Man who planted trees

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The man who planted trees

By Robert Woolf

Made Open Man who planted trees
Many years ago, 2015 to be exact, I was invited to be the keynote speaker at the BOFA Film Festival in Tasmania. For some reason - maybe because I've a face for radio or because I'm the consumate invisible man - I rarely, if ever, get asked to speak at events. In fact, aside from turning down a TEDx talk, I can't recall been invited to speak since! Long story short, I wanted to be inspiring but was mindful to be authentic. I was asked to talk about "creating change in communities" but, since no…

April 26, 2025

Walkshops: clarity on the coast path

By Robert Woolf

Man who planted trees Small is beautiful
On foot. Along the coast. With space to breathe. Welcome to my "walkshops" - a gentle, grounded way to untangle thoughts and find clarity. I live on the north coast of Cornwall (near St Agnes) and I'm happy to walk with founders, entrepreneurs or leaders who are processing change, craving direction or simply feeling a bit stuck with a particular…

February 28, 2025

The 5Ps

By Robert Woolf

Made Open Man who planted trees
In 2009, Kathryn and I were tasked by the Design Council to be the voice of a troubled community that wasn’t being heard. Our task was to explore whether a new community centre could bring about meaningful change. We took this brief on at face value. We were warned this community was "hard to reach". They weren't. People showed up…

August 1, 2024

The sky’s the limit

By Robert Woolf

Let love rule Man who planted trees On the road
Back in 1993, I clocked a bloke from across the room wearing a ridiculous Mexican top, similar to the one I was wearing myself. We introduced ourselves and immediately struck up a friendship, week one at university. He had an “everything is possible” vibe which appealed to my “I’m not sure what is possible” demeanour. He saw the world as…

June 13, 2024

Spread kindness like confetti

By Robert Woolf

Man who planted trees Time4Good
For me, the dark side of the internet is not some far away terrorist or cybersecurity threat, it’s the fostering of negativity and toxic interactions that have increasingly pervaded our everyday online experiences. These days, when I scroll through Twitter/X, it’s mostly just a stream of angry rants. Facebook is bloated with memes and ads. I like WhatsApp for arranging…