GOOD CHAT WITH SMALL GIANTS + DUMBO FEATHER

The idea behind Good Chat, a new monthly series of talks hosted by Habitat Workspace, was to create a super casual networking event for people who hate networking.

Good Chat’s also about bringing Byron businesses, large and small, together so they can be inspired by people who are doing good. And in that regard, it couldn’t have kicked off with a better guest speaker than Berry Liberman.

Berry’s the co-founder of Small Giants, an impact investment firm from Melbourne, that helps back companies who are literally changing the world. She’s also the publisher of Dumbo Feather magazine, which is busy doing the important work of helping incredible people tell their story.

Smart and passionate, Berry could have talked about anything, but Good Chat asked her to focus on “growth through empathy” which she was happy to dissect while perched on the balcony of Habitat Workspace.

Covering a helluva lot in 30 minutes of conversation, here’s a few of our favourite truth bombs and nuggets of wisdom Berry dropped:

“For humans to survive, the next economy has to create sustainable prosperity for all. The time has come to do business with our hearts and with love. I never go into a business thinking about profit first.”

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“One practical example of how we used empathy in a business was designing and building a residential tower in Tassie with one entrance for introverts and another for extroverts. It’s a small gesture, but I think it shows we care for people.”

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“Doing business in the Northern Rivers, instead of in a capital city, means less cognitive load, so you’re a better version of yourself. One thing people have to start realising is that we all have a finite amount of energy. You can’t just keep pushing yourself, you have to find some balance and empathy for yourself.”