Meet Adriana Machado | Founder at Briyah Institute

We had the good fortune of connecting with Adriana Machado and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Adriana, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Having worked in governments and very innovative companies such as Intel and General Electric, I learned very early in my career that innovation matters. So even before defining the business model, I knew it would be related to innovation connected to a higher purpose. Since I had also learned as an executive to look for and apply best practices, I came up with the three pillars for creating the Briyah Institute: innovation, practice and purpose.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I founded the Briyah Institute in 2018 after I had the privilege of having a conversation with Nobel Price Winner Muhammad Yunus here in Miami and I realized I could be a “job creator”, not a “job seeker” as he says. I challenged myself to shift from executive to entrepreneur and create something new. This is not an easy shift to make, and I am still in the process of making it work, but I am really excited about what we have been able to accomplish so far.

Briyah was envisioned as a “Think and Do Tank” to ignite leaders to transform organizations and create an impact economy, that which pursues financial returns alongside positive impact for people and planet. We started out supporting existing projects that connected innovation, good practices and purpose, such as the Brain Health Project, which aims to prevent dementia by promoting brain health. In 2019 I felt the desire to create something closer to my area of expertise and in 2020 we began to offer a leadership development program called “CEO Meet & Master”, which was conceived as a way to share the lessons I had learned as an executive, mainly at GE, where I had served as the first woman President & CEO in Brasil and as VP for Government Affairs & Policy in Latin America.

I invited other leaders I admire to come to Miami for a conference held right before lockdown took the world. This conference became the foundation of the CEO Meet & Master Program, which now focuses on applying systems thinking to business and life. Over 200 leaders from around the world and from 100+ organizations have joined our curated groups and we are now offering this program in the form of customized workshops inside organizations as well. The more I study systems thinking, the more I weave it in the program and new forms of igniting leaders emerge.

I am really proud not only to share effective applications of systems thinking to business, but to create Briyah by these very principles. When we understand that innovation is a relational dynamic, as the late Chilean Biologist and Systems Thinker Humberto Maturana used to say, we appreciate every conversation, every opportunity to build a new relationship bringing forth partnerships and joint reflections and allowing the initiatives to come to life. Applying systems thinking to business in very tangible and concrete ways is something that sets Briyah apart from other organizations. We are also building a community as we grow, building an ecosystem of leaders able to see systems and hopefully to transform them for the better.

One of the key aspects of Briyah’s business model is sharing. Besides the sharing that takes place in Briyah’s programs, we seek to share valuable insights through our social media chanels as a Knowlege Hub. In curating the themes and materials for the Knowlege Hub, we are also reminded of the important topics that keep us on our own toes: systems thinking, leadership, complexity, innovation — specially market-creating innovation — diversity & inclusion. Actually, a huge lesson we seek to share more of is to intentionally foster innovation that is market-creating. As the late Harvard Professor Clayton Christensen used to say, “not all innovations are created equal”, and market-creating innovation is the most likely kind of innovation to solve for the prosperity paradox we face in the world today. According to him, this kind of innovation has the power to create a pull effect that may indeed create lasting prosperity instead of trying to fix the visible signs of poverty as we so often try to do.

In my recent PechaKucha talk I speak of the super powers we already have, but we are not aware of and miss to apply as leaders of our own lives and in the organizations we are part of. In my particular case, the super power I wish I had is healing, and I am creating Briyah as a way to create awareness around it: healing the self, healing organizations. It may sound too ambitious for a political science major turned executive of big companies and now entrepreneur with no formal study of biology or medicine in the background, but it sure gives me joy and motivation to co-create.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love water and walking on the beach! Although Miami has many awesome beach options, my favorite place to go for a walk is Crandon Park, in Key Biscayne. I strongly recommend going to places where you can be close to the water. A boat ride is always a great option, or picking restaurants with nice views, such as Il Gabbiano, Joia Beach, Bellini or Juvia. You absolutely cannot miss enjoying Miami sunset, and a great option to enjoy the whole array of colours and have a drink with friends is from The Standard Lido. Another must in Miami are the Winwood walls! Time allowing, include a visit to the Perez Museum for some art and more good food with a view. Parks we have plenty! Each with it’s unique flowers and sacred spaces: Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Miami Beach Botanic Garden and The Vizcaya Museum and Gardens! Speaking of sacred space, don’t miss The55Project’s exhibit called “Forest: Ancestry and Dystopia”, curated by Eder Chiodetto, showing at Fundación Pablo Atchugarry Miami until July 16th, 2022, and featuring 16 renown Brazilian Artists Claudia Andujar, Luiz Braga, Elza Lima, Ana Nitzan, Luciana Magno, Gisella Motta, and Leadro Lima, Rodrigo Braga, Regina Parra, Edgar Kanaykõ, Elaine Pessoa, Lalo de Almeida, Naiala Thiely, Rogerio Assis, Victor Moriyama and Walda Marques. Great to reflect on mythical, environmental, and anthropological aspects of the Amazon forest, while raising awareness about its current issues. Yes, Miami has it all! Not to mention parties, music festivals, Art Basel, alongside thought-provoking conferences of all kinds, from sea level rise to tech trends such as the future shaping NFTs and Web3.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to my immidiate family, my husband Rodrigo and my sons Guga and Gabriel, for being part of my life and for supporting as well as for challenging me every step of the way of becoming the executive and now the entrepreneur that I am. I also dedicate my shoutout to my loving and beloved parents, Anna Maria and Adlon, who gave me life, as well as to the many mentors and masters, formal and informal, who have taught me the so many precious lessons that have shaped me as the person I am today. A special shoutout to Isabela Nahas, to the amazing members of our Advisory Board and all the inspiring leaders who have shared the journey of creating Briyah with me one way or another!

Website: www.briyah.institute

Instagram: briyahinstitute

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/briyahinstitute/?viewAsMember=true

Twitter: @BriyahInstitute

Facebook: @briyahinstitute

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNsUB1XbU2stZs5GpswDd8w

Image Credits
Headshot by Lea Grandvalet Studer at Image Me. PechaKucha photos by Luis Bolaños.