Charly Cox's Agility Narrative on Climate Change Coaching

The Agility Narratives

We are pleased to welcome Charly Cox of Climate Change Coaches to the Agility Narratives, where she joins us to talk about her personal journey as an advocate of climate coaching, and her book - a first on Climate Coaching in the world - “Climate Change Coaching: The Power of Connection to Create Climate Action”.

Charly is impassioned by storytelling and the desire to help others reposition their narratives. Today, she leads by holding space for coaching conversations on climate grounded in social justice, which is now building a global movement. Those involved help people see a different story about Climate Change, a human problem with a human solution, and not just something to do with trees, polar bears, deserts, and other beings in the natural environment that we care for.

Charly’s narrative started with working for a global organization. This led to seven years of work in West Africa, where she started the first Photography business. In this podcast, we learn that Scarcity was a key element in her awakening to climate issues, as it was the core issue in the conflict at hand. In her work, she learnt that Scarcity has a cousin, Overwhelm; both are, and always have been, clearly present in individual and team conversations on climate.

We found this conversation heartfelt and very timely in light of the natural disasters that are increasingly being experienced around the world. It sparks curiosity about being in the present moment, opening oneself up to love about the planet, and being given the opportunity to reflect on what we might begin to feel as the climate crisis is deepening. This makes for an hour of awe. Enjoy!

Find out more about Charly and Climate Change Coaches at About Us - Climate Change Coaches. Want to learn more about the co-hosts - Martin's LinkedIn Profile and Janet's LinkedIn profile

See full notes at https://theagilitynarratives.buzzsprout.com/
1:38 - Charly's journey to Sierra Leone, retraining as a photographer, story-telling and becoming a social entrepreneur

9:31 - Scarcity has a cousin, overwhelm. Together they create inertia.

12:34 - The challenge with people feeling disempowered, and therefore not taking action.

13:44 - How does individual action contribute to systems change?

14:42 - We need to have a good relationship with the problem.

15:32 - Not sounding guilty or angry, but rather owning how worried we are

15:48 - We can move like a shoal of fish; we can shift systems.

18:30 - If you don't listen to voices of dissent, people break things in the change process.

21:49 - Being with uncertainty.

23:44 - One of the challenges for organizations is not slowing down enough.

25:13 - Feeling safe.

26:14 - Listening brings magic.

28:17 - Spirit of the magic of collaboration, rather than control.

32:46 - We have no idea of the impact of our actions.

35:16 - Culture Shift - an imaginative leap is involved.

36:36 - There is an arc that teams go through… and then the ideas come...

41:39 - Bridge building

42:07 - The role of love

44:05 - Sitting in the grief

46:53 - It is very easy to be angry.

47:40 - It's not a niche thing over there.

53:06 - Villianising is not the solution.

54:17 - Humanity is at risk.

59:43 - Charly’s call to action.

Chapters

1. Welcome to The Agility Narratives Podcast. Charly’s introduction. (00:00:00)

2. Charly's journey to Sierra Leone, retraining as a photographer, story-telling and becoming an social entrepreneur (00:01:38)

3. Moving into climate change coaching, and discovering the human aspect of the problem. How does 'scarcity' relate to climate change? (00:04:49)

4. Scarcity is what was in the room, it felt like the underpinning of everything was scarcity. What we notice is not so much the facts of scarcity, but the mindset of scarcity, and how that is unhelpful. (00:06:35)

5. Scarcity has a cousin, overwhelm. People don't know where to start, and feel pressured to get it right and do it all. Together they create inertia. (00:09:31)

6. A question I [Martin] have is - How can I have impact? How is my effort going to make a difference? This is lack of believe in yourself & the system. One thing that defeats scarcity is connecting to other people and being a part of community. (00:11:48)

7. The theory of change. The challenge with people feeling disempowered; and therefore not taking action. The idea that individual action will solve climate change is a "lie that's been propagated by the fossil fuel industry". (00:12:34)

8. How does individual action contribute to systems change? It is about talking to others about the things I'm doing. (00:13:44)

9. The role of individual action gives people meaning and purpose, and resonance in relation with climate. Because today we are feeling avoidant. We need to have a good relationship with the problem. (00:14:42)

10. Not sounding guilty or angry, but rather owning how worried we are, our vulnerability and purpose, rather than pushing it into blame and anger, is what will help others connect with us. (00:15:32)

11. When we connect around this issue, without judgement, with compassion, we can move like a shoal of fish, we can shift systems. (00:15:48)

12. Charly’s dinner party experience; people comfortably talking about BREXIT and then Charly brings up climate change. (00:16:52)

13. If you don't listen to voices of dissent, people break things in the change process. (00:18:30)

14. Being with uncertainty, accepting uncertainty, that is difficult in this space. Prediction that two forces of personal and work-related change in the crisis will be pressurizing. (00:21:49)

15. One of the challenges for organizations is not slowing down enough, because people perceive that really listening properly takes ages, and we don't have time. (00:23:44)

16. Feeling safe - When people feel heard, they can open up and be themselves, and this increases our ability to innovate better and come up with better solutions. (00:25:13)

17. Listening brings magic. How might listening open doors to enable diversity, equity, and inclusion within the climate change discussion? (00:26:14)

18. There's no point in asking powerful questions if you don't believe in people; you have to stand in a place of believing in other people, believing in their potential and their creativity, and their ability to solve their own problems. (00:27:47)

19. Spirit of magic of collaboration, rather than control - that let go space where we aren't controlling. Part of what coaching can do is to create agreement between people. (00:28:17)

20. How organisations respond to climate varies in part from the realities of their footprint and availability of related quick wins. Others have highly complex, sometimes existential issues to address. And high uncertainty. (00:29:44)

21. We have no idea of the impact of our actions; that’s one of the ways we can scaffold our beliefs. We've just got to do it, and assume it will have an impact somehow. It's the same for organisations as well. (00:32:46)

22. The importance of the relational element. (00:34:07)

23. Culture Shift - It is the implications of change that is hard for people. It is partly because the implications are sometimes hard and because an imaginative leap is involved. (00:35:16)

24. There is an arc that teams go through - they say all the reasons why they can't, then they say - you know, it is great that we're doing this, and then connect with the mission and then ideas come... being together through this journey is powerful. (00:36:36)

25. Martin and Janet’s journey of meeting at Theory U; journeying through listening to recognizing the possibility of change. (00:38:43)

26. Who in your narrative is the protagonist? That central character or concept that is really driving you? Bridge builder and Sherpa. (00:39:23)

27. Explaining why things are the way they are - the journey as a bridge builder between what's possible and the now, and helping people and coaches with solutions, the book is not a leaper, I've build you a bridge to come over. (00:41:39)

28. The role of love, and how grief is a manifestation of love; Love's baked into coaching, self-love and an antidote to fear (00:42:07)

29. Sitting in the grief - Charly’s realisation of the calamity of the climate problem, realising that we can't outrun the planet, and the feeling of grief for everything we are losing far too quickly. (00:44:05)

30. It is very easy to be angry - avoiding the fire reports. (00:46:53)

31. Charly’s message regarding climate change is the context that all life is lived and all jobs are done, and all communities exist. - It's not a niche thing over there. (00:47:40)

32. Scarcity is a real villain. Compassion isn't about saying poor behavior is acceptable, but it is about believing that people can make better choices. In terms of systems change, there is another villain, the perverse incentives. (00:50:28)

33. A huge vision - Fear - disempowerment, threat, being defensive (00:52:21)

34. Villianising is not the solution, it's about helping those villains change, helping those feelings change, reforming those perverse incentives, overcoming scarcity. (00:53:06)

35. The world’s at stake; humanity is at stake at risk; It is our success as a civilization is at stake. What will follow what is happening now, mass migration, conflict.... economic fallout... (00:54:17)

36. What's at stake for organizations? (00:56:40)

37. There's also a lot to be gained. Recruitment... and connecting to each other better, and realizing that we are an interconnected whole, not a anthropogenic domineering species. (00:58:27)

38. Charly’s call to action - what is that bit of care there and how can we amplify that... what we can agree on and then where can we go from there. (00:59:43)

39. Janet’s thank you note. The book - Climate Change Coaching: How a Connection to Climate Action, is really a resource. (01:02:32)