The inspiration for Galera Earth comes from Ffiona’s time living and working remotely as a business coach from a house cave in Galera, Southern Spain in 2021.  

The nature of her work and the clients she worked with during that time were the same as when she was back in London. Yet somehow this unusual setting, with clients logging into their Zoom meeting only to find themselves immersed in a cosy cave, ignited a different depth and quality of conversations. 

Clients talked more openly about their hopes and dreams for themselves, their loved ones, and their communities. Many of them expressed deep-rooted concerns about the wellbeing of those they are responsible for, the discrimination they were continuing to witness in their countries, divisions within societies and worry about the impact of climate change.  They often wondered about how to do things differently, but felt limited in their agency to do so within their existing roles, their existing company or personal set-up.

There was something about those conversations in the caves that felt transformative, more focused on the questions many of us really care about in life. Those questions that are often bubbling away under the surface of our busy day to day lives.  

It got her thinking... 

How can we recreate this Troglodyte Effect in our day to day lives, wherever that may be?

How can we connect more profoundly to our environment and to ourselves; to strengthen our courage, reignite our imaginations and give us a greater sense of perspective?

How can we take a step back from the systems we are living and working in, to truly take stock and decide a different approach?

Ffiona Devasabai

Ffiona is a contributor & team member at The Sustainable Investor, partnering with business and investors to accelerate sustainable transitions. She spent 5 years working as a leadership strategy consultant and coach at YSC Consulting, mainly with FTSE 100 corporations as well as private equity investors.  She has led organisational change initiatives within the education & youth justice sectors in Ireland and Canada. Earlier in her career she designed coaching programmes for early- stage social entrepreneurs. Aged 16 to 18 she lived and studied alongside students from around the world at United World College, Atlantic. This was a particularly formative experience, igniting her belief in the power of diverse experiences and quest for more equal societies. 

She is a qualified International Coaching Federation coach, trained in individual coaching and systemic team coaching. 

Her studies include a BA in European Social and Political Studies, with a specialisation in law from University College London. She studied a Masters in Organisational Psychology at Birkbeck College (University College London) and Certificate in Restorative Justice at the University of Ulster. She works with English, French & Spanish speaking clients, with experience in navigating intercultural leadership issues.

Galera Earth Collaborators

Each Galera Earth project is developed in partnership with at least one Galera Collaborator. They are a network of psychologists, neuroscientists, coaches, artists, industry specialists and social scientists.