Maria talks about navigating lack of confidence in starting new projects, juggling work and self-care and the power of kindness with Michelle Welsch, a master Social Worker, writer, and researcher focused on education in Nepal. With a background in psychology and social work and after a few years working for a branding company in New York City, she left for Nepal for a 2 week trip and never really came back. There she founded Learning House, a community learning center offering free workshops, paid classes and scholarships to promote education and leadership in Pokhara, Nepal. A conversation full of zest and energy, just like this week’s guest!
Production team:
Host : Maria Xenidou
Producer: Julie-Roxane Krikorian
Introduction Voice: David Bourne
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast@gmail.com
Music credits:
Like Lee performed by The Mini Vandals
Transition sounds: Swamp Walks performed by Jingle Punks
Where to find Michelle Welsch:
On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellewelsch/
www.learninghousenepal.com
www.khatalife.org
www.michellewelsch.com
www.projectexponential.com
Mentioned in this episode
Interbrand: https://www.interbrand.com/
Seth Godin: https://www.sethgodin.com/
AltMBA: https://altmba.com/
Listen to this episode and explore:
Michelle’s childhood as a street performer (3:02)
Fitting-in: the concept of in-groups and out-groups (5:13)
Her relationship to learning from childhood to today (7:18)
Studying psychology, working as a probation officer and getting a master’s in social work (9:04)
Her first career shift: working for a branding agency (17:35)
Meeting Seth Godin and becoming a freelancer (19:09)
From social work to freelancing: learning to build communities (21:19)
From NYC to Nepal on a fundraising trip (25:24)
Founding the Learning House Nepal & Khata Life non-profit (28:11)
Immersing herself in the community of Nepal (34:52)
How she built the team at The Learning House (37:20)
The biggest challenge in her work: what’s next? (43:31)
If you had unlimited amounts of money? (48:38)
The importance of learning how to think before learning skills (52:21)
Scarcity mentality and sharing resources (56:26)
35 random acts of kindness (1:00:30)