Connecting Research with Action

For Ruth, research is not simply about gathering information. Its value lies in how insights and evidence can be translated into practical solutions.

Her work involves reviewing existing research and evidence while also going into the field to meet communities and other stakeholders and learn directly from their experiences. This combination of evidence and lived experience helps ground AB Entheos’ work in the realities of the communities it seeks to support.

Through her role, Ruth helps connect research with action across Insurance for Nature, Research & Advisory, and ResilientME!, bringing evidence and community experiences into the development of practical approaches to resilience.

Making Learning Practical Through ResilientME!

Community education is one of the ways AB Entheos brings knowledge and practical tools closer to the communities it serves. Through gamification, ResilientME! makes concepts around financial literacy, insurance, risk management and resilience more practical and engaging.

What began primarily as a tool for educating communities on financial literacy and insurance has evolved into a broader service. The ResilientME! approach supports clients through the full implementation journey, from customisation and training to developing and delivering training curricula, regular check-ins and impact measurement.

As the ResilientME! Champion, Ruth drives this work from development through implementation. Her role involves customisation, training, facilitation, gathering feedback and measuring impact, while ensuring the approach continues to respond to the needs of clients and communities.

Learning Through Doing

For Ruth, one of the clearest strengths of ResilientME! is how quickly people become engaged when they have the opportunity to learn through doing.

During sessions, participants may begin simply by playing the game. As they encounter different situations and make decisions, the activity often develops into conversations about why they made particular choices and what they might do differently in real life.

The game also creates space for conversations that may not emerge through conventional training. Participants share experiences, compare approaches, ask questions and relate scenarios in the game to risks they encounter in their everyday lives.
For Ruth, this demonstrates the value of participatory learning. ResilientME! turns concepts such as saving, insurance, risk management and financial planning from abstract ideas into something people can experience, discuss and relate to.

“People are not just receiving information; they are actively engaging with it, which can make the lessons more meaningful and easier to remember.”

The Importance of Listening

One of the strongest lessons Ruth has taken from her work is the importance of listening.

Research reports and articles can provide valuable information, but direct engagement with communities can reveal perspectives and realities that may not be captured in written evidence.

“You can read a lot in reports and articles, but being in the field and hearing directly from communities can give you a completely different understanding of an issue.”

For Ruth, listening is an essential part of understanding the challenges communities face and developing approaches that are relevant to their realities.

Navigating a Constantly Evolving Field

Working in Insurance for Nature also means keeping pace with a field that continues to evolve.

One challenge Ruth is navigating is balancing ongoing project deadlines and deliverables while staying informed about emerging trends and innovations. With new ideas and approaches continually emerging, the work requires continuous learning while maintaining focus on current priorities.

What Happens Behind the Scenes

Much of the work that supports research and resilience-building happens long before the final output reaches an audience or community.

Preparation, field visits, conversations with communities and stakeholders, reviewing information, analysing what is learned, and refining approaches all form part of the process.

For Ruth, these steps are critical to ensuring that the final work reflects both available evidence and what is being experienced on the ground.

Making Resilience Practical

Ruth’s work contributes to AB Entheos’ broader efforts to make resilience more practical and accessible.

Through research, Insurance for Nature and ResilientME!, she helps connect evidence and community experiences to the development and refinement of solutions. Her work supports the organisation’s efforts to move from understanding risks and challenges to developing approaches that can be applied in real-world settings.

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Looking Ahead

What excites Ruth most about AB Entheos’ direction in 2026 is the opportunity to see ideas move beyond research and into real communities.

“There is a lot of potential to use insurance, research, and ResilientME! to make resilience more practical and accessible.”

For her, the next phase is about seeing knowledge translated into action and being part of solutions that can create meaningful change in communities.

One word captures what it feels like to be part of this work:

Impactful