RAINE MAGAZINE Volume 16 | Innovate

INTERNATIONAL
CREATING A NEW MOVEMENT IN
ENTREPRENEURISMMeet Patti DeSante
by Marilyn R. Wilson
The last decade has seen a growing number of individuals
leave the corporate world to follow their passion. One striking example is
Patti DeSante. At the pinnacle of her career, she walked away to launch
her company, and then 13 years later made the life-altering decision
to embrace a Zen Chaplaincy and Ujamaah. Ujamaah is a conscious
business working to create Dream Spaces in developing countries that
would utilize tools such as indigenous Hip Hop to ignite each person’s
entrepreneurial spirit. The goal – to resource, re-energize and reroute
the story of development.
DeSante was a solitary child who loved spending time in
nature. As a teenager, her independent spirit chose to embrace widely
diverse friends from all school groups. Working in a hospice at the age
of 14 opened the door to the pursuit of a career in medicine, but several
things changed her direction – a love of play, the grind of uninspiring
studies and a handsome geophysicist. After taking a geology course,
the appealing vision of a lifetime spent outdoors called. Geology, it was.
When DeSante graduated, gas deregulation was being
introduced in parts of Canada. Working as a Natural Gas Broker became
the holy grail. Although lacking the required MBA in Engineering, an
innate ability to connect with the right people landed her the job and she
quickly became one of the top sales agents. The position came with a
lot of creative freedom. “I always worked in non-traditional businesses
and we were there to do everything non-traditional we could. It was a
blast!” This was the high life of big paychecks, fishing trips, corporate
excursions to Disneyland and more.
The impetus for
change came with the birth
of her daughter. DeSante
remembers, “As far as I knew
this was just a two week blip
in my life. But once I gave
birth, I put every part of my
soul into it. It was the biggest
turning point in my life.” The
family’s move to a small
community on Bowen Island
was also profound. The island
offered deep friendships with
many educated, creative
individuals including the
executive director of the local
Dali Lama Center where
she joined an organizing
committee. Then came two
key mentors – Anne Ironside,
a brilliant woman who helped
to found the University
of British Columbia’s first
Women’s Resource Center,
and Roshi Joan Halifax who
started the Upaya Institute
where DeSante would earn
her chaplaincy.
What drew DeSante
to study at Upaya was
Roshi’’s focus on using the
discipline of meditation to affect change in existing world institutions.
Opportunities arose to learn from leading edge neuroscientists,
organization gurus out of MIT and international policy makers while
working with street kids added a different perspective. All meshed
to ignite a new fire. “I felt a growing desire to give a greater voice to
these under-represented street-wise youth.” Her world expanded again
when Silas Balabyekkubo of Bavubuka Foundation and James Kamau
of Canada Youth Initiatives entered her life. The concept of Ujamaah
began to take shape. Then came a cutting edge forum where visionary
Otto Scharmer from MIT shared, “The future of the world is building
enabling spaces to cultivate creative capital.”
The term Ujamaah means my economic well-being is
interdependent on your economic well-being. Simply put, we grow our
wealth together. Ujamaah’s vision on how to accomplish this globally is
Dream Spaces. In these centers, language would be maintained, culture
respected, creativity and passion encouraged and success defined
locally. “These are spaces to celebrate each person’s uniqueness and
resource their skills, so individuals can become true leaders in their
community. It’s about an entrepreneurial movement that will work to
affect change in their relationships and lives – a movement that will shift
the political and educational systems that are maintaining the status
quo.” To this goal, DeSante brings her extensive 20-years of experience
in the corporate world. “I am a clearing house. I know how to form an
organization that would connect people, put all their resources in one
place and maximize the efficiency of where those resources go – a
place of sharing and networking.”
On June 15 th , Desante launched “InspiredDrive”to generate
seed capital for her work. Accompanied by a Hip Hop artist and a
Molecular Biologist, the tour will feature dynamic interviews with
individuals on how being engaged with something you love can
transform your life. Daily written and video updates will be available on
the InspiredDrive website and virtual followers are challenged to help
the tour reach a goal of 1000+ people offering $10 each and every day.
To follow and be a part of the “InspiredDrive” tour, go to www.
inspireddrive.com. More information on Ujamaah’s Dream Spaces can
be found on their website at http://ujamaah.tumblr.com/
Image by Peter Jensen Photography
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Raine Magazine - Volume 15