Spotlight Series: Gustavo Barreto Prudente, M.A.C.S. '20

Our spotlight series highlights a student or graduate of the Welch Center for Graduate and Professional Studies. We asked these individuals about their careers, hobbies, and what they love about their program.

This week's feature is: 
Gustavo Barreto Prudente M.A.C.S. '20
Independent coach, consultant, and facilitator of Sustenta Mundo

What is your current job?

I work as an independent coach, consultant, and facilitator for my own business, Sustenta Mundo. I'm also a writer (especially of children's books). Independently of what I do, it all focuses on the development of sustainable leadership and cultures. The majority of my work is done online, although my clients are currently mostly in Brazil. I have former clients in different countries in Europe and North America.

What excites you most about your work?

The possibility of helping individuals, groups, and organizations of expanding consciousness, rethinking the world we are living in, how we are living it and co-creating a better and more sustainable world.

Tell us about one of your favorite projects.

I created, and have been coordinating and facilitating for some years a training program on sustainable cultures and leadership (originally it was a coaching training course with a sustainability approach). All over the years, it has gathered a network of professionals from different places of Brazil (and one group on the US) that come from a diverse collection of backgrounds and that are doing meaningful work for creating a more just and healthy world. The creation of this network, all the experimentation that I did for creating (and recreating) the methodology, the impacts of my student's work in the world, among other things, makes me very fond of this specific project. 

What do you like most about the M.A. in Cultural Sustainability program?

I love how it gathers and brings to an academic setting very avant-garde knowledge about social justice, trying to move from a eurocentric, white view to bring authors and teachers who come from different standpoints together. I love how openhearted many students and teachers are. I love Amy Skillman, the Academic Director of the Program and Rory Turner as its creator and still one significant reference for everybody. Their leadership and wisdom are inspiring. I love that we are called to rethink how we approach and work with communities, moving from an arrogant perspective to a community-centered, humble view, more conscious of our standpoints. 

What is your advice to individuals who are looking to pursue a career related to cultural sustainability?

This field is still emerging. Don't be afraid to be one of its co-creators. It is ok to be scared and confused because things may be up in the air, but they are very open, which is also very exciting.