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October 15, 2024
Tapping into nature’s wisdom for a WinWinWin!
March 6, 2025Tapping into nature's wisdom for a WinWinWin!
Issue 23
On all major podcast platforms and YouTube!!!
Explore how nature's most adaptable species can inspire you to overcome challenges, lead with purpose, and create lasting change in yourself, your organization, and your community. Resilience isn't just about bouncing back-it's about evolving, learning, and thriving in the face of adversity.
Episode 23 is Live!
Ellie Meredith
In this powerful episode, I sit down with activist and storyteller Ellie Meredith to explore how action, advocacy, and connection can transform eco-anxiety into resilience. Ellie shares her personal journey in environmental activism, her deep-rooted relationship with nature, and the lessons she’s learned through her work with Re-Action Collective.
We also dive into Actionism, her latest documentary, which highlights how small, local efforts can create a ripple effect of change. From the importance of inclusive outdoor spaces to the role of collective action in tackling the climate crisis, Ellie reminds us that hope isn’t passive—it’s something we build together.
Key Takeaways:
- Community is everything—we’re stronger when we take action together.
- Nature is a powerful remedy—for both the planet and our mental health.
- Small actions matter—repairing, rewilding, and reconnecting can create real change.
- Eco-anxiety is real—but so is eco-joy—finding purpose in nature fosters resilience.
Join us for an inspiring conversation about turning concern into action, finding your people, and rediscovering joy in the fight for a better future.
Episode 24 is Live!
Andrew Lewin, Podcast Host of How To Protect The Ocean
In this powerful episode, I sit down with How to Protect the Ocean podcast host and marine biologist Andrew Lewin to explore how everyday choices can create ripples of change for ocean conservation. Andrew shares his insights on taking action without feeling overwhelmed—reminding us to take a deep breath, focus on progress over perfection, and recognize the power of collective effort.
Andrew highlights how sustainable choices—like reducing single-use plastics, supporting clean energy, and making conscious consumer decisions—aren’t just good for the planet; they often benefit our wallets and health, too. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but when communities come together with optimism and purpose, we can make a difference.
Key Takeaways:
- Small steps matter—progress is a journey, not an instant fix.
- Your choices send a message—what we buy (or don’t buy) shapes corporate decisions.
- Sustainability and personal well-being go hand in hand—what’s good for the planet is often good for us, too.
- Collective action creates real change—when we work together, the impact multiplies.
Listen in for an inspiring discussion on how we can each play a role in protecting the ocean and why hope, action, and community are the keys to resilience—both for our planet and ourselves.
Coming Next Week...
The Mighty Tardigrade – Mastering the Art of Hunkering Down
When conditions get extreme, tardigrades survive by entering a suspended state, conserving energy until the world around them improves. These microscopic “water bears” endure scorching heat, freezing cold, radiation, and even the vacuum of space—all by knowing when to pause and when to re-emerge. We’ll explore how we can apply their remarkable strategy to navigate overwhelming times, set boundaries, and build endurance in our own lives. Plus, we’ll look at how science is studying tardigrades to drive breakthroughs in medicine, biotechnology, and space exploration.
Hunkering Down in the Arctic with Daniel J. Cox
From the smallest survivalists to the Arctic’s apex predator, our second episode brings in award-winning nature photographer Daniel J. Cox, who has spent over 40 years documenting polar bears and other wildlife in the harshest environments on Earth. As the Director of Polar Bears International’s Arctic Documentary Project, Daniel shares what it takes for these powerful animals to withstand brutal conditions—hunkering down in snow dens, conserving energy during food shortages, and waiting out the toughest storms. And just like tardigrades, polar bears show us that knowing when to pause, protect ourselves, and endure is a key part of resilience.
Tune in next week to discover how nature’s experts in endurance—from microscopic creatures to Arctic giants—can help us better navigate life’s toughest seasons.
WinWinWin Wisdom of the Week!
Love isn’t just an emotion—it’s a force that connects, strengthens, and sustains us. At its best, love is a win-win-win, creating deeper bonds between people, fostering compassion for the more-than-human world, and rippling outward to build a kinder, more resilient planet. This week’s Win-Win-Win Wisdom explores how embracing love—whether through nature’s lessons or personal growth—can transform the way we show up for ourselves, each other, and the world around us. 💞
ID 124517520 @ Edwin Butter | Dreamstime.com
Love That Lasts Resilience Lessons from Nature's Valentine
Love in nature isn’t just about fleeting romance—it’s about resilience, endurance, and the ability to weather life’s challenges. From lifelong animal partnerships to plants that return stronger after each harsh season, nature is filled with inspiring lessons about love’s power to sustain and strengthen us. The bleeding heart plant, with its delicate yet persistent blooms, offers a striking metaphor for love that endures through hardship.
Each spring, this elegant plant emerges, its arching stems adorned with heart-shaped flowers that appear to “bleed” delicate petals. It has long symbolized love, devotion, and perseverance—traits we see reflected across the natural world. Despite its fragile appearance, the bleeding heart is remarkably resilient, thriving in shaded woodlands and returning year after year, even after being buried under winter’s weight. Like love itself, it finds a way to persist, renew, and flourish in the face of adversity.
We see this same lesson echoed in the bonds of mate-for-life species, like albatrosses who reunite across vast oceans, or beavers who build strong homes together year after year. Elephants demonstrate deep emotional connections, comforting one another in times of loss, while trees form vast underground networks to nourish and protect their kin. These stories remind us that true love isn’t just about passion—it’s about commitment, care, and the strength to endure.
In Episode 14 of Resilience Gone Wild, we explored how love in elephant communities leads them to practice the Platinum Rule—treating others as they wish to be treated. Their deep emotional intelligence and ability to care for one another offer a powerful lesson in compassion and resilience, reminding us that love isn’t just about feeling—it’s about action.
This idea of hunkering down is also at the heart of next week’s episodes. We’ll explore tardigrades, microscopic creatures that survive extreme conditions by suspending their activity, and talk with polar bear expert Daniel Cox about how animals in the Arctic endure the harshest winters. Like the bleeding heart, these creatures remind us that resilience isn’t always about pushing forward—it’s also about knowing when to pause, protect our energy, and wait for the right moment to bloom again.
Nature gives us endless reminders that love, in its purest form, is adaptive, enduring, and deeply connected to resilience.
What examples of love in nature have inspired you? Reply to this newsletter and share your thoughts—I’d love to hear your stories!
Building a Heart Wide Open How I Cultivated Love as a Strength
Love is often seen as something we simply feel, but what if it’s also something we can intentionally grow?" I never considered love to be something I needed to work on—until I did... Each year, I take the VIA Character Strengths survey (click to take it yourself) as part of an ongoing commitment to self-awareness and growth. This simple yet powerful tool helps identify our strongest traits, as well as those that may be waiting to be cultivated. A few years ago, I noticed a pattern—while strengths like curiosity, creativity, and perspective consistently ranked high, love was never near the top. At first, this didn’t seem surprising. I’ve always cared deeply for my immediate family and close friends. But when I reflected on the broader definition of love—warmth, openness, and deep care for all beings—I realized I had built subtle barriers. Outside of my close circle, I tended to prioritize logic over emotion, connection over vulnerability. I wasn’t cold or unkind, but I wasn’t leading with my heart, either. So I set an intention: What would it look like to actively cultivate love as a strength? I’d done this before with humor, making a conscious effort to find levity in life’s challenges. That shift had profoundly deepened my resilience, proving that focusing on a single strength could create ripple effects. Love, I suspected, could do the same.
Reframing Love as a Strength
At first, I approached this shift through small, deliberate actions—taking a few extra seconds to express appreciation, offering warmth and kindness to strangers, and allowing myself to feel more fully rather than analyze or manage emotions.
But the real transformation came through my connection with the more-than-human world. Instead of observing nature with admiration and respect (which I had always done), I let myself love it. I walked among trees not just as a curious observer but with deep gratitude, feeling their quiet presence like old friends. I felt my heart swell watching a bird build a nest, knowing she was nurturing life with an instinctive devotion that mirrored our own human expressions of care. I saw love in the cooperative bonds of animal communities, in the interwoven roots of the forest, in the way the ocean embraces every shoreline.
Over time, this practice shifted something in me. Love was no longer a feeling reserved for family or close friendships—it became an energy I carried everywhere. I began to approach all beings, human and non-human, with an open heart. Conversations deepened. Moments felt more meaningful. The world itself seemed to soften, as if meeting my openness with its own.
Love as a Resilience Tool
Strengthening love didn’t just enrich my relationships—it fortified my resilience. Love makes space for hope in difficult times. It reminds us why we care enough to keep going, even when challenges feel overwhelming. When we love something—a person, a place, a cause—we protect it, nurture it, and find the courage to stand up for it.
This Valentine’s week, I invite you to reflect: What role does love play in your life? Is it something you lead with, or something you keep contained? Could embracing love more fully help you build deeper connections, inner strength, and a greater sense of purpose?
For me, the journey started with a simple decision: What if I treated love as a strength to be developed? It changed everything.
What strengths are you working on developing? I’d love to hear your reflections—reply to this newsletter and share your thoughts!
Reach Out!
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Let's start a conversation!
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Email me at Jessica@WinWinWinMindset.com
Check out my website WinWinWinMindset.com