Dr Jessica van Jaarsveld smiling

Jessica

van Jaarsveld

Culture| Sustainability| Wellness

Dr Jessica van Jaarsveld is an environmental philosopher with a PhD in Environmental Ethics. Her work invites us to rethink our relationship with the natural world, not only as a sustainability responsibility but as a foundation for human wellbeing and flourishing.

Drawing on African philosophy and deep ethical insight, she brings clarity, presence and heart to conversations on sustainability, ESG and culture. Increasingly, her work explores how reconnecting with the natural world in attentive, everyday ways strengthens our sense of meaning, resilience and grounded wellbeing.

Travels from: Johannesburg, South Africa

Sustainability

Business Ethics

Personal Wellbeing

Values Driven Leadership

Sustainability Culture

About Jessica van Jaarsveld:

Jessica van Jaarsveld is an environmental philosopher with a PhD in Environmental Ethics who has spent the past decade exploring one key question: why do people care about nature, and why don’t they?

That question now shapes everything she does. Jessica works with leaders, teams and organisations to help shift sustainability and ESG from a box-ticking exercise to a meaningful cultural commitment. Her approach does not focus on checklists or outputs, but on mindset, values and the deeper conditions for human flourishing. Through thought-provoking sessions, she helps audiences move beyond surface-level solutions to understand why it all matters, for organisations, communities and personal wellbeing.

Her journey began in academia, where she lectured and researched environmental ethics, with a particular focus on the human–nature connection and what enables people to live well. Her work also delves into Indigenous African philosophy, especially the concept of Ukama, a sister philosophy to Ubuntu that sees humans as deeply connected to nature. She has presented at global philosophy conferences and published widely, including an article in the African Journal of Business Ethics special edition on sustainability.

While rooted in philosophy, her insights are anything but abstract. She brings ideas to life in a way that is deeply relatable, drawing on hands-on experience, from volunteering on organic farms in Ireland to working in the ancient rainforests of Madagascar and the Karoo desert.

Blending storytelling with rich but accessible insight, Jessica’s keynotes increasingly explore the link between nature, meaning and modern restlessness, and how small, grounded shifts in how we live and work can enhance wellbeing. She has also launched ReGrounded, an online course platform supporting parents in helping their children build deeper connections with the natural world.

Described as “informative and inspiring in equal measure,” her talks reignite a sense of purpose. Because real change, she believes, always begins in the roots.

Keynotes

Workshop Facilitator

"Dr Jessica van Jaarsveld is a breath of fresh air - almost literally. Informative and inspiring in equal measure."

Graeme Codrington - CEO of The TomorrowToday Futures Institute

"She delivers with great skill, rooted in a wealth of knowledge and with deep authenticity... one of the best speakers I’ve heard in a long while."

Dr Sharon King Gabrielides - Founder, CEO, Leadership Development

"Her message is important. Her content is engaging and thought-provoking. Her stagecraft and delivery is excellent."

Tiffany Markman - Writer, Speaker, Trainer

WHAT DOES A SOCIAL ALCHEMIST MEAN TO Jessica van Jaarsveld?

“Someone who helps shift how people relate, either to themselves, to each other or to the world. A social alchemist would create and inspire the necessary conditions for personal transformation. I’d hope to play this role by engaging people at the level of values and culture, helping them reconnect with meaning- because from there, everything starts to shift.”

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