The Earth is vividly alive. We are alive with it.To outgrow the idea that nature is outside of us, we need to internalize it. Being at one with nature is not mainly a matter of engineering. Overcoming human exceptionalism asks for a consciousness that reveres all of life. This is why I am an animist.My animism includes ways of seeing and being that apply emerging technology and ancient embodiment. I am electrified by the technical and deeply personal challenges of translating and communing with the many languages of our extended kin and mind. To this effect, I co-founded the animist family-office investment studio Ground Effect. We direct capital in the interests of living systems, supporting new science and ventures in biodiversity and regeneration that illuminate and help us interact with life’s relational processes. Our growing emphasis is helping to vitalize worldviews that encourage urgent and caring responses to this moment of planetary emergency.I am particularly curious how the parts of my animist mission are best served by cultural interventions and entrepreneurship beyond financial investing. I remain a venture capitalist, and am founder of Wisdom Partners, a fund with a diverse portfolio and an emphasis on human health.Part of the founding team of the Quantified Self, for nearly a decade I worked on the design and ethical implications of the personal data paradigm.Prior to that I ran award-winning design consultancies in emerging markets like Rwanda, Cuba and Kenya, which informed my understanding of global human and material dynamics. Our projects spanned areas like city design, urban mobility, public art, and innovation for development.I am passionate about communication. My gift is in bringing clarity and cohesion to complex and spontaneous dialogue. I've steered multi-day conversations and unconferences for up to 1000 people on far-ranging subjects like brain-science, entrepreneurship, and desert ecologies. I’ve been an advisor to the likes of McKinsey, BMW, Deloitte, Accenture, Nike, Freedom House, and the Aspen Institute, and have lectured at Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Intel, Credit Suisse, and the World Bank.I have a Masters in Design with distinction from Harvard, where I also studied at the MIT Media Lab, was an instructor in Urbanism, and an affiliate of the Berkman Center for the Internet and Society. At Duke I created the first Globalization degree of its kind.