INA KENT meets Thrive+ Founder Nora Dejaco

Trigger warning: This piece includes references to experiences related to eating disorders.

Nora Dejaco doesn’t believe in tidy timelines or straight career paths. She believes in detours, disruptions – and in the quiet power of refusing to play along. Raised in South Tyrol, at the intersection of social change, feminist thinking, and project design, she founded Thrive+ as a movement for FLINTA* that goes beyond empowerment rhetoric and builds tangible structures for it to thrive.

For her, transformation isn’t a buzzword or a gamble – it’s overdue. It might be uncomfortable, but it feels strangely familiar. Spend a moment with Nora and it’s clear: this is not someone waiting for approval. This is someone building what’s missing. Critique is part of it – but so is the invitation to imagine something better, together.

We spent a day with Nora in Vienna, visiting some of her favourite places – from the Donauinsel to the Augarten. Along the way, she spoke with us about breakdowns and breakthroughs, and how change, for her, is always rooted in the everyday: pragmatic, collaborative, and fiercely humane.

The next  Thrive+ Festival* will take place on October 11, 2025, at the NOBIS Centro Eventi in Bruneck, South Tyrol. Find tickets and details here.

Your path moves between art, communication, and structural change. Which detours were key to getting to where you are today? And what have you learned about trusting the non-linear?

One formative experience was living with anorexia for ten years — a period that had a significant impact on me. I’ve fully recovered, and that process shaped how I think about personal and societal transformation. It became clear to me that many crises stem from rigid social expectations — from assumptions about how we should or shouldn’t be. I’ve come to believe that these norms often limit rather than support us. When we begin to question them, we create space to focus on our own values and goals. That shift led me to redefine what matters to me — and to get clear on the kind of work I want to do. Among other things, it pushed me toward activism for a more equitable society.

Today, I take a pragmatic, proactive approach. I know what motivates me, and I have a strong sense of where I want to see change — both within existing systems and beyond them. I’ve learned to work with uncertainty and non-linearity, rather than against them. Life rarely follows a straight line, and I think it’s useful to build a mindset that can handle that — one that’s flexible, reflective, and solution-oriented. I’m not talking about endless self-optimization, but about knowing your patterns, recognising your needs, and making use of your strengths. That’s something I also share with others, partly through my training in mental coaching.

What matters most, in my view, is staying connected to your own reasoning — being clear about why you do what you do, and returning to that when things get noisy. We often look outward for answers, but the key is to develop a sense of direction that comes from within. Comparison tends to create pressure and distraction; it doesn’t usually help with clarity. We’re trained to adopt readymade ideas of success, and that can be counterproductive if it distances us from what we actually want.

At the same time, individual change doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Being part of networks and collective efforts can reinforce and expand what’s possible — not just for ourselves, but for others. I’m aware of the privileges I hold, and I see that as a reason to be actively engaged. I co-founded Thrive+ to help strengthen two things I believe in strongly: justice and the freedom to shape one’s own path.

With Thrive+, you’ve launched a platform that offers FLINTA individuals visibility, space, and access to networks. Could you outline what motivated you to found Thrive+ – and which conditions helped it gain such strong momentum?

South Tyrol, the region I’m from, is where it all began. Today, I consider both Vienna and South Tyrol home, but I felt a strong need to give something back to the place where my own journey started ... to create the kind of structure I would have wished for myself. Thrive+ is a movement and an organisation that offers support and builds connections. It grew out of a personal vision: a world in which everyone can become who and what they want to be — and a commitment to actively contribute to making that possible. Over time, this individual vision has become a shared one ... and that’s what continues to carry it forward.

In practical terms, we run projects on issues that can make a difference in the region and beyond. Thrive+ is both an activist organisation focused on equity – especially for FLINTA* – and a platform for collective projects that aim at broader societal and social transformation. At the same time, it’s a community space that supports and gives something back to its members.

The reason so many people have joined us so quickly, I believe, lies in this dual character. Many of those who become part of Thrive+ actively want to shape what’s happening. They share this drive to take initiative, to create solutions. And I think that’s exactly what’s needed right now – and in the future. A lot of things won’t be fixed for us. The best chance we have is to become active ourselves: as agents of our own future.

What has been your most important learning about how empowerment really works – beyond panels, funding applications and the usual rhetoric? And what would you say to younger FLINTA individuals navigating patriarchal or hierarchical environments without losing themselves – or having to explain themselves constantly?

I’ve actually touched on this earlier. For me, empowerment begins with the individual and builds from there – especially when people come together around shared values and move things forward collectively. Experiencing your own impact, and doing that alongside others, can be a very powerful and affirming thing.

In your work, where do you encounter the greatest tension between the desire for equality and the realities of existing structures – and how do you navigate that contradiction?

Thrive+ – and I with it – often feel like a fast-moving train on a long journey. We’re travelling at a good pace, but there are regular slowdowns and unscheduled stops. That’s how I’d describe the system’s influence on movements like ours. From my perspective, structural transformation is inevitable. What we experience are temporary halts – not dead ends.

Every movement that gains momentum eventually faces resistance. That’s expected. But even the most rigid systems shift over time when faced with consistent, sustained effort. So yes, in my everyday work – and in life – I regularly confront the gap between where we are and where we’d like to be when it comes to equity. But that gap is exactly why the work matters. Consistency is key. Change doesn’t come overnight, but every step counts.

Many empowerment initiatives focus on visibility – but your work also engages with systems and power structures. What have you learned about long-term change that you might not have anticipated early on – and what have you come to understand about collective momentum that you previously underestimated?

That’s a great question. I’ve come to believe that effective change depends on many people pulling in the same direction. So I have a lot of respect for a wide range of initiatives and activist networks. At Thrive+, we try to stay focused on one core question: which of our actions are actually moving us closer to the kind of change we want to see? That’s a guiding principle for us.

I can’t speak for how others approach it, but I do think this kind of clarity is essential – not least to avoid falling into patterns of white feminism. One key insight for us has been that, to shift power structures, you often need to involve the people who currently hold power. Dialogue, for me, comes before confrontation. We call this approach “collaborative feminism” – which doesn’t mean we avoid critique. Quite the opposite. But critique and collaboration don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

As I mentioned earlier, working toward change also means building tolerance for uncertainty, and staying adaptable. In many ways, it’s similar to building a startup: you need a strong sense of direction, the ability to self-initiate, and the resilience to get back up when things don’t go as planned.

One moment that really stayed with me was our first festival in 2023. Over 800 people came to Bruneck – my hometown – to be part of it. That made something very clear: the momentum is there. And it's up to us to make use of it.

Speaking of transformation – has your INA KENT bag changed your life? Or let’s say: the way you move through everyday life?
I really take it everywhere I feel like I need a bit of sparkle. It shifts colours depending on the light – and sometimes, that’s exactly the kind of energy I need.

What items do you always carry with you – and which one would we find only in your bag?
As soon as I get home, I empty my bag completely. But when I head out, it always contains my keys, wallet, phone, and usually my headphones. As for something uniquely mine: probably a few crumbs from the gluten-free pretzels I tend to keep on hand. :D

When you reach into your bag – are you more Team “everything in order” or Team “creative chaos”?
Definitely team "everything in order".

As a women-led company with a 15-person team – currently without any cishet men – we experience our work culture as powerful, cohesive, and connected. From your perspective, what would you share with us – as encouragement, a question, or a gentle provocation?
I’ve been following INA KENT for quite a while and have a lot of respect for the way you’ve built the brand. You can feel the kind of culture you’ve created when you walk into one of the shops – it really comes through. Looking ahead, one thing I’d love to see is a sustainability label and some vegan options in the collection. That would round out the picture beautifully.

If you had to name a single principle that runs through all of your projects, what would it be?
I’d have to go with a personal trinity: solution-oriented thinking, flexibility, and passion.

And when did you first become aware of it?
Always – in Thrive+, and throughout the rest of my life, too.

Transformation – when was the last time you had to fundamentally change something that didn’t come easy?
My attitude toward Excel sheets and budgeting.
I actually think they’re great now – which I honestly never thought I’d say.

Any current music obsessions?
Doechii – and the Thrive+ 2025 playlist.

The best film you’ve seen in the past year?
It’s been a bit longer than a year, but: Feminism WTF.

Favourite places in and around Vienna?
The Danube, Donauinsel, Augarten – and the area around Margaretenplatz. Though I wouldn’t call it a favourite. It just fascinates me because I always lose my sense of direction there, and I still have no idea why.

Fotografie: (c) Simon Oberhofer

* The Thrive+ Festival is a one-day event for anyone interested in social transformation, equity, and feminist futures. It brings together FLINTA individuals, activists, creatives, and decision-makers to explore new perspectives and spark concrete action. The festival features a diverse program of workshops, panels, performances, and networking formats – ranging from system-critical to solution-oriented.