The Team
Rodrigo Martínez Romero has been serving the IofC mission for the last 10 years. His current Master’s thesis at the VU Amsterdam examines how crosscultural dynamics influence the understanding and application of spiritual politics as a practice of servant leadership and dilemma reconciliation. He initially trained to become a diplomat and follow in the family tradition of working in the civil service. Exploring the intersection between spirituality and politics with holders of ancient wisdom traditions from India, Colombian pre-Hispanic shamans and Catholic Jesuits led him to reframe his leadership as diplomacy of the spirit. This has led him to study ontological coaching, promote social justice, aspire to grow as a social entrepreneur and engage in holistic advocacy in research and education by recognizing the need to recover the soul as a valid domain of learning.
Pepe García is Country Support Coordinator for North America, Central America and The Caribbean of the Open Government Partnership. He is co-founder of the Mexican School of Conscious Politics. In addition to that, he is also the co-founder of Dulce Maguey, a former mezcal bar in Mexico City and now a traditional mezcal brand. He is a vegan and an environmental activist. His life purpose is to open governments and societies through open hearts, open minds and good public policies, to tackle systemic inequality and suffering, and to help dismantle the patriarchal-capitalist-oppressive system to build fairer and kinder societies.
Sujith Ravindran is a contemporary mystic and a serial author. He helps leaders, institutions and movements in the social, political and business domains access unforeseen realms of awareness and fulfil their true reason for existence. His mission is to help humanity realize its limitless human potential by translating spiritual sciences into contemporary life. In 2021, he was conferred the honour of Ambassador of Peace by the Council of Assissi, Italy. In addition to that, he a great lover of hot peppers.
Angelika Kobl is a facilitator, space holder and musician. Her purpose is to open spaces of encounters and reconnection - for ourselves, others and the land - to remember and tap into the wisdom that lies within all beings and be once more aware of our shared humanity and the sacredness of all life. Her objective is to heal divisions and trauma, and ultimately help people to walk together in unconditional solidarity towards a more caring, trusting, loving, mindful and wholesome future. She aims to bring transformation, she opens doors and gently points to the way/the first steps when people are ready.
Paola Schietekat is a Senior Behavioral Economist at B4Development Foundation, part of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy in Qatar, which is the entity tasked with preparing the Emirates for the 2022 World Cup. As a gender specialist, Paola worked as an adviser for the Federal Congress in Mexico at the Unit for Gender Equality. She has published research on gender issues in different countries. Paola has a Masters degree in Public Policy from Oxford University and a B.A. in International Relations, with a minor in Anthropology from the American University of Kuwait. Back in Kuwait, Paola worked as a political consultant at the Mexican Embassy and directed an organization for the protection of migrant workers in the GCC. Paola authored her first novel in 2014, at age 19.
Lázaro Valiente is a muldisciplinary artist, musician, meditation guide, and mindfulness and creativity coach. Currently, he is the mental health coach of the Los Capitanes professional basketball team from Mexico City. He is a leadership consultant on Mexican and international projects, a researcher and a facilitator of Circulo HE, which offers a space for critical reflection about the concept of masculinity. As an artist he has performed and shown his art in Vive Latino, Lollapalooza, Mexico City Museum, Carrillo Gil Museum, El Museo del Barrio in New York, Wilfredo Lam Museum in Cuba, Cartier Foundation in Paris, amongst others. As a musician, he has played and collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Calle 13, Natalia Lafourcade, Devendra Bahart, Cold War Kids, Adan and Alejandro Jodorowsky.’