Kelly Indira Buis
Founder and International Consultant — The Adaptation Company
Profile
Kelly Indira Buis is a trained conflict analyst and the founder of The Adaptation Company, where she supports purpose-led organizations worldwide to become more adaptive. She is an explorer of remote regions and a passionate host who brings people with a story together.
Her mission to train her "curiosity muscle" began in Lebanon in 2016. While conducting MA research on post-conflict peacebuilding, she observed that facilitated encounters between opposing groups reduced prejudice; genuine curiosity was the essential ingredient for true connection. This insight sparked her personal experiment in crossing societal divides and led her to develop a four-step approach that anyone can use.
Talk Topic
In her talk, "Beyond our bubbles: training our curiosity muscle," Kelly addresses a critical problem: in a world of growing division, we are increasingly retreating into our own bubbles. Instead of building walls, she argues, we need to train our curiosity muscle.
She defines genuine curiosity not just as a willingness to learn, but as "an interest in finding out, but without the emotional attachment to what the outcome is" — a mindset of discovering rather than defending. Drawing on powerful lessons from post-conflict peacebuilding in Lebanon and surprising statistics about segregation in our own communities, Kelly shows why this skill is essential for social cohesion. She presents a practical, four-step approach to help us step out of our comfort zones, engage in difficult conversations, and replace judgment with a genuine desire to understand.
