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How do the personal choices we make for our lives and daily habits impact the larger community and the future of a better world? This is a question that we don’t think is asked often enough. One of the founding principles of LIFT Economy and the Next Economy Podcast is the centering of collective needs instead of individual desires and today we are sharing some powerful strategies for how these can actually be brought into alignment. 

Life design enables us to make a marked difference on a greater scale and the small steps of curiosity and creativity can help us transcend our assumptions and explore exciting available options. By sharing these ideas and helpful tools in today's show, we hope to inspire pathways of increased connection and some reformulation of practices around consumption practices. 

Erin and Phoenix have a great dialogue in which they talk from personal experience and in a more generally pragmatic way; covering ideas of interdependence, housing, retirement, and much more. Another vital piece of the MBA series that we have been so excited about bringing to you. This is an unmissable episode, so make sure to join us.

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Key Points From This Episode:

• Misconceptions about interdependence and the myth of self-reliance in the US. [0:05:24]

• Rethinking our relationship with the idea of consumption. [0:08:07]

• Structure and support for new kinds of life design. [0:17:46]

• Meeting our housing needs in different ways. [0:25:14]

• Cultural baggage that we carry as result of external pressures. [0:32:12]

• The tools we offer for smarter retirement saving. [0:35:35]

• A few examples of the incredible work that is being done in life design right now. [0:37:59]

• Time and the state of the world; how space and creativity can aid us against the crises we face. [0:42:14]

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Tweetables:

“Life design is actually an opportunity for us to forge more connections and become more close to others with different life experiences.” — Erin Axelrod [0:07:51]

“These systems take time, but it gives you such a different quality of life.” — Phoenix Soleil [0:17:38]

“How do we make decisions about collective use of resources and what are the nuts and bolts of collectivizing resources and having shared pools?” — Erin Axelrod [0:28:35]

“To me, time is the most valuable thing, ever.” — Phoenix Soleil [0:31:25]

“We have got to think of a move from an economy that compartmentalizes and exploits people to an economy that embraces the whole person.” — Erin Axelrod [0:35:35]

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Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Erin Axelrod: https://www.lifteconomy.com/blog/tag/Erin+Axelrod

Phoenix Soleil: https://www.lifteconomy.com/blog/tag/Phoenix+Soleil

Leah Penniman: https://www.soulfirefarm.org/leah-penniman/

Soul Fire Farm: https://www.soulfirefarm.org/

Leah Thomas: https://www.greengirlleah.com/

The Intersectional Environmentalist: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316279291

The Afrominimalist: https://www.afrominimalist.com/

Black Minimalists: https://blackminimalists.net/directory

Food Not Bombs: http://foodnotbombs.net/

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LIFT Economy Newsletter

Join 8,000+ subscribers and get our free 60-point business design checklist—plus monthly tips, advice, and resources to help you build the Next Economy: https://lifteconomy.com/newsletter

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Next Economy MBA

This episode is brought to you by the Next Economy MBA.

What would a business education look like if it was completely redesigned for the benefit of all life? This is why the team at LIFT Economy created the Next Economy MBA (https://lifteconomy.com/mba).

The Next Economy MBA is a nine-month online course for folks who want to learn key business fundamentals (e.g. vision, culture, strategy, and operations) from an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative perspective.

Join the growing network of 350+ alumni who have been exposed to new solutions, learned essential business skills and joined a lifelong peer group that is catalyzing a global shift towards an economy that works for all life.

Learn more at https://lifteconomy.com/mba.

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Show Notes + Other Links

For detailed show notes and interviews with past guests, please visit https://lifteconomy.com/podcast. 

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Music by Chris Zabriskie: https://chriszabriskie.com/