loader from loading.io

Leading with Innovation and Sustainability in the Coalfields with Jacob Hannah

Yes! We Rise

Release Date: 04/06/2023

Embracing Love Over Fear with Freddy Jackson show art Embracing Love Over Fear with Freddy Jackson

Yes! We Rise

In this episode of the We Rise podcast, Christine Gyovai interviews Freddy Jackson, who shares his journey of personal growth, resilience, and community engagement. Freddy discusses the importance of love over fear, the impact of gratitude, and the role of ego in our lives. He emphasizes the need to create conditions for love and connection, and how personal experiences shape our understanding of joy and struggle. The conversation delves into practical strategies for navigating challenges and fostering a sense of belonging within ourselves and our communities. In this conversation, Freddy and...

info_outline Weaving Powerful Networks in Communities with June Holley show art Weaving Powerful Networks in Communities with June Holley

Yes! We Rise

June has been weaving networks, helping others weave networks, and writing about networks for over 40 years. She is currently increasing her capacity to capture learning and innovations from the field and sharing what she discovers through blog posts, occasional virtual sessions and a forthcoming book. In 1981 June discovered complexity science and became intrigued with the process of transformation. How could communities change in ways that would make them good places for everyone?  The hundred or so network projects she has advised range from local networks to international ones;...

info_outline Building Inner Resilience with Dr. Marie-Helene Pelletier show art Building Inner Resilience with Dr. Marie-Helene Pelletier

Yes! We Rise

Dr. Marie-Helene Pelletier is an award-winning workplace mental health expert, psychologist, advisor and speaker. She brings a signature mix of business and clinical expertise to the groups she works with. Dr. Pelletier translates psychology research about health, resiliency, and overcoming challenges into strategies professionals, business leaders and their teams need to thrive. She’s a bilingual practicing psychologist who combines clinical, counseling, and workplace psychology.  In this episode, Christine and Dr. Pelletier discuss the intersection between individual and collective...

info_outline Building an Inclusive Future for Farmers and Workers in Appalachia with Hannah G. show art Building an Inclusive Future for Farmers and Workers in Appalachia with Hannah G.

Yes! We Rise

Hannah is the Workforce Development Program Manager and Farmer PRIDE Coalition Coordinator at Appalachia Sustainable Development (ASD). She joined ASD as an Americorp VISTA in 2021 and has continued as part of the Groundwork staff ever since. She has a genuine love for farming, gardening, and the community-driven ethics of Appalachia and its people.   In this episode, Christine and Hannah discuss laying the groundwork for workforce development programs and paid skills training for individuals transitioning into the agricultural workforce. Hannah shares stories of her journey in Appalachia...

info_outline Communities Creating Change and Belonging show art Communities Creating Change and Belonging

Yes! We Rise

In this new series of the Yes! We Rise podcast, Christine explores the ten part framework for building community resilience that her firm Dialogue + Design Associates uses working with communities across the nation. This series will not only include stories and ideas that you can try out and explore in your own neighborhood or region, but it will help you build collective resilience and create the change you want to see.    In this episode, Christine discusses how community members can create change from within by building a sense of belonging to create a more resilient future....

info_outline Leading with Innovation and Sustainability in the Coalfields with Jacob Hannah show art Leading with Innovation and Sustainability in the Coalfields with Jacob Hannah

Yes! We Rise

Jacob Hannah grew up in a coal mining family in West Virginia. He saw the slow loss of coal jobs in the area, as well as the costs associated with mining and extraction in communities and the broader region. Jacob moved through his own journey – leading with curiosity – to working with communities, creating new opportunities for projects leading with innovation and sustainability, and building resilient communities based on the vision and ideas of local leaders. Jacob talks about listening to people as they are the experts in their own community, and building relationships and trust to...

info_outline Conversations Worth Having With Cheri Torres show art Conversations Worth Having With Cheri Torres

Yes! We Rise

Every interaction we have impacts others, and every interaction someone has with you impacts you. So how do we take this knowledge and allow it to transform the way we show up in the world? On this episode of Yes! We Rise, founder and CEO of Collaborative by Design, Cheri Torres, PhD, joins Christine to share her life's work around supporting growth and evolutionary purpose in people and organizations. She dives into the power of asking generative questions, understanding your broader purpose, and how curiosity unlocks inherent wisdom. This rich conversation is both relatable and...

info_outline Building Resilient Networks and Sustaining Long-Term Collaboratives with Christine Gyovai show art Building Resilient Networks and Sustaining Long-Term Collaboratives with Christine Gyovai

Yes! We Rise

Changemaking work is often called being resilient, but what does resilience mean? In this episode of the Yes! We Rise podcast, Christine talks about the intentional approach Dialogue + Design Associates takes in working with collaboratives, cultivating long-term networks, and how to honor and incorporate the value each member has to offer. Learn about the important models and approaches collaboratives can take when faced with a crossroad, and best practices to help a network function well. Woven throughout this episode you will also hear empowering stories of collaboratives already succeeding...

info_outline Paul Hawken: Creating Restoration, Regeneration, and Community show art Paul Hawken: Creating Restoration, Regeneration, and Community

Yes! We Rise

Welcome back to part two of our incredible conversation with Paul Hawken. Paul has been influential in Christine’s own work, both personally and professionally, for over two decades. In part two, we dive into a beautiful dialogue with Paul around restoration and regeneration, discover what it means to be an ally to our planet and one another, where we can start to make change, and the gift of building a relationship with nature. If you haven’t yet, take a listen to to hear part one, where Paul explains the importance of work at the collective level, listening, and connecting with...

info_outline Paul Hawken: Regeneration – Making Life the Center of Every Action and Decision show art Paul Hawken: Regeneration – Making Life the Center of Every Action and Decision

Yes! We Rise

Welcome back to the We Rise podcast! We are delighted to share this conversation with Paul Hawken with you. Paul has been influential in Christine’s own work, both personally and professionally, for over two decades. In this inspiring and encouraging episode–the first in a two part series–Christine and Paul talk about the importance of work at the collective level, listening, and connecting with ourselves, as well as nature.  Paul Hawken is an environmentalist, entrepreneur, author and activist who has dedicated his life to environmental sustainability and changing the relationship...

info_outline
 
More Episodes

Jacob Hannah grew up in a coal mining family in West Virginia. He saw the slow loss of coal jobs in the area, as well as the costs associated with mining and extraction in communities and the broader region. Jacob moved through his own journey – leading with curiosity – to working with communities, creating new opportunities for projects leading with innovation and sustainability, and building resilient communities based on the vision and ideas of local leaders. Jacob talks about listening to people as they are the experts in their own community, and building relationships and trust to create life-sustaining jobs and regenerative ecosystems.

 

Jacob Hannah is the Chief Conservation Officer at Coalfield Development, which is based in Huntington, West Virginia. This innovative organization is working to rebuild the Appalachian economy from the ground up, and Jacob is a core part of this precedent setting work in Central Appalachia. 

 

Jacob graduated as a first generation student in Business Management from Garrett College and holds a Bachelor degree in Management for Sustainability from Bucknell University. Jacob also studied cultural sustainability in France and Scotland, and spent 3 years testing triple-bottom line sustainability concepts for coal towns in central Pennsylvania, and social sustainability programs in Western Maryland. He enjoys spending his time writing music on his guitar and piano, getting lost in the woods, spending time with his family, and harvesting fresh dank memes from the internet.

 

“Scarcity creates value. The less you have of something, the more exclusive it becomes.”

 

Topics:

(5:00) What led Jacob down the path of becoming a conservation officer from growing up in a coal mining family

(12:10) How Jacob’s background helps him see renewable energy solutions from a both/and perspective

(16:50) The best way to let people’s expertise come to the surface instead of pushing your ideas onto them

(21:05) Shifts in the Appalachia community that have strengthened the bond between community members

(32:20) Jacob’s vision and hopes for Appalachia in the next 10 - 50 years

(40:22) Quick roller questions for Jacob

 

Links mentioned:

 

Please rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast so we can continue spreading our message far and wide. Thanks for listening!