Hello from Oakland!
Just a short one today, a roundup of some topics & opportunities that have had my attention. 🙏
🍃 Sensing Nature - A Talk By Alexa Firminech
For the past few years, I’ve found Alexa Firminech to be one of my favorite voices around the intersection of inner and outer work as it relates to healing our relationship with the natural world.
In this talk, she weaves together the imperative to simultaneously:
1. Measure and understand the complex biospheric and ecosystem-level dynamics of our planet 🔬
2. Take concrete action on the ground to support thriving ecosystems and the communities that protect them 🐍
3. Embark upon initiations, wilderness experiences, and spiritual exploration to reorient ourselves in relation to the natural world. 🏜
It's a lot to fit into 15 minutes, but she does it beautifully.
I walked away feeling inspired to continue to apprentice to the wild places of this world, and share their magic 🏔
Check it out!
🌲 GROUND - Free Workshop - Monday Sept 30th
I’ll be hosting a free workshop on Monday at 10 AM PT, sharing some simple & practical ways to navigating modern life in partnership with nature.
👉 GROUND: Navigating Modern Life In Partnership With Nature
📅 Mon, Sept 30, 10 AM PT
In this 60-minute workshop, you can expect to learn:
1. How To Identify “Evolutionary Mismatch”
Learn to recognize when you’re fighting your biology, and how to return to alignment.
2. The “Nature Pyramid” Protocol
Understanding the 4 levels of connection with nature proven to support our well-being.
3. Uncover Opportunities For Weaving Wildness Into Your Life
Explore three practical suggestions for how to open your senses to the wild, no matter where you live.
The session is at 10 AM PT on Monday, and you can register below!
Also, applications are open for VIVIFY: Patagonia New Year’s 2025!
We’ll be embarking upon an epic and unique adventure in Chilean Patagonia Dec 28-Jan 4.
If you’re curious to learn more, check out www.vivify.life 🎒
✉️ Quarterly Letter
Inspired by
, every quarter I write a short “quarterly letter”, which I send to ~20-30 mentors & peers.It’s just a simple google doc, and it includes a quick holistic reflection on this moment in my life, a section on professional successes & challenges, and space to ask for support on 3-4 key questions I’m sitting with right now.
It’s both a forcing function for my own personal sense-making and reflection, and making myself available for feedback & support from those I most respect.
I’ve loved this practice, and the opportunity to read others’ letters and support them in this way. It’s kind of like a board meeting for your life, with far fewer confusing deck versions.
Try it out! I’m happy to share my template for anyone who wants to give this a try.
🔥 In The Amazon
And in closing, a sobering but important topic: the Amazon rainforest is yet again on fire, but this time in a new and alarming way.
I’ve been working with Julia Novy — a friend, mentor, and Stanford professor — on the leadership curriculum for a trip she’s leading to the Peruvian Amazon for a group of Fortune 500 sustainability leaders.
In the research process, I’ve been diving into the latest in the region.
In 2024, an area larger than Costa Rica has already burned. In addition to the constant fires set by arsonists, it appears that areas of the rainforest are experiencing natural wildfires because of drought conditions, a new development.
I find it easy to gloss over statistics like this, but I think the important point is:
Some ecosystems burn naturally. The Amazon rainforest isn’t one of them.
I’ve never been to the Amazon.
But I know that:
It’s critical to the health of every single part of our living world.
It’s beautiful.
Both are equally important (see Alexa’s talk above)
I share this to invite a couple of breaths with the trees, birds, insects, and other beings of the burning forests.
May we feel the beauty of the forest, and the tragedy of its loss.
May we find a better way.
P.S. 👉 I’ve been donating to rainforest protection efforts for years, as I think it’s one of the highest-leverage ways to support people, the living world, and the health of our planet. Based on the research I’ve done, the Rainforest Foundation is doing great work.