Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee (Oxford Research Group) Scilla Elworthy reflects on 70 years of work with conflict and war, beginning at age 12 after seeing tanks in Budapest, then being sent to help concentration camp survivors. For her, the lesson of a lifetime, the one she feels is urgent right now, centers on “the vital importance of the heart for all we’re trying to address and change in today’s world.” It might seem too intimate or uncomfortable (at least for some of us) to talk about love and the heart so openly, but if we can sit with that difficulty, we may find power opening beyond the threshold.
Scilla describes how the suffering of others suffering hit her heart and led her to action in Algeria, the Congo, and South Africa, where she worked on starvation relief, shipped milk powder, supported education, and generally tried to find a way to deal with her own inner bully. She notes the central role of women in community resilience and her mother’s role in her own life. She emphasizes “listening with the heart” to discern what people truly need beyond narratives, and explains how turning to the heart helps release harsh self-criticism. She also shares practical self-nourishment through nature and gardening, and recounts how humanizing, vulnerable moments can soften high-stakes meetings, including military dialogues in China, as a way to build connection and “power with” others.
“Triple nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her work with Oxford Research Group to develop effective dialogue between nuclear weapons policy-makers worldwide and their critics from 1983-2003. Founded Peace Direct in 2002, awarded the Niwano Peace Prize in 2003, the Luxembourg Peace Prize in 2020, the GOI Peace Award in 2023. Founded The Business Plan for Peace based on her latest books - The Business Plan for Peace: Building a World Without War (2017), The Mighty Heart: how to transform conflict (2020), and The Mighty Heart in Action (2022).”
Find all Scilla’s work here: scillaelworthy.com
Dr Scilla Elworthy is:
Founder of The Mighty Heart
Founder of Peace Direct
Founder of Oxford Research Group
Watch her
TED Talk: Fighting with Non-violence: ted.com/talks/scilla_elworthy_fighting_with_nonviolence
Three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee (Oxford Research Group) Scilla Elworthy reflects on 70 years of work with conflict and war, beginning at age 12 after seeing tanks in Budapest, then being sent to help concentration camp survivors. For her, the lesson of a lifetime, the one she feels is urgent right now, centers on “the vital importance of the heart for all we’re trying to address and change in today’s world.” It might seem too intimate or uncomfortable (at least for some of us) to talk about love and the heart so openly, but if we can sit with that difficulty, we may find power opening beyond the threshold.
Scilla describes how the suffering of others suffering hit her heart and led her to action in Algeria, the Congo, and South Africa, where she worked on starvation relief, shipped milk powder, supported education, and generally tried to find a way to deal with her own inner bully. She notes the central role of women in community resilience and her mother’s role in her own life. She emphasizes “listening with the heart” to discern what people truly need beyond narratives, and explains how turning to the heart helps release harsh self-criticism. She also shares practical self-nourishment through nature and gardening, and recounts how humanizing, vulnerable moments can soften high-stakes meetings, including military dialogues in China, as a way to build connection and “power with” others.
“Triple nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her work with Oxford Research Group to develop effective dialogue between nuclear weapons policy-makers worldwide and their critics from 1983-2003. Founded Peace Direct in 2002, awarded the Niwano Peace Prize in 2003, the Luxembourg Peace Prize in 2020, the GOI Peace Award in 2023. Founded The Business Plan for Peace based on her latest books - The Business Plan for Peace: Building a World Without War (2017), The Mighty Heart: how to transform conflict (2020), and The Mighty Heart in Action (2022).”
Find all Scilla’s work here: scillaelworthy.com
Dr Scilla Elworthy is:
Founder of The Mighty Heart
Founder of Peace Direct
Founder of Oxford Research Group
Watch her
TED Talk: Fighting with Non-violence: ted.com/talks/scilla_elworthy_fighting_with_nonviolence
