Della is a Renegade Economist who challenges mainstream economic assumptions through her coaching, teaching, and documentary podcasting. Our conversation spans from the personal, like her advocacy for alternative metrics of success, to the deeply political and degrowth economics.
Together, we explore her journey upstream from social work to systemic economic change. Highlights include a discussion on what it means to be a good ancestor, how we can move from power-over to power-with, and the practice of balancing personal survival with building collective futures. We also explore practices like the Work That Reconnects and Max-Neef’s framework of fundamental human needs. Whether you're new to these ideas or already immersed in economic justice work, this conversation with Della offers grounding, insight, and vision.
About Della DuncanDella Duncan is a Renegade Economist whose work spans coaching, education, activism, and podcasting—all with a focus on reimagining economics in service of justice, community, and ecological regeneration. She supports individuals in aligning their values with their livelihoods as a Right Livelihood Coach and collaborates with organizations working toward equitable and sustainable economic transformation. As the host of the Upstream Podcast, she curates powerful conversations and documentaries that challenge dominant economic narratives and uplift alternatives like Buddhist, feminist, and cooperative economics.
Della is a Senior Atlantic Fellow of Social and Economic Equity at the London School of Economics and the Course Development Manager for Fritjof Capra’s Systems View of Life. She is also a Gross National Happiness Master Trainer, a founding member of the California Doughnut Economics Coalition, and teaches at several institutions including the California Institute of Integral Studies and Gaia Education. With academic roots in International Relations and a master’s in Economics for Transition, Della bridges intellectual rigor with deep spiritual and community practice.
Her work is deeply informed by indigenous knowledge, Joanna Macy’s Work That Reconnects, and post-growth thinkers like Jason Hickel. Whether facilitating a workshop or tending to her local community (and now, in a new chapter as a parent), Della embodies the principles she teaches—living into a world where we care for one another, the planet, and future generations.
Episode Highlights[00:01:47] Meeting Della and her many livelihood plants [00:04:07] From crisis work to upstream economics [00:06:17] Reimagining success beyond money [00:10:47] Donut Economics in practice [00:15:17] Quaker and Buddhist spiritual grounding [00:17:27] Seventh Generation exercise from the Work That Reconnects [00:21:07] Balancing small-scale action with systemic change [00:29:47] Degrowth as opportunity, not sacrifice [00:41:47] The journey upstream: from supremacy to interconnection [00:53:47] Redefining wealth: capital beyond money
Keywords#Upstream #RegenerativeEconomics #DonutEconomics #PostGrowth #RightLivelihood #SystemicChange #GiftEconomy #Enoughness #Interconnection #WorkThatReconnects #EconomicJustice
ResourcesDella Duncan's Website Upstream Podcast Instagram Debunking Homo Economicus Work That Reconnects Everyday Utopia: What 2,000 Years of Bold Experiments Can Teach Us About the Good Life by Kristen R. Ghodsee Donut Economics by Kate Raworth Less Is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World by Jason Hickel Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer Barefoot Economics by Manfred Max-Neef Sacred Economics by Charles Eisenstein
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