. Curtis also delves into the significance of creating safe spaces for collaboration, understanding systems, and the power of narrative in shaping our experiences.

He emphasizes the need for co-regulation in interactions and recognizing diversity while finding common ground. He also invites listeners to explore what they may not see and approach challenges with hope and humility.

In this conversation, Curtis and Elizabeth explore society's intricate power, privilege, and accountability dynamics. They delve into the concept of energy system science, discussing how energy flows impact various systems, including communities and ecosystems. The importance of compassion in leadership, the role of fear in decision-making, Indigenous wisdom, and the significance of collective memory are highlighted as essential elements in fostering human connection.

The dialogue underscores the necessity of nurturing "endangered experiences" and the importance of open conversations in a diverse world. Ultimately, the conversation calls for tapping into care, love, and gratitude as foundational elements for a more harmonious existence.

To learn more about Curtis and connect:

Curtis Ogden was raised in a multi-racial community in Flint, Michigan and educated in the public school system there, all of which served as a foundation for early learning around dynamics of race and class and also a love for people of different ethnic and cultural identities. He also spent many summers visiting with maternal and paternal grandparents in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, and fell in love with that land and waterscape, which helped him to develop a deep appreciation of the more-than-human realm. His parents were both educators and people of faith who worked on issues of educational equity and international understanding. For almost 20 years, Curtis has been a Senior Associate with the Interaction Institute for Social Change.

Curtis is a network weaver-facilitator-trainer, leadership coach, organizational development and systems change consultant, and co-creator of the field of “energy systems science and practice” in support of resilient and regenerative communities. He provides collaborative network building support to initiatives focused on racial/socio-economic equity and sustainability in food systems, public health, education and economic vitality. He also offers capacity building services focused on leadership and organizational development, multi-interestholder and public engagement; network building; process design and complex facilitation.

For over 12 years, he has helped to steward Food Solutions New England, a regional six-state network dedicated to advancing just, sustainable and democratic food systems. Curtis has also helped lead a variety of equity initiatives, including supporting the Voice, Choice and Action gathering of the Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Network; the Center for a Livable Future’s Community of Learning and Practice on economic justice and racial equity for the Food Policy Council Network; the Wallace Center’s Food Systems Leadership Network, dedicated to advancing community food sovereignty, self-determination and solidarity. He also serves on the advisory council of Beautiful Ventures, a narrative change social enterprise that influences popular culture by elevating perceptions of Black humanity; FLOW, which seeks to safeguard the Great Lakes (the planet’s largest freshwater lake system), by advancing public trust solutions and cutting-edge policy work; Rural Communities Rising, which seeks to connect residents in Western Fresno County in order to organize, build community power, and secure health, well-being and economic benefits, and the Connecticut River Watershed Partnership, a network of public and private partners dedicated to conserving, restoring and responsibly stewarding the lands and waters of the Watershed.

Curtis has an undergraduate degree in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Michigan and a Master’s of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School. He lives in Connecticut River Watershed in western Massachusetts with his wife, three teenage daughters, and a flock of laying hens.

Curtis' reflections from the Voice, Choice, and Action II Gathering

+ Post-Gathering Commitments:

❤️ Expand the teachings, rather than simply repeating what and how they were given to us.

❤️ Protect and nurture endangered experiences, beyond endangered species.

❤️ Listen to the human and non-human elders.

❤️ Leverage collective power; row together.

❤️ Be accountable for impact.

❤️ Make room for wholeness.

❤️ Bring gifts and gratitude.

❤️ Lead with gentleness.

❤️ Practice forgiveness.

❤️ Remember to rest.

For more information, see this recently published article on the gathering and visit the website for the VCA Framework

We hope you enjoy the conversation!