Shared Ground

Quick Hits: Torend Collins maintaining hope and energy during challenging times.

• Sean Knierim & Allan Marks

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Along with the longer episodes, Allan and I will share shorter conversations with amazing people we encounter that are working to enable resilient communities around the world.

I met Torend during DC's inagural climate week.   Her personal journey inspires me - but what caught my attention first was how she asked questions and listed to those around her.

Torned has spent a career focused directly on community resilience, whether in her native Louisville, KY or regionally in leadership positions at the US Departments of Energy and the Interior.

She reflects on how to maintain hope and energy in tough jobs operating across challenging environments.  

Importantly, she also shares a few ways that she, personally maintains her own energy on a daily basis.  We keep hearing in these conversations on resilience about the importance of one's own physical, mental and spiritual health.

Shared Ground is produced by Sean Knierim and Allan Marks. Thanks to Cory Grabow, Kara Poltor, Corey Walles (from The Recording Studio) for your support in launching this effort.

Shared Ground is produced by Sean Knierim and Allan Marks. Thanks to Cory Grabow, Kara Poltor, Corey Walles (from The Recording Studio) for your support in launching this effort.

For more stories of resilience & rebuilding, kindness & generosity: visit shared-ground.com and subscribe to Sean's substack. We invite you to share your own stories of resilience at the Shared Ground website - whether in response to the January fires in LA or other situations.

Follow us on Substack, Instagram, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Sean Knierim:

All right, so who are you?

Tored Collins:

My name is Torin Collins. I'm a former senior advisor for infrastructure strategy with the US Department of the Interior and are currently in the arena to explore opportunities in which I can use my skill sets and all the experience I have in the environmental policy space.

Sean Knierim:

All right. So, torin, you have been working in community resilience and development for a long time, so how do you stay hopeful about the future, especially with the challenges that we're facing, that you're personally facing and seeing these communities go through? But how do you stay hopeful?

Tored Collins:

Yeah, I stay hopeful because I see the work that other people are doing and I connect that with the work that I have been doing in my career, not just professionally but personally. And as long as there's energy and juice and there are vibrations and focus for folks like myself and others doing the work, that makes me hopeful. I see people at the local level and local government. I see folks at the federal level. I see nonprofit entities. Everyone is doing their part and whether it's as small as or not to say it's small to minimize it but if it's something like you know, protesting against what's happening with our government and what's happening to our institutions, all the way up to drafting policy and legislation, there's a role for everyone. So that keeps me motivated, it keeps me hopeful, it keeps me optimistic because I know that historically, times have been challenging but there's always been a force of folks who have been able to overcome and continue on the journey. So that keeps me hopeful and resilient to what the future holds.

Sean Knierim:

That's a great segue into the next question. When things get tough, what helps you keep going? Any habits, people, places that make a difference for you.

Tored Collins:

Yeah, I have an amazing village of not only women, but mostly women who are in the space doing this work, so that keeps me very motivated. On a personal note, I have wonderful pups, so they keep me motivated. What kind of pups? She's a pit chow, pit chow. And I have pseudo-adopted my best friend's little mini Yorkie-ish dog. So, yeah, that keeps me motivated, and also just understanding that there are a lot of people that put in work before me. So building upon what they've done helps me to stay focused, and sometimes in this arena you definitely can't show up for something when your glass is half filled. Time to like recharge, regroup and really give myself the space to um, to address some of the, the frustrations I have has been great, because then I can come back in stronger and, you know, more optimistic and more focused and energized.

Sean Knierim:

What specifically do you do to fill that cup up and take care of yourself? Wow Um cause because we, we hear that all the time. Yeah, but specific things that we can do often are helpful yeah, I think.

Tored Collins:

I think one of the the great things about where we're at in this, in this space and time, is that there are so many different ways in which you can do that.

Tored Collins:

Right, I commit, I have a dog, so I, you know, almost have to walk her daily, but not just in my neighborhood. I do this um, fun kind of game where I'm like, where do I want to? And I commit, I have a dog, so I, you know, almost have to walk her daily, but not just in my neighborhood. I do this fun kind of game where I'm like where do I want to explore today? What neighborhood do I want to explore? What park do I want to go to? And it could be as far as going to Baltimore and exploring a new area with her, or it could be, you know, rock Creek Park, which is, you know, its own beast, if you've ever tried to go through there. So taking the time to carve out three times a day at least to where I'm out in nature and everyone says it's so cliche, but really nature is so important- it's actually proven.

Sean Knierim:

It's right Exactly. It's proven that it helps.

Tored Collins:

Neurologically, physically Right and DC is a very busy city but there are still a lot of pockets of space in nature where you can disconnect, regroup, and I do a lot of that with my dog. Sometimes it's talking to my mom on the phone when I'm on a walk, Sometimes it's getting together with a girlfriend and having, you know, some small bites or whatever the case may be. But that has been critical for me and I really started to absorb that when I worked in Florida and I never considered myself a water woman or water. I respected water but I didn't need to be near water. But having, like beaches and bays and you know, other spaces to just sit and think and be at peace was so incredibly helpful.

Sean Knierim:

So I thought of being at peace Sounds wonderful. Thank you so much for making a few minutes to talk with someone that you did not know before lunch today, of course.

Tored Collins:

Thanks so much.

Sean Knierim:

That was awesome.