Speaker #0Every now and then you come into contact with someone who brings out the most courageous and empowered version of yourself. That's how I felt speaking with Johan Jensen, the host of the Spiritual Emergency podcast. Johan encouraged me to speak on topics that I don't often touch on, but that are deeply relevant to regenerative career transitions. To be honest, there were many extracts I could have chosen to share with you, but I went with the one that, to quote myself on the podcast, lights an angry fire in me. Before I go into more detail, can I ask, do you have someone like that in your work life? Someone who brings out the most courageous and empowered version of yourself as you navigate the challenging transition to a regenerative career? Perhaps I can be that person for you. Of course, here on the podcast, but also working one-to-one with you to focus on your specific challenges and stumbling blocks. and help you to find the confidence and clarity you need to map out your regenerative path. Whether this is the right time, whether I'm the right guide is entirely up to you, but why not explore your options? Book a free discovery call with me today. You'll share what you want for your work life and I'll share how I can help you. The rest is up to you. Go to regenerativeworklife.com forward slash discovery and choose a time that works for you. So back to this powerful conversation and the topic I want to share with you today. Johan asked me about two things that I sometimes hesitate to talk about because of their potential to upset and disrupt people. He asked me about my changing feelings towards climate tech, a sector I was devoted to for well over a decade, as well as my thoughts on corporate sustainability. And whew, did that open a can of passionate worms. I want to share this with you because I see so many people with really good intentions, with deep passion, with awe-inspiring commitment coming into the sustainability space and being swallowed up by the corporate machine. I have my own lived experience of believing in a sector that could really drive genuine transformation but coming to see that it was fundamentally hampered by a lack of systemic change and intersectional awareness. In short, I believe that we have to focus on changing the model that we are operating on. And as I said in the title of today's episode, sustainability without system change is simply a sticking plaster. And I want you, as someone who is moving into this space, to understand that for yourself so that you have your eyes wide open and can focus your efforts on real meaningful change that actually makes an impact. I hope today's episode resonates. Here are some highlights from my conversation with Johan. For me, so I, as I mentioned, I worked in climate tech and I deeply, deeply believed in climate tech for a very long time. When I first came across, we didn't call it climate tech back in 2010, it was called clean tech. or green tech at the time and when I first came across the kind of technologies that we're working with I was so inspired and I was so filled with hope and it you know I was coming across things like you know uh fuel cells and biomaterials and super capacitors and things that I had never heard of and didn't know existed and I was just so struck by the the ingenuity of it and the idea that there were these technologies that gave us the possibility to you know to do the things that we need to do in our society but without having the destructive extractive impact that we're clearly having and that was that was so exciting to me and so hopeful and I think it is to so many people that work within climate tech I think it's why it's a really attractive sector to people to work in and I loved the community I still do love the community within climate tech because it's just filled with good people who genuinely want to make a difference, who really are passionate and kind of commit their lives to this cause. So it was, it is a fantastic story. And I think there are elements of it that are true. I do believe that we will always need technology. You know, we're always going to need to power hospitals for, you know, to use a sort of really obvious example, like we will always need tech. But the problem is that the deeper I got into climate tech, I began to see sort of systemic problems. that I wasn't seeing any kind of movement on. So what I mean by that is the whole model overall of climate tech is built on a sort of fundamentally capitalistic model and it's powered by money. You know the whole thing is you fundraise as a startup, you build your valuation and you aim for an exit and And those exits are typically means that what's happening is that you're getting bought out by a big corporation. So the initial funding is coming from big corporations. And then the value is going back into those corporations. But the problem is that those big corporations are the ones that have been largely responsible for getting us into the mess that we're in in the first place, because they're completely profit driven. a lot of their business models are sort of fundamentally extractive. So that's a real problem to me that I think we are, we're trying, genuinely trying to create this real innovation and this real major shift, but we're doing it in the same model that business has always been done. No one has kind of looked at the fundamental model and go, that's where we really need to apply the innovation. We're applying all of the innovation on the technology, but we're not looking at actually how the system. is set up. There's very little awareness of the kind of systemic issues in my experience. And another thing is intersectionality. So I think typically the technology is being made and sold to corporations to allow them to do what they're doing, albeit, yes, in a cleaner and more efficient way, but fundamentally to continue with business as usual. Or tech is being made, climate tech is being made. to support you know privileged white western nations that's where this technology is going it is in very few cases going to the people who are going to be most affected by climate change and i think there's a real lack of awareness around intersectionality um within climate tech so it's not you So I'm treading carefully because I still have a lot of love and affection and I really feel that there are very good people making very good technologies. But I think that these systemic questions need to be asked. And it became increasingly frustrating to me that they weren't being asked. And as I sort of stepped back, as I got to a decade or more in this sector and asked the question of, can I kind of quantify the impact that... I, my company, the companies we've worked with, this sector has had in the last 10 years. Can I say, look, this is where we started and these are all the improvements that have been made? I struggled to answer that question when I really sort of zoomed out and looked on a global scale. You know, it's I don't see that improvement. So to me, the shift that I think the vast majority of us know needs to happen and are desperately craving. it needs to come from somewhere else. It isn't going to come from climate tech. There will be a role for climate tech, absolutely, but that is not going to be where we see fundamental shift happening. And that's what led me into exploring concepts around regeneration. And that's why I came into the REVIS programme, because I realised something has to change at a more fundamental level. It has to change within us, within our consciousness, within how we see the world, because otherwise we're just perpetuating the same system. And that's really what I learned inside of Rebiz, because it was really about just shifting worldview. And I think that is what needs to happen. We need a fundamental shift in worldview. We are nature, that we and nature are one. And that had never been my understanding before. I grew up... in the countryside. I grew up as someone surrounded by nature. I was extremely fortunate in that regard. I've always loved spending time outdoors in nature, but I never thought nature and I are the same thing. I am part of this. It was always, there was always a sense of us, people, and nature, and a separation between the two, even as someone who kind of, yeah, who grew up, you know, ostensibly connected to nature. And I think that truth, it's easy to sort of gloss past it and go, yeah, yeah, we're nature. I get it. It's such it's such a big realisation. It's something you really, really need to sit with and re-remember every day, I think, because when you really take that on board, you know, you think of how much of our bodies are water. and yet we're polluting our rivers and our oceans. We are literally the vast majority of our body is water. You know, we cannot exist without nature, we cannot breathe without nature, and we kind of, of course we know this intellectually, but I don't think we've embodied that truth. And if I then sort of extrapolate that back to my experience within climate tech, that there's also a connection there because climate tech and in fact a lot, the vast majority of sustainability is focused on emissions. And I understand why, but there is an issue with that. And I'm not speaking from a scientific perspective here, but emissions are nothing intangible. You know, they're literally invisible. So we talk constantly about CO2 emissions, which are not something that we can see or touch or really have any kind of relationship with. They're abstract. And- they're almost existential so we're making the whole problem something that is removed from us that we can't really see that we can't really picture or understand or have a proper connection whereas there is so little talk within sustainability within climate tech comparatively around biodiversity now biodiversity is something we can all see and touch and smell and have a relationship with you know it's it's all like well it's not all around us but we can you know we can access it we can be in with it we can put our hands in it we can sit in it and smell it like that is something that we can have a real tangible relationship to when we talk about you know um even where i live there's a lot of new property development it's a complicated issue people need homes of course but it's really very distressing to see natural areas being removed for new housing. And I feel it in my body when I see it because I've walked past those trees for the last however many years, right? Because I see these spaces all the time. So I have a real connection. I have a motivation. There is a real relationship there that I just don't think is possible when we talk about something abstract like emissions. And I can understand that I have a connection with. that tree that's going to be pulled down because the road needs to be widened. I can feel that. And I think when we feel it, when there's an emotional connection, that's when we can really be motivated to action in a way that's far more powerful than we're talking about some sort of abstract invisible gases. So yeah, so I think that that's the most powerful thing that I learned, that we are nature. It's something that I try to embody and remind myself of. every day. And I think this is also why when we talk about regenerative work, essentially, you know, in its simplest terms, I see that about being about aligning our work as closely as possible to nature, which is, it's the natural progression. It's not just about, it's also about aligning ourselves to our work, right? Because if we are nature, when we align our work to nature, we're also aligning our work to ourselves. It is a... process or self-actualization I would start by being really honest with yourself about your current work situation I think it's a really good to ask that question of does the work that I do and the organization that I do it for is that aligned with actively protecting and restoring life or is it maybe the opposite right and just you It's, again, it's not an easy question to ask, but I think it's a really, really good starting point because a lot of the time we want, we want to almost will the organization. Like a lot of people that I talk to, perhaps that are listening to this, they're already somewhat in this space. You know, they're already perhaps in the sustainability space. And they're, you know, similar to me in climate tech. They want to believe in it. They so much want to make a difference. They're giving all of their energy. to try to have this impact and it's just not happening. And so I think just start by being really honest with yourself. Another question you can ask is, what is the ultimate purpose of the organisation that I work for? If that ultimate purpose is to generate profit or generate value for shareholders, that gives you some information about the realistic possibility that change is going to happen within that. organization. I was talking to someone yesterday who does sustainability reporting and certification within an organization and they were saying they'd come to the realization there was money to employ them to do their job, there was money to pay for the certifications, and there was no money to make any actual changes. And this is so often people's experience within sustainability work. It lights a fire in me, an angry fire in me. This is so often people's experience, is that you are there so that an organization can say that they're doing it. They can have all the nice labels and badges that said they're doing it. When it actually comes to making meaningful change, it doesn't happen. So just start with yourself about being honest. It doesn't mean you have to change tomorrow. Just just I think it's really important to have that awareness of where you are and then you can start building your plan from there. I think we have to have hope and belief that this future is possible for all of us and for us as individuals. And. allow ourselves to be guided by that that is what that's how I operate that's how I navigate through my business you know I could very easily get caught into the doubt of you know is this even going to make a difference like a lot of us are dealing with such deep and heavy topics you know we we understand the facts we understand the reality we know that we are on the brink of collapse that's very very weighty um understanding and truth to be living with it's you know despair is always kind of close at hand and I think it's so easy to get pulled into whether it's despair or disbelief that it's possible or just get sucked back into the the system that says you know what are you doing what are you doing this can't be done no just come back here to your knife safe salary within this knife safe organization and keep doing exactly what we've been doing that has brought us to the brink of collapse and don't look at it too closely you know we have to have faith and that's yeah whatever faith expression to is we have to believe and we have to trust that we will find the solutions that we will each of us find that sense of purpose and bring all those purposes together to effect the transformation that we need What you've just heard is part of a longer conversation that I shared with Johan. Our conversation took in our relationships with our inner child, how to acknowledge fear without putting it in the driving seat, listening to the wisdom of our bodies and the role of faith in regenerative work. I warmly invite you to head over to the Spiritual Emergency podcast where you can listen to the full episode. It's called Rewilding Your Work Life, Finding Purpose in the Everyday. And if the topic that I've shared today is resonating with you, if you are ready to make real change and are looking for guidance in stepping forward into your regenerative career, I invite you to book a discovery call with me today where we can talk about how we can work together. Visit regenerativeworklife.com forward slash discovery and choose a time that works for you. Thanks for listening. I'll see you here next week. Thank you for listening to the Regenerative Worklife Podcast. It's time to put what you learned today into practice. Remember, you were called to this work for good reason. Nature needs each and every one of us and you can do this. If today's episode has been helpful, please take the time to share it with someone who needs a little guidance in stepping out of corporate and into regenerative. Learn more about how I can help you find your vision for a work life filled with purpose. impactandjoyatregenerativeworklife.com and connect with me on LinkedIn. Just search Alyssa Murphy. I'll see you back here soon for the next episode.
