Anne Therese Gennari
on Climate Optimism
“We don't have to focus on making people care about climate change on a moral level. That approach is ineffective. By letting go of shame and blame, they can find a sense of curiosity, excitement and courage. The focus needs to lie on finding the right way to frame the message towards inspiration!”
Living life as an angry activist in her teenage years, Anne Therese Gennari felt enraged about everything: the world and herself. Growing up in Sweden, she spent a lot of time out in the wild, experiencing all the magic that nature had to offer, which led her to seek new ways to live an eco-conscious life, but also made her highly sensitive and aware of climate change and global injustices.
Anne Therese was always in a struggle to find a balance. She thought staying angry would make her act and fuel her inner fire, but it seems “people do not like to listen to angry people, and it’s an exhausting way to live.” A night of breakdown represented the awakening she needed and taught her that being calm is a better approach. She moved to New York, where she co-founded a positive-impact-focused talent agency which serves as a platform where models are given a voice to speak about ethics and sustainability, as they can be incredible agents of change.
Anne Therese Gennari is a Climate Optimist. An activist, author, speaker, writer and educator who promotes optimism as an act of healing and self-empowerment that opens up curiosity and solutions-thinking. It’s not about taking a step back and hoping for the best to happen, but about choosing a path of resilience, action, and hope.
Many climate change conversations are infused with shame and fear: “There’s a real reluctance to change; we’re creatures of habit, after all, who like things to stay the same.” The world we have created is broken in many ways, but so many contributed to the damage unknowingly. The best way to engage someone resistant to change is “to get them excited and tap into their emotional side; then, lead with questions, and try to find out what could be good for them.”
The Climate Optimist Handbook is focused on self-help through storytelling and addressing negative climate news in a way that inspires. Anne Therese believes it’s essential to be selective and picky about how we allocate time and energy: “Unless it's a hell yes, it's a hell no!”
As the host of Hey Change Podcast, Anne Therese speaks with scientists, experts, and activists about shifting the narrative to a more encouraging one. Her dream is to infuse climate education in schools, as students crave sustainable inspiration: “It is incredibly fulfilling to ignite a spark in someone else, to help them see the positive impact they can have!”
Read Anne Therese Gennari's answers for Inspirators and take that optimism pill, today!
Thank you, Anne Therese, for being a Climate Optimist!
#INSPIRATORS QUESTIONNAIRE
Name: Anne Therese Gennari
Company / Institution: The Climate Optimist
Title: Founder, Speaker & Author
Website: www.theclimateoptimist.com
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-therese-gennari/
Country of origin: Sweden
Country you currently live in: USA
Your definition of Regeneration: Regeneration is about maximizing our positive footprints by finding ways to work with nature, ecosystems, and communities to restore what’s been damaged and create an abundant and circular reality for all life on Earth.
Main business challenge you face: Convincing companies that the tools and frameworks I teach translate to better work environments, business, and profits.
I know there’s a direct connection between empowering people in the face of uncertainty and business success, the challenge many companies face but may not know. The hidden truths of climate despair permeate many organizations, and what I teach and consult - activating inner leadership - can help, not just unlock a better world, but align companies and their mission to suit that world.
Main driver that keeps you going: My belief and excitement for a better world. We are undergoing such profound changes right now and it brings me so much joy to be in the midst of that.
The trait you are most proud of in yourself: My hard work ethic but also my trust in the inner messages that come through. It took me years to learn to listen to the whispers from within but now that I do, I find that the words I put into writing are helping people rediscover things about themselves that can unlock hidden potentials and futures.
The trait you most value in others: Vulnerability, passion, and honesty.
Passions & little things that bring you joy: The first sip of coffee at 5 am (the hour I prefer to write), long walks in nature, dancing and being silly with my daughter, solo travelling.
The Inspirators who determined you to take the regenerative path:
Paul Hawken
Sir David Attenborough
Jane Goodall
A starting point for companies or professionals that are beginning the regeneration journey: Start by slowing down and sit with the notion of being wrong. How good/OK are you with being wrong and how can you get better at questioning everything we take for granted? To change the world is to be willing to ask questions and to explore the small but oh-so-enticing “What if…?”
Most used and abused clichés in sustainability that bother you:
The whole idea that we should strive to minimize our negative footprints. For starters, the individual carbon footprint was made up by the oil industry so that we could feel the blame was on us, and take our focus away from the ones who are actually in power. Besides, trying to always minimize yourself and your footprint is reductive at best, and can lead to everything from denial to anxiety and depression.
We are not the problem, we are here to be the solution, and when you shift the narrative on the story of what it means to be human on Earth, you get to recognize that we all have a beautiful part to play in co-creating a regenerative, just, and equitable world. Step in and step up, make your presence here felt in the biggest way possible – leave a big footprint and make sure it’s one you’re darn proud of!
An honest piece of advice for young people who lose hope: I see you and I feel you and I’m not here to tell you that you shouldn’t feel the way you do. But what I want to tell you is that no matter how messed up this reality is, one thing is still true: we have the opportunity right now to leave the old world behind and create something so much better. And you get to partake in that, which I hope should make you feel inspired and excited.
You are the children of today which means you’re the children of change, the first generation to experience the world we create next. So, on the days you feel hopeful, return to all the ways you can participate in making sure a regenerative world emerges, and find hope and joy in being part of something truly extraordinary.
Books that had a great impact on you / Must-Reads for any regenerative professional:
Climate - A New Story by Charles Eisenstein,
The Book of Hope by Jane Goodall,
The Future We Choose by Tom Rivett-Carnack and Christiana Figueres,
Drawdown and Regeneration by Paul Hawken,
Saving Us by Katharine Hayhoe,
The Influential Mind by Tali Sharot…
aaah the list goes on! And if you don’t mind me plugin it, I hope you check out my "The Climate Optimist Handbook"!
Movies / Documentaries you would watch all over again: Planet Earth with Sir David Attenborough, Kiss The Ground (can’t wait for Common Ground,) 2040.
Websites / Podcasts you visit frequently: Outrage & Optimism (podcast), Hidden Brain (podcast)... gosh I don’t know, I realize as I’m thinking of an answer to this question that I don’t have any go-to resources like these, I tend to collect most of my inspiration from deeper wisdom and things in my surroundings. And BOOKS, I love books!
Music that makes you (and your heart) sing: Pop, country, hip hop, rock, BRUCE... I listen to it all!
Places you travelled to that left a mark on you: El Salvador, Glacier National Park, Italy.
Global Regenerative Voices you recommend us to follow:
Katharine Hayhoe
Jane Goodall
Hannah Ritchie
Trends in Regeneration we should keep an eye on: What fascinates me the most right now is regeneration in cities and urban areas. Building materials, urban greening, electric grids, efficiency, vertical gardens, smart transportation - it is all so inspiring to me.
Reasons to feel optimistic about our future in 2030: We are racing towards so many positive tipping points! Let's build upon that momentum and blow everyone’s minds with what we can get done in the next decade.
Reasons to feel pessimistic about our future in 2030: Oil extractions are projected to increase, not decrease, which makes absolutely no sense to me. Also, political sharks insist on having a foot in the game which are toxic to both our social well-being and our planet.
Regenerative Leadership qualities much needed today: Honesty and vulnerability, the courage to question and discover new ways.
We need leadership that says: “We’re looking at challenges we’ve never faced before and therefore we need to carefully assess the situation and find the best solution forward”. We need people who trust that honesty and support a more grounded and sustainable way of decision-making and action.
The Inspirator you are endorsing for a future edition is:
Saad Amer
The quote that inspires you:
"Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable." (Mary Oliver)
Your quote that will inspire us:
