About Us
Our Founders
Working across six continents and over 20 years, physicians Dr. Hope Ferdowsian and Dr. Nik Kulkarni witnessed the impact of violence, disease, and environmental devastation on people, animals, and the planet. They also witnessed the incredible promise of resilience—how people and animals can heal in healthy environments.
Hope wrote about this phenomenon in her book, Phoenix Zones: Where Strength Is Born and Resilience Lives. Through a commitment to key principles, Phoenix Zones nurture what’s known in medical circles as the Phoenix Effect, where individuals can rise from the ashes and thrive—like a phoenix.
In 2019, with the help of key partners, Hope and Nik launched Phoenix Zones Initiative to advance the essential links between human, animal, and environmental health and wellbeing, and to fuel the creation of more Phoenix Zones.
Joined by a talented team, partners, and supporters dedicated to making the world a better place, Phoenix Zones Initiative has had a global impact across seven continents. As an international voice for people, animals, and the planet, Phoenix Zones Initiative has advanced improvements in policy and practice from local communities to the nation’s capital and the United Nations.
Watch the book trailer for the stories that inspired the creation of Phoenix Zones Initiative. 100% of the author’s net proceeds from the sale of Phoenix Zones fund Phoenix Zones Initiative.
Our Mission
Our mission is to advance justice for all so that people, animals, and the planet can thrive. We offer a unique view and approach—specifically, that objectives to advance the rights, health, and wellbeing of people, animals, and the planet are closely linked and that the success of one area depends on the next.
Phoenix Zones Initiative strives to achieve three overarching objectives: to turn despair into hope, to end cruelty and exploitation, and to bring freedom and justice to those who need it most. To offer meaningful solutions, we draw upon our medical, public health, and policy expertise and the experiences of those we serve. At its root, our mission is based on a morally consistent commitment to people, animals, and the planet.
Phoenix Zones Initiative is working to create a world of Phoenix Zones—places that advance the health and wellbeing of people, animals, and the planet, allowing society to rise and thrive like a phoenix emerging from the ashes.
In the heart of where change is possible, we work to change lives and reimagine social, economic, and legal norms for the better.
What Drives Us
The exploited child, the abused animal, and the polluted community all suffer from the same old ideas. A failure to recognize the needs of people, animals, and the planet in local and global policies and everyday practices leads to cruelty and exploitation, poor health outcomes, and an unjust world.
Now more than ever, we have an opportunity to reimagine our relationships with each other, other beings, and our life-sustaining planet.
Join us in making it happen.
Our Guiding Values
At Phoenix Zones Initiative, we use a central ethic to guide our work for people, animals, and the planet, following the principles embedded in Phoenix Zones:
Respect for liberty and sovereignty
Compassion and justice
A belief that each individual possesses dignity and potential