Channel Your Heaven
I can see her now, lying on her back in the grass, under the bright blue sky, knees up, book in hand. River flowing gently in and around the rocks five feet in front of her. Songbirds chirping. Kingfishers diving. Magpies scrounging for scraps. Being able to visualize the places that we love and tap into those feelings in our body when stress looms is such a powerful way for us to soothe our nervous systems so we can relax.
Offline & Off Grid: The Benefits of Unplugging in Nature
Getting offline and off grid isn't just a break from the noise - it's a doorway to simplicity, creativity, connection, and peace. And with our cups filled, we can return to our lives ready to create the meaningful change the world needs us to create.
Play vs Practice: A Banjo Breakthrough
After months of avoiding my banjo despite having the best teacher I've ever had, I finally had a breakthrough. What changed? I stopped trying to practice and started giving myself permission to play.
How AI is like driving to the overlook
This December, I had the chance to return to an area that I love in Central Oregon and while hiking along the river, realized the deep similarities between AI and driving to a scenic overlook: it’s beautiful, fast and easy, but there’s so much lost when you remove the journey.
Nature's Restoration: 12 Months of Soft Fascination
For 16 years, I've created photo books of our family adventures. This year, I'm sharing my favorite nature shots and the science of why they restore us. From ancient trees teaching resilience to desert landscapes offering spaciousness—these places help me access my lighter side.
Gray AND bright: 5 Steps to unlocking joy when things feel heavy
Last week I facilitated a workshop on unlocking joy when the world feels heavy. What we discovered: you can't force joy, but you can create the conditions where it becomes possible. These are the five steps we explored together.
You can’t force joy - but you CAN make space for it
The mood was heavy, and I felt stuck in my funk. But when my daughter began to share what she was feeling, something unexpected happened—not just for her, but for all of us.
Oh Joy Begin
I'm reminded about how easy it is to get lost in our suffering…and that I’m not the only one who does.
But when we can be with it, instead of shying away from it, we can touch into joy again.
Do What Lights You Up
When you're happy and healthy, you're one of the stars that makes humanity shimmer—but how do you find activism that truly energizes you for the long haul? Guest writer Gwen Hanson, a physician and climate activist, shares personal stories and four powerful questions to help you discover the path that will keep you fresh, inspired, and eager to show up each day.
Where does joy fit in all of this mess?
Sometimes I find myself wondering where joy fits in all of this mess. For many of us, leaning into joy in a time of darkness feels disrespectful—but what if our joy could actually be a gift to others?
Balancing Work with Play
How does a climate scientist stay energized and productive throughout their career? Guest writer Steve Ghan shares his secret: play every day. Throughout his career as a climate scientist, Steve found that biking to work and taking daily walks weren't time away from his work—they were what made his work possible. Thirty minutes of riding each way gave him mental clarity, creative insights, and the perfect transition between home and work. When stuck on a problem, walking helped him think it through. The result? A fulfilling career powered by movement, nature, and the same sense of freedom he felt on his first road bike at fifteen.
One Night, One River, One Reset: Nature's Gift to us Climateers
Climate change sucks. Political strife sucks. The constant tension we carry in our bodies? Also sucks. But here's what I love about nature's power to reset our nervous systems - and why it matters for us as climateers.
Better than Dental Surgery: 10 Ways to Enjoyify Your Online Meetings
Last Friday's dental surgery got me thinking: why do online meetings feel so much like being trapped in that chair, dreading every minute? But just like the dental assistant who transformed my experience by simply considering my needs, we can enjoyify our virtual gatherings and turn them into something people actually want to attend.
The Power of a Positive List
We're hardwired to notice negative experiences more than positive ones, but research shows we can train our brains differently. My daughter's colorful summer list reminded me that the tools for shifting our perspective are often simpler than we think. The effort isn't much, but the follow-through is key and the benefits are huge.
Allowing Joy
When my friend's husband went missing during a week I was co-facilitating a workshop on resilience, I learned that joy isn't something we earn after solving our problems - it's a practice that sustains us through uncertainty.
Flipping the Ratio
Doom and gloom is a prevalent trope within climate change engagement work. However, when we focus on the negative impacts we miss an opportunity to help other move towards a future vision full of possibility and opportunity.
Play as a Gateway to Deeper Resilience
I was planning a weeklong retreat on resilience and resistance, but something felt off about addressing play and joy only after the heavy topics. So I decided to lead with play instead—and that decision changed everything. By the final day, participants kept returning to the power of play, affirming what I've long suspected: we build resilient communities not despite our playfulness, but because of it.
Brickstorms Over Brainstorms: Why LEGO® Belongs at the Table
We use LEGO SERIOUS PLAY to help those engaged in sustainability work tap into their own sense of playfulness in order to unlock deeper insights and more innovative solutions than verbal or written communication alone. Plus, it’s just plain fun!
From Play to Playful: Finding your Lighter Side
From my experience, it can feel awkward, uncomfortable, and even unpleasant, for adults to 'play'. But I think that's because so many of us associate 'play' with that first definition: to engage in activity. There's a belief that, in order to play, we need to be doing something, playing something - a 'something' is often associated with a time or an experience that we no longer like or never enjoyed in the first place.
The Power of Connection
The Greek philosopher Plato reputedly said, “You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” While I'm not sure this sentiment entirely holds up, I do know that by encouraging playfulness in adults, we're not just fostering fleeting moments of joy; we're jumpstarting these vital connections to form and flourish.