In the heart of Tuscany, where rolling hills meet the horizon and the air is rich with the scent of blooming wildflowers, Anja von Emden is crafting something truly unique. As the founder of AGAIA Co living, Anja is on a mission to create more than just a place to stay. Her work revolves around fostering deep connections among impact-driven professionals and communities, offering them a sanctuary for personal and professional growth. AGAIA is not just a co living space; it's a regenerative environment where food, creativity, social entrepreneurship, and sustainability converge.
1. From corporate consulting to co-living in Tuscany: What inspired your shift toward purpose-driven entrepreneurship?
I was mainly motivated by my shift in values and setting different priorities in my life. After
more than 10 years in corporate consulting, I felt disconnected from the output of my work
and lacking a deeper sense of purpose. I am part of a generation that had to navigate through
many major global crises and I found myself in a place where I felt like I wanted to take a
more active part in changing our reality in belief for a better future. An important part of this
was also feeling empowered to be able to contribute to that shift, taking the experience and
knowledge I had built throughout my corporate years and channeling it towards a different
purpose. This gave me the courage to lead by starting my own impact-driven business.
2. As a social entrepreneur, how do you integrate purpose and impact
into your business ventures?
What I do is deeply driven by purpose & impact, so naturally I prioritise these aspects in my
decision making and in the way I lead my business. This is reflected for example in the
partnerships and collaborations that I choose. On a more practical note, I follow principles of
regenerative leadership, holistic, human-centric management and a business model, that
focusses on different objectives than economic growth. I believe it is about prioritising
positive impact from the point of designing a business and decision making processes, but
also about having measures in place to gain transparency over the actual impact I am are
creating. For example, asking myself which of the global SDGs am I benefitting with my
activity. I then follow up to see, in what way my efforts actually create a positive
effect.
3. Co-managing a co living space in Tuscany sounds dreamy! How do
you envision this space supporting female empowerment and community
building?
Yes, Tertulia, Tuscany is a truly magical place - Quiet and calming with a great creative energy,
but most importantly, a community of digital nomads and travellers who come here to work on
their projects in nature. So it is the perfect place to connect and co-create. I see a lot of
potential especially for women who are 'solopreneurs' or in the beginning of their nomadic
journey to find support in a diverse community of people who choose this lifestyle. During
my own entrepreneurial journey, community has become such an important factor. I
want to share that with others who are experiencing the same. I am especially passionate
about supporting female entrepreneurs and leaders on their journey to create positive impact.
Therefore, I am currently also building up a coaching practice, which beautifully merges
together with the experiences I facilitate.
4. What role does regeneration play in your approach to entrepreneurship, and how can digital nomads incorporate it into their own ventures?
I am deeply driven by creating spaces where regenerative living can be experienced. In the
work I do, I perceive myself as someone who builds bridges between different communities,
between different worlds. For example, I am connecting digital communities with locals or
capital-driven people with the beauty of a simple, but spacious and calm life. There is no
judgement of the lifestyle someone chooses, but there is a potential to create more value in
one’s own life by choosing authenticity and a way of living that is close to one own core
values. Digging deeper, we often find that we share the same values, like connection,
personal growth or health. Coming closer to living authentically and integrate to ones core
values in all areas of ones life, that is what regeneration is about for me - and that is what I
am representing and sharing through my work.. So, I would say that being aware of ones
values and considering them in one entrepreneurial journey is key.
5. Having been a fellow of 'The Break 2022', how has that experience
shaped your views on female entrepreneurship and community leadership?
Personally, I found a lot of support through 'The Break Fellowship' program. I was at the very
beginning of developing my business and it seemed like the perfect time to be part of a
community of other female entrepreneurs. Even though we all worked on different projects, it
was a great opportunity to learn from each other and support each other. The business world
is still determined very much by white male figures, so empowerment of women and other
less privileged groups is extremely important. As a LGBTQ+ woman, I did not know any
examples or role models throughout my corporate career. So, thank you also for the work you
are doing with Her Expat Life blog, I think it is extremely valuable.
6. What challenges have you faced as a female entrepreneur in tech
consulting, and how did you overcome them?
I was often the youngest and only woman in the conference room. Somehow that sparked a
lot of ambition in me. But it also meant I had to adapt and compromise in order to be successful.
I often felt frustrated by wanting to do more than my role allowed me and I did make some
very bad experiences with toxic leadership and toxic company culture (and sexism!).
Founding my own business and working as a freelancer has given me time to decide with whom I want to work, how I want to work and for what. It has resulted also in a major shift of my own self-confidence and self-efficacy. And I wish all women had the same opportunity. This is why I want to support other women in that transition towards a self-determined (work) life.
7. How can women in the Her Expat Life Community leverage their
global experiences to drive social change in their businesses?
Be a pollinator. Build those bridges. I feel like sharing about learnings from our travels and
from being in touch with different communities is so valuable. Choosing to live close to ones
core values and applying those into ones business will create positive change, I am very sure
of that. I guess what is required to implement that, is to design ones business in a way that
e.g. Social Change is a priority, and to reflect in every major decision on how ones core
values are considered. Does the decision feel aligned? What is the impact of the decision on a
larger scale? It could be helpful to consider certain impact frameworks or the SDGs as an
orientation.
8. What advice would you give to aspiring female entrepreneurs who
want to create impactful businesses but are unsure where to start?
Look for a community that can support you. Maybe you have someone in your network that can
be a good mentor. Coaching might be a good idea. Reflect on what you already know, build
on the expertise you have and in your existing network. Trust your intuition. One of the
most valuable things I did was to create an environment that would not create financial
pressure on myself. In the beginning, a new business needs a lot of investment (money, time,
energy,…). Therefore, set yourself up to be able to develop your business in a calm way, so you
don’t need to compromise on your values and can be driven by the good intentions/impact,
rather than pressure to be successful fast. Then, also test your ideas first before making bigger
investments.
9. Looking ahead, how do you plan to fuse your expertise in project
management and freelance consulting with your new role in Tuscany to foster a
thriving community?
Somehow, with this new role in Tertulia, Tuscany, all the dots connected. I was exploring and trying so
many different things in my journey to find purpose and now all of this has come together in
a beautiful way. Partnering with a space that allows for creation and realisation of projects,
allows me to use my corporate experience, but in order to create a different output. For
example, we will run team buildings and off sites, where my business
background and coaching skills come in.
Connect with Anja:
Anja von Emden is the Founder of AGAIA Coliving and co-manages the development of a regenerative coliving space in Tuscany. Her work is about connecting impact-driven professionals and communities through colivings and retreats in nature. AGAIA offers a safe space for personal and professional growth, focusing on regeneration, food, social entrepreneurship or creativity.
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