Helping us prepare our “fire brains” this first week of Climate Magic is Dr. Jyoti Mishra, who studies what happens to the brain– and how individuals and communities can respond – when a wildfire strikes.

Research and progress in the world of mental health has come a long way in the past few decades. We now hear about “crises” of mental health among various populations, from parents or Gen Z, to teachers and health workers. But what happens when you add the issue of climate change into the mix?

Why should we lean into ecological grief, rather than shun, fix, or repress it? What does “grief literacy” look like, and why might our ecological crisis require us to gain those skills? What does the inability to lean into grief mean for the climate crisis, and how might we collectively leverage grief for political change?

What if helping address climate change were akin to trying to start a fire without matches? In this beautiful conversation, Bonita draws a parallel between her attempts to start fire with a bow drill and the way she hopes we can all keep showing up in the world, and not give up.

This is a preview for Climate Magic with Dr. Sarah Ray