Creating a circular future starts with the people behind the mission. Bold Reuse was honored to host a powerful and heartfelt conversation with Billy Afghan, founder and CEO of Genii Earth LLC.

Genii Earth is a coaching and leadership development organization that supports individuals and organizations in accelerating transformative change from within. Together, we explored the essential inner work that fuels lasting, systemic change.

This webinar, “Centered Leadership for Sustainable Change,” reminded us that solving the world’s most pressing challenges doesn’t just require new systems; it requires a new way of being. If you missed it, you can [view the recording here] and catch up with our five biggest takeaways below.

1. Transformational Change Begins with Self-Awareness

Billy opened with a striking reflection: What do people say about you when you’re not in the room, and what do you think they say? This thought exercise helped attendees examine the often-significant gap between self-perception and how we show up in the world. As Billy emphasized, the smaller that gap, the more effective we become as leaders.

Transformation doesn’t begin by changing others; it begins by looking inward, getting honest, and tuning into how our own presence influences those around us. Sustainable leadership starts from the inside out.

2. Sustainability Crises Reflect a Deeper Human Disconnection

Our environmental and social challenges are not just technical, they’re relational. Billy challenged us to consider that the climate crisis is rooted in a deeper crisis of separation: from ourselves, from one another, and from nature.

This “separating social paradigm” underlies much of the dysfunction in our systems. Shifting to a regenerative, interconnected worldview is not optional – it’s essential for real, long-term change. Reconnection is the work.

3. The Inner Development Goals (IDGs) Are a Leadership Roadmap

A highlight of the session was Billy’s introduction to the Inner Development Goals (IDGs): a global open-source framework created by over 1,000 scientists and practitioners. The IDGs outline 23 leadership capabilities across five domains:

• Being - relationship to self (e.g., self-awareness, integrity, presence)

• Thinking - cognitive skills (e.g., complexity awareness, critical thinking)

• Relating - caring for others and the world around you (e.g., empathy, connectedness)

• Collaborating - social skills (e.g., co-creation, inclusion, trust)

• Acting - enabling change (e.g., courage, creativity, perseverance)

These inner capabilities are the foundation for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which serves as a reminder that the way we’re trying to solve the problem is part of the problem. The IDGs give us a new operating system for individuals and organizations alike.

4. Complex Systems Require Relational Thinking

In today’s world, we aren’t managing machines. We’re engaging with living, emergent systems. That means the old paradigm of control, predictability, and linear thinking no longer works. Billy encourages leaders to embrace complexity, uncertainty, and collaboration. In a regenerative world, power is shared, relationships are the currency, and leadership looks less like command-and-control and more like facilitation, curiosity, and co-creation.

5. Conversations Are Your Most Powerful Tool

Billy closed with a practical tool: Conversations for Accomplishment. These are structured, intentional conversations that guide people through a progression starting from relationship and possibility, then moving into action and completion.

Rather than defaulting to “just get it done,” we’re invited to slow down, deepen understanding, and co-design our way forward. It’s not just about communicating; it’s about cultivating a shared reality that allows for courageous, aligned action and celebration too.

Feeling Inspired? We are too.

Bold Reuse and Genii Earth are aligned in the belief that systems change begins with inner change. We’re grateful to Billy Afghan for bringing her wisdom and tools to our community, and we hope you’ll carry these reflections forward in your own leadership journey.

Want to connect further or bring these insights to your organization? Let’s keep the conversation going. You can connect with Billy on LinkedIn or reach out to us at Bold Reuse.

In the meantime, take a deep breath, reconnect with nature, and remember: the most powerful lever for change is who you choose to be.