In this episode of Creative women, leading change, hosts Mirjana Arlaud and Shea Karssing sit down with Rose-May Lucotte, co-founder and Deputy Executive Director of ChangeNOW, the world’s largest event of solutions for the planet.
What if the first day of maternity leave became the first day of your real life?
Rose-May shares how a road trip with her newborn sparked the courage to leave corporate security and launch the world’s largest event of solutions for the planet.
She reveals what entrepreneurship taught her about confidence, why climate communication must move beyond fear, and how action creates hope.
A powerful conversation about motherhood, reinvention, and building movements that bring unlikely voices together.
Episode highlights
- How a maternity leave road trip sparked the vision for ChangeNOW
- The dynamic of co-founding a global movement with her life partner
- How motherhood redefined her choices in leadership and family life
- The communication shift from problem-centric to action-centric storytelling
- The "Chasm" Theory: Why we must shift from problem-centric to action-centric communication
- Creating a "safe place" for a team of 40 to grow into the next generation of changemakers
Quotes by Rose-May
- “The whole day I had one sentence in my mind, which was ‘the first day of my life.’”
- “When you’re an entrepreneur, you have no one who tells you if it’s right or wrong.”
- “With action comes hope.”
- “We need to shift from problem-centric communication to action-centric communication.”
- “Just have faith, and life is so full of good surprises.”
- “We need to shift from problem-centric communication to action-centric communication.”
- “There are too many people willing to put doubts on the transition... we need to make it inspiring.”
Resources and actions from this episode
- Explore and attend ChangeNOW 2026 at the Grand Palais, Paris → changenow.world
- Follow Rose-May Lucotte and her mission to accelerate change
- Read How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
- Reflect → What would feel like “the first day of your life” if you gave yourself permission to reinvent your path?
