London, 27th of December 2024

In response to recent accusations on social media, I feel compelled to issue this statement about my role in the creation of the book The Nordic Secret and its relation to the Inner Development Goals (IDGs).

I founded the Ekskäret Foundation fifteen years ago, many years before I met Lene Andersen. The foundation’s original purpose was to explore the importance of inner personal development for fostering positive societal progress. Over the years, our activities have ranged from youth camps (launched in 2008) and retreats to invitational conferences we called “Learning Labs.” Information about several projects that have emerged from the “ecosystem” around the Ekskäret Foundation is available on this website. Additionally, I have authored several articles and books on topics like The Market, Societal Development, and Consciousness Development, some listed on this website. However, my most significant contributions have been co-founding around ten organisations in these areas since leaving the corporate world fifteen years ago. More details about these initiatives can be found below as well.

By the time I began collaborating with Lene Andersen in 2015, most of these initiatives were already well-established. Lene brought fresh and exciting perspectives on Nordic history and was deeply knowledgeable about Denmark’s historical folk education movement, Bildung, initiated by Grundtvig. Until I met Lene, I had not appreciated the deeper meanings of Bildung.

Conversely, Lene was, when we first met, unfamiliar with adult developmental psychology. Through many long and profound discussions—some lasting up to twelve hours—we began uncovering the similarities between the philosophical foundations of Grundtvig’s Bildung and contemporary adult developmental psychology. It wasn’t long before we decided to write a book together, aiming to bridge Bob Kegan’s theory of adult development with Grundtvig’s perspectives.

As we dove deeper into the literature and archives, the project became increasingly fascinating. To extend the conversation further, we organised a series of roundtable meetings with academics in Berlin, Leiden, and Stockholm to initiate a research-based European dialogue on human and societal development. Our source material grew substantially, and since Lene was not in employment at the time, we agreed that I would fund her for a year so she could focus entirely on compiling our shared ideas into a book. This collaboration resulted in The Nordic Secret.

We had a clear division of labour: Lene brought in the perspective of Bildung, while I brought insights from adult developmental psychology. I also took on the responsibility of funding the project, arranging the book’s publication, and I also came to do the majority of the marketing efforts. Through my efforts the book has been published in German and Ukrainian.

Lene compiled our joint ideas, research, and the outcomes of our roundtable discussions. She conducted extensive additional research, particularly into the historic German philosophical roots of Bildung and history generally, she drafted the original texts for all the chapters, which we then during weeklong stays together in London and Stockholm jointly discussed, reviewed and revised.

In the preface of the book, we explicitly acknowledged Lene’s significant contribution, and I personally thanked her for this:

“Tomas also wants to thank Lene for being the strong and tireless engine of this book project, putting in the bulk of the hard work required as the project grew beyond our original plans.”

We agreed to both be credited as co-authors of the book, and legally, we are both recognised as such. This is clearly stated on the cover of the book and in the preface. Together, we decided that Lene’s name would appear first, and that is how it appears on the book. We also agreed that Lene would receive 100% of the revenues from the book. I have to say that up until this point this project was a pure pleasure and one of the most intellectually stimulating endeavors of my life.

However, tensions arose during the book’s marketing phase. My involvement with Ekskäret, Perspectiva, Emerge, Rebel Wisdom, and the compelling nature of my “converted banker” story led to invitations for me to appear on podcasts and at events. In these settings, I consistently highlighted The Nordic Secret and always credited Lene. Despite this, Lene felt overshadowed, viewing my public efforts as a personal slight rather than a promotion of our shared work.

When I was invited to speak at the TEDxBerlin 10th anniversary event, which had 1,500 attendees, I could choose my subject freely. I chose to promote our book. Even though I acknowledged Lene’s authorship during the talk (YouTube clip), she was unhappy with the publicity I received when promoting our work.

Simultaneously, Lene clashed with both the Emerge project and Learning Labs at Ekskäret. During the first Emerge gathering in Berlin in 2018 and at a Learning Lab at Ekskäret Island hosted by Jan Artem Henriksson, Lene's interactions with several participants created challenges for the facilitators in fostering an open and trusting environment for the events. Her behaviour ultimately made it difficult for us, as organisers, to invite her to future events.

Despite these challenges, I attempted to mend our personal relationship, introducing Lene to paid work and recommending her for public appearances. I even at this time recommended her for membership in the Club of Rome.

When matters escalated further on social media in 2021 I decided to limit my contacts with Lene.

It seems clear that Lene now regrets our mutual decision to be co-authors of The Nordic Secret. However, it is a legal fact that we were both officially recognised as authors of the first edition. The last contact I had with Lene was in 2023, when she requested my permission to publish a second, updated edition under her own imprint, listing herself as the sole author. I agreed to this and I’m happy if Lene gains additional recognition with a second edition. However, I cannot accept her recent attempts to totally erase my intellectual contributions to the book and her spreading of falsehoods about me and our shared efforts on social media.

As we have both publicly stated numerous times: neither of us could have written The Nordic Secret without the contributions of the other.

While both Bildung and Adult Developmental Psychology as described in The Nordic Secret offer valuable insights into the development of human consciousness, the IDG initiative builds on neither. The Inner Development Goals (IDGs) has the overarching aim to emphasise the importance of inner growth—both individual and collective—for the benefit of humanity and the planet and does not favour any specific methods or psychological models.

Although different perspectives on inner development may seem disparate or even contradictory, they all point toward the potential for human growth. The IDG initiative aims to underscore this potential and its importance, and to be a global platform for mutual learning and exchange, not to prescribe specific methods.

In this context, the historical significance of the Bildung movement in Scandinavia—as explored in The Nordic Secret—can be seen as an intriguing historical case study. However, within the scope of the IDGs, it is regarded as nothing more than that.