Relevant, Resilient, Regenerative
I’m driven by the deep business design needed in today’s world.
Too many mission-driven organisations
burn out before they break through
or slowly compromise on their mission to stay alive.
I help you design differently;
so you’re relevant for today & tomorrow, resilient to change, and regenerative for the world that sustains us all.
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The biggest barrier to thriving is not being relevant. Relevant for today’s world; for the people we’re trying to reach; for the behaviour & system change needed.
I share practical ways to embed listening & participation, so that you can make sure you’re in tune with the world around you.Listening internally: surfacing misalignment between the mission or goals & how the team actually work
Listening externally: setting up lightweight, ongoing feedback loops with your audiences
Participatory design: ways of involving all stakeholders early, so decisions are shaped with people, not for them
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We all know that the world is increasingly uncertain. That could be anxiety-inducing or an invitation to design for resilience so you bend rather than break.
I help organisations grow resilience by designing for adaptability — from frameworks to team cultures where learning and iteration are the norm.
Decision frameworks: co-designing criteria so teams know what’s “good enough for now, safe enough to try”, giving clarity to the trade-offs
Scenario design: mapping possible futures to prepare for change without losing your mission
Team rituals: embedding learning cycles — retrospectives, feedback, and spaces that build trust and psychological safety so they can experiment without fear
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Businesses that thrive next will be those that restore — creating models that replenish people, planet, and purpose. It’s a shift from sustainability (doing less harm) to regeneration (intentionally nurturing renewal).
Business models: explore circular, distributive, or partnership-based models, including revenue & pricing models, that self-sustain & renew
Ownership & governance: role-play deeper changes towards steward ownership models - this might be in collaboration with those who helped us on our journey at Library of Things
Practices: where team health & vitality are prioritised. Learn from my experience designing practices like rituals of recognition, sabbatical offers, peer reflection, transparent salary-setting, self-led role reviews, as well as healthy leaving journeys
I can help you be:
Seeds I’m sowing
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Seeds I’m sowing *
Projects I love to work on & currently offer
Make sure
it matters
1
We all know that the world is increasingly uncertain. That could be anxiety-inducing or an invitation to design for resilience so you bend rather than break. The first step to doing that is to make sure you’re listening in the right places so you’re as relevant as possible to the right people.
What I offer
Work on your listening muscles with this listening exercise or work with me on a quick relevance check to make sure you’re working on what matters most to the people who matter the most to you.
Make sure
it thrives
2
The funding landscape is harder than ever and relying on grants is a fragile strategy.
Over the last 12 years, I’ve gained deep lived expertise in developing innovative business models with mission-first organisations - from regenerative revenue & pricing, to partnership & participation-based models, as well as steward ownership.
What I offer
Facilitated focused sessions, frameworks, expertise, & momentum to (re)design your business model to help you thrive rather than survive.
Make sure
you thrive
3
I know how hard it is to start, grow and nurture a mission-driven project from my time with Library of Things & beyond.
I often wanted more than a mentor, less than a generic coach; more of a personal cheerleader/ strategic companion who’d experienced the lows of raising aligned capital, the vulnerability of creating a values-led team culture, or successfully avoided burnout by creating healthy ways of working.
What I offer
Part-advisor, part-collaborator; we can design what kind of strategic support you need & have budget for. From dedicated co-work days together to asynchronous support via WhatsApp, we can untangle decisions together for as long or as little as you need.
“It's been SO great working with you.
We've all learned loads from you,
and we’re in such a better place than if you hadn't been able to help us.
Thanks so much for your patience, strategic brain and awesome ability to visualise complex processes.”
Fiona Dear, Restart Project co-director
“Sophia has a real talent for synthesising complex, discursive topics into clear themes and takeaways as well as holding space for everyone, to ensure everyone’s perspectives are valued and heard.”
Charlotte Thorpe, Library of Things Marketing Lead
Some other ways to work with me
On-demand advisory
Want a slice of support?
A sounding board that’s more than just a short phone call.
I keep Thursday afternoons as office hours for just that.
Book a slice of me for up to 90 minutes,
& let me help you with that knotty problem or big idea.
Subsidised pricing for
early stage founders & social enterprises
single slice: £150
4 slices: £550
micro retainer (8 slices over 3 months): £1,000
Focused sessions
Need to get somewhere substantial quickly?
I design and run focused sessions that
surface for you where you need to go, on your
relevance →resilience→regenerative journey.
In just a few targeted sessions, we’ll surface the key questions & potential answers that your challenge or project hinge on - whether that’s looking at your business model, a new service/offering, or ways of working.
Together we unblock the team & unlock decisions.
Let’s get started with a virtual coffee.
Ongoing partner
Want me on your team, without the overhead?
An embedded collaborator on your project, bringing momentum, expertise & frameworks where you need it the most.
Together we can go deeper into the work that’s needed & make the shift that you’re craving. Hands-on support that embeds new ways of working to help you thrive after I’m gone.
I have space for 2 organisations a quarter/season.
Let’s have a virtual coffee first.
Speaking
I love to talk on topics like participatory design, social innovation, the circular economy & regenerative business. As well as the story of Library of Things, from grassroots experiments, to a global movement.
I’ve done this at places like The Design Museum, UN, BBC Radio 4,
as well as at intimate dinners & panels.
Want to talk?
I always love connecting with others. If you’re interested in working with me in any of the above ways, you can book directly with me for a virtual coffee here and I’ll follow up with you ahead of it so we make the most of that time.
If you’d like to message me about anything else, please do contact me via this form and I’ll get back to you.