Build a Better Normal
Courage +
Connection +
Growth
At Build a Better Normal, we’re passionate about creating positive change in the world.
We’re building a community of like-minded individuals who want to make a difference – providing the support and resources to feel more connected, grow and build courage to take action.
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Join us in our mission to create a more just and equitable future, one action at a time.
Our Story
Through years of inquiry, experiments and observations, as two professionals working with interesting organisations and leaders, we have gained deeper insights and broadened our perspectives on what it means to live a meaningful life.
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A ‘perfect storm’ of shared exploration, participation in a purpose-driven leadership conference, and a groundswell of friends and family who always inspire us to be better humans, led to a meeting of two like-minds. Our “lucky” chance to collaborate arose when years of preparation met with opportunity.
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As rapidly forming friends and intellectual allies, we thought we were setting out to help others with a desire to make a difference, find easier ways to act more sustainably. But. . .
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. . . we soon discovered that there was something bigger.
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As we delved deeper, instead of simply finding answers to our existing questions, we found even more interesting questions. Questions like “why do we feel so compelled to build a better normal?” How did we even get to this point in society where some of our shared values (link) were not the normal?
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These richer questions brought with them a realisation that what we are creating is more than just an ‘inspiration and improvement’ blog (though there is plenty of that); it is also a search for answers as to why that beating drum inside nearly all of us, rhythmically asking us to do more to help others and the world around us, often goes ignored…and how can we support individuals to realise their potential, and bring them together for the greater good?
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We have experienced the power of creative pairs, achieving far more together than we could alone. We’re also intensely aware of the power of community, and what can be achieved by the collective, by a tribe of people with shared beliefs and values.
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We have come to know the value of connection. Deep connection with ourselves, others, and nature is where we find meaning. It is where the whole adds up to more than the sum of its’ parts to accomplish great things. It’s often said, “it takes a village to raise a child” and we believe this to be true.
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But the need for this village, for a sense of community, doesn’t end as we enter adulthood. Our deep-seated desire to “find our tribe”, to belong, remains strong. When we ignore this desire, we find ourselves suffering deeply. We may not recognise loneliness as the cause of our distress at first – we may be surrounded by people…but feel utterly alone.
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Our aim is to create a community of belonging, based on a foundation of shared values, to build a better normal – for ourselves, the planet, current and future generations.
Our Mission
To help humanity thrive by making
positive change tangible.
Our Team
Melissa
I'm a lifelong learner who's endlessly curious about what 'makes people tick' - how can we better understand the way we think, work, and live? How can we transform the way we show up in the world, to be gentler to ourselves, others, and the environment. . . and encourage businesses and organisations to do the same?
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My slightly unconventional career journey has enhanced my strategic thinking skills and ability to 'connect the dots' between seemingly unrelated things, to find novel solutions.
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I'm dedicated to helping big-hearted people and organisations cultivate courage, creativity and purpose, through simplification and focussing on what matters, to make their unique mark on the world. . . and collectively Build a Better Normal.
Mark
I work with teams and leaders to improve themselves and the organisations they represent. I've been kilometres underground in the Australian desert, to the back block manufacturing districts in Eastern Hungary, to the boardrooms of Sydney.
With great appreciation (albeit sometimes in retrospect), I have met and worked with some amazing people who were making a difference. . . but I've met far more who didn't know how to start.
Build a Better Normal is the ignition point of a working life being fascinated by what makes great organisations and institutions. . . and a personal life which now demands they do better.
Courage +
Connection +
Growth
You're in the right place if you...
Find yourself asking. . . why is this normal?
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Think to yourself. . . there must be more to life than this?
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Know, deep down, you have so much more to give the world?
We believe the key to real impact lies at the nexus of personal discovery and societal change.
We can create a brighter future together by discovering our unique strengths and talents and leveraging innovations.