Our Story

At the age of 15, I became aware of the state of the world, and my initial shock, anger, and despair drove me to pursue a relentless quest for positive change. This led me to become an activist, work with international NGOs, and volunteer for over 10 years to empower young people to become active citizens. I studied International Affairs to better understand the world and how to change it. However, I eventually realised that the problem was not just about raising awareness or having diverse voices heard; our systems are broken. Indeed, they are creating results, such as climate change, that the vast majority of us does not want, and our existing approaches have fallen short of addressing these complex social and environmental challenges. In response, I co-founded collaboratio helvetica in 2017, an initiative to catalyse systems change towards the SDGs in Switzerland. I continued to learn about systems transformation through trainings, co-initiating social innovation labs, and a Master's in Social Innovation at the University of Cambridge.

Over the years, I struggled to cope with the largely unchanged state of the world and the challenges of this work - my health took a toll. I was officially diagnosed with burnout and chronic depression in 2022 - I had been depressed, albeit 'high functioning', for at least five years. It’s no secret that increasing numbers of people are burning out, struggle with anxiety and other forms of dis-ease. These numbers are even higher amongst people who care about the state of the world and seek to contribute to positive transformation.

I was lucky to discover art-based practices, such as conscious movement (5 Rhythms and open floor dancing), social poetry (with the Presencing Institute), art and music therapy, and more. These practices enabled me to regain my sense of hope, creativity, and connection to myself and others.

I created the well as a change atelier to make these art-based practices accessible to more people, with the hope of supporting them in living a healthier, more connected, and creative life. We cannot pour from an empty cup, and to create a better tomorrow, we must nurture our own wellbeing. It has been a great source of joy and inspiration to see this idea resonated with talented art therapists and facilitators, who have come on board to co-create this initiative further. We really hope that the offerings of the well will add value to the life of many, and cannot wait to connect with you!