There’s an inherent hypocrisy.

In sustainability.

In all of us.

We cannot be truly sustainable.

There is no 100%.

We so want to be ‘good’.

But our every action has an impact.

To make change, we need to accept it.

Feel the discomfort.

And find our way through.

Stand up. Show up.

For ourselves, for each other and the planet.

We can figure this out together.

Stop the shiny circus.

And get real about the challenges.

The inherent hypocrisy.

And contradictions.

Only then can we make real change.

A few days ago I saw a former client posting on LinkedIn about an upcoming webinar. I was feeling pretty good so I posted a comment offering my services as an online webinar moderator. Knowing that many organisations feel they have to take their events online but don’t feel comfortable with online events yet, I figured I could help. I’ve been doing a lot of online events and moderating recently, both for clients and in the community.

I thought it would be an interesting project so I cheekily commented and one day later, I was hired for the job. The…

This question has haunted me my whole career. Maybe my whole life. Because no matter how much we do, it often feels like it’s not enough. We live in a society that makes us feel like we’re not good enough unless we buy the latest shiny thing or follow the hottest guru.

I’ve reflected a lot on this idea of ‘being enough’ and I can honestly say that I am content with living a smaller, simpler life, or at least my own privileged version of it. To come back to the question though, no, it’s not enough.

If we look…

I just hosted an online workshop about finding a green job in Brussels. I host lots of online discussions, but this was the first ‘real’ workshop I’ve done online with slides and exercises. It was the first time I’ve used Eventbrite to publicise an event so it felt more serious. And I’d put a lot of prep work into it. We had 85 people sign up and 48 attended on the night which I thought was a decent turn-out. But it did not go according to plan!

Here’s what I learned for next time in case it helps you:

• Have…

I don’t want it

Keep your furniture stores

Full of pressed wood and poison

Cheap clothes

Made by children

Jumping in the car

To run one errand

Consuming

To fill the void

Why run?

Before we can walk

I’ve gone into the ‘real’ world

Twice in two months

The house, garden and woods

Are my world now

I know how lucky I am, how privileged

To live in this way

The years of overwork

Finally bought me some peace

A bolthole

Protected

No social pressure dictating

How we show up

The glimpse of a better world

Now stolen

Just as…

I’m somewhere between overwhelmed and underwhelmed.

Somewhere between bored and overstimulated.

Bursting at the seams and listless.

Strung out but totally aware.

Accepting and resisting.

Dreaming, shut down.

Leader, hermit.

Helper, numb.

Goddess, unwashed.

A treehugger afraid to go outside.

A Buddhist eating a burger.

A leader with no-one to lead.

The lockdown takes the contradictions and shoves them in my face.

Look at your resistance.

Get out of your own way.

Make a plan. Get organised.

And I want that. I do.

But I won’t force it.

It’s enough to just be.

To take each day as it comes.

And know I am doing my best.

We all are.

It’s great to have a day when we think about life on earth and how unsustainable we have made it. It reminds us to reflect on what we can do better. Increasingly however, I see Earth Day (and the other environmentally-focussed days) being exploited as a marketing tool.

My work is all about credibility. I’ve come to understand that while credibility is a filter I apply to just about everything, it’s also something that can be trained. So here’s my (unplanned) Earth Day contribution to help train credibility muscles everywhere.

There is a big difference between awareness-raising and advertising.

If…

My last post about thoughtleadership was well-received because, frankly, who doesn’t want to be a thoughtleader? While not everyone has what it takes, many who do are still not stepping forward. And we need them to, especially now.

I’ve been doing this for 20 years so here are my two cents on what makes for good thoughtleadership.

What makes a thoughtleader?

• Substance: Your message is well thought-out and consistent
• Timely: You know what’s going on in the world
• Bold: You aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo
• Authentic: The vision is yours and you stand behind it
• Community: There’s a community out there that wants to hear from you

If you would like my help to get your ideas out into the world, just drop me a line.