Embracing Collective Action for Positive Change

Marine Biologist Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson on How to Catalyze Change with Awe and Wonder, How to Save the Planet, Finding Your Unique Venn Diagram of Strength, and Seeking the Minimum Effective Dose | Brought to you by Helium 10 all-in-one software suite to sell on Amazon, Pique Tea premium tea crystals, and Athletic Greens all-in-one nutritional supplement. More on all three below.

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson (@ayanaeliza) is a marine biologist, policy expert, writer, and Brooklyn native. She is co-founder of Urban Ocean Lab, a think tank for coastal cities, and co-creator of the Spotify/Gimlet podcast How to Save a Planet, on climate solutions. She co-edited the bestselling climate anthology All We Can Save and co-founded The All We Can Save Project.

Recently, she co-authored the Blue New Deal, a roadmap for including the ocean in climate policy. Previously, she was executive director of the Waitt Institute, developed policy at the EPA and NOAA, and taught as an adjunct professor at New York University. Dr. Johnson earned a BA in environmental science and public policy from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in marine biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

She publishes widely, including in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Scientific American. She is on the 2021 TIME100 Next List and was named one of Elle‘s 27 Women Leading the Charge to Protect Our Environment. Outside magazine called her “the climate leader we need.”

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Why is Ayana not doing much public-facing stuff right now, and why did she choose to make an exception for this conversation? [06:59]

When did Ayana know marine biology and conservation were in her blood, and that she could actually pursue a career that wove all of her dream jobs together? [10:33]

What superpowers did Ayana inherit from her parents? [17:18]

Why do snorkeling and scuba diving provide such a transformative experience for so many humans? How does this drive home the immediacy of our climate crisis in a way that can’t be ignored? [26:31]

Why are Ayana’s parents the coolest? [32:34]

How can we get people excited about course-correcting climate change from a perspective of awe and wonder instead of hopeless guilt? [35:42]

Can Ayana guess which episode of her podcast I recently shared with my 5-Bullet Friday readers and why? [42:01]

Can Ayana guess which episodes of her podcast I might be hesitant to share? [48:53]

On the need for linguistic jiu-jitsu mastery siding with climate solutions, and why Ayana’s been keen on using the word “transformation.” [51:06]

How can we empower ourselves to make a difference against a never-ending number of environmental and societal catastrophes? What’s the right mindset for trying to solve problems that seem way bigger than us? How can we stay energized to fight the good fight without succumbing to apathy — or even just general disappointment in our fellow humans? [54:44]

Thoughts on the promising technologies and companies vying to provide solutions to our environmental problems. [1:02:31]

No matter who you are or what you do, there’s room for you to be part of the solution. [1:08:04]

Could humor be the secret weapon against climate crisis? [1:11:06]

How can we get both sides of the political spectrum to cooperate on legislation needed to fight environmental crises? [1:13:24]

As a constituent, what’s the outsized cheat code you can use for ensuring your voice matters to your elected congresspeople? [1:19:16]

What are the next actions we can take to goad politicians into taking more aggressive steps in stemming environmental crises? [1:25:23]

What can someone who has a general aversion to politics do to get involved in changing policy? [1:29:27]

How choosing not to eat shrimp is just one example of a small decision that makes a huge difference. [1:32:48]

How Ayana came to be cool with her name. [1:40:23]

Audience asks and parting thoughts. [1:41:14]

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