32 weeks. 🌈 The size of a Care Bear.
It’s crazy to think about how close we are to having a kid out in the world. So many things are about to change. The version of life I’ve gotten used to just has a few more weeks left.
I’ve still got a nursery to finish, thank you cards to write, etc. And I’m looking forward to savoring each of these projects.
We had our baby shower in Bakersfield yesterday. Thanks so much to everybody who was able to come! It means a lot to me that baby is gonna grow up with a crew of great friends, family, family friends, aunts and uncles in his corner.
Now who wants to place bets on if Baby comes before, after, or during:
🔆 The Vampire Weekend show we have tickets for -10/3
🔆 Deanna’s 30th Birthday - 10/9
🔆 Game One of the World Series - 10/22
🔆 Halloween - 10/31
🔆 The launch of Disney Plus - 11/12
❓❓❓
Grassroots Finale
We did it! Can you believe it?
One whole season of the Grassroots Podcast is a wrap! I’m amazed and beyond thankful that this is part of what I get to do for a living.
I really believe that the people who are most affected by things like climate are the people we hear from the least. I hope good storytelling changes that, and every time you’ve streamed or shared our show, that’s helped!
Our season finale is up now! We ask what even is the planet’s case for hope. If you couldn’t tell, I definitely believe there is hope, but you may wonder how some of us do that in spite of so many scary projections and sad news stories.
It’s been such a joy getting to work with so many people on this. From my Plant With Purpose family to our production team Chad Michael Snavely & Nick Laparra) to all the great guests that have offered their time. (Really, I can’t believe I’ve gotten to have such solid conversations with people like Shane Claiborne, Matthew Sleeth, and Phileena Heuertz.
If you’re ready to stream the finale, or any of our other six episodes, they’re up in the link in my profile!
Bre's Album
I love being able to cheer on friends who get creative and make things full of heart.
Last week, we got to go be cheerleaders for Bre Reed to celebrate her album launch at a church in Santa Barbara. Even the baby who hasn’t been born yet was loving the show. (It makes me so excited how much this kid seems to love concerts and live music!)
What more can I say other than that her stuff is GOOD and you should probably go check it out on Spotify!
World Suicide Prevention Day 2019
I’m drawn to the work of finding hope in dark and difficult situations.
Sometimes that’s a conflict zone.
Sometimes that’s a remote village in an exploited country.
But a lot of times, it’s the hidden inner life of the person next to us.
Or ourselves.
Pain is real.
Sometimes the people who struggle the most hide it best.
But hope is real too.
This time about one year ago was one of the most difficult stretches I’d gone through in some time. If it taught me anything it was that just because you don’t feel hopeful doesn’t mean there isn’t hope. Hope exists even in the refusal to give up.
Today is #worldsuicidepreventiondayand I am a deep admirer of anyone who does work that helps prevent the number one killer of my age group.
For some, that’s working professionally in the mental health field.
For others, it’s creating innovative campaigns to end stigma.
For others, it’s working to reduce things like firearm access and increase things like access to counseling.
For others, it’s being an available listener.
And for some, it’s making the promise to yourself to stay.
The world needs you.
Because you were made to light up the world in a way nobody else can.
September 2019
#244 Frolf
01 September 2019 // Goleta, California
A round of disc golf in the Santa Barbara woodsl
#245 See You SB
02 September 2019 // Santa Barbara, California
Trips to Santa Barbara now are always pretty surreal.
On one hand, I’ll always feel a really warm welcome the second I’m back around those gold tinted mountains and south-facing coastline. The smell of its soil alone can trigger so many memories set to my old college playlists. And it’ll always be the place where everything began.
But also, it makes me think of the literally hundreds of people I used to find all here who’ve now scattered across the country. In terms of community, those were my richest years. I don’t think I took it for granted, because even then I knew it was something special, but still, I miss that!
What I know for sure was that coming up for a quick visit spontaneously was a great decision.
Thanks to Zach and Hallie for spoiling us with your hospitality! And great getting to hang with you, Bre, Bryce, and Jase
#246 Hospital Tour
03 September 2019 // San Diego, California
Got a tour of the hospital where it all goes down in a month or two.!
#247 Bookshelf Inspiration
04 September 2019 // San Diego, California
Got to spend a little bit of time in my favorite bookstore in town yesterday.
Definitely spent some time admiring these shelves and getting inspiration for the ones I want to build in our kids’ room.
Also, motivated to pick up the pace with my reading a little bit. I’d steamrolled through my reading list earlier in the year, but lately I’ve been falling asleep so quickly after making contact with my bed.
With summer winding down, here are the reads I went through.
JUNE 📕
Boy Swallows Universe, Trent Dalton
Normal People, Sally Rooney
26 Marathons, Meb Keflizighi
Savage Feast, Boris Fishman
American Spy, Lauren Wilkinson
Gingerbread, Helen Oyeyemi
JULY 📗
The Dreamers, Karen Thompson Walker
Shameless, Nadia Bolz Weber
Heavy, Kiese Laymon
AUGUST 📘
I See You, Terrence Lester
The Art of Gathering, Priya Parker
#248 Crib in Progress
05 September 2019 // San Diego, California
About time to start getting a move on putting our nursery together. At least the crib is all set up now.
#249 Library of Bitters
06 September 2019 // San Diego, California
Tonight I sampled Gumbo flavored bitters.
#250 Found Family Improv Show
07 September 2019 // San Diego, California
I had so much fun last night!
We learned that my job actually involves interviewing Pablo Escobar over calzones, that every child deserves access to an Office Max, and that some HR managers really like Sisqo.
Few things throw me into a good mood quite like Improv night and I appreciate Found Family letting me join the show yesterday as a featured guest!
#251 Poor Law
08 September 2019 // San Diego, California
they were all basically connected
due to a complex combination
of life
presence
and the influence of foreign compassion
#252 Breastfeeding 101
09 September 2019 // San Diego, California
This two hour seminar on breastfeeding summed up in one sentence: every kid is different, but give it your best shot.
#253 Two To Mango
10 September 2019 // San Diego, California
I was surprised and happy to see that Coffee & Tea Collective’s special summer flavors were still in effect.
#254 Under the Fake Mango Tree
11 September 2019 // San Diego, California
MNGO in Clairemont. New discovery. Can’t wait to go more often.
#255 Palm Cluster
12 September 2019 // San Diego, California
Returned a library book that had gone MIA for way too long.
#256 Scabby Head
13 September 2019 // San Diego, California
Somebody couldn’t stop scratching her scabs off, so now we’re getting a BUZZ CUT!
#257 Bakersfield Baby Shower
14 September 2019 // Bakersfield, California
32 weeks. 🌈 The size of a Care Bear.
It’s crazy to think about how close we are to having a kid out in the world. So many things are about to change. The version of life I’ve gotten used to just has a few more weeks left.
I’ve still got a nursery to finish, thank you cards to write, etc. And I’m looking forward to savoring each of these projects.
We had our baby shower in Bakersfield yesterday. Thanks so much to everybody who was able to come! It means a lot to me that baby is gonna grow up with a crew of great friends, family, family friends, aunts and uncles in his corner.
Now who wants to place bets on if Baby comes before, after, or during:
🔆 The Vampire Weekend show we have tickets for -10/3
🔆 Deanna’s 30th Birthday - 10/9
🔆 Game One of the World Series - 10/22
🔆 Halloween - 10/31
🔆 The launch of Disney Plus - 11/12
❓❓❓
#258 lake ming
15 September 2019 // Bakersfield, California
Went for a pretty sweet early morning lake walk in Bakersfield.
#259 grocery treats
16 September 2019 // San Diego, California
When the enneagram memes say that 7s can’t go grocery shopping without getting themselves a treat. Where is the lie?
#260 real deal quesadillas
17 September 2019 // San Diego, California
Maseca flour, Oaxacan cheese, and everything needed to make real deal quesadillas. These are so good!
#261 life in a cone
18 September 2019 // San Diego, California
Beignet’s getting used to life in a cone, but I can’t wait until she gets her normal head back.
#262 nursery paint job
19 September 2019 // San Diego, California
Got some mountains up on the nursery role. Getting a little more ready for this boy’s arrival.
#263 GLOBAL CLIMATE STRIKE
20 September 2019 // La Jolla, California
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
🌐
Curiosity and solidarity led me out of the office and to a high school gathering for the #globalclimatestrikelast week. I was pretty impressed with these students.
When I was in high school, which wasn’t like, thaaaaat long ago, there might’ve been about six students with the energy and awareness to speak about climate and justice and solutions as well as these kids. And I definitely wasn’t one of them.
🔆
It wasn’t until I started traveling more that it became more obvious to me that climate issues affect the most vulnerable people first. These students knew that and made it a main point of their speeches.
It wasn’t until after graduate school that I realized how high of a priority environmental issues needed to be in the world. These kids know that too.
🚸
I totally reject broad level stereotypes about entitlement or not knowing how to problem solve that get thrown around. These students don’t just solve the problems in immediate sight, they think more globally too.
If we all keep up the energy to change things, stay in it for the long haul, and fight away cynicism, there’s lots to look forward to.
#264 pregnant hikes
21 September 2019 // La Jolla, California
33 weeks pregnant and hiking 3.3 miles. Deanna’s rockin’ this.
#265 ADAMS AVE. STREET FAIR
22 September 2019 // San Diego, California
Quirky street scene carnival in the neighborhood.
#266 dan dan noodles
23 September 2019 // San Diego, California
Steamy Piggy’s Dan Dan Noodles always come through.
#267 shriya
24 September 2019 // San Diego, California
Happy to have Shriya as an intern during this very unusual time at Plant With Purpose.
#268 lamb steak
25 September 2019 // San Diego, California
Lamb has opened up so many creative doors in the kitchen lately.
#269 CORNDOG LUNCH DATE
26 September 2019 // San Diego, California
Best part about Deanna’s maternity leave so far? Mini-dates on my lunch break.
#270 TINY CITY, BIG TOWN
27 September 2019 // San Diego, California
CreativeMornings always sends a good kickstart of energy towards the Friday.
#271 BORK!
28 September 2019 // San Diego, California
My favorite.
#272 Arched Path
29 September 2019 // San Diego, California
Sun crisped Sundays are my favorite thing lately.
#273 Hedgehog & Hulk
30 September 2019 // San Diego, California
The dynamic duo sets up camp.
Found Family Improv Show
I had so much fun last night!
We learned that my job actually involves interviewing Pablo Escobar over calzones, that every child deserves access to an Office Max, and that some HR managers really like Sisqo.
Few things throw me into a good mood quite like Improv night and I appreciate Found Family letting me join the show yesterday as a featured guest!
The Geotag Debate
Here’s an interesting convo I’ve been having more and more frequently— the pros and cons of geotagging.
Ever hear some of the debate?
Think of places like Horseshoe Bend, The WanakaTree in New Zealand, or towns like Lake Elsinore during a California Superbloom.
Horseshoe Bend used to get about 2,000 visitors a year in the 90s. Now? More like 1.5 million. The Wanaka Tree is still pretty, but getting a photo without a crowd in it takes some patience. Lake Elsinore’s mayor called this year’s Superbloom a poppy apocalypse.
The seemingly obvious thing to blame is Instagram, and specifically geotags- the data about a places location that often attract and direct more visitors than a place can handle.
So should we get rid of them all together? Maybe not. There’s actually also a pretty strong case to be made for why the backlash to geotags reflects a lot of inequality in the outdoor advocacy world. Others argue that conservation starts with appreciation, and the trendiness of certain spots has helped that spread.
I honestly find both sides fascinating and think there are some nuanced ways to move ahead. I wrote about these for a Plant With Purpose article and it’s one of my favorite pieces I’ve written in some time. Check it out over here!
Summer 2019 Reading List
Got to spend a little bit of time in my favorite bookstore in town yesterday.
Definitely spent some time admiring these shelves and getting inspiration for the ones I want to build in our kids’ room.
Also, motivated to pick up the pace with my reading a little bit. I’d steamrolled through my reading list earlier in the year, but lately I’ve been falling asleep so quickly after making contact with my bed.
With summer winding down, here are the reads I went through.
JUNE 📕
Boy Swallows Universe, Trent Dalton
Normal People, Sally Rooney
26 Marathons, Meb Keflizighi
Savage Feast, Boris Fishman
American Spy, Lauren Wilkinson
Gingerbread, Helen Oyeyemi
JULY 📗
The Dreamers, Karen Thompson Walker
Shameless, Nadia Bolz Weber
Heavy, Kiese Laymon
AUGUST 📘
I See You, Terrence Lester
The Art of Gathering, Priya Parker
Sharing some of my favorite reads right here.
See You at Improv Night
I love improv. A lot.
Even though it’s by definition unrehearsed, it’s always felt to me like a rehearsal for real life- learning to be present and with other people. Saying yes. Having fun.
Now I get to be part of a show- not so much as a performer, but more as a prompt.
From the Finest City Improv site, here’s what’s happening: “Every Saturday, our professional improv comedians invite a San Diego personality, business owner, or someone that just makes us laugh, to tell their stories. We use these stories as inspiration to improvise a series of comedy scenes to take a journey to hilarious places. It’s getting to know you, mixed with I never should have asked!”
Hope to see you there on Saturday night!
Santa Barbara Babymoon
Trips to Santa Barbara now are always pretty surreal.
On one hand, I’ll always feel a really warm welcome the second I’m back around those gold tinted mountains and south-facing coastline. The smell of its soil alone can trigger so many memories set to my old college playlists. And it’ll always be the place where everything began.
But also, it makes me think of the literally hundreds of people I used to find all here who’ve now scattered across the country. In terms of community, those were my richest years. I don’t think I took it for granted, because even then I knew it was something special, but still, I miss that!
What I know for sure was that coming up for a quick visit spontaneously was a great decision.
Thanks to Zach and Hallie for spoiling us with your hospitality! And great getting to hang with you, Bre, Bryce, and Jase
Can Our Small Actions Actually Make a Difference?
When I first read The Irresistible Revolution in college, Shane Claiborne’s example became a pretty clear image for what I wanted my faith to look like- not a collection of ideas or theories, but a proactive love that led to confronting injustice and standing with the poor and vulnerable.
I know Nick Laparra is cut from a similar cloth. The conversations he hosts on Let’s Give A Damn are full of compassion, creativity, and boldness. He’s had on some great guests like Shane, Rainn Wilson, Chelsea Clinton, oh, and even yours truly! What???
Then two years ago, I got to meet Khun Tui. At the time he led Plant With Purpose’s work in Thailand among refugees and ethnic minorities. I resonated so much with his ambition and energy to maximize his impact on his community.
What these three guys- and many other people I’ve since met- share is a belief that the small things lead to big change. And whether it’s starting gardens in inner city Philly or shifting to a plant based diet or helping refugees learn sustainable farming, they’re backing those beliefs with action. They embody one of my favorite quotes by Desmond Tutu- small acts of good are the ones that overwhelm the world.
That makes me so freaking lucky to have them as guests on my podcast, and like, all on the same episode to boot! Episode 5 asks the question- if most environmental problems are caused by like, a few dozen mega corporations and governments, why focus so much on small actions? This is just the right squad to help answer.
Stream below!
Marketing & Generosity
“I think the one job I could never do is one that revolved around selling people stuff,” I said to myself about 15 years ago.
And now? My day job totally revolves around marketing.
Granted, I get to help people buy into the Plant With Purpose vision of environmental restoration, which is heaps more appealing to me than trying to market an energy drink or something, but still. The word marketing has kind of a scheemy feel to it. Like when people say, “ah, that’s just marketing,” to dismiss somebody as just trying to sell you pointless crap.
My outlook on marketing has since totally shifted. When you apply the act of marketing to something that adds real value to the world, marketing becomes all about generosity, storytelling, and connection.
I like how Seth Godin puts it– “Marketing is the generous act of helping others become who they seek to become. It involves creating honest stories—stories that resonate and spread.” Yes!
Because honestly, most of what I do is give stuff away for free! I spend hours each week working on a podcast that costs nothing. I write thousands of words and create dozens of graphics for social media and email that people can sign up for all for free.
Because if at the end of the day, if it helps make the world a little smaller, and if bridges the gap between a financial advisor in California and a farmer in the Congo, that’s worth it. My idea of marketing is rooted in the idea that generosity sparks more generosity, and in the end, that ain’t so sleazy at all.
National Dog Day 2019
So Beignet...
It’s #NationalDogDay and I get to post this picture of you hanging out with your mom and your woodland friends and tell the world all the things I love about you.
🐾
Like how your reaction to pretty much everything is to flash a ridiculously oversized smile.
Or how you never get into fights at the dog park- but you will hover six inches away from each one of them like a girl who’s gotta be on top of the latest gossip.
Or how the one time we let you sleep in our bed because the sound of falling trees kept scaring you, you knocked out right away. Cause, you know, we’re invincible to falling trees or something.
What I really like is seeing you be sweet with the nephews and knowing you’ll be an awesome big sis.
🐾
I still feel really lucky that you happened to be in the shelter at the right moment for us to find you. You’re a big goofy doughnut and you keep us from taking life too seriously. I’ve needed that at so many points the past three and a half years.
I could go on, but literacy isn’t your strong spot, so we can belly scratch instead.
🐾
Lemme just slip this PSA in here real quick- dog population facts can be pretty sad to read about, and I mostly overlooked them until it came time for us to adopt. If you’re in the position to do it, dog adoption is a response that’s rewarding in a thousand different ways.
Thanks for the Baby Shower
Oh man! Baby shower number one was a success!
Deanna and I had the first of probably four showers to celebrate our guy on deck and we’re so happy to have such loving family members and friends.
Thanks so much to Ivy for putting so much energy and creativity and love into throwing this party. Can’t wait for our kiddos to have some cousin playtime!
Dream Summer
I can’t wait for my little dude to be born!
Of course, I can’t wait to meet him face to face and experience that magical moment. But also, seeing Deanna bravely take on all the physical challenges that come with pregnancy has made me especially eager for the chance to be able to help out more. He’s in the stage of plumping up, which is no easy ordeal for his mama. I want him to show up healthy and her to heal well.
At the same time, I’m realizing that it’s a very special season for us all. Never before have I been in a stretch of life quite like this one, and never again will I be anticipating my first kid. It’s a really, really unique time. One that I prayed for for a really long time.
It’s a deeply joyful time right now, even if it is full of stress and restlessness. Thanks, life, for keeping things spicy.
Seeing the Good
Today didn’t seem like anything all that special.
A pretty quiet day at the office before coming home to work out and make dinner. That’s about it.
Then I did a double take.
Actually, I got to start the day by interviewing one of my heroes for an upcoming podcast episode. Then I spent a few more hours working on that podcast. I actually get to go to work and spend my time creating something I really believe in.
I came back home to spend some quality puppy time and then go off to my boxing class where I didn’t do so bad! To wrap up the day- I ended up making homemade karage.
I’m capturing this because of all the pieces of my day that are wayyy too easy to take for granted. Getting to come home to my favorite dog. Accomplishing a lifelong dream in learning how to box. Interviewing people I’ve looked up to for years.
If you went back six years and told a younger me that this is what life would look like at this point in time, I would’ve been so pumped.
I’m sure each one of us has stuff we take for granted. Things an earlier version of ourselves once craved now pass for “ordinary.” One of my goals in this life is to max out on gratitude.
Doing that means trying not to let these little nuggets of good pass by unnoticed.
A🌲L
A🌲L - Atlanta loves its trees. Way more than I expected!
One of the things I learned while in ATL this month was the amount of pride the city takes in its trees. While I was there they had just designated seven acres of urban land to be forested, adding to their urban tree canopy that covers almost half the city!
My own bias led me to underestimate Atlanta’s greenness, but it’s got double the tree cover of Eugene!
I got pretty obsessed with the Urban Tree Cover stat when I got back, so I looked up a bunch of cities I had ties to.
🍑 Atlanta - 47%
🌲 Portland - 30%
🌧 Seattle - 28%
🌴 Santa Barbara - 25%
🌲 Eugene - 23%
🏔 Denver - 20%
🏙 Philadelphia - 20%
🌴 Los Angeles - 17%
🏙 Chicago - 15%
🌴 San Diego - 13%
Sadly, my current home is at the bottom of the list. Trees are correlated with better physical health, mental health, and reduced poverty in both rural and urban settings.
Lots of San Diegans would fairly point out the double layered challenge of water. But studies show that SD can healthily grow up to a 35-40% tree cover if it grows the right species.
I did come across plans and proposals to move in that direction. Sure hope it happens!
Thanks for coming to my random geek out session of the week.
Inspiring Empathy
How to use human empathy to communicate solutions to global problems:
🌄 Help people picture the problem. Use vivid imagery to transport people to garment factories, exploited forests, schools in impoverished communities, etc. Some sights may be familiar to you, but they can be a totally new world to whoever you’re talking to.
⏳Add some urgency. Make it clear why a solution can’t wait.
👩👩👧👧 Humanize. Use an individual’s story to shine light on the global problem. (And of course, do this ethically!)
👓 Appeal to people’s values and sense of identity.
The more you understand how people process information, the more effective you’ll be at moving people. When I say creating change takes creativity, this is just a smidge of what I’m talking about.
Creativity and Empathy
Empaths are the best creatives.
I got to do a little brainstorming and consulting on a video project and the process reminded me of a creative belief I hold pretty strongly-
Whether you’re designing a campaign for a nonprofit or trying to write a song for your EP, your goal is to make other people think and feel, me too.
This isn’t the first time I’ve written about this. But I want to try to be as generous as possible with the things I learn that could help others, so here’s not just WHY creative empathy matters, but here’s HOW to develop that muscle.
Get vulnerable. Think of your message. Where does it encounter tension or conflict? Go beyond isolation. Know what others say, think, do, and feel.
Every week I send out a newsletter with ideas to help Creative Changemakers. Every now and then, I’ll sneak a peek for something I’m working on right here. This is one of those times. But you can get those emails by signing up here!
Third Trimester
Third trimester. Here we go!
According to our OB Visit, 28 weeks marks the official start of the Act III, and so for us, that starts today.
It's a milestone worth celebrating for sure, but also- we are very much in the thick of things as far as pregnancy goes, so your prayers are all appreciated.
Also, I know pregnancy is never really easy, but almost everything looks easy compared to what Deanna's been doing for the past six months.
In case you've been taking it for granted how much of a champ @deanna.suzanna is (we're all taking it for granted. Including me and I'm married to her) how many people do you know recover from a broken leg, buy a house and move twice, close in on a social work license, manage chronic illness and diabetes, and work a job that's as demanding as two jobs all while growing a human life in her belly? Oh, and I forgot to mention that she's probably saved a good handful of lives during that time at her job, and she's not even allowed to talk about it!
These days, I really wish there were more I could do to share that load. A lot of you that know us probably do too. But I'm more in a Samwise Gamgee role. "I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you."
So, if you know her number- text her right now and let her know that she is absolutely crushing it and that this little negative three month old boy is so lucky to have her as a mom. And feel free to text me too about how lucky I am to be married to her. Cause that’s the troof.