Discover a new way to see your world through Donella Meadows’ legacy of systems thinking
Are you ready to dance with complex systems – the ones inextricably woven into our everyday lives? Discover what it means to be a systems thinker so you can more effectively engage in your communities, your work, and your future. Inspired by the timeless, ground-breaking work of Donella (Dana) Meadows, this online learning journey is a doorway to a new understanding of the systems that govern our lives, and how to spark deep, sustainable transformation.
The second cohort is launching soon. Let us know you’re interested in joining and you’ll be the first to learn when more information is available and registration is open!
Overview
This immersive learning journey, designed to shift the way you think about our world’s systems, features the inspiring work of Fellow Travelers from across a variety of fields.
Each month a guest speaker who is deepening Dana’s work in practical and uplifting ways, is invited to share their learnings. The following day we meet to collectively unpack and apply core insights to our respective lives, professions, and communities.
Optional Group Coaching sessions are held twice each month to further support participant’s practices and application.
At the end of the learning journey, you’ll have new ways to embed systems thinking into your own personal and professional experience – all while receiving a certification from the Academy for Systems Change.
“What drew me to this course was a growing awareness that the world has paid a heavy price for functioning outside of an ecosystem mindset, often causing harm that is difficult, if not impossible, to reverse. Entering my career as a development diplomat made this interdependence tangible to me: I saw clearly that meaningful progress in one area requires movement elsewhere, and that change cannot be achieved in isolation. This course helped me unlearn deeply ingrained individualistic ways of thinking and instead approach challenges through a truly systemic lens, placing the human back at the center of transformation. I would warmly recommend it to anyone who seeks a career that not only sustains them, but also contributes, here and now, to building a more coherent and humane world.” — Khadija, Development Diplomat
Join leaders in systems thinking for an engaging learning experience:
Live sessions with renowned speakers
Interactive practice and reflection sessions
Optional group coaching
Access to a curated library of resources from the Donella Meadows’ archives
Practical, real-world applications of systems thinking for your chosen area(s) of inquiry
Actionable templates, frameworks, and tools for applying systems thinking
Participant Reflections
”Every minute was a gift to myself, deepening what I know now is a life practice of dancing with systems.” — Jensine, founder Unfurl Futures
“My interest in emerging systems drew me in this course, which shifted my awareness of the sheer number of people that are like minded and have a fundamental interest to develop the vocabulary and perspective to be a human in 2025 and navigating life in the next few decades. Communities like the Donella Meadows project and emerging networks such as this one are of critical importance and valuable to learn from, support and be part of.” — George, Management Consultant
“This is a precious opportunity to meet Dana, her work and her legacy at a deeper more intimate level, and to imagine how she might guide us in our work and our lives today.” — Ilze, Organizational Transformation Facilitator & Integrative Lawyer
Time Commitment
This program is six months long and runs from May through November 2025 with a break in August. Each month includes:
60-minute featured speaker session
60-minute practice & reflection session
Optional 60-minute every-other-week group coaching
Flexible self-paced learning modules
Participants are expected to attend at least five out of six guest speaker sessions and five out of six practice & reflection sessions, participating actively in the course in good faith in order to receive a Certificate of Completion.
Registration Opens Soon
This course is ideal for
Change makers and social innovators
Life-long learners who are “systems curious”
Sustainability professionals
Policy makers and advocates
Business leaders and consultants
Anyone seeking to create change through a systems approach
Interested in joining the next offering? Let us know!
Join Us
This course is ideal for
Change makers and social innovators
Life-long learners who are “systems curious”
Sustainability professionals
Policy makers and advocates
Business leaders and consultants
Anyone seeking to create change through a systems approach
Participation Fees
Organizational/Supporter Rate: $1,600 USD (Early Bird Rate); $1,920 USD (Regular Rate)
Non-profit: $750 USD (Early Bird Rate); $900 USD (Regular Rate)
Individual: $450 USD (Early Bird Rate); $540 USD (Regular Rate)
If you have any questions about these participation fees and/or if these are a barrier to you joining the course, please reach out to marta[at]academyforchange.org
20% of all course fees are dedicated to enhancing and supporting the Donella Meadows archives, ensuring this valuable resource remains easily accessible to the public.
2025 Learning Journey
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With Katy Shields, discover the groundbreaking story behind Donella Meadows seminal work “The Limits to Growth.” Explore fundamental systems concepts that will transform your perspective on the complex challenges we are living through today.
Speaker Session - May 21, 2025
Group practice & reflection session - May 22, 2025
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Dive into Doughnut Economics with renowned author Kate Raworth. Gain systems insights and reimagine how our economies can better fit life on Earth. Learn about the key approaches to economic transformation, guided by a leading thinker in ecological economics.
Speaker Session - June 18, 2025
Group practice & reflection session - June, 19, 2025
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Master the art of dancing with systems by diving into Dana Meadows’ influential framework for systems transformation with Hunter Lovins. Strengthen your strategic orientation by identifying places of power in a system where you can engage for change.
Speaker Session - July 16, 2025
Group practice & reflection session - July, 17, 2025
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With Isabel Carlisle & Bill Baue, explore place-based systems thinking at the regional level. Learn about bioregional approaches and context-based sustainability metrics to support the work being done at the ground-level of your community.
Speaker Session - September 17, 2025
Group practice & reflection session - September, 18, 2025
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With Rob Ricigliano, explore how to bring systems and complexity thinking in an organization and turn it into organizational practice. Reflect on the unmeasurable, subtle shifts in awareness and relational quality that enable the adoption of a system approach with examples from grassroots organizations, philanthropy, and international peace processes.
Speaker Session - October 22, 2025
Group practice & reflection session - October 23, 2025
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Develop a powerful vision for the systems that affect your life and beyond with Hamutal Blanc & Yoav Egozi. Envision desirable futures and nourish a hope-filled orientation – shaping your path forward.
Speaker Session - November 19, 2025
Group practice & reflection session - November, 20, 2025,
Stewards
Marta Ceroni is the co-director of the Academy for Systems Change. A systems thinker and nature’s economist, she is passionate about revealing the profound connections between human wellbeing and Earth’s living systems. Marta holds a doctorate in forest ecology from the University of Parma, Italy and is an affiliate of the Gund Institute for Environment at the University of Vermont, where she taught and did research for over 10 years. In her work she weaves together a systems orientation, embodied approaches, and an experience as an educator, group facilitator, researcher, author, and dancer. Marta is a facilitator of Telling My Story, a Dance for Parkinson’s instructor, and Argentine Tango community teacher.
Carrie Norton is a systems entrepreneur with 20+ years of experience reshaping business for a regenerative future. As Founder of Kaleidoscope Ventures, she provides coaching, consulting, and innovation services inspired by natural ecosystems. Previously, she led Green Business BASE CAMP, supported sustainability entrepreneurs worldwide, and held leadership roles in commercial solar power, working with clients like Google and Sony. Her current projects include the Global Regenerative Finance Initiative, Women in Systems Thinking dialogue series, and the ReDesign podcast. A Founding Board Member of Finpublica and Fellow of both the Aspen Global Leadership Network and the Academy for Systems Change, she holds an MBA from Thunderbird and is committed to transformation and women’s leadership in systemic regeneration.
Ready to Dance with Systems?
Be among the first to know when the next session launches! Send us a note and we’ll add you to the list.
