ABOUT US

Listening. Humor. Travel. Questions. Curiosity. Stories. Creativity. Openness. Courage.

Anne de Wild was born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and has lived in Switzerland since she was 3 years old. She has 4 adult children and works in her practice in Basel as a naturopath and biography worker. In addition to working with clients, she also gives lectures and workshops on various topics.

Chris Burke was born and raised in Pennsylvania, USA. He earned a Ph.D. in social psychology from New York University and is an associate professor at Lehigh University, where his research has focused on social relationships and coping with stress. He lives with his wife and three children in eastern Pennsylvania.

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They met in 2016 at the Biography and Social Art training in Spring Valley, NY. They found that they shared a passion for carrying biography work out into the world to meet the questions living in people, using language that anyone can understand. This initial spark has resulted in an intensive collaboration.

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Looking around themselves, they saw how easy it was to become either paralyzed or numb in the face of the big problems of the world. They were inspired by the story of "The Little Hummingbird" and its message that everyone has a part to play in solving big problems. But how do people know what part is theirs? They recognized that cultivating objective self-understanding is the domain of biography work, and thus The Hummingbird Principle was born.

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The Hummingbird Principle is an approach in which everyone can discover where their tasks, talents, and abilities lie so that they can make their own contribution to solving the big questions and challenges. In addition to courage and knowledge, humor, the ability to listen well, creativity, and interest are required to get closer to this goal. It can also provide relief when one can say with clarity, "No, that part is not mine."

Because the world is constantly changing, the workshops they offer are also always evolving. In addition to their existing workshop themes, they also offer tailor-made workshops to meet the particular questions living in a group, organization, or community. This way of working is ideal for schools, companies, and organizations that are on their own developmental journey.

They see this work as an act of peace.