A conversation with Merlina Missimer on Formal Education for Social Transformation

In this episode, I get to talk to my former "teacher" Merlina Missimer, co-director of the Master's in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability (MSLS) program in Karlskrona, Sweden, and a researcher with nearly 20 years of experience in sustainability leadership and social sustainability. We explore what makes a sustainability leader, why formal in-person education still matters in a world of online learning, and what the MSLS programme does differently to create truly transformational experiences. We discuss the vital skills sustainability professionals need today, from strategic thinking to social skills to inner development, and why understanding the problem is never enough without the ability to act on it. We also dive into the ongoing debate around sustainability versus regeneration, especially on the social side, and why defining what a healthy social system looks like (or not) is both possible within context and urgently needed. A key theme throughout is that you do not need a formal title or a senior position to be a sustainability leader, but you do need allies and a community to sustain the work. This episode is for anyone who cares about driving change, whether you are considering formal sustainability education, already working in the field and feeling isolated, or simply wondering what skills to build. The core lesson is that sustainability leadership is about agency, collaboration, and the courage to work within systems while creatively pushing their boundaries. If you take one thing away, let it be this: never do it alone. 💡 HIGHLIGHTS of this Episode ✨ No official "role title" is needed to be a leader in sustainability ✨ In-person learning builds what online never can ✨ Strategic and social skills beat technical knowledge ✨ Inner work keeps change agents from burning out ✨ An unsexy but practical definition of social sustainability 👋 ABOUT Merlina Missimer (she/her) Merlina's work focuses on research and education in sustainability with 15+ years of experience in the field. She is the Director for the Master's in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability and has worked with the programme for nearly 20 years. Merlina enjoys sharing her own learning and understanding of sustainability with others, as well as creating learning environments that allow people from diverse backgrounds to quickly grasp essential concepts and work with them on a deep, transformational level. 🔗 CONNECT & follow Merlina's work 👉 LinkedIn 👉 Instagram 👉 MSLS Programme (Applications open! 📮) 👉 Department of Strategic Sustainable Development 💌 CONNECT & engage with Pia Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn to follow and support each other’s work. 🤗 If you consider yourself an #impactjobseeker or aspiring #impactpreneur at the beginning of your journey, jump on my Newsletter “Impact Insights” where I regularly share tools and best practices from my work as a sustainability consultant and system change facilitator. 🤓 For daily insights “behind the scenes” and event updates, join the extended community on the @work.with.impact Instagram account. 🧐💓 👉 If you want to work with me, reach out to me via my website: impacthills.com 🤗 Take care of yourself and others! Pia 🤍 P.S. You can also watch this Episode on our YouTube Channel to see our faces 👋 🙂 #sustainability #regeneration #leadership #socialsustainability #systemsthinking #changemakers #education #innerdevelopment #climateaction #sustainabilitycareers #impact #community