We only have one life and deciding very consciously to dedicate your life to one purpose speaks of clarity, passion and perseverance, not to say love. Claudia Pedra, the Managing Partner at Stone Soup Consulting, a socially driven international consultancy that works to strengthen organizations that are seeking to increase their social impact through system change.

“When you work on system change in a systemic way you will have much higher impact because you’ll see changes in mentalities” – Claudia Pedra

Claudia has worked in over 120 projects as a strategic consultant for social innovation in Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa. In areas such as children at risk, vulnerable populations, migrants or the elderly. 

In this conversation, Claudia will talk about the importance of small scale solutions for the help for their communities but she will defend the value of working on the systemic thinking, a way to really change minds and not find the same problems coming up and up after years. In essence, the interview underscores the power of coherency, urging individuals and organizations of social services to align their actions with ethical principles and contribute to a transformative impact.

You will hear about:

00:02:42 – Early Passion and Commitment: Claudia Pedra’s social impact journey began early, inspired by a deep concern for exclusion. Immersed in volunteer work at 14 for organizations like Amnesty International and Greenpeace, Claudia later worked with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration. In 2008, recognizing the need for sustainable organizational development, she co-founded Stone Soup Consulting.

00:07:00 – Stone Soup’s Global Impact: Now 15 years old, Stone Soup Consulting, with over 70 consultants spanning continents, emphasizes a co-creative approach. Customizing solutions for diverse organizations globally, the consultancy has undertaken 350 projects across 61 countries, catalyzing positive change in environmental, social, and cultural spheres. Claudia shares a powerful example from Guinea-Bissau, where Stone Soup’s efforts averted starvation.

00:10:24 – Learning, Diversity, and Optimism: Reflecting on Stone Soup’s journey, Claudia highlights the consultancy’s significant learning curve and the importance of active listening. She celebrates the success of building a diverse consultant community and stresses the value of integrating fresh perspectives. Despite witnessing human rights violations, Claudia remains an eternal optimist, inspired by daily examples of positive global impact.

00:20:19 – Global Initiatives and Shifting Trends: Discussing diverse global approaches, Claudia notes the spread of impactful initiatives across Latin America, Russia, Asia, and Africa. Distinct characteristics, like Africa’s focus on grassroots movements, signal a shift in trends with emerging funds globally, fostering a positive outlook.

00:24:31 – Co-Creation Empowering Communities: The interview explores Stone Soup’s co-creation process, exemplified in Guinea Bissau. Simplifying a complex local development method, consultants empowered communities to implement 500 projects, addressing water access and food security. The conversation expands to dismantling hierarchical structures, advocating for individual uniqueness, and fostering human rights perspectives daily.