"I was preparing to evacuate for the fire, this is what I packed."

When I walked into the coffee shop on Friday morning, I didn’t expect the message I was about to receive. The woman working there, whom I know from connecting over our shared passion for climate, told me something truly impactful.

“It’s been the weirdest week,” she said, “the wildfire that hit our town was raging on the mountain right behind our house. I’ve never lived on the West Coast so this experience is completely new to me and I found myself packing up the most essential, just in case we’d have to evacuate.”And in telling me what she had packed, she changed my entire morning.

“I didn’t pack much, but some photos and a couple of books, things I realized I couldn’t replace if I had to. One book was a poetry book, the other one was yours. I have tons of books in different languages and from famous authors, like Shakespeare, but I realized all those can be replaced. The notes I’ve left in the margins of your book, however, I cannot.”

“And I realized how precious this book is to me. Not because I can’t buy a new copy (I can get one in the local bookshop this afternoon) but because of the journey I have activated reading it. These notes, my own reflections, can never be replaced.”

I can’t think of a better message to receive on a snowy Friday morning as I’m just about to wrap up some work and officially enter “baby receiving mode.” I sometimes question all the things I put out and wonder if they will have the impact I strive for. Hearing from readers who have taken on the words and made them into their own, who have gone deeper and reflected further, who have activated a journey of transformation and exploration, I know it’s worth it.

Every single minute, every single word.

I wanted to share this extraordinary special moment. Not to brag, but to celebrate. I am proud of the passion and insight I continue to transform into the written word and it brings me so much happiness every time someone picks up a copy of the book and tells me it’s changed them.

The Climate Optimist Handbook is meant to be a companion, a friend to guide you down a path of wonder, curiosity, and exploration. The magic doesn’t happen in the words on the paper, it happens in between the lines, in the bigger thinking you activate when you take the thoughts and principles to heart.

Who could you be? What impact could you leave behind on this beautiful Earth? And what future could we be looking forward to if we only dared to dream and believe?

These are times for momentum courage and change. If we activate that change is up to us. No one else will save us, only we can, but that journey can truly be transformative if we let it.

Introducing: Discussion Guide

Since I feel so celebratory this morning, I’m sharing the discussion guide that comes with the book. You normally gain access to this resource inside The Climate Optimist Lab but since you’re my committed readers, I wanted to share it with you!

This guide will help you reflect deeper and discuss (with yourself or in a group) how the different principles and thoughts throughout the book can help you activate change in your life, community, and home.

Download Discussion Guide

Don’t already have the book? You find it here:

The Climate Optimist Book

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