Today’s guest is Claire Scobie, who’s the author of the new book ‘Wild Hope; Stories of Leading and Living In Uncertain Times.’ Now anyone who knows me knows that I’m generally a sceptic of hope and many of its connotations, especially in regards to the serious business of chasing political reform or addressing any and all of the many systemic and structural challenges we as a species and this planet faces, but I was convinced to pick Claire’s book up as I knew former guest Reece Proudfoot was one of the stories highlighted. Anything involving the serious and grassroots derived work Reece is doing in the Southern Highlands I both wanted to read about but also appreciate how his work fits within a larger story of community activation and development - the place where real change occurs.

Claire is an author and journalist and she works with organisations through her business Wordstruck to help them uncover and tell the stories that shape their work and the change they want to make in the world. Her work has been featured in publications like the Observer, the UK’s Daily Telegraph and the Sydney Morning Herald, and this book is the result of her own journey of curiosity and discovery since her ecophany involving the unlikely moment she discovered a tiny marsupial found only on the islands of the Torres Strait was thought to have gone extinct, all while sitting on a plane in Hong Kong. Cracked open, Claire’s world has been different ever since, and Wild Hope is that story.

I found great joy and comfort in Claire’s work and this conversation. Over the course of building Finding Nature the last two years I’ve had the extraordinary opportunity to meet and learn about literally thousands of projects and groups and activations occurring in every corner of our society. These may not be broad-scale in their impact, but they are what we have agency over and deliver essential ingredients for the human spirit - connection, nourishment, self efficacy and progress. In our communities - whether it’s a bush regen group, a LGBTIQ poetry slam series, attending something like a writers or film festival - it is in these arenas we meet like-minded and like-hearted people. It’s here we can feel safe and part of something bigger than ourselves, and where action becomes possible. Wild Hope tells this story and the stories of dozens of these types of communities from around the world. In this conversation Claire shares about this, her own journey of transformation and how through local connection, immersing in nature and learning about First Nations cultures and practices, she has learnt to walk a path filled with mystery, joy and love.

Some extra reading relevant to this episode from our friends at Altiorem.

Doughnut economics for regenerative business design

Investing to reconnect financial value with people, nature and the real economy: An iterative blueprint for capital markets actors, policymakers and regulators

100 million farmers: Breakthrough models for financing a sustainability transition

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