Bird Bingo, Intense Creatives, and Leadership in the Environmental Movement with Brigid McCormack

The environmental movement has more tools than ever, and also more burnt out people than ever. Brigid McCormack lives on both sides of this story. In this episode, the former executive director of Audubon California and current California Environmental Voters board member answers questions from listeners about what’s happening right now in climate and conservation organizations, why they need more "intense creatives" who don't fit in cubicles, and how to build the kind of resilience that lasts longer than a news cycle. We also talk about passing the baton, bird bingo, and a Zen master's advice on environmental burnout. Plus I nerd out on bird aerodynamics.

Get Connected

• Brigid's website: spindriftadvisors.com
• California Environmental Voters website: envirovoters.org

Takeaways from this episode

• Your resilience is a strategic imperative, not a luxury. Brigid quotes Thich Nhat Hanh: if you want to save the planet, you first have to save yourself. Cultivate the adaptive resilience of a mangrove swamp, and only then turn around and do the work.
• Stop sprinting. This is generational work. The climate movement has gotten communications wrong by motivating people through crisis and doom. People aren't moved by fear; they're moved by a hopeful vision of a future that's actually better. If you're a creative, that's your superpower.
• Leaders: let the intense creatives in. The best engagement ideas (Bird Bingo anyone?) didn't come from a strategic plan - they came from creative people who were given the OK to try weird things. If your team profile is all strategists and diplomats, you're missing something vital.

Resources and fun stuff related to this episode

• Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet by Thich Nhat Hanh: The book Brigid credits with reframing her approach to burnout and resilience
• Dr. Ned Hallowell and the Hallowell Center: Brigid references his work on the brilliance of the ADHD brain and why intense creatives don't fit in boxes (drhallowell.com)
• The Enneagram: A personality framework Brigid uses with leadership teams. The "intense creative" maps to the Enneagram Type 4.
• Climate Collaborative Justice Fund: The collective donor-advised fund Brigid mentions that's funding shovel-ready clean energy on Native lands and in communities of color
• V-formation flight science: The original 2014 Nature study by Portugal et al. showed ibises precisely sync their wing flaps to catch updrafts in formation flight. Science magazine has a great accessible writeup: "Why Birds Fly in a V Formation." A 2001 Nature study by Weimerskirch et al. confirmed pelicans save significant energy in formation using heart rate monitors. The lead bird gets zero benefit, which is why they rotate.
• Podcasthon: The global event connecting podcast creators with the nonprofits they love. This episode spotlights California Environmental Voters. Learn more at podcasthon.org