Climate Courage
Hosted by clinical psychologist Emily Toner, Climate Courage is a 10-episode audio journey for anyone navigating emotional fatigue, eco-anxiety, or burnout in the face of the environmental crisis. Whether you're a frontline climate professional, an activist, or an everyday person who cares deeply about our collective future, this podcast offers grounded psychological tools, personal and science-based insights and a safe space to process challenging thoughts and emotions. Each episode blends insights from wellbeing science, behavioural pyschology, mindfulness, and systems thinking to help you process grief, regulate your nervous system, and rediscover agency and courage.
Climate Courage
Ep 5. Positive Emotion — Why Feeling Good Helps the Earth
In this episode of Climate Courage, we explore why prioritising your personal wellbeing may be one of the most powerful actions you can take to heal the earth.
After honouring grief in our last session, today we shift into a lighter place. Together, we unpack the neuroscience behind positive emotions — and why joy, gratitude, and connection are far from luxuries during a time of climate crisis. They're necessities.
You’ll learn:
- How positive emotion literally expands your visual and mental field (the "broaden and build" theory)
- Why happy, hopeful people are more innovative, inclusive, and capable of big-picture thinking
- The surprising link between joy and breaking down social and racial barriers
- A guided perspective meditation to balance your negativity bias and connect with what’s good, right now
This episode is grounded in the work of Barbara Fredrickson and other leading positive psychologists. Discover how positive emotions expand our minds, deepen social connection, and unlock climate solutions.
Resources & Links
→ For more support, workshops and resources visit: emilytoner.com
→ Support the creation of this work: ko-fi.com/climatecourage
Missed the beginning? Start from Episode 1: “Climate Courage — Seeing the Human Side of the Crisis”