We were lucky to catch up with Jacquie Chandler recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jacquie, thanks for joining us today. So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?

Restoring the Sparkle: A New Vision for Education

I’m standing at the edge of the water with a Washoe elder, one of the original stewards of Lake Tahoe. The Washoe people lived here for over 10,000 years, leaving so little trace that many think they were named after Washoe County rather than the other way around.
He has not seen the lake since he was a young boy. He gazes deeply, silently, taking in the water’s vast expanse. Finally, he speaks:
“The water has lost its sparkle. Maybe no one sings to it anymore.”
Wait… what? I turn this over in my mind. What kind of song makes water sparkle? What songs make me sparkle?

Later, I came to realize that for millennia, indigenous people have always expressed gratitude to the Earth for its life-giving support through song, dance, and artistic expression. Reciprocity wasn’t just a practice—it was a way of being. Art was a vessel for connection, a language carried reverence across generations. Songs, in particular, are sticky. They evoke emotions, insights, and reflection. They alter perspectives. They can travel through centuries, even millennia.

This elder’s words stayed with me. I became determined to find a song I could sing to the lake, to share gratitude. Maybe, just maybe, my appreciation could help bring back the sparkle. But where do I find such a song? Where did they? Ahhh, they had a relationship to the land, water, wildlife and air – we all still share.
So I learned to walk softly with the land to listen, learn and understand it’s ‘Landuage’ (language of the land). Soon I saw the trees wave, the water dance and heard insights that became songs to share.

And then, I wondered—what if education worked the same way?
In a world facing immense ecological and societal challenges, our education system will be required to evolve beyond standardized tests and rigid structures. This generation will need to remember, recover and re-story a sacred relationship to Earth’s Intelligence – Nature’s Wood-Wide-Web of life support.
The Future of Learning: EI.AI.O where students bridge outdoor exploration with digital engagement to reveal solutions for a sustainable and caring world they will lead.
EI.AI.O
​Earth Intelligence (EI) our innate, nature-inspired awareness, collaborates with
​Artificial Intelligence (AI) the expanding, data-capturing intelligence to enable
Origin Intelligence (O) our deeper, conscious co-creation with reality.
​Engaging with EI, students expand their perception of Natures support systems. Collaborating with AI, they share and amplify insights for solutions.
​This synergy rewires the way they interact with the earth and the world. As students activate this awareness, their start to recieve insights and messages that guide their role as co-creators, shaping solutions in harmony with the Earth. Whether through art, technology, or new regenerative economies, they become architects of a thriving future. And in the process – they find their song.

Imagine if education helped us listen—not just to data, but to the Earth itself. EI.AI.O invites students to engage with both nature and technology in a way that sparks creativity, awareness, and solutions for a thriving world.
So, where do we begin? Step outside. Feel the rhythm of the land. Listen. Imagine. Receive. Respond.
Perhaps, like the lake, the world is waiting for our song.

Jacquie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Nature-Inspired Designer & Innovator

My journey has been about designing for transformation. In the 8th grade, I started wrapping fabric around my hips before school to create the skirt I wanted. By high school, I was sourcing African shirts from post-riot Watts, CA, to share the beauty of global designs with my peers. This passion for fashion led to launching JChandler Leather & Suede, a fashion line featured on Good Morning America, WWD, and in celebrity wardrobes.

Yet, beyond aesthetics, I became drawn to the design of cultures, experiences, and education that inspire a shift in perspective. Collaborating with a Vietnam veteran, living in a rainforest to soothe the scars of war trauma, we created The Earthgym, an earth-based movement practice that led to a National Geographic TV show. I designed the wardrobe for the TV series which explored humanity’s primal connection to nature. And then a job relocated me to Tahoe.

A place I once found confusing and crowded became a NorthStar for ‘clarity.’ As Tahoe’s first Geotourism Liaison, I founded SustainTahoe.org. Our team created a visitor model that connects travelers to the land without harming it. Through immersive Geotourism Expos and years of hands-on hosting, we demonstrated how travelers will ‘pay to protect’ destinations.

I documented the key ingredients in my upcoming book, ‘Until the Water Sparkles’ – a guide for destinations, travelers and a Destination Stewardship course. At the core of this journey is EI.AI.O: Earth Intelligence + Artificial Intelligence = Origin Intelligence.

I believe the future will thrive by listening to the Earth’s wisdom, so we co-create with Nature, leveraging AI to elevate sustainable solutions. Whether through books, songs, programs, or immersive experiences, my mission is to inspire Divine Nature Access—our innate ability to learn from and evolve with the earth. When we restore our relationship with Earth, we restore the story of ourselves.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Imagination is the source of innovation. Everything manifests from a thought—whether it’s the motivation to solve a problem, expand a concept, reflect society, inspire a movement, or evolve a species.
Creativity isn’t exclusive to humans; all species are creative. Creative intelligence is the lifeblood of expression, a force that taps into the unified field of all possibilities. Some cultivate this muscle more intentionally, feeling called to pioneer ideas waiting to take form.

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the ability to awaken consciousness in engaging, playful, and unexpected ways. Creativity is inherently regenerative—the more you explore, the more doors open, revealing new pathways for inspiration, connection, and transformation.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

yes – Empower and activate the DNA Divine Nature Access for Gen Alpha, so they grow up thinking with Nature able to design a World with the Earth vs only from the Earth. .

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sustaintahoe.org
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JChandlerDesigns https://www.facebook.com/SustainableTahoe https://www.facebook.com/SustainableTahoehttps://www.facebook.com/jacquie.chandler/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/storycoach/
• Other: https://www.sustaintahoe.org/speakers.html https://www.tiktok.com/@jacquie.chandler