In our conversation with Dr. Ina Gjikondi, she reflects on the question Christine Merser asks every woman at the end of a Circles of Collaboration interview: if you could share a meal with anyone, living or dead, who would it be? Her answer is Barbara Marx Hubbard, a futurist who once challenged President Eisenhower during the nuclear era with a question that feels just as urgent today. Dr. Gjikondi imagines how Hubbard’s perspective might apply to the age of artificial intelligence and what guidance she could offer on using new power for good.

It is a moment that invites collaboration, echoing the heart of Circles of Collaboration, and challenges us to consider how collective wisdom can guide the way we use emerging technologies to shape a more conscious and connected future.

Dr. Gjikondi is Director of Learning Innovation and Strategic Growth at the Center for Excellence in Public Leadership at George Washington University and founder of the One Humanity Lab.

Visit our website & order your copy of Circles of Collaboration now: https://www.apricitypublishing.com/circles-of-collaboration

Learn more about Dr. Ina Gjikondi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/inagjikondi/

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Christine Merser invites Dr. Ina Gjikondi to expand on an article she wrote about intuition. Ina recalls a moment at the airport when she thought she had lost her ID and stress began to take over. And where was it? In her wallet all along. By pausing, trusting her instincts, and listening to a simple cue from a stranger, a kind of unexpected collaborator, she discovered it was with her. For Ina, this was not luck but intuition in action, a practice she describes as a muscle we can all strengthen when we learn to slow down, let go of reactivity, and pay attention to the signals around us.

She shares how she has tested and taught this practice, from quick intuition experiments with friends to encouraging leaders to look beyond logic in their decision-making. For her, intuition is always available, but it takes practice, trust, and openness to cues that may come from others. Last is also where collaboration comes in: just as circles thrive on listening and shared insight, intuition deepens those connections by allowing us to draw on wisdom from within ourselves, from the people we work with, and from the environment around us.

In a world shaped by rapid technological change, including AI, cultivating intuition helps ensure we do not lose the critical thinking and lived experience that make collaboration meaningful.

Dr. Gjikondi is Director of Learning Innovation and Strategic Growth at the Center for Excellence in Public Leadership at George Washington University and founder of the One Humanity Lab.

Visit our website & order your copy of Circles of Collaboration now: https://www.apricitypublishing.com/circles-of-collaboration

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As we launch Circles of Collaboration from Apricity Publishing, our guest, Dr. Ina Gjikondi, introduces the concept of ecocentrism, the belief that nature itself holds agency and that all beings and elements, human and non-human, exist together in a delicate balance. In other words, we are collaborators with the earth itself.

That perspective changes everything. Instead of treating nature as a backdrop, ecocentrism asks us to recognize it as an active partner with wisdom to share. A walk in the forest, or even hugging a tree, just might hold the answer to the challenge you have been struggling with.

This vision aligns with Circles of Collaboration, which highlights the time-tested practice of circles, where every voice matters, decisions are shared, and progress is made together. Just as circles expand our human networks, Dr. Gjikondi shows how they can also extend to the natural world, inviting us to collaborate not only with people but with the environment that sustains us.

Hosted by Christine Merser, co-author of Circles of Collaboration, this conversation with Dr. Gjikondi explores groundbreaking research in ecocentrism and how it is reshaping the way we work, connect, and solve problems. Dr. Gjikondi serves as Director of Learning Innovation and Strategic Growth at the Center for Excellence in Public Leadership (CEPL) at George Washington University and is the founder of the One Humanity Lab.

Visit our website & order your copy of Circles of Collaboration now: https://www.apricitypublishing.com/circles-of-collaboration

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