In this newsletter:
Adaptability + climate change — how do we prepare for what’s to come?
Live in NYC - A VoxPop Series
Climate Week NYC (tune in live for free)
Climate Optimism
Anne Therese in conversation with…
How do we get better at change?
That is the question we ought to be asking ourselves these days. Because if there’s one thing we know with certainty it’s that nothing about our world today is certain. Not only does climate change (among other world issues) propose an array of question marks but the road out of there comes with a smorgasbord of change as well.
Change is non-negotiable. Either we don’t act on climate change, with unpredictable changes we don’t even want to think about, or we do act and start choosing change. Either way, there will be change, and you are going to live through it.
Does that intimidate you? Or make you excited?
I was inspired to make this week about adaptability after reading this article by McKinsey & Company. Although written with a business focus, the same principles can apply to bigger world changes as well:
“Individuals and organizations need to be ready. That doesn’t mean reacting to the next challenge that comes our way but rather being prepared to meet it when it arrives.”
Parenthood
A thought that crosses my mind often is that we don’t have a clue of what awaits us. The world is about to change so drastically, that none of us can really prepare for what’s about to come. That’s just a fact, and we can let that thought either excite or overwhelm us.
We can’t prepare for each change since we don’t know what the world of tomorrow will look like, but — we can practice our adaptability muscles so that when these changes do occur (and continue to occur), we can navigate them with groundedness and intention.
I’m about to become a parent. Despite my many hours as a babysitter, I understand I have no idea just how much my life is about to change. I can’t know until I’m in it, and when I am, I will simply have to accept and adapt.
Parenthood changes a person’s life so much there’s simply no way of knowing until you know. I accept that. I even embrace it with curiosity and excitement.
However, that doesn’t mean I’m not preparing myself right now. Aside from the books and birthing courses to prepare me for labor, I’m spiritually preparing myself for this new phase of my life. There’s no book that will tell me how to deal with every tantrum, cry, and sleepless night, but I can work on preparing myself for the very fact that YES, that will be a part of my life very soon. And although I’m sure each situation will come with its own share of growth and learning, I can feel spiritually prepared now to handle those moments when they come.
That’s what adaptability comes down to. Being prepared to navigate change.
Climate Change & The World
I believe that what awaits us next as a society and world is very much like becoming a parent. You may have an idea of what’s on the horizon, but you simply won’t know until you’re in it. And just like with parenthood, these changes won’t come without their fair share of challenges and maybe even tears. But — just like with parenthood — it will be incredibly rewarding. Maybe even the best times of your life.
As a world, we’re about to grow. As a people, we’re about to transcend into something completely new. That change is coming just like a baby will pop out after nine months whether you’re ready or not. The difference lies in how prepared you will be to embrace and uplevel from those changes.
I apologize if this is turning into a quite abstruse issue but the thoughts I’m trying to put into words are hard to articulate. It’s just a deeper knowing that… wow, change is coming, and it’s going to be beautiful, and it’s also going to be the most challenging times we’ve ever faced.
Are we up for the task? Are we spiritually prepared for the journey?
Only you can answer that.
“By becoming aware of and open to change now, we can maintain control over uncertainty before pressures build to the point where altering course is much more difficult, or even futile.”
Live in NYC — A VoxPop Series
I’m so excited to finally launch an exciting project I've worked on in partnership with Tetra Pak and Witness Tree Media. For a couple of cold days in February, I ran around NYC asking people if they had any questions about climate change. In the time since I've been collecting answers to those questions from experts in various fields with the hope to bring a little bit more transparency, and hopefully some clarity, to the climate conversation.
I will be releasing one video per day for the coming weeks across my social channels. So follow me for some interesting questions and even more insightful answers!
Instagram — Twitter — LinkedIn — Youtube
Climate Week NYC
Next week is Climate Week here in New York and I’m so excited to bring optimism to the stage next to Lindsay from Save Our Happy Place at this event by Women and Climate x Humanscale. We are completely sold out but it will be live-streamed so please tune in if you’re free!
Here's how to register for free and learn more about the program and speakers:
My fellow co-panelist, Lindsay Nunez:
“Saving our planet is the work of our lifetime. Rooting that work in optimism and compassion helps us to find sustainable momentum and reinforce purpose."
Climate Optimism
Climate change education now mandatory in Connecticut schools
Satellite mapping of greenhouse gases helps us stop climate change
Record northern summer of solar generation due to Russia war
Emissions are falling in China (question is — will it last?)
"The thing about optimism isn't that our problems are smaller than we thought. It's just that our capacity to fix things is much greater than we thought."
— Kevin Kelly, founding executive editor of Wired
AT in conversation with…
Paul Samuel Dolman on What Matters Most Podcast. I’m so honored to have had the chance to come back on the show to discuss my upcoming book as well as my (climate optimist) views on becoming a mother.
Tune in here: What Matters Most Podcast