PhilosophyGyms
Led by academic and business leaders across Europe, PhilosophyGyms empowers small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to drive meaningful and lasting change. It equips businesses with innovative tools to navigate uncertainty and foster individual, collective, and planetary wellbeing. By integrating philosophical inquiry into the heart of organizational practice, PhilosophyGyms supports SMEs in addressing the root causes of today’s polycrisis.
Today’s global landscape is marked by a polycrisis—a complex web of interconnected challenges, including environmental degradation, social inequality, economic instability, and a global decline in mental health. Traditional responses often focus on what sustainability scientists refer to as the “outer dimension,” such as technical solutions or policy reforms. While these approaches are necessary, they frequently fall short of addressing the deeper root causes, which lie in our human inner dimensions—our individual and collective mindsets, values, and worldviews.
Against this background, we design PhilosophyGyms that help participants reflect, reframe, and respond creatively to today’s complex context. By exploring their inner dimensions and the underlying philosophies that shape them, SMEs can unlock new capacities that support more effective decision-making and innovative solutions.
The Business Case for Inner Transformation
SMEs face the ongoing challenge of navigating today’s complexities while managing the daily demands of running a business. Studies show that approximately 71% of employees feel overwhelmed by job complexity. Additionally, the World Health Organization estimates that depression contributes to a global loss of around US$1 trillion in productivity each year due to reduced performance and employee leave. These pressures fuel a culture of stress and acceleration, marked by burnout and rising staff costs. At the same time, many organizations struggle with low change readiness in a fast-moving, innovation-driven business environment. In the face of mounting sustainability regulations and increasing unpredictability, these issues highlight an urgent need for new ways of thinking, being, and acting—to both stay in business and support transformation towards a better world.
Let’s Gym: Rethinking How We Lead and Learn
As part of the project, we will co-design PhilosophyGyms that offer a suite of transformative learning experiences. These sessions enable leaders and employees within SMEs to engage in deep philosophical inquiry that nurtures personal growth, wellbeing, and a deeper commitment to sustainability. Participants explore ethics, responsibility, and systems thinking, confront unconscious biases, and learn how to cultivate a culture of care within their organizations—creating space for fresh, innovative solutions to emerge.
By weaving philosophical dimensions into the fabric of everyday business practice, we’re not just providing another toolset—we’re opening up inquiries into what lies beyond current tools, helping people unlock new approaches to sustainability and long-term business resilience.
Training Together: From Individual to Collective Heroes
Empower
Growth
Our project is powered by the European Union (ERASMUS+) and brings together a diverse group of academic and practical experts who are ready to shake things up! On the academic front, we have Prof. Jessica Böhme and Alana Lamberts from FHM Berlin, and Prof. Christine Wamsler from Lund University. Our action-packed practical partners are Katarzyna Mitrut and Artur Mazurek from the consultancy firm Paiz (Poland), Daniela Ilcheva from the Yambol Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Bulgaria), and Bruna Gomes and Carlos Carvalho from Virtual Campus (Portugal). Together, we’re all set to create a wave of change!
Interested in being part of the journey? Get in touch—we’d love to hear from you!
