Disconnection Is the Wound: Cherise Adjodha on Reclaiming What It Means to Be Human

Send us Fan MailBurnout, anxiety, the constant low hum of feeling not-quite-okay. We keep treating these as personal problems with personal solutions. Cherise Adjodha offers a different lens. What if the real wound underneath is disconnection? From ourselves. From each other. From the planet that made us. In this conversation, Cherise, a human development practitioner with 26 years of work in human rights and sustainable development, draws on her book Things I Would Have Told My Children If I Had Them to explore why so much of modern suffering feels structural, not personal. You will leave this episode with a softer, clearer way to look at your own life, your fears, and the systems shaping them, and a real invitation to take small risks toward connection again. About the Guest: Cherise Adjodha is a human development practitioner with over two decades of experience working across global organisations, including the United Nations, on human rights, gender equality, and sustainable development. She is the author of Things I Would Have Told My Children If I Had Them, a reflective guide for adults rediscovering their inner connection. She is based in Antigua, in the Caribbean. Key Takeaways: Much of what we call personal stress is actually structural. Our economic systems tie survival to competition, which quietly shapes how we relate to ourselves and each other. Nature does not need rules to live in harmony. Trees do not argue about how to coexist. That observation alone is a doorway into how disconnected our human systems have become. Children come into the world without these layers. The race for grades, jobs, status, validation, all of it is taught. We can question the templates we inherited. Fear of each other is the most quietly damaging part of modern systems. Most people you think are out to get you are simply afraid and trying to survive, just like you. Connection does not require a retreat or an overhaul. It can begin with five minutes outside, a moment of looking at the sky without naming it, or one small risk against your conditioned response. Healing happens when we stop treating perfection as the goal and start treating change, decay, and imperfection as part of being alive. Connect with Cherise Adjodha: Website: www.cherise.life LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cherise-l-m-adjodha-a2834030 YouTube: youtube.com/@cherise_life Email: [email protected] Book: Things I Would Have Told My Children If I Had Them, available on Amazon Episode Chapters:   [00:00] The Question Underneath the Stress | Why disconnection may be the real wound, not burnout [02:30] Meeting Cherise | From human rights work to a quiet, uncomfortable insight [05:40] Why Our Systems Hurt Us | How conditioning, scarcity, and survival became the default [10:50] What the Trees Already Know | Lessons in coexistence from nature itself [16:20] The Cost of Chasing Perfection | Generational templates, comparison, and self-worth [22:40] Technology, Soul, and the Modern Bind | Using tools without losing ourselves [28:10] Going Back to the Human Story | Small risks, real connection, and a softer way forward   Disclaimer: This episode is produced for educational and informational purposes only. 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The Network does not verify or endorse guest statements. Nothing here is medical, legal, financial, or professional advice, please consult a qualified professional. Engage critically. Third-party content referenced under fair use. Guests are responsible for their own statements. Concerns? Contact us | Full disclaimer.By listening, you accept this disclaimer in full.