A woman with brown hair sitting on a wooden dock, looking out at a calm lake surrounded by green trees and hills.
Decorative floral border with pink, orange, and red flowers and green leaves.

The first step to changing anything is believing that you can

I have been a changeworker since my teens, here are a few things I have worked on in the past

You’ve read my story already – this page is more a repository of what I’ve done in the past and accolades received. My online CV, if you will. I hear it’s important, so here you go.

Work portfolio

A woman with curly brown hair sitting on a white sofa, looking at her open laptop.
Hand-painted floral illustration featuring orange daisies, a red and white striped rose, and orange tulips with green leaves.

What I’m currently working on

Right now, I am focused on building Parayma, the support hub for changeworkers, social entrepreneurs and aspiring systems change leaders.

On the side, I am running the well as a resource for all of us who care about the world to also care for ourselves and avoid burning out.

I am also slowly beginning a PhD at the University of Geneva, focused on systems change.

When something exciting comes my way, a project I truly believe has the potential to shift paradigms, I also make time for collaborations with clients and partners across sectors.

Whenever possible, I show up as an advocate for systems change, and open doors for others to do the same.

What I’ve done in the past

Featured
collaboratio helvetica
collaboratio helvetica

In 2017, I co-founded this collaborative platform to advance the SDGs in Switzerland, and led its development until 2023.

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Social Innovation Labs research project
Social Innovation Labs research project

For my dissertation during my MSt in Social Innovation at the University of Cambridge, I partnered with the Presencing Institute to study Social Innovation Labs across the globe, and their unique challenges.

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Funding Systems Change
Funding Systems Change

In partnership with Ashoka Switzerland, I convened 10+ Swiss funders to explore the challenges and opportunities of funding systems change. Together, we went on a learning journey and prototyped different new models and next steps.

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Nova Helvetia
Nova Helvetia

In partnership with the Presencing Institute, we co-initiated a Swiss sense-making and response process to address the urgent need to reinvent the human-made systems that are causing and aggravating the current crisis, or being outed as inadequate by it.

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GAIA - movement for renewal
GAIA - movement for renewal

I was a part of the global core team and co-creator of the French Speaking track of GAIA, a global response to COVID-19 led by the Presencing Institute and local practitioners. 

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Catalyst Lab
Catalyst Lab

To fill the lack of systems change training and support in Switzerland, in 2019 I co-initiated and facilitated the Catalyst Lab, a 9-month learning journey designed to support aspiring systems change leaders.

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Gender Lab
Gender Lab

To address the fact that Switzerland is lagging behind other European countries on SDG5, we co-initiated a Social Innovation Lab on Gender Equality, which took place 2017-18 with participants from all sectors (e.g. Google, WWF, youth and LGBTQIA+ activists).

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Laax 2016
Laax 2016

Laax 2016 was an International Session of the European Youth Parliament that brought together over 300 young people from all over Europe around the theme of “Young and Innovative Ideas for a Sustainable Future”.

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Integral education
Integral education

In 2016, as Junior Fellow of the Trans4m Institute for Integral Development, I wrote my Bachelor thesis in Paraguay in collaboration with the Fundación Paraguaya. Their schools offer unique opportunities for students to develop their skills and build sustainable livelihoods.

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Awards & honours

  • A diverse group of people standing on the steps of a building in a large group photo.

    Dalai Lama Fellow

    2023

  • Group of seven people standing on red carpet at the Locarno Festival, posing in front of a black backdrop with leopard illustrations and the event name. They are dressed in formal attire, smiling at the camera.

    Fellow (alongside Emma Watson and others) at Europa Forum

    2022

  • Three women in traditional Swiss attire standing on stage, holding bouquets of sunflowers, at a celebration with a red Swiss flag sign and microphones.

    Keynote Speaker on the Swiss National Day (Rütli)

    2022

  • Three people seated on stage during a panel discussion with the Eiffel Tower in the background, visible through large glass windows.

    Speaker (alongside Jacinda Ardern, Satish Kumar and others) at ChangeNOW in Paris

    2022

  • Two women standing in a government chamber, smiling and raising their arms, with a large mural of a mountainous landscape in the background. The chamber has wooden desks, Swiss flags, and floral arrangements.

    Elected to the exceptional ‘Frauensession’ in the Swiss Parliament

    2021

  • A woman with long, curly reddish hair stands at a podium, speaking into a microphone, with a large screen displaying a glacier in the background.

    Closing keynote (opening keynote by then Swiss President Simonetta Samaruga) at the Swiss Day of the Cities (for mayors)

    2021

  • People attending a conference or meeting, sitting at tables with nameplates, microphones, and notebooks in a wooden-paneled room.

    Swiss delegate at the UNESCO ESD Conference

    2021

  • Open magazine spread featuring an article titled '17 ZIELE IM BLICK' with a photograph of a smiling woman standing by a lake with mountains in the background.

    Forbes 30 under 30 list maker

    2020

  • A woman with long brown hair wearing sunglasses and a sleeveless white top, standing by a body of water with hills in the background.

    European Finalist, Young Champions of the Earth (the UN’s highest honour for youth) by UNEP

    2020

  • A man and woman holding a wooden award at a JCI event, with a large JCI banner and a screen displaying event information in the background.

    Outstanding Young Person of the Year in the category Ethics by Junior Chamber International Switzerland

    2019

  • A young woman with long, curly hair smiling, standing by a lakeside with mountains in the background.

    Swiss delegate for Cohort 2030, a program by IYF and Rockefeller Foundation for extraordinary young leaders who implement the SDGs

    2018

  • A pink magazine titled "annabelle" with a clenched fist on the cover, and an open newspaper with an article and a portrait of a woman with long red hair.

    One of 80 exceptional Swiss women by the magazine Annabelle

    2018

  • Photo of a young woman with long, wavy brown hair seated at a conference table in a formal setting. She is wearing a white blouse and a statement necklace, looking at the camera with a slight smile. In front of her are open books and papers, with a nameplate that reads "NORA WILHELM." The background shows rows of empty chairs and wood-paneled walls.

    UNESCO Young Leader

    2017

A few current & former partners

WWF logo featuring a stylized panda's face above the letters 'WWF'.
Logo of InTent with a white geodesic dome on the left and the word 'InTent' in gray on the right.
Logo of Stiftung 3FO with large text and a green background
The image shows the emblem of the Swiss Confederation with a red shield and a white cross, alongside the text 'Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft', 'Confédération suisse', 'Confederazione Svizzera', and 'Confederaziun svizra' in German, French, Italian, and Romansh.
The Swisscom logo featuring a stylized map of Switzerland and the company name.
Logo of MIGROS PIONEER FUND featuring a heart-shaped pill capsule and green and white text.
Logo of Volkart Stiftung with green text on a dark background.
Logo with the German words
Logo of the Jacobs Foundation with the text "Our Promise to Youth" underneath.
The logo for DROSOS with the company name in lowercase letters.
SBB CFF FFS logo with a green background and white text
Logo of Die Post with green background.
A beige background with lowercase white letters 'ch' in the center.
Text reading "Stiftung Mercator Schweiz" on a dark background.

Selected media clippings

A woman painting a picture of a tree on a large sheet of paper on a wooden table, surrounded by art supplies, in a cozy, well-lit room with wooden walls, potted plants, and fairy lights.
A woman with long, curly brown hair, wearing a brown cardigan, is smiling and looking at a group of people in a meeting or discussion setting. There are blurred individuals around her, with one wearing a floral shirt.
A group of people dancing and enjoying themselves in a spacious, well-lit room with wooden floors, some wearing name tags, indicating a social or team-building event.
Musicians performing at an art gallery event with paintings on display in the background.
A woman sitting on the ground in a garden or meadow, writing or drawing on a pad or sketchbook.
A woman sitting cross-legged on a cushion on the floor, writing in a notebook, with various items like a water bottle, phone, and pens around her, in a bright room with hardwood floors and large window showing trees outside.
A woman with long curly hair standing in a room with wooden checkered floor, smiling, with a black dog sitting nearby. There are framed artworks on the wall and a window behind her.

Creative pursuits

Surprise! Some of you may not know that I also have a creative side. One I neglected for too long, and strive to make space for in my daily life. In 2024, I was selected to be a part of a young artists exhibition in Horgen. My talented friend Eva Hermes illustrated some of my poems, which I hope to publish soon.

I also host social poetry sessions, for example at the Art of Change in Austria or in Mandali in Italy, where participants discover the power of spontaneous writing, and co-create an emergent poem.

A woman with brown, curly hair sitting on a chair with a woven seat, wearing a rust-colored suit with a white shirt, and brown loafers, smiling and touching her cheek.
Stylized floral design featuring a large red and white striped flower, orange blossoms, and green leaves.

Has anything piqued your curiosity?

Don’t hesitate to reach out!