Bart: Rats, Zen, and Social Change

My guest today is Bart Weetjens. In the world of social
entrepreneurship and change Bart is a well-known figure as he
founded Apopo, an organisation that trains rats to detect
landmines in countries around the world, from Mosambique to
Cambodia. Bart is also an ordained Zen monk and has been
practicing Zen for over 30 years. Today he lives again in his
native Antwerp, facilitating Zen sessions and working as an
executive coach.


I first met Bart many years ago, when I was co-hosting a TEDx
event in Hamburg and invited Bart to speak there. Since, we have
met a number of times, recently in connection to the Wellbeing
Project. This is a global project aimed to cultivate a culture of
inner wellbeing for all social change makers. For this
conversation we met online and spoke about Barts early path into
Zen and meditation. How the practice has helped him overcome deep
challenges as a young adult and accompanied him on his path as a
social changemaker and now coach. 



For me as an interviewer our exchange was a beautiful experience.
It felt to me as if Bart’s inner composition was holding the
space in which the conversation could unfold in a very easy and
natural way.