About Valeria
Discover her story
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I am committed to breaking boundaries and eliminating stigma to accelerate the transition to systems and economies that are truly inclusive and regenerative. I believe that to get there we need to transform the way we think, act, and relate to each other and the world around us. To me, empathy, wisdom and Joy are key drivers of transformational changes.
Meet Valeria Duflot
With a surname that translates to “from the flow (of water)”, Valeria believes that everyone should feel equipped and authorized to make waves.
She is an audacious yet compassionate innovator and advocate, who does not fear to dream big, challenge the status quo, and turn vision into action in places where she has never been before.
A multicultural trauma survivor living with migraine, Valeria has been challenging mindsets, breaking barriers, and building bridges all her life.
She has transformed her experience of pain, loneliness, and stigma into an unshakable commitment to advance equitable and compassionate systems that connect and empower end-users, foster trust, and prioritize the well-being of people and the planet.
Driven by a profound sense of duty, Valeria is determined to make her vision of a balanced world where everyone can live well, dream big, and contribute to the creation of a better society and economy a reality.
To do so, she works to make individual and collective action “easy and fun” by building and supporting ventures that inspire and enable us to transform the way we see and do things.
Empathy, fun, curiosity, audacity, and empowerment are at the core of everything she does.
Vision
A world that is fair to everybody, both economically and socially, and where our environment and all forms of life thrive and receive the respect they deserve.
Mission
To make it easy and fun for all to live well, dream big and help build a better future for people and for nature.
Valeria is best known for co-founding two social enterprises recognized by the media and considered pioneers in their respective industries.
These ventures have made it easy and fun for consumers to connect with meaningful experiences that bring them joy and positively impact people and nature, supporting what matters most to them. By establishing authentic brands that stand for high quality and clear values, and foster trust, they have created spaces for curiosity and trust-based connections and exchanges. In doing so, they have provided recognition and market access to vetted artists and entrepreneurs, reaching over 100 million people globally and redirecting millions towards a more creative, social, and circular economy at the local level.
Through their innovative benchmark-setting practices, extensive media and community reach, and commitment to multi-stakeholder collaboration, these ventures have effectively influenced markets, mindsets, and behaviors well beyond their local origins. In particular, the dissemination of their work in the transformation of tourism, one of the largest sectors in the mainstream economy, has helped shift business practices and public policies around the world.
In addition to leading her own initiatives, Valeria is deeply committed to supporting the work of others, helping individuals and teams reach their next level of impact. A neuroscientist-turned-business consultant-turned-social innovator, she previously consulted for Fortune 500 companies and now applies her purpose-driven, results-oriented approaches to clients either directly or through partnerships with organizations and institutions such as Ashoka, the European Commission, the UN, TBS Business School, and more.
Always ready to share her stories and insights, with her signature positivity, transparency, and generosity, Valeria has appeared on stages alongside and collaborated with leaders from all walks of life, from the grassroots to world-leading institutions.
A future-forward and industry-agnostic innovator, Valeria is committed to staying abreast of rapid developments in society, tech, and communication. She is deeply curious and experienced in using evidence-based creativity, storytelling, and strategic communications, digital transformation, capability and relationship building to create and support strategies, cultures, and narratives that inspire dreams, foster trust, drive results, and enable change.
Anchored in her values and belief in the power of human potential, Valeria sits on the boards and committees of ambitious international initiatives that foster entrepreneurship, innovation, and collaboration. She collaborates with a vast range of stakeholders, leading initiatives and delivering speeches, workshops, and training. Additionally, she engages in policy consulting and advises changemakers and teams at all stages of their journey.
Valeria and her work have received extensive media coverage and earned recognition through national and international lists, nominations, and awards for “changing society,” notably for their inspiring positive approaches and groundbreaking use of digital social innovation and new media.
Valeria is from a French and Malagasy family and lives between France and Italy (Venice) after several years spent in Bangalore, India.
Whether the projects I engaged in aimed to heal the physical and psychological pain I experienced as a chronic migraine sufferer, the loss I felt as a repeat brain and mental health caregiver, or the injustice I experienced as a member of an exploited community, they all allowed me to recognise our shared experiences, our need for purpose, our infinite power, and the potential of what we can achieve when we work together.
Turning pain into purpose
It is Valeria’s personal history that has shaped her deep-rooted commitment to societal transformation. Whether as a patient, a caregiver or a community-member, she has experienced first-hand the pain, frustrations and isolation created by outdated systems and witnessed the knock-on impact they have on people and nature.
In particular, as a multicultural woman with a history of trauma and migraine disease, she has turned pain into a source of empathy, deep listening, and infinite drive to help foster the well-being of people, places, and the planet, as well as her own.
Time and again, she has observed the need for wiser and more compassionate systems, economies and practices that adopt new rules and embrace new relationships and purposes.
An advocate of behaving and listening compassionately, a weaver of people, worlds, and ideas, Valeria has been spending her career amplifying knowledge and untold stories and imagining and creating physical and digital experiences and platforms that shift power to people most impacted by the state of our systems, bring individuals closer to themselves and together, and generate joy, meaning, and impact.
Valeria Professional Journey
For two decades, Valeria has been deeply involved in changemaking. From a young age, she engaged in caregiving, advocated for better elderly care, assisted in replicating a student association, developed campaigns, content, and events to democratize scientific literacy, and built communities of creative individuals wherever she lived. She transitioned into a full-time role as a social innovator, advocate/campaigner, and ecosystem builder after immersing herself in the world of fundamental research and briefly working in the corporate sector. While her journey encompasses a wide array of experiences, it remains anchored in the same core tenets: empathy and innovation, user-centeredness, and her fundamental motto, “making change easy and fun”.
Valeria’s Special Sauce
A transversal empathetic thinker, energetic communicator with an innovative mindset grounded in systemic thinking, attentive listening, theoretical understanding and data analysis
Valeria has a wide range of experiences and knowledge acquired through living and traveling worldwide, working in diverse sectors and industries, and engaging in frequent and rich conversations with a wide range of stakeholders. The most commonly referenced of her skills and talents are her ability to listen, communicate, and mobilize people and energies, her promptness to strategize and innovate, turning ideas into tangible products, businesses, and impact models. These models never forget to remind that she has a knack for ethical marketing and a human-centered use of (digital) technologies.
Valeria’s approaches are always lean and both user-friendly and centered. She grounds her work and advice in a desire to develop as deep an understanding as possible of the world around us and the people who inhabit it, based on attentive listening, lifelong learning, and data understanding.
Discover Valeria's unique approach and how it can benefit you.
I’m committed to breaking barriers and pushing the boundaries of the ordinary to make room for more joy, more wellbeing, and thriving on a healing planet
Committed to unlocking talents
One of the most defining moments of Valeria’s life was when an accomplished woman innovator looked deeply into her eyes and said, ‘I’m not always going to be here. You need to get on the ground or build something now.’ At the time, she was in her early 20s and already committed to becoming an entrepreneur to serve people and nature. However, coming from a hierarchical culture that did not believe in the potential of youth to make a difference, she thought it was not yet attainable. The woman’s words allowed Valeria to see a different reality: one where she didn’t need to spend ten years building skills and networks before taking action on her own terms. A world where she could realize her potential now. Soon after this conversation, Valeria took the plunge and became an entrepreneur working for the common good. As a tribute to Ruchi’s contribution to her life, she has since sought to unlock people’s potential, both through her own organizations and initiatives, and in partnerships with institutions.
Explore the Possibilities
Unlock your potential with Valeria’s transformative services. Discover how her user-friendly approaches can benefit you. Contact Valeria to learn more about her unique approach and how it can drive results for you and your stakeholders. Let’s work together to make a difference.
Leadership Porfolio
Dive into Valeria's impactful leadership portfolio, spanning pioneering ventures, strategic board and commitee roles, and transformative initiatives.
Services
Discover Valeria's personalized services, spanning speaking, workshops, advising, training, and interim leadership, and explore how they can support your path to success.
Contact Valeria
Get In Touch Anytime!
When you engage Valeria's services for speaking, workshops, advising, training, or on-demand leadership roles, you can anticipate an experience tailored to your needs and that inspires and empowers you and your stakeholders. Leveraging her diverse expertise, she excels in engaging audiences, sharing practical insights, and cultivating an environment that nurtures collaboration, drives results, and fosters growth. Partner with Valeria to unlock collective and individual potential and achieve outstanding results. Get in touch today to discuss how she can support you and your project.