Lorna Olivia McCormack: Sparking Sustainability Through Heritage, Heart, and Running for Office
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Lorna Olivia McCormack: Sparking Sustainability Through Heritage, Heart, and Running for Office
In this episode of The PlayFull Podcast, host Kristine Michie talks with Lorna Olivia McCormack, founder of Wool in School and a former Irish presidential candidate. Together, they explore how creativity, sustainability, and empathy can transform leadership and learning. Through stories of grassroots innovation and personal courage, Lorna reveals how meaningful change begins with compassion, curiosity, and community. This conversation reminds listeners that the most powerful movements often start with one simple, heartfelt idea.
Key Takeaways:
Lorna Olivia McCormack founded Wool in School to reconnect Irish children with farming, textiles, and sustainability through hands-on creative learning.
Her journey from community educator to Irish presidential candidate reflects a lifelong commitment to inclusion, accessibility, and cultural heritage.
Lead with empathy and integrity, even when it challenges expectations—kindness and connection can be powerful forms of influence.
Stay grounded in your values when navigating political, social, or organizational systems that pressure you to conform.
Cultivate mindfulness and creativity in educational spaces to teach sustainability, emotional intelligence, and well-being simultaneously.
Build local-global impact by adapting programs to regional resources instead of centralizing operations or exporting materials.
Through her work and leadership, she continues to demonstrate how compassion, art, and activism can intersect to inspire meaningful, intergenerational change.
"I think knitting is culturally grounded in every country, and for the sake of our children to move them away from the games and the pressures on those games — this becomes an individual kind of activity but also a group activity." — Lorna Olivia McCormack
"There’s a thread connection between everybody… that invisible thread we don’t really know who we’ve talked to or what we might have said that will resonate with people." — Lorna Olivia McCormack
"Empathy and kindness, it’s so important when it comes to any kind of political leadership." — Lorna Olivia McCormack
Episode References:
The Dandelion Project: https://www.thedandelionproject.us/
UN 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): http://sdgs.un.org/goals
Skoll World Forum: https://skoll.org/skoll-world-forum/
More about Lorna Olivia McCormack:
Lorna McCormack, MSc, is the dynamic Founder and Director of Wool in School, an innovative educational initiative dedicated to integrating the fascinating world of wool into school curricula. Lorna has an MSc in Agricultural Innovation from the University of Galway, comes from a Social Care background, is fluent in Irish Sign Language, and is a professional Fibre Artist. As a Climate Leader and an EU Climate Pact Ambassador, Lorna understands that every issue is a climate issue, including education and climate-smart skills.
Connect with Lorna:
Website: https://www.woolinschool.com
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/woolinschool/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorna-mccormack-msc-9899b64b/
Connect with Kristine:
Website: https://www.impactfullinc.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impactfull_inc
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristine-breese-michie/
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