Hello

Hi, I’m Tim.

I’m a Regenerative Designer, a common sight on the streets of North Leeds, where I’ve lived for the past twenty years with my wife, whilst we accumulated a dog, two kids and pizza oven.

Let me tell you my story.

Threshold

I spent most of my career in the public sector supporting business and economic growth, work I bent towards a better future where I could.

But my soul chafed the institutional edges, banging heads with progress; constrained creativity seeping out as side projects in business, community, music and the outdoors.

Eventually, inevitably, despite good work such as England’s only Carbon-Negative Industrial Strategy, I found myself astray in a dark wood.

Classic Porsche fantasies. Mental health surprises. All that.

Initiation

I found the way through by attending to my practice and philosophy; lots of letting go to make space for the new.

It’s been tough, but I’ve emerged replete.

Most influential have been Otto Scharmer’s Theory-U, Kate Raworth’s Doughnut Economics and Joanna Macy’s Work That Reconnects, with deeply respectful nods to Bayo Akomolafe, Vanessa Andreotti, Nora Bateson, Iain McGilchrist, Jeremy Lent and Master Iqbal my 7th Degree Taekwondo master.

I picked up some street smarts along the way too from founding Adventurous Ink, a radical online book subscription. Alongside the business nous, it also enabled me to study, interview, and occasionally meet a rich variety of nature writers, poets, philosophers, psychologists and adventurers.

Tales from disparate worlds, distilled, rich to the blend.

Insights, connections and patterns appear, woozy and unstable above the horizon.

I try to hold on, find fresh perspective, a useful direction.

Return

There’s a wide spectrum in Regenerative Design. As a strategist, I’m inclined towards broad perspectives and Systems Transformation, held tense against the agency and enterprise of Doughnut Design for business. Whilst my collective imagination and emotional intelligence work leans into Speculative and Distributive Design. It’s a useful portfolio for hearts of the matter stuff.

Some have kindly called me a thought leader. But I'm not.

I'm a borrower. A curator. A weaver. A pattern spotter.

‘Leader’ also implies a hierarchy, arriving with answers. But you don’t need answers; such unstable certainties have led us to this perilous point.

Better to work with questions and quests, to be seduced by mystery and work things out steadily.

I’ve explored a little here, laid down a few lines; perhaps we could walk a few.

Is it time?

If you and your team are ready to do the work required by our futures, let’s make a start.

I specialise in meeting people where they are, metaphorically speaking, so don’t worry if this agenda seems daunting or sprawling, we’ll find a good way in.

Book some time for a quick 30 min chat.

Contact

Or, if you just want to bounce an idea off me, do send me a message.