Who is Who
Chantal Braunwalder is a development practitioner, social entrepreneur, and life coach dedicated to advancing human flourishing through inclusive, locally led change. As Co-Founder of Team Spirit International and a graduate student in Global Human Development at Georgetown University, she combines academic rigor, field experience, and community-centered leadership to strengthen refugee livelihoods, drive social innovation, and champion ethical, people-first development worldwide.
A Journey Rooted in Purpose
There are moments in a person’s life when purpose becomes clearer than circumstance. For Chantal Braunwalder, that moment arrived not in a boardroom or classroom, but in conversations with individuals whose resilience shaped her understanding of leadership and human potential. Listening to refugee leaders in Uganda share their ambitions, barriers, and hopes, she realized that true development begins with trust, proximity, and the courage to believe in possibilities that may not yet exist.
This clarity of purpose has guided Chantal’s path ever since. Her work reflects a deep belief in the power of people and communities to shape their own futures when given the right conditions to thrive. She has built her academic, professional, and entrepreneurial journey around a single theme: creating systems where dignity, agency, and opportunity are accessible to all.
Foundation – Education, Early Experiences, And A Commitment To Justice
Chantal’s foundation is anchored in academic excellence and an early dedication to social good. She began her formal studies at the University of St. Gallen, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration in English with a focus on sustainability, social entrepreneurship, and innovation. Her thesis, Scaling Social Justice in the Fashion Industry, was awarded summa cum laude, signaling a trajectory shaped by rigor and purpose.
Her academic path expanded across borders when she joined Harvard College as a Visiting Student. Immersing herself in courses such as Entrepreneurship and Creativity Studio Labs, Entrepreneurial Solutions in Developing Countries, and Climate Change, Migration and Human Rights, Chantal developed an interdisciplinary perspective that still defines her work today.
During her time at Harvard, she also became active in communities like Effective Altruism and Women in Leadership at the Institute of Politics, further strengthening her understanding of ethical, strategic, and collaborative approaches to global challenges.
Today, she continues this journey at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service as a graduate student in the Global Human Development Program. Her studies focus on decolonizing development, gender, peace and security, and program design and evaluation. This academic grounding allows her to integrate both theory and lived experience into her work as a development practitioner.
Ascent – Building Ventures, Leading Change, And Designing Impact
Team Spirit International: A Vision Brought to Life
Chantal’s leadership became most visible when she co-founded Team Spirit International (TSI), a mission-driven, community-centered venture launched through two Harvard innovation incubators. What began as a bold idea grew into an entrepreneurial incubator and agricultural bootcamp co-created with refugee communities in Uganda.
Through cross-sectoral collaboration, research, and training programs, TSI has reached more than 400 people. This includes its Agroecology and Business Bootcamp, which equipped dozens of farmers with tools, knowledge, and collective organizing structures that led to measurable improvements in income and yield. Most recently, TSI and Unleashed launched the High-Impact Incubator, bringing together refugee, community, and student leaders to define a new paradigm of leadership grounded in personal development and locally led transformation.
TSI’s evolution reflects one of Chantal’s core insights from her field experiences: growth begins with believing that imperfect action is still meaningful action. As she shared in an earlier reflection, “With patience, courage, grace for yourself, and committed action, your dreams will unfold.”
Driving Change in Global Development
Chantal’s commitment to social justice is further reflected in her work with the International Development Research Centre’s Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar initiative. As a Project and Evaluation Associate, she collaborated with academic and civil society partners across climate resilience, gender and WPS, digital security, and public policy. Her work involved stakeholder coordination, qualitative research, evaluation design, impact storytelling, and early-stage ecosystem building.
Her time in Thailand and Myanmar had a profound impact on her. She described it as an experience that revealed “sustained, innovative, courageous, and decolonial efforts” by scholars and activists who continue to work for a gender-sensitive democratic future. These encounters shaped her evolving view of what authentic partnership in development requires.
Coaching for Human Flourishing
As a certified Life and Empowerment Coach through the Dharma Coaching Institute, Chantal helps individuals strengthen emotional resilience, clarify their values, and pursue aligned, purpose-driven lives. Her coaching philosophy centers on the belief that personal development is foundational to societal transformation. This reflects her conviction that sustainable impact must be built on inner strength, self-awareness, and integrity.
Additional Contributions to Innovation and Sustainability
Chantal has also contributed to revenue-generating strategy, branding development, and program conceptualization at impl. project in Washington, D.C., supporting a social enterprise dedicated to leveraging micro-data for vulnerable communities. Her work with ETH Zurich’s Sustainability in Business Lab further demonstrates her ability to bridge sustainability research with actionable solutions, including projects focused on carbon removal and sustainable packaging.
Impact – Leading With Empathy, Insight, And Collaborative Spirit
Chantal’s impact is not defined solely by her accomplishments, but by the way she approaches leadership. Her philosophy emphasizes empathy, emotional intelligence, and the importance of lifting others through collective action.
One of her most influential posts captures this spirit: “Share your passion openly. You never know who might resonate with your cause or want to get involved.”
This belief in collaborative possibility has guided her work in Uganda, Myanmar, Washington, and beyond. Whether coordinating research, building incubators, or mentoring emerging leaders, her approach remains rooted in humility, curiosity, and steadfast commitment.
Her leadership has been recognized by mentors such as Harvard lecturer Jeff Bartel, who described her as someone with “extraordinary commitment to impact, strategic thinking, deep interdisciplinary understanding, and an empathetic lens shaped by global experience.” His praise reflects the qualities that continue to guide her: intellectual curiosity, practical problem-solving, dedication to social justice, and a commitment to personal growth that strengthens her capacity to support others.
Vision For The Future – A New Paradigm For Human Flourishing
Looking ahead, Chantal aims to contribute to a global paradigm that integrates personal development, ethical leadership, and scalable impact. She envisions a world where people have equitable access to opportunities, where communities lead their own development, and where changemakers are empowered through supportive ecosystems.
Her long-term aspiration is to build a moonshot incubator that merges inner work with high-impact entrepreneurship, enabling future leaders to design solutions that are innovative, inclusive, and grounded in integrity. Her global experiences across more than 35 countries, combined with her multidisciplinary background, continue to fuel this vision.
Editorial Note
Chantal Braunwalder’s journey invites each of us to reflect on how purpose, courage, and collaboration can reshape systems and lives. Her story encourages leaders and changemakers to act with intention, to trust their path even when the road is unclear, and to believe that meaningful impact is possible through both small steps and bold moves. Her dedication to building an equitable, flourishing future serves as an enduring reminder that leadership begins with listening, grows through learning, and thrives through shared humanity.
If you are inspired by Chantal’s work or wish to collaborate, connect with her to explore how shared vision and collective action can create the future we aspire to build.
