Before We Burn (out)

"What if the skills that made you feel 'behind' are actually your competitive advantage?"

As AI transforms the workplace, a surprising truth emerges: the more automated our world becomes, the more essential human skills become. This episode explores how sustainability professionals aren't scrambling to catch up with technology, but are actually the emotional intelligence experts who've been preparing for this moment all along.

Nita shares her observations that sustainability professionals have always been master negotiators - building consensus without authority and translating data into compelling narratives.

Sol examines the skills gap reversal: while green-skilled professionals see 80% higher hiring rates, their perceived "disadvantage" has become their superpower. Systems thinking, ethical frameworks, and stakeholder impact assessment are exactly what AI integration requires most.

We explore the shift from compliance to compassion - how real value now comes from reading the room, understanding unspoken concerns, and moving people to action through authentic human connection.

Practical Applications:

• Stop trying to compete with AI on its terms - lean into your human advantages
• Strengthen emotional intelligence, courage, and deep listening deliberately
• Reframe influence without authority as your competitive edge
• Use AI tools with human intention to enhance compassion

Reflection Questions:

• Where have I been building consensus without formal authority?
• How can I leverage my stakeholder navigation skills in an AI-driven world?
• What human elements do I bring that technology cannot replicate?

Resources Mentioned:

• World Economic Forum's 2025 Future of Jobs Report (PDF download from WEF https://tinyurl.com/ddcks39j)
• Harvard Business Review: "Using AI to Make You a More Compassionate Leader" published February 2025 (Link to article https://tinyurl.com/55henbt7)

Connect with Sol: https://www.thealtacademy.co.uk/
Connect with Nita: https://bio.site/nitapwoods

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and join the conversation about thriving in the AI age without losing your humanity.

"What if leadership isn't about titles, authority, or being in charge?"

Traditional leadership often burns people out and leaves many thinking they don't qualify. In this episode, we explore five principles for "Leadership 2.0" - a healthier, more human approach to leading.

Nita reflects on the challenge of being asked to "show leadership" without budget, resources, or real power - a familiar position for sustainability professionals. She shares how her proudest career moment came through quiet influence.

Sol introduces five transformative principles: everyone can lead through everyday choices, you must lead yourself first, resilience means navigating perfectionism and people-pleasing, performance and wellbeing rise together, and insight only creates change through practice.

Key Practices:

• Weekly "quiet leadership" log to track invisible influence
• The pause before committing: "Am I choosing this or proving myself?"
• Two-minute reset before important tasks
• "Good enough" clarity to break perfectionist loops

Reflection Questions:

• What's one quiet leadership moment I can acknowledge this week?
• Am I depleted or resourced before taking on important work?
• Which book or podcast insight could I actually implement?
  

Connect with Sol: https://www.thealtacademy.co.uk/

Connect with Nita: https://bio.site/nitapwoods

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and join the conversation about keeping going without burning out.

"How can we communicate the urgency of climate action without tipping into hopelessness?"

Fear can wake us up, but it rarely sustains action. We explore why doom-laden messaging around Net Zero often backfires, creating fatalism instead of motivation.

Nita shares insights from Mikaela Loach's "It's Not That Radical" and a revealing focus group experience: doom-heavy messaging left her paralyzed, while hopeful, community-focused content energized her to act.

Sol introduces the "oxygen mask principle" for sustainability workers, emphasizing how we can't inspire others while running on empty.

Key Practices:

• The oxygen mask principle: self-care as sustainability strategy
• "What gave you hope this week?" meeting opener
• Timeline reflection: connecting with your vision across different time horizons

Reflection Questions:

• What do I want the world to look like?
• What do I want my contribution to have been?
• How do I want to feel - at the end of my life, in 10 years, in 1 year, this week?

Resources Mentioned:

• "It's Not That Radical" by Mikaela Loach (YouTube excerpt https://tinyurl.com/58983u4y)
• Sonia Sodha's piece in The New World (June 5) https://tinyurl.com/y3upp394

Connect with Sol: https://www.thealtacademy.co.uk/
Connect with Nita: https://bio.site/nitapwoods

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and join the conversation about keeping going without burning out.

"Are we all doomed? And if not, what can help us move beyond despair into something more useful?"

When despair feels like the only rational response to our world's challenges, how do we move beyond it without burning out?

We explore sobering data: 48% of young people feel dismissed when talking about climate change, with three-quarters describing the future as "frightening." Nita reflects on climate activist Patience Nabukalu's powerful words: "2050 is too late for communities like mine. Promises that far away are a death sentence."

Sol introduces "judgment vs discernment" - moving beyond anger and othering into constructive action. The episode includes a guided compassion practice for acknowledging fear without being controlled by it.

This isn't about denial or toxic positivity - it's about finding sustainable ways to stay engaged without burning out on despair.

• Guided compassion meditation for working with fear
• Questions for moving from judgment to discernment
• "What story am I telling myself?" self-inquiry

• When does despair show up in me? What does it feel like?
• What story am I telling myself right now?
• What else might be true?

• BBC Ideas Earth Day research on young people and climate change (YouTube video: https://tinyurl.com/fpbffpp9)
• Pod Save the UK episode featuring Patience Nabukalu (Crooked Media: https://tinyurl.com/4ucjttw6)
• Sol's post on "othering" in sustainability work (Linkedin: https://tinyurl.com/mr8acy5y)

Connect with Sol: https://www.thealtacademy.co.uk/ Connect with Nita: https://bio.site/nitapwoods

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and join the conversation about keeping going without burning out.

What happens when the stories in your head start sabotaging the work you care most about?

In this first episode, we explore "the algorithm in our head" — how our brains feed us old, fear-based narratives that keep us stuck in overwhelm, self-doubt, and disillusionment.

Nita opens up about her 20-year journey in corporate sustainability, from starting as a first-generation British Indian graduate at a global bank to sitting on boards today. She shares her current crisis: watching DEI rolled back, ESG under attack, and net zero being diluted under political pressure, while questioning whether decades of work were "all a waste of time."

Sol guides Nita (and listeners) through live coaching to identify the loudest stories running in our heads and explore how to shift our relationship with them. You'll hear practical tools for moving from autopilot to aligned action, including the "IN/OUT/FORWARD" practice for breaking free from mental doom scrolling.

This isn't about toxic positivity or pretending everything's fine. It's about recognizing when we're stuck in old narratives and finding space to respond with clarity instead of collapse.

If you've ever felt like your inner critic is louder than your sense of purpose, this episode offers both solidarity and practical tools for rewiring the algorithm in your head.

Featured Practice: You can find the IN/OUT/FORWARD technique in a recent post on Sol's LinkedIn

Connect with Sol: https://www.thealtacademy.co.uk/
Connect with Nita: https://bio.site/nitapwoods

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and join the conversation about keeping going without burning out.

Ep 0: Meet your hosts - an intro to Before We Burn (Out)

"How do I keep going when the world feels like it's on fire?"

In this introductory episode, meet your hosts Sol and Nita as they share why they created Before We Burn (Out) and what you can expect from this podcast.

Sol, a mental fitness coach, and Nita, a sustainability strategist with 20 years in corporate systems, open up about the moment they realized that doing good shouldn't mean running yourself into the ground. They discuss the emotional toll of working for change when progress feels slow, actions seem performative, or your entire value system feels under threat.

This isn't another self-help podcast promising easy fixes. Instead, it's an honest space for mid-career professionals, changemakers, and anyone holding it together on the outside while wrestling with overwhelm on the inside. You'll hear about what's coming in future episodes: personal stories from boardrooms and activist spaces, mental fitness practices, cultural critique, and practical tools for living and leading with more integrity.

If you're someone who cares deeply about the world but feels exhausted by it, this conversation will help you understand why you're not alone—and why there's another way forward that doesn't end in burnout.

Connect with Sol: www.thealtacademy.co.uk/

Connect with Nita: bio.site/nitapwoods

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and join the conversation about keeping going without burning out.