Healing Through Dialogue: Ilwad Elman on Rebuilding Trust and Peace from the Ground Up

It is an honor and a delight to welcome Ilwad Elman, Chief Operating Officer of the Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre in Somalia, to this episode of Regenerative Mindset. A globally recognized peacebuilder, humanitarian, and social entrepreneur, Ilwad’s work is transforming how we think about security, justice, and regeneration in the modern world.

Born into a legacy of peace work, her father famously coined the phrase “Drop the gun, pick up the pen,” creating programs that redirected former soldiers into positive livelihoods. Ilwad carries that vision forward in powerful new ways. As one of Somalia’s leading voices for human rights and social transformation, she is helping redefine what it means to heal after conflict. Today, she oversees initiatives that reintegrate former child soldiers, support survivors of violence, and pioneer climate-smart livelihoods that restore both ecosystems and community trust.

With over 70 percent of Somalia’s population under 30 and more than 60 percent being women, Ilwad is deeply committed to ensuring those most affected by conflict are also those shaping the future. Her programs give young people and women the tools, skills, and confidence to rebuild their lives—and, in doing so, their country.

In our conversation, Ilwad shares how land restoration becomes a form of therapy, where ex-combatants and farmers work side by side, healing the soil and themselves. We talk about how dialogue can “compost pain into wisdom,” why silence is not neutrality, and how restoring dignity is essential to rebuilding peace. She also reflects on the interconnection between people and planet, how protecting nature is inseparable from protecting human life.

Recognized with honors such as the Right Livelihood Award, the Hessian Peace Prize, and three Nobel Peace Prize nominations, Ilwad embodies a regenerative approach to leadership, one rooted in empathy, resilience, and trust in the power of local communities.

Join me for this inspiring and deeply honest conversation with Ilwad Elman, a leader showing that peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of connection between people, generations, and the earth itself.

You can stay up to date with Ilwad on her website, elmanpeace.org, through Instagram @ilwadelman, X (Twitter) @IlwadElman, YouTube Elman Peace Centre, and on Facebook at Elman Peace Centre.

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