Although I have worked and traveled extensively overseas, I was born and have lived my entire life in Australia.

             Overall, my life has been a little unusual both personally and professionally.  I grew up on a sheep and dairy farm on the Southern Highlands, south of Sydney. At 15, I left school, and between then and my late 20s, I raised day old calves on a little farm in Dubbo NSW; lived under the stars on the banks of the Barcoo River in outback Queensland where I caught “wild” donkeys and trucked them to city sanctuaries; and set up and ran several small businesses of my own. 

              In the midst of all that, I was appointed Australia’s first female oil company territory manager, which is when I began public speaking, and designing and facilitating public and corporate workshops.  Despite being constantly told that I had to be tough and ruthless and lay down the law to the oil company agents and dealers with whom I had to liaise; instead, I used my intuitive relationship building skills to bring in the top sales figures for the state during each budget period.  The advice I was being given came from superiors and other company representatives, who were much older and more experienced than I was.  Yet their attitude to working with people, leadership and managing a territory, just didn’t make sense to me. 

              In 1980, several years after I left that job, I was fortunate enough to attend the first of many seminars and workshops presented by Business Philosopher Mr. E. James Rohn, who confirmed my beliefs and attitudes relating to leadership and working with people.  As he's done with so many others, including Anthony Robbins, it was Mr. Rohn who really changed my life and set me on the road to "readin' readin' readin'" any books I could find on Leadership, Personal Development, Motivation, Inspiration, and Environmental Issues. Prior to that, I'd hardly read a book of any kind. Now I have a personal library in excess of 10,000 books.

              Not surprisingly, shortly after that my life took on a new direction and a successful 14 year media career ensued. My interest in the media began as a 9 year old when I made regular appearances, over a 4 year period, on children's televison programs in Sydney. And so my media work began on television, co-hosting a morning talk/magazine program and doing television commercials for about 12 months. However, most of my media work was in my number one (media) love as a talk-back broadcaster on commercial radio stations around Australia, including 8DN in Darwin, 4BC in Brisbane, and 3AW in Melbourne. And in 1988, I won the radio industry’s Pater award for the best voice on Australian radio. 
                      

              As well as completing numerous personal and professional development workshops, at the age of 40, whilst still working on radio, I began what was to become a decade + of academic studies; completing a BA; and a P/G Honours and two Masters Degrees – all 3 concurrently.  I then went on to complete a multi-disciplinary doctorate in 2000, called Heart-Centred Virtue Ethics: Raising Ecological Consciousness in Organisations, which included research in Ethics, Environmental Philosophy, Environmental Education, Behavioural Science, and forms of Spiritual and Emotional Intelligences as the foundation for ethically sustainable practices. The two foundations theories were Social Constructionism which says that because the stories we’ve believed in the past have constructed our world today, we can construct new stories to change our current situation – with specific reference to our environmental situation.  (2) The other theory was virtue ethics to guide the sorts of new stories that we need to create to affect positive change. 

              I am also a trained and experienced mediator, and certified Master Practitioner of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming). 

              As a sustainability ethicist*, speaker, trainer, and coach, I worked in Australia and overseas on a freelance and consultancy basis, and also as a contract lecturer for a number of different universities.  As a university lecturer, the main subjects that I taught were Leadership Skills, and Change Management to MBA students. And Business and Environmental Philosophy and Ethics; and Ecotourism Interpretation Skills to academic and also government audiences such as the Singapore National Parks Board. 

              In mid 2007, I finally discovered my dream job: researching, writing, and sharing my passions on nature and inspirational leadership (personal development) with people around the world via the Internet. AND I can do it all from home - wonderful. Not only more environmentally sustainable, but I can assure you more personally/socially sustainable too :-).

              Just before Christmas, 2007, the Universe reminded me of a radio program that I'd always wanted to do, but my radio station managers of the day all thought the idea was far too 'flaky'. I wanted to call the program "Learning, Loving, and Laughing". As soon as I remembered the concept, I knew that I had the name and focus of my Internet Business and website.

www.LearningLovingandLaughing.com was oficially launched on March 4th, 2008. 

              My personal life has been even more eventful than my professional life, experiencing everything from extreme hardships to absolute miracles.  One of those miracles occurred early in 2005, when I found and moved to the place that I’d been searching for my entire life. It's a little cabin in a peaceful and idyllic bushland setting, on 17 acres of land, in the middle of the Great Dividing Range - 3000' above sea level - in Far North Queensland (on the Eastern side of Australia up in the pointy end). So whilst I'm in the tropics, the altitude gives us the most perfect weather possible. Well except for the odd unpleasant weather event.  

              The photos on the left are of my little bush cabin; the views from my front patio taken during the day; and almost the same shot with one of the amazing sunsets that are so common; and my two babies Mr. Monte Airedale, and Ms CassieCat. Below is one of the Pretty Faced Wallabies, a type of kangaroo, taken from my house paddock fence. Mobs of them come and visit most evenings.

*What is a Sustainability Ethicist?

              Technically, the words sustainability and ethics together are a tautology – both words arguably mean the same thing.  In its simplest form, ethics is all about guidelines that help us all to live together on this planet in a happy, healthy, and harmonious manner.  Similarly, if we do want to live a happy, healthy, and harmonious life we need to embrace all three of the so-called triple bottom line principles – ecological, social, and economic sustainability.  In other words, the principles of Ethical (Triple Bottom Line) Sustainability provide us with the guidelines to live an ethical life, enjoy sustainable relationships, achieve sustainable business outcomes, and a sustainable world.

Dr Kashonia Carnegie - PhD, MSc; MA; BA (Hons)

Sustainability Ethicist

• 2000 – PhD – Thesis: Heart-Centred Virtue Ethics: Raising Ecological Consciousness              in Organisations (University of Queensland)
• 1996 – Master of Science-double major in Environmental Management and                        Environmental Education (Griffith University)

• 1996 - Master of Arts in Applied Ethics - Dissertation: Environmental Ethics: The              Corporate Challenge of the 21st Century

• 1996 – Honours Degree-Environmental Philosophy (University of Queensland)

• 1994 – BA-Peace & Conflict Studies and Moral Philosophy (University of Queensland)

              In addition, I've completed countless personal and professional development seminars and workshops with people such as Jim Rohn, Anthony Robbins, Brian Tracy, Denis Waitley, Wayne Dyer, Louise Hay, Depak Chopra, Robert Kiyosaki, Marvin Oka, Stephen Pierce, and John DeMartini, to name but a few.

              I also got my first copy of Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich in the mid-1970s, and studied it so closely in the first few years that I wore out two copies:-). The third copy is still with me.

Professional development courses also include:

• 2007 - Clare Graves/Spiral Dynamics - Chris Cowan & Natasha Todorovic

• 2005 – Green Globe 21 – Certificates of Proficiency – Ecotourism Standards and              Company Standards

• 2002 – Certificate in Coaching Psychology (University of Sydney)

• 2002 – Emotional [Intelligence] Competency Inventory (ECI) assessor accreditation

• 2002 – Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training (SA TAFE)

• 2001 – Certificate IV in Small Business Management

• 1991 – Master Practitioner Level NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming)  Training.             (Marvin Oka's Maxxum International Training)

• 1991 – NLP Based Presentation, Workshop Design, & Facilitation Skills – over 250             contact hours + a similar amount of non-contact hours – (Maxxum)

• 1989 – Certificate in Mediation (Vic TAFE).  Since then I have conducted well in             excess of 200 mediation/conciliation conferences with a success rate in             excess of 90%.

Main Papers & Publications

PhD Thesis and Masters Dissertation

Carnegie, Kashonia L.  2000.  Heart-Centred Virtue Ethics: Raising Ecological Consciousness in    
          Organisations. Doctoral Thesis. University of Queensland: St Lucia, Brisbane      
          http://adt.library.uq.edu.au/public/adt-QU2001.0002/index.html

Carnegie, Kashonia L.  1996.   Environmental Ethics: The Corporate Challenge of the21st                               Century.  Master’s Dissertation.  Griffith University: Nathan, Brisbane  

Refereed Papers

Carnegie, Kashonia L.  1998.  “What Matters Most? Casuistry as the Basis for Analysing Environmental           Ethics in Organisations”.  Refereed paper presented to the 1998 Academy of Management

          Conference – San Diego, August 1998

Carnegie, Kashonia L.  1998. “Environmental Action Ethics: A Journey to Environmental Responsibility
          through Casuistry and Appreciative Inquiry”.  Refereed paper presented to the 1998

          (International) Society of Business Ethics Conference – San Diego, August 1998

Carnegie, Kashonia L.  1998. “An Integrated, Ethics Approach to Ecologically Sustainable Development

          Decision-Making”.  Refereed paper presented to Management for Ecological Sustainability
          Conference, Brisbane, September 1998

Carnegie, Kashonia L, Howard Neilsen, and Colin Glover.  1999. “Stepping Upstream ‘Naturally’ for                     Cleaner Production through Community Environmental Learning”. Refereed paper for The Second           Asia Pacific Cleaner Production Roundtable Conference.  Lead paper in division. 

           Brisbane, April, 1999

Carnegie, Kashonia L, Howard Neilsen, and Colin Glover.  2000  “Stepping Upstream ‘Naturally’ for                    Cleaner Production through Community Environmental Learning”. Journal of Cleaner 

          Production.  8 [5]: 391- 396

Gould, Janet, Kashonia L. Carnegie, & Margaret Heylen.  2002.  A Guide to Social Planning for

          Local Government in South Australia. Adelaide: Janet Gould & Associates

Sullivan Mort, Gillian, Jay Weerawardena, and Kashonia Carnegie.  2002.  “Social Entrepreneurship

          Towards Conceptualisation and Measurement”.  Refereed conference paper for the American

          Marketing Association Conference

Sullivan Mort, Gillian, Jay Weerawardena, and Kashonia Carnegie.  2003. “Social Entrepreneurship:

          Towards Conceptualisation”.  International Journal of Non-Profit and Voluntary Sector

          Marketing  8 [1]:76-88

Academic Course Design Materials

Carnegie, Kashonia L. and Anne Pisarski.  1998. Negotiation Skills for Organisations. Brisbane:

          University of Queensland      

Carnegie, Kashonia L. and Anne Pisarski.  1998.  Mediation Skills for Organisations.  Brisbane:
          University of Queensland

Carnegie, Kashonia L. and Anne Pisarski.  1998.  Power and Negotiation.  Brisbane:
          University of Queensland Carnegie, Kashonia L.  2002.  The Emotionally Intelligent Leader.                      Adelaide:The University of Adelaide

Carnegie, Kashonia L.  2002.  A Systems Approach to Managing Contemporary Organisations
          Adelaide: Adelaide University

Sundry Publications and Non-Refereed Papers

Carnegie, Kashonia L.  1997.  Assignment Writing Handbook.
          A 53 page published handbook. Brisbane: University of Queensland Carnegie, Kashonia L.  1998.            Handbook for Honours Students.Brisbane: Graduate School of Management, University of                     Queensland 

Carnegie, Kashonia L.  1998.  “Integration of Business Ethics Education into the Undergraduate and
          Postgraduate Management Programs”.  Research paper prepared for the Graduate School of
          Management and Department of Management Review Committee, University of Queensland.

Carnegie, Kashonia L. 1999.  “Increasing Ethical Sensitivity”.  In J. McColl-Kennedy and G. Kiel (eds)
          Marketing: A Strategic Approach. Melbourne: Nelson ITP

Carnegie, Kashonia.  2001.  “Rationalism Fails the Ethics Test”.  In ‘A Special Report on The Green

          Bottom Line’. Australian Financial Review. August 1st 2001: 14-15

Carnegie, Kashonia L.  2001.  Assignment Writing Handbook. 2nd Edition.  120 pages.
          Brisbane: Graduate School of Management, University of Queensland

Carnegie, Kashonia.  2007.  Emotional Intelligence + Time Saving Techniques = TOP GRADES.

          Formerly Assignment Writing Handbook. 3rd (International) Edition. Ravenshoe, Queensland.                     Australia: Hindmarsh Publications 

Carnegie, Kashonia.  2007.  The Emotionally Intelligent Leader is the Ethically Virtuous Leader. 

          Ravenshoe, Queensland. Australia: Hindmarsh Publications

Carnegie, Kashonia. 2008. We Can All Be Inspirational Leaders through Emotional Intelligence.                     Ravenshoe, Queensland. Australia: A Learning Loving and Laughing Publication   

Carnegie, Kashonia.2008. Sustainable Living for a Sustainable Life & a Sustainable World. Ravenshoe,                     Queensland. Australia: A Learning Loving and Laughing Publication

Some of the more

Memorable Workshops and Learning Activities

will give you an idea of my diverse range of interests

I continue to research, and spend a fortune on books, CDs, and workshops; but there's no need to continue to list them at this time.

* indicates intensive and extensive private research which frequently included regular correspondence with a range of academics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology - USA - who provided me with some wonderful ground-breaking information.