I hope to weave together systems thinking, community wisdom, and global partnerships
to reimagine what’s possible — not just for surviving, but for thriving in harmony with each
other and the Earth. For too long, land has been used to divide and dispossess. Through this journey,
I hope to work with the land as a healer — to reconnect, to regenerate, and to unite communities across difference.
Michelle Nel
Management Consultant, Circle Facilitator, Leadership Coach
Who is Michelle
Michelle is a strategic partnership facilitator and community ecosystem designer working at the intersection of regenerative food systems, youth empowerment, and green enterprise in South African township contexts. Her background in leading high-performing corporate teams now informs her grassroots work co-developing food forests, ecology learning hubs, and agri-entrepreneurship pathways.
She specialises in weaving design thinking, systems transformation, and intergenerational knowledge sharing to support low-income communities in reclaiming agency, restoring dignity, and building ethical, sustainable livelihoods. Her approach draws on the wisdom of land-based cultures, nutrition justice, and the medicinal role of food, positioning local people not as beneficiaries, but as innovators and stewards of living systems.
Her work resonates with ICH’s mission as both a think tank and a platform contributing grounded insights from community-based research and practice, while actively building capacity through youth engagement, partnership development, and ethical systems advocacy.
