The people behind Lodsten

Lodsten was created by Erik Fernholm and Moa Hartwig. A couple with a shared commitment to meaningful change. Our work builds on years of exploring human behavior, societal development, and the systems that influence how we live and lead.


  • Moa combines communication, creative work, and organizational insight to shape experiences that make complex ideas easier to understand and engage with.

    Her background spans commercial roles and leadership support, where she often serves as a thought partner to thinkers and creators. She helps shape the structure behind their ideas and gives form to the concepts that guide their work. Moa brings a clear, human-centered voice to Lodsten and connects the research to the beauty of life.


  • Erik is a thought leader with a background in cognitive science, behavioral research, and happiness research. He is the founder of the Inner Development Goals initiative, the co-founder of 29k, and serves as Chair of the Ekskäret Foundation.

    For more than a decade, Erik has worked with leaders, organizations, and communities to make sense of the patterns that shape human behavior and societal change. His strength lies in translating complex ideas into clear, grounded, and practical insights that people can use in their work and everyday lives.

Why we do this?

We are all part of a system that shapes how we live, how we relate to one another, and what we come to value. It determines what is recognized and prioritized, as well as what is sacrificed along the way. Although created and sustained by human choices, it is often seen as “the way things are”, leading us to adapt rather than question it.

For many, it is becoming clear that today’s crises are not separate issues, but symptoms of the same underlying patterns. A system that rewards short-term thinking, competition, and constant growth, even when the long-term consequences are harm to people, nature, and the planet.

If we fail to recognize these patterns, we will continue to address symptoms rather than root causes. The challenge lies not only in the system itself, but in the human behaviors that sustain it.

This is why we believe it is time to bring different perspectives together to deepen our understanding of humanity. By drawing on insights from cognitive science, systems thinking, and behavioral research, we can better understand how the current system emerged and what is required to create lasting change.

Perhaps the deeper issue is not that we are failing within the system, but that the system no longer supports what it means to be human. And if our way of living is no longer serving life, what is it serving instead?

What is Lodsten?

Most of today’s challenges are rooted in human behavior. A different future therefore requires different actions, supported by systems that value, reward, and protect different things. Lodsten exists to explore and support that shift.

Our starting point is that meaningful system change cannot be achieved through new structures alone, but through changes in the human patterns that sustain them. When these patterns change, behavior follows.

The name Lodsten comes from the lodestone, a magnetic stone once used to help sailors navigate open seas. Over time, it became a symbol of orientation in uncertain conditions, reflecting our focus on helping people navigate complexity and uncertainty.

By combining scientific insight with experience from practice, we support leaders and citizens in acting with intention to build healthier and more resilient communities.

Everything we do is grounded in science and guided by care and curiosity. We hope our work helps create greater clarity about where we are, trust in what we can become, and the courage to take part in shaping what comes next.