Rae Sikora, Co-Founder of the Institute for Humane Education, reflects on more than four decades of humane education rooted in compassion for all life. At the heart of the episode is her practice of meeting harm, resistance, and disagreement with love as her most powerful inclination and strategy. The result is a deeply personal and useful episode about how humane education can keep people’s “heart door” open while still asking them to examine the impact of their choices.

Follow Rae Sikora:

Website: www.plantpeacedaily.org

Follow the Institute for Humane Education for updates, episode releases, and resources:

Website: https://www.humaneeducation.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe.weil

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About the Podcast Solutionary Voices is a podcast hosted by Zoe Weil and produced by the Institute for Humane Education. Each episode highlights individuals who are working on the forefront of building a more humane, just, and healthy world for all people, animals, and the ecosystems that sustain life.

Episodes:

• Bring solutionary thinkers to a wide audience

• Offer ideas for solving the problems we face in a range of arenas

• Provide actionable ideas

• Turn values into measurable impact

Navin Amarasuriya, CEO of the Contentment Foundation, explores what it means to educate for agency, attention, compassion, and contentment in a time shaped by persuasive technologies and accelerating change. Nav connects his own path from a family business to contemplative practice and service with a broader question about what schools can cultivate beyond academic performance. He emphasizes that educator wellbeing is not a side issue, but a foundational necessity for the children they teach. Navin’s perspective invites a deeper view of education as a place where inner development, systems awareness, and human flourishing meet.

Follow Nav:

Website: https://contentment.org

Instagram: https://www.linkedin.com/in/navin-amarasuriya-b4496211a/

Follow the Institute for Humane Education for updates, episode releases, and resources:

Website: https://www.humaneeducation.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe.weil

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/zoeweil

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zoeweilauthor

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zoeweil

About the Podcast Solutionary Voices is a podcast hosted by Zoe Weil and produced by the Institute for Humane Education. Each episode highlights individuals who are working on the forefront of building a more humane, just, and healthy world for all people, animals, and the ecosystems that sustain life.

Episodes:

• Bring solutionary thinkers to a wide audience

• Offer ideas for solving the problems we face in a range of arenas

• Provide actionable ideas

• Turn values into measurable impact

Shariff Abdullah, author of Creating a World That Works for All and founder of the Commonway Institute, frames his life’s work around a deceptively simple question: how do we create a world that works for all living beings? He connects that question to a shift in consciousness, moving from separateness toward a recognition of interdependence. Shariff emphasizes that inclusivity is not about liking everyone or agreeing with them, but about recognizing shared belonging and acting from that recognition. The episode moves through his upbringing in Camden, NJ, his framework of Keepers, Breakers, and Minders, and the practical challenge of living in accordance with one’s deepest values. Shariff does not offer a simple policy solution. Rather, he asks what kind of consciousness, behaviors, and sense of responsibility would be required to build institutions that serve life, arguing that transformation begins with how people relate to what they do not like, do not understand, or would rather ignore.

Follow Shariff Abdullah: Website:

https://www.commonway.org

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shariff-abdullah-2a551714/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base%3BowvfKDX6R2i75sURrSz%2Bxg%3D%3D

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shariff.abdullahJD

Follow the Institute for Humane Education for updates, episode releases, and resources: Website: https://www.humaneeducation.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe.weil

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/zoeweil Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zoeweilauthor

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zoeweil

About the Podcast Solutionary Voices is a podcast hosted by Zoe Weil and produced by the Institute for Humane Education. Each episode highlights individuals who are working on the forefront of building a more humane, just, and healthy world for all people, animals, and the ecosystems that sustain life. Episodes:

• Bring solutionary thinkers to a wide audience

• Offer ideas for solving the problems we face in a range of arenas

• Provide actionable ideas

• Turn values into measurable impact