Help Good People Do Great Things
Some time ago I wanted to share with the world some stories that have occurred in my life throughout these 24 years of adventure, sacrifice, and learning.
That is why I have decided to start a journey with you in which I will write weekly life stories of people who try to change the world by doing incredible things. Accompanied with some anecdotes that I have gathered during these last six years of work in journalistic, communication, and social initiatives in Cartagena, Colombia, hand in hand with some of the most influential people in journalism and communication in Colombia and the world.
IceBeerg
Undoubtedly one of the moments that has most impacted my work and personal life was linked to an unusual encounter with who would be my employer and later my mentor.
About a year ago, before the world entered a new episode of collective madness with the appearance of Covid-19, I had scheduled a job interview with Rainbow Nelson, a prolific British writer based in Colombia for more than 15 years. The vacancy available in his company, This Is Travel, one of the most important companies in the world of tourism in Cartagena and Colombia, was as editorial assistant.
I remember if memory serves me correctly, that we met at Café Serano, located in the heart of the walled city in Cartagena. It was 9 in the morning and, the heat mixed with the nerves caused me to do the unexpected: Wait for Rainbow, who had decided to interview me personally, with a beer in hand.
Who in their right mind would have a beer before a job interview? Simple, to me.
Rainbow’s surprised face when entering the revolving door of the place accompanies me to this day. Beer at this time? An interesting choice was his words. I was petrified. Almost as cold as the beer I had started a few minutes ago. In that instant, I believed that I had discarded any chance of hiring. However, after chatting for about half an hour about the work I had been developing in my local journalism project Cuatro Palabras, everything became easier to digest.
Within a week of that meeting, I was getting ready to start an editorial assistant induction for someone who has written for media such as Wallpaper*, The Wall Street Journal, Vice, among other giants in the communications industry. The dream had come true.
What would happen next with my job at This is Travel is another story that the pandemic stole months from, but I will find the right place and time to write about it.
From my talk with Rainbow, I remember the conviction of his leitmotif: We want to help good people do great things. Those words were undoubtedly momentous for me.
What means Help Good People Do Great Things?
I have always been linked to processes that bet on the transformation of our square meter through citizen actions and initiatives. So those words penetrated very deeply and they remain there until the sun today.
Help Good People Do Great Things, implies questioning about motivations, about what encourages us to walk according to dreams. It also implies giving up harmful privileges to fulfill this purpose.
That is why now, almost a year after that episode that opened a new stage in my life, I have joined forces once again with Rainbow to explore various alternatives that generate well-being through sustainable business models and new ways to understand the world and the challenges we face today.
New Horizons
A few months ago we started A B I T A T. digital, a digital agency where we help outstanding and full-blown B-corps and forward-thinking governments to develop healthy online communities.
In parallel, we have been building A B I T A T, a laboratory-based in Cartagena where we create and support healthy environments where different species can find food, shelter, protection, and mating through a universe of products and services that connects individuals and settings in a symbiotic relationship, that protect natural biodiversity and promote regenerative tourism.
This is how we decided to embark on the Roca Verde adventure, a healthy Colombian retreat to learn to live better with nature. A special space where artists, environmentalists, architects, agronomists, cooks, designers, engineers, teachers, scientists, students, and creatives collaborate to build a healthier way of life.
Incredible people have appeared along the way with whom we are excited to work on transforming the world through purposeful communications. That purpose is none other than Help Good People Do Great Things to save the world.
