Climate Crisis

We have much to learn from leaders in the climate movement.

Joan Michelson is a highly accomplished business leader, acclaimed journalist, coach and speaker, based in Washington, DC.

She focuses on engaging with and encouraging women working on all aspects of clean energy, climate and sustainability solutions.

I am a regular listener of her Electric Ladies Podcast featuring highly informative conversations with women climate leaders. She recently attended COP26, and I really enjoyed her episodes from the conference.

I admire the work that Joan is doing to platform women leaders in the climate movement, and she offers such great advice for people having concerns about the climate to engage with their employers and encourage and support ESG – Environmental, Social and Governance – initiatives within their organizations.

Find Joan here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanmichelson/

#women #energy #podcast  #leadership #climatechange

[Video Transcript]

Matt Schlegel:

Thanks for joining me in conversations with leaders who are engaging with their feelings as a leadership tool for both inspiration and motivation. Today, I’m speaking with Joan Michelson, an extraordinary climate leader and host of the Electric Ladies Podcast, where she highlights the efforts and initiatives of other women leaders in the climate movement. And now for our conversation. Joan Michelson is a highly accomplished business leader, acclaimed journalist, coach and speaker based in Washington, D.C. She focuses on engaging with and encouraging women working on all aspects of clean energy, climate and sustainability solutions. I’m a regular listener of her Electric Ladies Podcast featuring highly informative conversations with women climate leaders. She recently attended COP 26 and I really enjoyed her episodes from the conference. Joan, thank you so much for joining me and welcome.

Joan Michelson:

Oh, it’s my pleasure, Matthew. I’m absolutely flattered that you wanted to have me on. I always enjoy our conversations.

Matt Schlegel:

Super thank you. Well, why don’t we start off with how you are feeling about climate change now?

Joan Michelson:

Well, it’s really interest because I see a lot happening. I’m very concerned about what’s happening to the planet, but I also see the private sector really stepping up regardless of what did not happen the last five years and currently with the Biden administration is doing a great deal. Especially having just come from COP 26. And I interface with people every day who are in the business world, doing this work in big ways and small ways. And now that we have the convergence of the SEC developing reporting criteria to measure climate risk and provide standardized transparency, holding people accountable, as well as the private sector kicking in trillions and trillion… the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero committed $130 trillion with a T to net zero. And all of these companies now bringing in ESG experts and sustainability experts in reducing the carbon footprint of their supply chains.

Joan Michelson:

I think it’s really been a big wake up call. And I’m also hopeful because there is more of this coming together and understanding that you really have to have the ES and the S and the G coordinated. You need to have diversity, which is, obviously the environment is the climate part, but you need to have diversity, which is the S part. And you need to have people engaged, which is the S part. And you also need transparency and accountability, which is the G part, the governance, as well as diversity on your board. So I’m actually quite hopeful. The temperature is not going down rapidly enough, but I’m hopeful that there’s a convergence of a lot of important and powerful actions being taken on mass converging at once. I did a story in forums on ESG is the biggest trend of 2021.

Matt Schlegel:

Oh, that’s… Yeah-

Joan Michelson:

Biggest economic trend, I should say, besides COVID.

Matt Schlegel:

Right. Yeah. So I am hearing a lot of hopefulness. I’m hearing that you are encouraged about the actions that are happening, that you see are going to make a difference. And that’s fantastic. So now, how are these feelings that you’re having influencing your behaviors and your direction as a leader?

Joan Michelson:

Well, it’s interesting. I’m getting more people… Well, there’s several. So I do speaking, I do coaching and I do consulting and journalism. So in my journalism work, as you say, I’m highlighting in a lot of the women who are doing this work, but I’m also finding companies coming to me to speak at their event, or for help with some aspect of their ESG work in a way that shows me that they’re taking it more seriously. And I’m seeing more reporting on these issues, more studies being done, these issues. My firm did a study of women… I don’t know if you were one of the people that got it, but we did a study about 18 months ago on women on… well, it was on people, but we targeted women and how they make career decisions. And we found that women make career based on status, power, curiosity, and idealism.

Matt Schlegel:

Interesting.

Joan Michelson:

Which was a very different paradigm for the 30 year old publishing company that did the research with us. And I bring it up because the more women we have in this space, the more actions that are being taken on a serious level with climate. It’s not to say that men aren’t doing it, but women naturally make values based decisions. So it affects everything that I do every day. The way I’ll answer you is to say, I’m getting more incoming from people wanting to address this on a more serious level and maybe building a new unit or developing new strategies around it, or women wanting to change their careers more into this space. So my work is practicing in it every day. But as an observer, I’m seeing people integrate it more and more into their everyday work and into their business strategy. It used to be just an investment strategy. Now it’s a bonafide business strategy and then a recruiting strategy.

Matt Schlegel:

Yeah. I really appreciate that point you’re making about how women leaders seem to take the issue of environment and climate a little more seriously, maybe than their male counterparts and how important it is to bring more women into the climate movement, especially in positions of leadership. So I really appreciate and applaud what you are doing to provide a path for women to come in and all the coaching and guidance that you’re giving them. It’s just so important. So thank you so much for doing that.

Joan Michelson:

Well, I appreciate that. And the other thing that it does is, well, first of all, there’s more data. There’s a lot more data to come in. There’s more that they can use. There’s more reporting coming in every day. So that helps bolster their case, but it also brings men along. It brings other people along. It gives people who have felt this way, a little bit of cover to come forward and say something. And I find more women supporting each other in this work as well, which is interesting.

Matt Schlegel:

This is a great segue into to my final question is what advice would you give to leaders and aspiring leaders who are starting to have feelings about the climate?

Joan Michelson:

Well, it depends on what they do for a living and how they spend their time. Because what I also find is that a lot of people come to me and say, “I need to quit my, because it doesn’t give me a way to help save the planet.” And my answer is, “Hang on. You probably can do something in your job or through your company that will help you give a voice to that desire to make a difference.” If they don’t have a green club or a sustainability club, you can start one.

Joan Michelson:

If they get more involved in recycling, get more involved in volunteer work and other things that the company is doing with other organizations. Or research what the firm is doing, your company is doing, or your organization is doing in general, in their various portfolios of work and say, “Hey, I see there’s a sustainability group over here,” or, “I see there’s a group doing X. I’d like to do some work. I’d like to help them. And how can I have my work connect to that? I’d like to be doing more in this space to be making more of a difference.”

Joan Michelson:

And the worst that happens is they say no and nothing. But if there are ways to, A, transfer your skills into another industry that is in this work… I worked at Chrysler. I just worked in electric vehicles. So it’s that kind of a paradigm. Or Deloitte, Deloitte has… I don’t know, 200 practice groups, but they have a sustainability group, they have an energy group, they have different things. And there’s sustainability for the organization, and then there’s sustainability to help other clients.

Joan Michelson:

So they’re all different ways that you can use your skills. You can be volunteering, or you can find a way to do the job that you do now, or use the skills that you have now in your organization to do this work and to maybe nudge them to do more of it.

Matt Schlegel:

Right.

Joan Michelson:

And their job, the company wants to engage their employees more. So you’re doing them a favor by telling them that this is important to you.

Matt Schlegel:

Yeah. That is such a good point. And it really highlights how we can come in to the climate movement and exhibit climate leadership, wherever our starting point is.

Joan Michelson:

That’s right. Just start from where you are. I mean, you can always volunteer and donate to environmental groups. You can go to different conferences and things like that. And that’s the other thing is if you can, even if it’s virtual only, just go to some of these events, see people that you want [inaudible 00:11:21] get an understanding, increase your learning curve that you might need to get into this space. And learn more about it. There are a zillion works. You can always listen to my podcast if you like. [crosstalk 00:11:37]. Thank you. 340 some odd women that I’ve interviewed as every topic under the sun. But if you like fashion, there’s a sustainable fashion. If you like cars, there’s obviously a ton going on in transportation. If you like the food business, there’s all kinds of stuff going on in the food business. No matter what industry you’re in, if you want your day job to be making more of a difference in this regard, there is a way to do it.

Matt Schlegel:

Right. When you’re working within a company, you might find that the company is highly receptive to your efforts. And maybe the analogy is also the diversity, equity, inclusion movement within companies. They’re looking for people to step up and show leadership in those areas and wanting employees to contribute. And I think the same is true for climate as well. It’s just becoming such a big, important issue for corporations and for everybody. So yes, I think you’re absolutely right that it’s a it’s a good place to start if you want to have a conversation to start with your employer and see how you can move the needle within organizations. That’s such great advice.

Joan Michelson:

Well, they may have some initiative going on that you don’t know about, and they may not know that you don’t know about it. They might not know that employees don’t know about. So you’re saying, “I want to get more involved in this. How can I do that?” They may turn around and say, “Oh, well, you can collaborate with the yada yada group,” and you go, “Oh, I didn’t know-”

Matt Schlegel:

You’re already doing it.

Joan Michelson:

“How did I know that you were doing that?”

Matt Schlegel:

Yeah, exactly. Well, thank you Joan so much for joining me today, for sharing your very hopeful vision of the future and for your excellent advice for how people can engage with the climate movement, from whatever position they’re in. I feel like we’re just scratching the surface on this conversation and it is going to be an ongoing conversation. Certainly. So hope to have you back in the future to get more of your insights.

Joan Michelson:

Thank you, Matt. Thank you for the work that you do every day. Appreciate it.

Matt Schlegel:

All right. Thank you.

Joan Michelson:

You’re welcome.

Matt Schlegel:

Thanks for watching. Joan strikes such a hopeful tone as she runs down all the horrific work being done to address the climate crisis, both at a policy level and within organizations. I admire the work that Joan is doing to bring more women leaders into the climate movement. And she offers such great advice for people having concerns about the climate, to engage with their employers and encourage and support ESG, which is environmental, social, and governance initiatives within their organizations. If you like this, please click on the thumbs up and subscribe to the channel for notifications on future episodes. And if you have any questions, please leave them in the comments section and I’ll respond as soon as I can. Thanks again.

 

Don Parcher is a retired Navy pilot, who tells me with a wink that he only landed on the wrong ship once. Don is a climate leader, and he came to the climate movement in part out of his concern for the impacts the climate crisis will have on the military, the personnel, the mission and National security. Don has been a member of Citizen’s Climate Lobby for 6 years, and he created a checklist for helping to save life on our planet Earth (see below).  Don lives in Colorado and has lived through the Boulder Floods in 2013 and recently experienced the traumatic Marshal Fire of December 2021. While somewhat stoic in appearance and a self-professed introvert, Don shares his feelings about the climate crisis and how they motivate him in his leadership, volunteer work, and activism.

Here’s a link to the list that Don maintains that serves as a guide for actions that you can take to address the climate crisis:  https://checklists.com/at-home/saving-the-earth

Here are links to learn more about Don and the various organizations he works with: Citizens’ Climate Lobby: https://citizensclimatelobby.org/

CCL Colorado Springs Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ColoradoSpringsCCL

The following environment/sustainability organizations in the Pikes Peak region collaborate to produce the Peak Environment podcast about environmental stewardship, sustainable living and enlightened public policy in the Pikes Peak Region.

Colorado Springs Office of Innovation & Sustainability: https://coloradosprings.gov/office-innovation-and-sustainability

Peak Alliance for a Sustainable Future: http://www.peakalliance.org/

Pikes Peak Environmental Forum: https://www.facebook.com/PikesPeakEnvironmentalForum/

#Climate #MarshallFire #Leadership #EQ #EmotionalIntelligence

[Transcript]

Matt Schlegel:

Thanks for joining me in conversations with leaders who are engaging with their feelings as a leadership tool and a tool for inspiration and motivation. Today, I’m speaking with Don Parcher, a Navy pilot veteran who’s become a thoughtful climate leader. He shares how he’s channeled his feelings about climate, to volunteering and lobbying with Citizens’ Climate Lobby. And now for our conversation.

Matt Schlegel:

Don Parcher is a retired Navy pilot who tells me he only landed on the wrong ship once. He came to the climate movement in part, out of his concern for the impacts the climate crisis will have on the military personnel, mission and national security. Don’s been a member of Citizens’ Climate Lobby for six years, and he created a checklist to help save life on our planet Earth. I’ll provide a link to that list in our notes. Don lives in Colorado and recently experienced the traumatic Marshall fire. So Don, thank you so much for joining me today and I hope everything’s okay with you and your family.

Don Parcher:

Yeah, we’re doing fine. We evacuated for four days, but this was December 30th. We didn’t have much notice and it ended up with almost a 1100 homes being destroyed. And I volunteer with the Red Cross. I did intake for like 55 families that were affected, mostly they had lost everything.

Matt Schlegel:

Geez. Well, thank you so much for doing that work. And it is really a tragedy that everybody had to go through that. Well, so poignantly, I wanted to start off with how you are feeling about the climate and what is your current feeling right now about the climate?

Don Parcher:

Well, I have a lot of feelings. I’m frustrated that more people aren’t talking about climate change and I’m perplexed that media, TV stations, magazines, radio, they don’t mention climate change very much. I mean, I think they should be talking about the things we can do to deal with climate change, to fight it. I’m kind of pessimistic about the consequences. I’m not taking aggressive actions sooner. But I’m somewhat optimistic that there are enough people working very seriously on this issue, that we can avoid ending life on earth. Which would take a while. But species are dying as we speak. I’m also mad at politicians who deny climate change and block aggressive actions. They seem to want to get reelected and gain power by telling their voters what they think their voters want to hear. And also as a veteran, I’m kind of terrified for military folks who are going to have to deal with this increased danger.

Don Parcher:

There’ll be an increase to conflicts and humanitarian crises due to climate migration. And these military folks are going have to do that with their capabilities reduced by climate change. There’ll be flooding and there already is flooding of military bases and equipment and the heat and stuff is going to affect their family and their equipment.

Don Parcher:

Also, I’m sad for our kids and we have a grandson due in April. So, I’m thinking about that. I’m also horrified for those families in our community who lost everything to that Marshall fire. And in this area, we’ve actually seen several wildfires in the last 10 years that we’ve been here. Plus, we had extreme flooding in 2013, like 15 inches in half a day. And I helped with that.

Don Parcher:

So, I’m worried about the future of life on earth. Also I feel guilty that I haven’t done more. I didn’t recognize the dangers of climate change sooner and haven’t done more to fight it, but I’m also determined to do more to fight climate change, like improve my checklist and publicize it more. So I have a lot of feelings.

Matt Schlegel:

I can see that. Well. Yeah. Thank you for sharing that. It’s interesting, I think a lot of people who have been working on the climate movement for a while now have cycled through a lot of different feelings. There is a cycle that we go through, grief, anxiety, rage and you touched on all of those. And so how would you, just out of curiosity, where do you think you sit mostly within the three biggies, fear, grief and rage?

Don Parcher:

Oh, well just a little bit of each of those. Yeah, a little bit of each.

Matt Schlegel:

Yeah, okay. I mean, that’s fascinating, because you’re kind of moving around in all of those areas. And so how would you say that those feelings are influencing your behaviors and your direction as a climate leader?

Don Parcher:

Well, they give me motivation to take action. So, I’ve done quite a few of the things on my checklist to reduce our family’s carbon footprint. I’ve been a vegetarian for over 20 years. And after the flooding in 2013, I started volunteering for Citizens’ Climate Lobby and we’re trying to get a fee on carbon with the proceeds going to families on [inaudible 00:06:14] bases. Been a liaison with our Senator Bennett, met with him several times. I’ve done some letters to the editor. I’ve done tabling at festivals. I’m a leader in our local time bank where we share things, resources and skills. We got an electric vehicle. I’d like to share that to drive people around so that’s helping it little bit. We did have climate friendly shingles put on our roof. We had a bad hailstorm a few years ago and we opted for climate friendly sink shingles.

Don Parcher:

And that electric vehicle by the way, is a lot of fun to drive. And now we’re arranged to get solar panels on our roof here in a few months. And plan to get an electric heat pump, an electric furnace so we don’t have to rely on fossil fuels. But probably most importantly, I’m kind of an introvert, but all these feelings have helped me overcome being introvert to speak out and ask others to take action. And as a veteran I participated in a podcast about the importance of fighting climate change for conservatives and I’m doing this interview.

Matt Schlegel:

Oh, wow. What’s the name of the podcast that you’re doing?

Don Parcher:

Well, it’s done by Peak Environment, someone down in Colorado Springs, which is a conservative area.

Matt Schlegel:

Oh, okay. Okay. Wow. Yeah. Thanks for doing that. And then you mentioned that there was a flood in 2013, which flood was that and where?

Don Parcher:

Well it was in Boulder, Colorado, and it was mostly in the hills above Boulder. And all this water came down, into the streams and small rivers and did very, very extensive damage, either directly in some of the mountain communities or indirectly where the water table raised up and flooded a lot of basements and so forth. But there’s very extensive.

Matt Schlegel:

Wow. So you’re living in the middle of the country and you seem to be experiencing a lot of the effects of climate change and then taking action on that. And it’s really admirable. Thank you for doing it. So, the final question I’d like to ask you is what advice would you give to leaders who are having strong feelings about climate right now, or aspiring leaders?

Don Parcher:

Yeah, I’d recommend they do some research to see how serious a threat climate change is and whether it’s droughts or extreme rainfall or extreme snowfall. The thing about climate change is it’s not just a warming, it actually causes extremes cold and heat. And, actually mostly it increases rainfall. There’s more moisture in the air. And I think people need to be aware that fighting climate change requires action by governments, businesses, and individuals or consumers.

Don Parcher:

So for individuals it’s like eating an elephant, you’d have to take one bite at a time, one step, one small action at a time. And I would ask people to talk and email with others about your concerns and suggested actions. And, of course I recommend checking out my checklist and I’d appreciate any suggestions for improving it and doing as many of those as you can and sharing it with people you know.

Matt Schlegel:

Well, thank you so much, Don. I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts on this and the feelings that you’re having and the stories that you’re experiencing and the actual climate impacts that are occurring in your area. And I really appreciate the efforts that you’re putting into helping us all be able to address this crisis, that we’re all going to increasingly start to feel. So thanks again, Don. I appreciate it.

Don Parcher:

And thanks for what you’re doing.

Matt Schlegel:

It’s my pleasure. Thank you.

Matt Schlegel:

Thanks for watching. Don’s been engaged in the climate movement for a number of years now and is directly experiencing the impacts of the climate crisis in his state of Colorado, with the Boulder flooding in 2013 and more recently, the Marshall fire in December of 2021. Don doesn’t have one super strong feeling about the climate, but cycles through a number of feelings depending on his focus. And he puts those feelings into action as a volunteer and as a leader. Don advises leaders to become more educated on the climate crisis and network with others who are like-minded, which sounds like great advice to me. If you like this, please click on the thumbs up and subscribe to the channel for notifications of future episodes. And if you have any questions, please leave them in the comment section, and I’ll respond as soon as I can. Thanks again.

 

Action is the antidote to anxiety.

Marianna Grossman, founder and managing partner of Minerva Ventures, shares how she uses her concern for the climate to spur her leadership focused on solutions for a resilient future. She also talks about the joy she gets in bringing people and communities together to address the climate crisis while acknowledging the courage it takes to stand up and share within your circles your concerns about the climate and the future of the planet, while committing to action.

Find Marianna at Minerva Ventures: https://www.minervaventures.com/

 [Video Transcript]

Matt Schlegel:

Thanks for joining me in conversations with leaders who are using feelings as a leadership tool for both inspiration and motivation. Today, I’m speaking with Marianna Grossman, founder of Minerva Ventures. Marianna is passionate about addressing climate change. She shares how she uses that passion as a leader.

Matt Schlegel:

Now for the conversation.

Matt Schlegel:

Today I’m speaking with Marianna Grossman. Marianna is a leader on climate. She is a founder and managing partner of Minerva Ventures, a consultancy focused on solutions for a resilient future. She advises companies and communities on climate risk, adaptation and resilience and also guides clean tech startups in water, energy, remediation, finance and climate analytics. She specializes in bringing people and institutions together across sectors to collaborate, invent and implement solutions that enhance sustainability, build resilience and address the consequences of climate change.

Matt Schlegel:

I’ve known Marianna for nearly 15 years now. I am so delighted to have her with us here today. Welcome, Marianna.

Marianna Grossman:

Thank you. It’s a joy to be with you today.

Matt Schlegel:

Great. Well, thank you so much for being here. Why don’t we start? I mean, you’re doing so much around work with climate, but I’d like to just start how you are feeling right now about climate change.

Marianna Grossman:

Well, I am feeling really concerned. I feel that the scientists have been saying for decades, four decades, that we need to take serious action, transform our energy systems and the way we interact with our ecosystems and we haven’t been listening. Then when we do listen, we haven’t been making the changes we need. I’m worried about the impacts today, and the future impacts, that we’re going to have to contend with.

Matt Schlegel:

How are you channeling those feelings that you’re having about climate change into your actions and behaviors as a leader?

Marianna Grossman:

As a leader, I am doing a couple of things. One is I do find that taking action is a great antidote to anxiety. That means working with companies that are doing really innovative things, helping communities do the hard work of integrating their different disciplines to be able to make their communities more resilient and looking at investments that are advancing technology that can be helpful. I do a lot of work bringing communities together to think about values and kind of the spiritual dimension that calls us to make transformational change. Then some of the time, I just distract myself like probably everyone else does. Then I feel guilty that I’m not constantly focused on issues and action because we are in an emergency, but I find that because it’s a long-term emergency, I kind of have to pace myself and sometimes give myself a break.

Matt Schlegel:

Well, I want to just thank you for the work that you do. Again, I’ve known you for a long time. I know how you’ve put so much energy into working on solutions to help solve the climate crisis that we’re in. I can imagine that it can be a little draining and overwhelming at times, but good for you that you found a pace that you can get to and continue to do the good work that you’re doing.

Marianna Grossman:

Thank you.

Matt Schlegel:

Thanks again.

Marianna Grossman:

One other thing I wanted to say.

Matt Schlegel:

Yeah.

Marianna Grossman:

The thing that gives me the most joy is bringing people together to share information, ideas and inspiration across different disciplines. Architects, business people, government people, NGOs, all kinds of people who are investors, who are concerned about climate change and those who are really taking leadership and trying to support each other in doing more, thinking more boldly, finding connections that they wouldn’t otherwise find. I think that’s the work that gives me the most joy.

Matt Schlegel:

Yeah, that is [great 00:04:56].

Marianna Grossman:

For many years, I’ve been trying to figure out how to get leaders to wake up to climate change and then to move toward action. I think there are so many things that leaders can do that they may not feel empowered to do. It’s time for us to take on that power.

Matt Schlegel:

The work that you’re doing, just building those communities, is very empowering. Everybody feels the energy and wants to just do that much more. That makes total sense. That’s a great strategy.

Marianna Grossman:

Thank you.

Matt Schlegel:

Then what advice would you give to leaders who are having strong feelings about climate and climate change?

Marianna Grossman:

I think that the first thing is to be in touch with those feelings, to think about our children, our grandchildren, our future grandchildren, generations beyond that, bees, and all the other creatures that we share the earth with, and realize that life is imperiled. It really is. How do we think about all the levers of power we have? Every single one of us has more power than we think.

Marianna Grossman:

For the leader of a corporation, we have our treasury funds that we can invest differently. We have our products and our supply chains and our customers and our stockholder and employees to work with. We also have our groups like the US Chamber of Commerce and other associations, our alumni associations, our faith communities, our neighborhoods, our families, our friends. We have so many overlapping and interconnected networks. If we stand up in each of those and say, “I care about climate change and I’m committed to figuring out how to use all the levers of power that I possess to make a difference,” I think we’ll start to really see massive change.

Marianna Grossman:

To empower also think about everything, our food, our money, our clothes, our transportation, but also our relationships with political leaders or even running for political office so that the policies that are put in place help move us toward change. For example, we really need a tax, a price on carbon. Politicians have been knowing about it for years and afraid to take action because it’s going to upset the people who profit off of cheap carbon.

Marianna Grossman:

In fact, the external price of harm that these products do isn’t calculated into the price. The price needs to change. Then if you have a dividend, you give back money, you can make it be a progressive tax or a non-regressive tax so that people who use less carbon, get the same dividend as people who use more and it evens it out so you don’t have to worry about the price of gas going up because people will be getting money back to be able to meet their needs.

Matt Schlegel:

Well, clearly there’s so much that we can do, but what I heard you say, first and foremost, is just make sure that whatever circle that you’re in, let those folks know how important climate is to you and how just standing up and saying that, you are going to bring moral awareness and bring more people into working with you to solve some of these really critical issues that you’re identifying here.

Marianna Grossman:

I think there are a couple of key points. One is I might not be a scientific expert on this topic, but I can do research. I can understand it. I can partner with people who are experts. I can’t let that stop me from taking action. The other thing is it feels transgressive. Do I put a sign on my lawn that says, “Climate action now.”? Are my neighbors going to be uncomfortable with that? Or do I stand up in a board meeting and say, “We are in an emergency. We must transform the way we run our business.”? That’s a very frightening thing to say in a group of peers where everybody’s trying to show competence. If you don’t have competence on the science side, but you know that it’s a problem we have to solve, then you say, “We have to solve this and we’re going to bring in the expertise we need to do it well.”

Matt Schlegel:

That is a good point.

Marianna Grossman:

While I think hope is over, I think the future is going to be quite degraded compared to the present, we have to have courage to take action. That’s an example of that courage to say, “I don’t have all the answers, but I know that this is an emergency we have to address.”

Matt Schlegel:

You know we’re in a problem and we all need to stand up and address the problem and not-

Marianna Grossman:

That’s right.

Matt Schlegel:

… stay-

Marianna Grossman:

And get the knowledge that we need or the resources that we need or the advisors we need to help us do it. Don’t let not knowing be the reason that you don’t take action.

Matt Schlegel:

Well, that is a perfect way to end this. I feel like we are just scratching the surface on this topic. I’m so impressed with how you’re taking those feelings that you’re having about the problem and channeling them into leadership and action. I applaud you and thank you again. I hope that as you make more progress, that you can come back and share more of your thoughts of about being a climate leader in this time of crisis.

Marianna Grossman:

Thank you so much. It’s really a pleasure to speak with you today.

Matt Schlegel:

All right. Thank you.

Matt Schlegel:

Thanks for watching.

Matt Schlegel:

Being a leader in the climate movement is clearly fraught with many emotional ups and downs. Marianna shared how she feels worried about the climate crisis. Then she poignantly points out that action is the anecdote to anxiety. She also talks about the joy she gets from bringing people and communities together while acknowledging that courage that it takes to stand up in whatever your circles you’re moving and saying that you are concerned about the climate and that you want to take action. She also advises leaders to be in touch with their own feelings as a source of inspiration and motivation as they do clearly for Marianna herself.

Matt Schlegel:

If you found this helpful, please click on the thumbs up button, subscribe to the channel and get notifications of future episodes. If you have any questions, leave them in the comment section and I’ll respond as soon as I can. Thanks again.