Fostering Collective Change: Renée Lertzman on Psychological Approaches to Climate Issues
Second Nature: Living with Ecological Grief
Release Date: 05/10/2025
Vulnerability, Healing, and Hope Through Shared Ecological Grief
Second Nature: Living with Ecological Grief
In the final episode of Season One of "Second Nature: Living with Ecological Grief and Loss," host Ashlee Cunsolo reflects on the profound journey of Season One, highlighting powerful conversations with guests worldwide who have deeply influenced her understanding of ecological grief. She discusses the importance of acknowledging grief as a natural and rational response to environmental destruction and change, and stresses the value of community in processing these emotions. Ashlee emphasizes learning from Indigenous and wisdom traditions, facing both grief and outrage, and finding...
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From Grief to Revelation: Responding to Ecological Loss with Heart and Soul with Francis Weller
Second Nature: Living with Ecological Grief
In this special episode of Second Nature, Living with Ecological Grief, host Ashlee Cunsolo talks with internationally renowned psychotherapist Francis Weller. Weller explores the importance of recognizing grief as a communal experience, especially in the face of ecological devastation. He emphasizes that deep grief should be embraced and held collectively to foster aliveness and a deeper connection to the world. Ashlee shares how Weller's works have personally guided her journey through ecological grief. They delve into the concept of "the third gate," the sorrow for the world's fading...
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How the Climate Crisis Affects Youth Around the World
Second Nature: Living with Ecological Grief
Welcome to Second Nature, Living with Ecological Grief podcast. Host Ashlee Cunsolo hosts Caroline Hickman, a climate-aware psychotherapist and researcher focused on eco-anxiety, particularly in children and young people. Caroline shares how her love for the environment and her experiences as a psychotherapist led her to work on climate psychology. They discuss Caroline's research, including an international survey of 10,000 youth across 10 countries, revealing 75% find the future frightening amidst climate change. The study underscores the mental health toll children face due to climate...
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Teaching in a Climate Crisis: Tools and Strategies with Sarah Jaquette Ray
Second Nature: Living with Ecological Grief
In this episode of Second Living with Ecological Grief and Loss, host Ashlee Cunsolo welcomes Dr. Sarah Jaquette Ray, an interdisciplinary environmental humanist. Her work focuses on the intersection of social justice and climate emotions, particularly in equipping educators to support students through climate-related grief and anxiety. She discusses her new book, "The Existential Toolkit for Climate Justice: How to Teach in a Burning World", which provides tools and practices to help educators address the emotional burdens of climate change in the classroom. The book is a response to...
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Fostering Collective Change: Renée Lertzman on Psychological Approaches to Climate Issues
Second Nature: Living with Ecological Grief
Welcome back to Second Nature, Living with Ecological Grief. Today, host Ashlee Cunsolo talks with Dr. Renée Lertzman, a leader in the field of ecological psychology. Rennee's work bridges psychology and environmental science, focusing on organizational strategies for climate change action by integrating behavioral and social sciences. Rennee shares her journey from her early exposure to psychotherapy and nature immersion, leading her to an interdisciplinary career that challenges siloed educational systems. She highlights the necessity of integrating emotional support in environmental...
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Generation Dread: Facing the Mental Toll of Climate Change
Second Nature: Living with Ecological Grief
In this episode of Second Nature, Living with Ecological Grief, host Ashlee Cunsolo welcomes Britt Wray, an acclaimed author and researcher at Stanford, focusing on climate change's impact on mental health. Britt discusses her pivotal moment of climate awareness when contemplating motherhood, sparking her shift from science communication to exploring ecological grief. Her book, "Generation Dread," delves into climate anxiety, especially among youth, and highlights the importance of vulnerability in storytelling. She emphasizes her shift from silent personal distress to amplifying global...
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How Jennifer Abbott Bridges Personal and Planetary Grief in Film
Second Nature: Living with Ecological Grief
In this episode of Second Nature, Living with Ecological Grief, host Ashlee Cunsolo speaks with Jennifer Abbott, an award-winning film director renowned for her work on social justice and environmentalism. The conversation delves into ecological grief, a theme central to Abbott's film "The Magnitude of All Things," which explores the profound emotional and psychological impacts of the climate crisis on both personal and planetary levels. Abbott shares her journey of discovery around ecological grief, sparked by personal loss and environmental changes, and how this realization led her to...
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On Climate Justice, Personal Agency, and Confronting Continuous Ecological Grief with Dr. Charles Ogunbode
Second Nature: Living with Ecological Grief
Welcome back to another episode of the Second Nature, Living with Ecological Grief podcast! In this episode, host Ashlee Cunsolo welcomes Dr. Charles Ogunbode as they discuss the resistance to linking climate change with racism and historical inequalities, noting skepticism from African audiences. Many feel this linkage could dilute anti-racist efforts. Ashlee shares insights from Indigenous elders in Labrador, equating climate change to colonialism. Dr. Ogunbode highlights research showing broad global acknowledgment of colonialism's link to climate change, which could advance climate justice...
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Lament for the Land: Derrick Pottle on Inuit Experiences with Climate Change
Second Nature: Living with Ecological Grief
In this episode of Second Nature, Living with Ecological Grief, host Ashlee Cunsolo and guest Derrick Pottle discuss the profound impacts of climate change on Labrador's Inuit communities. Derrick shares feelings of confinement due to severe weather conditions and limited mobility, affecting traditional activities like seal hunting. He addresses the strong support networks that help maintain mental health but criticizes government inaction and inadequate infrastructure. Rapid environmental changes, such as temperature increases and altered ice conditions, threaten the Inuit way of life...
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Indigenous Climate Futures: From Grief to Growth with Dr. Deborah McGregor
Second Nature: Living with Ecological Grief
Welcome back to Second Nature, Living with Ecological Grief. Host Ashlee Cunsolo and guest Dr. Deborah McGregor critique the technocratic focus in climate research, highlighting the underrepresentation of women, Indigenous, Black, and global South communities. They stress the importance of integrating Indigenous knowledge and holistic approaches over simplistic, technocratic solutions. Dr. McGregor introduces the Anishinaabe concept of living the "good life," emphasizing reciprocal relationships and well-being for humans and the environment, contrasting with current Western priorities that...
info_outlineWelcome back to Second Nature, Living with Ecological Grief. Today, host Ashlee Cunsolo talks with Dr. Renée Lertzman, a leader in the field of ecological psychology. Rennee's work bridges psychology and environmental science, focusing on organizational strategies for climate change action by integrating behavioral and social sciences. Rennee shares her journey from her early exposure to psychotherapy and nature immersion, leading her to an interdisciplinary career that challenges siloed educational systems. She highlights the necessity of integrating emotional support in environmental education, promoting small group work to process eco-anxiety and grief.
Her approach advocates for change management within organizations by fostering resilience and holistic practices among leaders and teams. Rennee's commitment to helping people face ecological loss is intertwined with the concept of "Tikkun Olam" or repairing the world. The episode underscores the importance of embracing existential challenges with courage, offering a blueprint for transformative action and community engagement amidst environmental crises.
Environmental Melancholia by Renée Lertzman - https://www.amazon.com/Environmental-Melancholia-Psychoanalytic-dimensions-Explorations/dp/0415727995
Learn more about Renée at her website - https://reneelertzman.com/
Renée's TED Talk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f52LJJFBCLc
Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/wmTOJ4L0i-A
Interview recorded on: 06/06/2024
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Welcome to Second Nature, a podcast about living with ecological grief. In each episode, Dr. Ashlee Cunsolo takes us on a deeply personal journey about planetary loss, and what we love, what we have lost, and how we move forward. Through a series of engaging, thought-provoking, and moving conversations with incredible guests from around the world, Second Nature is an invitation to come together to share stories of loss, love, despair, and joy, as we learn how to live with – and embrace – ecological grief and mourning.