It has been said that all change starts with mindset.

And that to solve the environmental challenges of this world, we first need to people to believe that the environment does matter, a better world is possible, and all those excuses for why renewable energy or protection of our wild places can't happen are just that excuses.

Natalie Kyriacou is making it her life's work to just that. Her latest creation is 'Nature's Last Dance', a book that adventures into the wonders of our planet and makes the environmental fascinating and fun.

This special episode:

🐵 Starts with an underwear-stealing Orangutan and gets wilder from there

🚢 Takes you on a ride from Borneo to Costa Rica to explore how systems change is essential if we want environmental change

🐋 Uses the words ‘whale poo’ at least twice

🌳 Sees our guest getting stuck up a tree with her whole family

💪 Has a whole lot of depth too as we discuss topics like the importance of women and children to the environmental movement, how everyone everywhere can play a role in making the world we want, and what it takes to stay positive in a sometimes challenging world.

Want to know more? Here's what AI had to say after we gave it a listen:

Meet Natalie Kiriakou, an environmentalist whose journey began when an orangutan named Miko stole her underwear in the jungles of Borneo. That unexpected encounter sparked a career dedicated to reimagining our relationship with the natural world – not through dry statistics or corporate jargon, but through captivating storytelling that makes environmentalism fascinating again.

Natalie's approach is refreshingly different. Rather than focusing on isolated solutions like tree planting (though important), she challenges the underlying systems that perpetuate environmental harm. "If we made these systems up, we can change them," she explains, highlighting Costa Rica's remarkable transformation from a war-torn nation to an ecological paradise through deliberate systems change. By abolishing their military and redirecting funds to education and environmental protection, Costa Rica demonstrates what's possible when we dare to reimagine our priorities.

Her upcoming book "Nature's Last Dance" weaves quirky tales – from Australia's failed war against emus to the climate-regulating powers of whale poo – into profound insights about our interconnectedness with nature. It's her rebellion against the tedium that often surrounds environmental discussions, offering instead a love letter to our planet that's as entertaining as it is enlightening. Natalie also highlights the disproportionate impact of climate disasters on women, especially Indigenous women and women of colour, while emphasizing their crucial role in creating lasting solutions.

Despite the overwhelming nature of global environmental challenges, Natalie finds hope in connection – with nature, community, and the countless individuals quietly working to make a difference. Her philosophy is beautifully simple: "At the end of the day, my goal is pretty simple: to live a life that creates more good than harm." This begins with small actions – how we treat the barista, whether we smile at strangers, if we stop to help an injured bird – and grows into larger commitments to community and planet.

Discover "Nature's Last Dance" is now available at all bookstores. Connect with Natalie at nataliekyriacou.com and join her mission to make environmentalism engaging, accessible, and genuinely inspiring once again.

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