Jane Goodall – A Steward of Life and Connection
Dame Jane Goodall (1934–2025), ethologist, activist, and eternal messenger of hope, died this month aged 91. Her passing marks the close of an extraordinary earthly life - and the continuation of a legacy that has reshaped how humanity understands itself within the living world.
When she entered the forests of Gombe in 1960, she brought no formal scientific credentials - only a notebook, a pair of binoculars, and an open heart. What she found there transformed science and spirit alike. She saw chimpanzees not as subjects, but as neighbours - with gestures, laughter, grief, and love. Her discoveries dissolved the boundaries between “human” and “animal,” calling us back into kinship with the wider fabric of life.
As her research evolved, so did her calling. She moved from observation to advocacy, from the forest to the world stage, founding the Jane Goodall Institute and later Roots & Shoots, a youth movement now spanning more than 100 countries. Her message never changed: that hope is an action, compassion is intelligence, and every individual makes a difference.
Jane Goodall’s life was a lifelong act of stewardship - of listening, tending, and gently awakening our shared sense of responsibility for the Earth and all its inhabitants.
Stewardship in Action
What made Jane Goodall, captured here beautifully by artist Wendy Barratt, a steward rather than simply a scientist or activist? Her life reveals the same interwoven pattern of attitudes, principles, skills, and behaviours that define true stewardship.
Attitudes & Beliefs
She believed that curiosity and compassion are not opposites of reason but its foundation. She trusted that if people could see connection, they would act with care. She held faith - not naïve but steadfast - that humanity could rediscover its place in the circle of life.
Principles
Respect for all living beings guided her science. Responsibility shaped her advocacy. Continuity animated her commitment to young people - the torchbearers of a gentler world.
Skills
She united observation and storytelling, science and empathy. She translated complex research into accessible truth. She built bridges between villagers and conservationists, policymakers and children, scientists and souls.
Behaviours
She listened more than she spoke. She lived simply, travelled lightly, and worked tirelessly. Even into her nineties, she crossed continents to plant seeds of hope - one conversation, one child, one act at a time.
This was stewardship embodied: not control, not management, but the daily practice of care.
Notable Quotes
“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
“The least I can do is speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves.”
“Only if we understand, can we care. Only if we care, will we help. Only if we help, shall all be saved.”
A Living Example
Jane Goodall’s passing invites reflection not only on her achievements but on her way of being.
She taught that attention is an act of love.
That connection is the foundation of care.
And that hope is not optimism, but courage in action.
Her work continues - in every young person inspired by Roots & Shoots, in every conservationist who listens to the land, in every leader who chooses stewardship over power.
Her story leaves us with a quiet but urgent question:
Are we listening deeply enough - to the Earth, to each other, to what matters most?
Over to You
As we honour Jane Goodall’s life, let’s also look around us - to the stewards still walking among us, quietly tending, regenerating, and reconnecting.
👉 Who do you see embodying that same spirit of care and continuity?
👉 Who should we highlight as a steward of connection, courage, or hope?
Let me know in the comments or send a message. Together we can carry forward what she began - listening, tending, and protecting the fragile web of life we all share.
Stefan
CEO, Be The Waves | Executive Coach | Father | Citizen
Don’t just lead. Steward. Create stewardship wherever you go. Be the Waves.