Integritus Prime

I just attended Bioneers – a conference that is more about soul-rejuvenation for me than anything else. Like-hearted souls come together to revive hope, share inspiration, and support the good fight when it comes to indigenous knowledge systems, climate change, democracy, youth action, and much more. Certain points jumped out at me from this year’s event. I share them below.

1. People over content. This year, I felt that beyond the content, it was the people that made the event a success. Each session I went to was more about how people engaged. We brought ourselves with open hearts, vulnerability, and honesty. It made the difference.
2. Wins in a time of chaos. The most powerful keynotes for me were the ones that revealed wins for Nature. Above all, the keynote Amy Bowers Cordalis, about salmon restoration in the Klamath river, was an uplifting case study about what we can achieve.
3. Elephant in the Climate Room. I noted that the discussion on climate change centered around the need to phase out fossil fuels in favor of renewables, which is obviously important. Based on research on the life cycle impact of animal agriculture, I was surprised that there were no sessions on plant-based and vegan lifestyles, which are much easier and cheaper actions for citizens to adopt compared to solar, wind or other renewable energy infrastructure.
4. Mental resilience. I was happy to see a continued focus on how we can stay resilient as spiritual beings grounded in physical form, taking action. Sessions that shared insights from forms of therapy allowed me to notice synergies with my own approaches to trauma healing.
5. Helping Hand. I am most grateful for the helping hand Bioneers extended to a team I have had the privilege of working with – From Soil to Soul – to publicize their documentary episode and workshop on food sovereignty. The sense of support and solidarity shown by Bioneers was beyond what could have been expected, and reminded me of what Bioneers is about: helping each other shine with love for our Mother Earth. And doing our best to heal ourselves and all life.

If you’ve never attended, consider attending this soulful event in 2026. You can also check out videos of this year’s sessions in 1-2 weeks on the Bioneers website.