Host Joy Gilfilen welcomes back Ilona Krohn, an economist whose research traces the hidden emotional and structural roots of our economic and social systems. Together they explore how the global obsession with profit and control has shaped local taxation, governance, and public safety — and how these deeply embedded behaviors are driving cycles of trauma, competition, and inequality in our communities.

Ilona reveals how economic systems built on scarcity thinking have conditioned generations to believe there is never enough — not enough time, money, resources, or worth — and how that fear fuels everything from political division to personal burnout. She connects the dots between profit-driven decision-making and the erosion of community wellbeing, showing how “more concrete and steel” doesn’t stop crime; it privatizes it.

This episode dives deep into the psychology of economics, the unconscious trauma that underlies modern systems, and the need for a collective shift toward conscious, compassionate leadership. Joy and Ilona challenge listeners to question the assumptions that equate profit with success — and to imagine what healthy, regenerative, community-based business models could look like if we re-centered human value over financial value.

“Technology has outpaced our consciousness. Now it’s time to evolve emotionally — to reconnect our economics with empathy.”

It’s a thought-provoking continuation of Ilona’s earlier appearances (#32 and #37), expanding the conversation from survival to awareness, and from scarcity to shared responsibility. Together, they outline a path toward an economy that serves life — not the other way around.