Joyful Climate Writing

For Veganuary I delivered this lecture to 100 Civil Servants that are part of the Department for Education Vegan Network on the best way to lower your carbon footprint.

The talk starts with a quiz created by Van der Linden, S. (2022) on What’s the Best Way to Shrink Your Carbon Footprint? New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/12/15/opinion/how-reduce-carbon-footprint-climate-change.html

If you're a nerd like me, you may be interested in the meta-study that the quiz is based on: Ivanova, D., Barrett, J., Wiedenhofer, D., Macura, B., Callaghan, M., & Creutzig, F. (2020). Quantifying the potential for climate change mitigation of consumption options. Environmental Research Letters, 15(9), 093001. Available at: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab8589

If you have issues accessing any of the articles mentioned feel free to get in touch and I can send PDFs. 

If you learned anything or want to ask questions also send me a message at [email protected]

For slides and full references click here: https://www.litvegan.net/2022/10/memoir-by-katherine-ellsworth-krebs.html?fbclid=IwAR0fal0KTOJeLM1ZKTM4-z3kU3q_hu9pNyTt-ihADt0S8Ic_pVnZ0OS_w2I

Does coaching sometimes sound like a pyramid scheme? Or like it is just one more failing by you if you can't manage your mind enough to transform your work culture to not be about overwork?

In this episode I talk about what I'm learning in the course the Politics of Trauma about the connection between individual and systemic change. This week we had an interview with the co-founder of Black Lives Matter, Alicia Garza, and it reminded me that coaching is about learning to be a super-hero, to self-regulate, so that you can keep showing up as an activist with a vision for a better world.

I loved Alicia's statement that she is in it for the long haul, and being able to feel her feelings and self-regulate is one of the most essential skills in this process.

Find out more about the Politics of Trauma on Staici Haines website:

https://www.stacihaines.com/enroll

Lupins are popping up all over my allotment and flowering in their first year! When I first started growing lupins I was too frustrated to wait a year for blooms.. but I tried (although the lupin seedlings in the story I read were eaten by bunnies) and now my favourite flowers are reminding me of my passion to stay grounded.

To make sense of trying to fly less, I wrote a few pieces last year about my relationship to flying, and in this episode I read one of those published short stories 'Staying Grounded' as well as my reflections on the challenge I posed myself: When someone mentions having time off, instead of asking, “what exciting places are you going to on your holiday, I’ll ask: ‘What are you cultivating at your feet?’” 

Story can be read here: https://writersrebel.com/staying-grounded/

It's a short and sweet message this week about solidarity and remembering how united the environmental movement is with other initiatives. I also recommend a quick little read about exactly this topic - Feminism for the 99% a manifesto.

I'm seeing a lot of my friends are feeling very aware of the climate crisis. I have friends in North America, whose homes smell like campfires. And it's hard to ignore the climate crisis when that's right on your doorstep.

So the book review this week is a little escapism that also packs a powerful message: Robin Hobb's trilogy Soldier Son. This taught me more about body shaming and what it's like being overweight than any other book I've ever read and it's in an entertaining and engaging fantasy package.

Welcome to a special episode this week as I let you in on a little summer challenge!

The Climate Joy Challenge is an opportunity to rewire your brain and the emotions you feel when you think about climate change and climate activism.

Tune in this week as I share with you how to carry out the Climate Joy Challenge and why this will help you find more purpose, satisfaction and comfort in advocating for climate interventions or making changes in your own life. It's easier and simpler than you might think!

And if you join in this summer you can find others who are also concerned about climate change and wanting to take action from a place of abundance. If you want to take it deeper, send me a message and I'll add you to a private group to reflect further!

This- is a very special episode as I let you in a chat I had with three fantastic climate coaches and friends of mine from the Best F***ing Coaching Course. In this episode, I share how we confront and befriend some typical climate gremlins - those inner critic voices that stop you from taking action and being as involved as you'd like!

- Is it a fast-talking bully voice that tells you the wicked challenges of climate change are too big, and you're too small?

- Is it the intellectual gatekeeper that asks, 'who are you to recommend solutions?' you need a PhD in this. Or perhaps it's another flavour of intellectual authority that says you don't have the right metrics to measure impact.

- Is it a joy crusher that points out your privilege in talking about #climatejoy instead of being motivated by catastrophe, droughts, fires, and suffering.

If you want to explore these topics through coaching check out their websites or send me a DM!

Ashana Larsen*: https://www.solutionarycoaching.com/

Stephanie Lykourgou: https://www.stephanielykourgou.com/

Patty Martin: https://www.pattykmartin.com/

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure"

If you want a little sunshine of inspiration and actionable tips to improve your climate change work every single week, sign up to my email list. If you want to dive deeper and find support to become a climate leader and catalyst in your community, I would love to invite you to join my 1:1 coaching program. Click here to book a chat!

I've been getting asked what I coach on - it feels a little like, what haven't I coached on? I'm open to anything, we can use the same techniques - to self regulate, clarify what you want, and process your emotions - when it comes to relationships with your parents, boss, employees, or partner! Listen on to find out more.

If you want a little sunshine of inspiration and actionable tips to improve your climate change work every single week, sign up to my email list. If you want to dive deeper and find support to become a climate leader and catalyst in your community, I would love to invite you to join my 1:1 coaching program. Click here to book a chat!

For those outside the Ivory Tower, you may be surprised that Imposter Syndrome is also rampant within the Academy. It breaks my heart when I hear hard-working, brilliant colleagues and friends that are still (even after years and years of experience) feeling like they're 'not enough' and that they don't belong in academia.

In this episode I walk through some of the common reasons I see my clients identify with Imposter Syndrome and then a few ways to turn those thoughts around. If you've suffered from what I call the PhD Hangover - because three years of being critiqued and questioned is understandably going to leave you feeling doubtful of your abilities - then please please listen to this episode. I hope it helps!

Since I decided that I was worthy, however I wanted to show up as an academic, I've not had a relapse into Imposter Syndrome and I wish the same for you!

If you want a little sunshine of inspiration and actionable tips to improve your climate change work every single week follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instragram or ⁠sign up to my email list.⁠ 

This week I received an email saying "I've just read your Imperfect Vegan piece and I absolutely loved it. I'd meant to have a quick look then get on with some work and read it later, but all the gorgeous sensory description just drew me right through it until I found I'd read the whole thing!"

Not only did this warm me up like my breakfast cuppa, it made me pause what I was doing and dust off my first short story published in Literary Veganism. I read it out loud to myself and enjoyed reconnecting with the me that wrote it, because it's not me anymore.. we keep evolving and when you put a piece out in to the world it becomes it's own thing separate from you.

I thought I'd share it with you on this podcast, so settle down for a special episode: story time! My long flirtation with veganism.

https://www.litvegan.net/2022/10/memoir-by-katherine-ellsworth-krebs.html?fbclid=IwAR0fal0KTOJeLM1ZKTM4-z3kU3q_hu9pNyTt-ihADt0S8Ic_pVnZ0OS_w2I