Dan and Anacelle share their experiences with INSEAD students who have the desire to become social entrepreneursBig dreams seem impossible until they are achieved. Stories of others striving to change the world help bridge the gap between the seemingly impossible and the actionable. Stories touch the heart and inspire others to act.

In October, my wife Anacelle and I were inspired by the stories of changemakers.

Stories of future entrepreneurs

At INSEAD France, we met students willing to take the “road less traveled” of social entrepreneurship versus the security of a typical post-MBA job. One story that inspired us was the business idea of bringing fast and reliable emergency healthcare services in Africa using an app that connects motorbike ambulances.

Identifying causes of business problems and using stories to propose solutions

In Kenya, Anacelle was part of the coaching panel for the Great Minds Challenge. The program gathered business leaders from various sectors like the flower industry, technology, law, transportation etc. Each participant identified the root cause of their organizational problems. She helped coach on establishing attainable action plans using impact frameworks and visualization storytelling. 

Stories of impact plans

In the Netherlands, we guided group discussions and mentored others towards their sustainability path at the Nudge Global Impact Challenge, an eight-month program on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

We heard stories from young sustainability champions from Heineken Mexico, Danone Indonesia, Philips Canada, BMW Germany, Engie Belgium, etc. One participant from Brazil shared her story of Heineken turning unrecyclable bottles into sand for construction projects.

Sharing our story to a global audience

Anacelle shared PeoplePods’ vision of empowering women at the bottom of the pyramid through sustainable co-living communities. She is one of the first Filipinos to be given the opportunity to be a TEDx speaker in Europe.

In the same way that the story of others inspired us, we hope our story can inspire others.

In the month of October, we learned that stories are powerful. They inspire others to become the change they wish to see in the world. If you are making a positive change, share it with people around you. Your example may inspire other changemakers. (Story/Photos by: Dan Lopez Layug)