Dr Simon Western is founder and CEO of the Eco-Leadership Institute, a global think tank advancing innovative leadership practices through action research, development programmes, and cultural change work. He works with diverse organisations including humanitarian NGOs, global manufacturing, finance and global technology companies. Simon’s work integrates theory and practice, drawing on psychoanalysis, critical and anarchist theory, theology, and social movement perspectives. His work transcends the university, and is grounded in extensive lived experience (see Chapter 1). He is the author of influential books including Leadership: A Critical Text (SAGE, 3rd edn) and Coaching and Mentoring: A Critical Text. Formerly, Simon led the Masters in Organisational Consultancy at the Tavistock Clinic and was Director of Coaching at Lancaster University Management School. A past President of the International Society for the Psychoanalytic Study of Organisations (ISPSO), he has trained over 600 coaches worldwide in his research-based Eco-Leadership Coaching System. He writes regularly on Substack and hosts the popular Edgy Ideas podcast, both focusing on what it means to live a good life and to create the good society.

‘“The way out is in,” wrote Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. In this spirit, Simon Western explores the messy entanglements at the heart of human relationships and the inseparable ties linking our social and cultural lives with the more-than-human world. Drawing together events, cultural patterns, and personal experience, this book treats entanglement not as a problem to be solved but as a reality to be understood. By inviting readers to look beneath the surface – into the unconscious forces shaping perception and action – this book offers a powerful lens for making sense of our deeply interconnected world.’

• Table of ContentsAbout the authorIntroductionWhat authored the author?Part I: Dislocating eventsIntroduction to Part ILockdown: In praise of the thermos flaskThe Covid event: Revealing new truthsTaking a stance on the Ukrainian warWhat canst thou say? Israel and PalestineThe meaning of the monarchyBrexit: The politics of enjoying displeasureThe meaning of Trump Part II: Rising tidesIntroduction to Part IIThe meaning of GretaThe rise of wokeThe politics of dissonanceThe wounded-self and celebrated-selfWhat is your true desire?‘Helpless helping’Free yourself from the happiness imperativeEnjoy your limitations!Staying with the trouble: Psychosocial insights into working with diversity issuesSpace invadersThe network society is a disruptive societyThe making and unmaking of bordersPresence and absence: Melancholia and confusion in the digital ageNetworks of desire and NIPIThe monastery: Moments of graceSeasonal awakeningEveryday spiritualityPart III: Weaving our futuresIntroduction to Part IIILiving well in the Precarious-Interdependent AgeIsland contemplationsAfterword, July 2025NotesIndex

Dr Simon Western is founder and CEO of the Eco-Leadership Institute, a global think tank advancing innovative leadership practices through action research, development programmes, and cultural change work. He works with diverse organisations including humanitarian NGOs, global manufacturing, finance and global technology companies. Simon’s work integrates theory and practice, drawing on psychoanalysis, critical and anarchist theory, theology, and social movement perspectives. His work transcends the university, and is grounded in extensive lived experience (see Chapter 1). He is the author of influential books including Leadership: A Critical Text (SAGE, 3rd edn) and Coaching and Mentoring: A Critical Text. Formerly, Simon led the Masters in Organisational Consultancy at the Tavistock Clinic and was Director of Coaching at Lancaster University Management School. A past President of the International Society for the Psychoanalytic Study of Organisations (ISPSO), he has trained over 600 coaches worldwide in his research-based Eco-Leadership Coaching System. He writes regularly on Substack and hosts the popular Edgy Ideas podcast, both focusing on what it means to live a good life and to create the good society.

‘“The way out is in,” wrote Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. In this spirit, Simon Western explores the messy entanglements at the heart of human relationships and the inseparable ties linking our social and cultural lives with the more-than-human world. Drawing together events, cultural patterns, and personal experience, this book treats entanglement not as a problem to be solved but as a reality to be understood. By inviting readers to look beneath the surface – into the unconscious forces shaping perception and action – this book offers a powerful lens for making sense of our deeply interconnected world.’

• Table of ContentsAbout the authorIntroductionWhat authored the author?Part I: Dislocating eventsIntroduction to Part ILockdown: In praise of the thermos flaskThe Covid event: Revealing new truthsTaking a stance on the Ukrainian warWhat canst thou say? Israel and PalestineThe meaning of the monarchyBrexit: The politics of enjoying displeasureThe meaning of Trump Part II: Rising tidesIntroduction to Part IIThe meaning of GretaThe rise of wokeThe politics of dissonanceThe wounded-self and celebrated-selfWhat is your true desire?‘Helpless helping’Free yourself from the happiness imperativeEnjoy your limitations!Staying with the trouble: Psychosocial insights into working with diversity issuesSpace invadersThe network society is a disruptive societyThe making and unmaking of bordersPresence and absence: Melancholia and confusion in the digital ageNetworks of desire and NIPIThe monastery: Moments of graceSeasonal awakeningEveryday spiritualityPart III: Weaving our futuresIntroduction to Part IIILiving well in the Precarious-Interdependent AgeIsland contemplationsAfterword, July 2025NotesIndex