Approaching Societal Transformation Holistically

Environmental advocate, academic, educator and researcher Audrey Ingólfsdóttir (MALD 99) admits she's not discovering new technologies, passing legislation, or reshaping big corporations. She is, however, making an outsized impact through Transformia, the business she founded in 2019 that is centered on transformational thinking about social responsibility, sustainability practices and self-empowerment.

Transformia reaches individuals, groups, businesses and organizations with education and guidance about facilitating personal and social transformation. For Ingólfsdóttir, this approach is essential to addressing large, complex issues such as climate change and others that are facing our collective world.

She also believes that it's important to attend to the basic needs of rest, play and nourishing intimate relationships in order to have the stamina to work on complex issues that require a long-term vision. As such, self-care is an essential element of Transformia's holistic transformative process.

Ingólfsdóttir's path to Transformia was influenced by her time in war-torn Sri Lanka, when she lost faith in humanity's ability to deal with its most pressing problems. The trauma of that experience ultimately led to her earning a PhD in international relations and gender studies, a joint degree from the University of Iceland and University of Lapland, where a concentration in feminist studies offered a version of the world with greater balance and refreshed her passion for ecological development and sustainability.

Of her earlier time at Fletcher, she says it initially helped her find work in her field of interest; in the long term, it shaped her way of thinking and gave her tools she has used in both private and professional settings. "Training in conflict resolution, in particular, has been valuable later in life when I have often found myself in leadership positions," she said, pointed to her board chair role at the Vatnajökull National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage site), her previous role as the dean of the social science department at Bifröst University and her current position as the vice chair of the board of that same university.

As a leader and environmental advocate, Ingólfsdóttir understands the pessimistic attitude underscoring our growing ecological crises, but believes fear and guilt alone are not proper motivators for change. "We need to wake up and understand the depth of our crisis but at the same time we need to have hope and faith that we can find solutions."

Read more about Fletcher's MALD degree program.