“The world needs dreamers, and the world needs doers.
But above all, the world needs dreamers who do.”
Sarah Ban Beathnach

Traces&Dreams was born with the vision of contributing to a more sustainable and equitable world. A wiser one. We are connectors of dots and sense-makers. We promote a holistic perspective at the core of our human experience: the past, the present and the future. The traces we follow, the dreams we chase, the dreams we dare, the traces we leave.

We believe that the stories we listen to and the stories we tell shape us and the tomorrow we create. Our collective imagination is forged through shared narratives and the key to changing the future for the better is in the stories we shape and the bridges we build today. Our belief is that developing and sharing narratives, grand and small, based on deeper questions, holistic framing, and inter-systemic thinking can help this world to emerge.

We work beyond borders and tribes, taking a transdisciplinary approach that aims to bring knowledge and wisdom out of academic silos to create meaningful change. The complexity of the 21st century demands the ability to connect the dots, seeing the bigger picture that informs our reality while being attentive to the subaltern perspectives that often remain hidden. To understand the narratives shaping our future and imagine new ones, we need to listen with care, learn from each other, and foreground the dialogue between different types of knowledge. By doing so, we can develop and create new narratives for more inclusive futures.

Change is a process of narrative more than anything else. When the world is ready for the new to replace the old, it takes more than just a good idea to create impact. It takes open minds, curious explorers, experimenters, and dreamers. To transfer and activate knowledge, we specialize in storytelling techniques, narrative shaping, and humanistic communications beyond disciplinary boundaries. We work in the deep narrative currents of innovation and transformation, finding the places where the world is whispering a new story, and amplifying it.

Change provokes fear and resistance; it also inspires hope.
The difference is in the story you tell.

In a world of storytellers, we foreground story-listeners

In a world that values certainty, we embrace curiosity.

In a world of complex knowledge, we foster accessibility.

In a world of academic silos, we embrace transdisciplinarity.

In a world of hot takes, we believe in slow content.

In a world divided by walls, we build bridges.

In a world of data, we embrace holistic thinking.

In a world consumed by dominant narratives, we nurture a multiplicity of voices.

In a world of accelerated speed, we embrace slow content.

In a world that focuses on knowledge, we look for wisdom.

The human species thinks in metaphors and learns through stories.

Mary Catherine Bateson
Sometimes reality is too complex. Stories give it form.

Jean Luc Godard
Stories are memory aids, instruction manuals and moral compasses.

Aleks Krotoski
The stories we tell literally make the world. If you want to change the world, you need to change your story. This truth applies both to individuals and institutions.

Michael Margolis
Creating a relatable narrative means digging deep, asking hard questions and potentially airing some uncomfortable truths.

Tobin Trevarthen
It’s the role of narrative to bridge the gap between philosophy as abstract theory, ideas in the ether, and life as lived on the ground

Jacob M. Held
The ninety percent of human experience that does not fit into established narrative patterns falls into oblivion.

Mason Cooley

The Team

We have built a team of people from different backgrounds, nationalities, and skill sets.
What unites us is the belief that knowledge from all areas of life has value,
and can be used to transform the future for the better.