The Determined Ones Podcast
By Marc O'Brien
The Determined Ones PodcastJul 09, 2019
What Does It Mean To Be An Environmentalist Today? Reporting back from VERGE, SOCAP, RES
We just got back from a whirlwind tour of 3 climate-focused conferences; SOCAP19, Verge19, and RES19. In this episode, Marc and Sarah contrast and compare the three crowds and discuss patterns and trends in today’s climate-action movement. We bring up questions like…
- Would we even call everyone at these three conferences “environmentalists”?
- Is this even still one “movement”?
- Are we working to save this planet, or are we working to save the ability for humans to thrive on this planet?
- How do we make regular Joe and Jane care? (Is that even the right question?)
Links mentioned in this episode
- What is this Think Wrong event we brought to these conferences? TheDetermined.co/events
- Thanks to Jim Giles for inviting us to participate in Verge Carbon! Listen to our interview with Jim Giles
- An example of painting a picture of the hopeful future — A message from the future with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
It Takes Guts — An Interview with John Bielenberg
We sat down to chat with our mentor and friend John Bielenberg while he and Marc were in Montana building out the Big Hemp project.
John created the Think Wrong method in the 1990s for those times “when conventional thinking is not going to create the result that you need.”
We discuss how Thinking Wrong applies to projects tackling climate change and changing the status quo — and what it takes to move from a great idea to actually creating change. (Hint: It takes guts.)
Links mentioned in this episode:
How to get a big positive vision off the ground
We love hearing from entrepreneurs with amazing visions to build a better future. And we hate when those visions fail before they’ve even gotten started. So in this 9 minute episode we discuss a few strategies to help entrepreneurs make real forward movement on those big ideas. We’ve got a few tricks up our sleeve you may not have thought of, so give it a listen!
Links mentioned in this episode:
- The Carbon 180 Slack network we mentioned for Carbon Removal is now Air Miners
- Mighty Networks is on of the more modern versions of a listserv we mentioned
- Climate Sprints to make bold moves on climate innovation in your organization
Small design changes can make huge impact — An interview with Mike Morrison
In this 24 minute episode, we chat with Mike Morrison, creator of the #betterposter campaign to make the academic research poster easier to read and understand. When we heard Mike featured on NPR, we were excited to talk to someone else who understands the importance of design principles when communicating scientific knowledge.
We talk about how the campaign has been received, what the impact has been so far and what it has the potential to be, and we discuss what’s next for Mike and his work to better science and thereby improve progress of the human race!
Links mentioned in this episode:
AMA with The Determined
We get a lot of random questions about our process and what it’s like working with us, since we’re not your typical design studio. This week, we sit down and record a quick 12 minute episode to answer some of the most common questions.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Do you have any questions you’d like us to answer? Send them our way!
Rise of the Climate Designers
“There’s a new breed of designers emerging… designers that want to focus their creative talents towards solving our climate crisis. We’re calling them climate designers.”
In this episode, we talk about the role that creativity and design play in addressing our climate crisis. We don’t need to sit and wait for a client to ask us to make something eco-friendly. We have the ability and perhaps the responsibility to take a stand with how we use our skills and talents.
You’re not helpless when it comes to climate action. Listen to find out what you can do as a designer or creative professional in any industry.
Links mentioned in this episode:- Living Principles
- climatedesigners.org (coming soon)
Season 3 Teaser
We're on our third season! Here's a heads up on what to look out for.
Our climate crisis: A new opportunity for design students
In this 14 minute episode, we hope to empower concerned designers and aspiring entrepreneurs to have the tools they need to confidently go out in the world and pursue a career path that helps them take climate action.
Learn tips on building a climate project portfolio, growing your network, and applying circular design principles to everything you create.
Links mentioned in this episode:How Creativity Will Save the World - an interview with Katie Patrick
This week we sat down and had an inspiring 23 minute conversation with Katie Patrick, author of How to Save the World. Katie is an environmental engineer, designer, and entrepreneur dedicated to creating positive environmental impact.
We discuss the abilities people need to hone if they want to actually create change, and what it means to have a creative purpose.
Links mentioned in this episode:- KatiePatrick.com
- Katie’s book: How to Save the World
- Katie’s podcast: How to Save the World
- Why Creativity will Save the World — article by Katie Patrick
- Follow @KatiePatrick on Twitter
- The Big Leap — Gay Hendricks
- Coaching the Artist Within — Eric Maisel
When to spend money in an early stage business
We meet a lot of entrepreneurs who have been in the bootstrapping frame of mind for so long, once their business does start making money, they're not sure when or if it's okay to spend it.
In this 10-minute episode we discuss some key scenarios and signs that help you know it's time to invest some funds towards moving your business forward.
Creating valuable businesses - an interview with Justin Lokitz and Maarten Van Lieshout of BMI
In this 20-minute episode we sit down with Justin and Maarten of Business Models, Inc. and talk about strategy, innovation, and business models. BMI helps larger companies drive innovation and entrepreneurship inside the organization to create greater value for customers.
We talk about strategies companies can use to win funding and help keep things clear and tangible throughout the ideation process.
Links mentioned in this episode:3 years in and we're still learning a ton
We started The Determined 3 years ago, so we spend this 26-minute episode exploring what we’ve learned over the last year — what didn’t go well, what’s worked, and where we want to go next.
This episode is packed with real talk about navigating entrepreneurship and a vision for a future where people feel good talking about and supporting climate solutions.
10 Mistakes that make your website look unprofessional
In this 27 min episode, we cover 10 mistakes we see climate startups and other orgs making on their websites, and we include simple tips to solve these errors and polish up your website.
We’ll leave you:
Armed with knowledge you can use to audit and improve your website, see what’s not working, and make it more professional looking so it does the job you need it to do for your business.
Links mentioned in this episode:- Listen to the Write messaging that rocks episode we mentioned
- Download our cool zine: Turn up the Volume
- Soundcheck: Work with us to build a powerful brand that gets heard
Demo: How to prototype your messaging & marketing, and test it before you've built it.
In this 23 minute demo, Marc and I run through a sample website test, sharing how to set up and run a quick test so you can prototype your own website, pitch deck, or marketing and test it quickly to make sure it works.
Here is a photo of the prototype we’re testing, an imaginary sweater company selling sweaters made from wool from regenerative sheep farms.
This demo is a companion piece to the in-depth blog post, How to prototype and test your messaging before you invest in it.
Other links mentioned in this episode:- Download our cool zine: Turn up the Volume
- Soundcheck: Work with us to build a powerful brand that gets heard
Communicating Our Climate Crisis - an Interview with Jim Giles
In this 17 minute episode, we interview journalist Jim Giles, who is on a mission to spread some much-needed hopeful news about our climate crisis.
We discuss recent shifts in the language the media uses to discuss climate change (or better, our climate crisis) in an effort to be scientifically accurate while also capturing readers' attention and inspiring action. We also chat with Jim about his work to fill in some of the gaps in climate media coverage right now.
Business-to-business is still humans-to-humans (B2B=H2H)
We talk to startups, accelerators, and investors who are creating products for B2B (or mentoring/investing in), and we get this question:
- Is Human-centered design valuable when I’m a B2B company? I just want to develop a product that works and get acquired/licensed
They don’t think design, branding, or human-centered messaging techniques apply to them because they’re not going to direct to market as a consumer product.
We say, if they thought about their customer’s point of view when crafting pitch decks or sales messaging, they’d have a much easier time acquiring the funding/partners they want. Their pitch would be powerful and resonate emotionally with the people they are pitching to.
We give a few examples in this 6 minute podcast episode on how we might use human-centered design to solve B2B challenges. Listen now for all the fun!
Links mentioned in this episode:
- Why is it so tough to write good messaging for our business?
- Rock Your Messaging worksheet
- Download our cool zine: Turn up the Volume
- Soundcheck: Work with us to build a powerful brand that gets heard
Two Tools to Help You Brand Your Climate-Focused Startup
In this 16 minute episode, we walk through an exercise you can do with your team to:
- Give you some direction towards building a stronger brand
- Empower you to work with a designer to create something more “you”
- Give you a really solid foundation you can base branding decisions on in your business
- Not just redesigning the logo or what colors to use, but also how to put together a funding deck, what kind of conference room to choose for events, Voice and tone for messaging, etc.
- Get to the very DNA of what your company is, and help you build confidence in every aspect of your work.
- Download our branding worksheet
- Download our cool zine: Turn up the Volume
- Soundcheck: Work with us to build a powerful brand that gets heard
When and how to invest in branding your climate startup
In this 12 min episode, Marc and I discuss how design can be invaluable when starting a business, and why it shouldn’t be left for the very end (and what happens when it all too often is an afterthought.)
We’ll cover easy and simple ways you, the climate rebels doing kick ass work, can start to incorporate design into your business plan without breaking the bank.
Links mentioned in this episode:- Read the companion blog post — An overlooked strategy entrepreneurs often miss when starting a company
- Download our DIY Launch plan
- Download our cool zine: Turn up the Volume
- Soundcheck: Work with us to build a powerful brand that gets heard
How Thinking Wrong helps your climate startup be heard, stand out, and kick ass
In this 11 min episode, Marc and Sarah discuss how Thinking Wrong can amplify work that challenges the status quo. We’ll go into a few examples that can get climate entrepreneurs thinking about ways they can stand out, be heard, and kick ass by Thinking Wrong.
Links mentioned in this episode:- Thinking Wrong About Climate Change blog post
- Thinking Wrong About Climate Change events in SF
- Download our cool zine: Turn up the Volume
- Soundcheck: Work with us to build a powerful brand that gets heard
Top 5 messaging mistakes climate organizations make
This episode will walk you through some of the biggest messaging mistakes we see companies making, and we’ll share our top tips to fix these issues and make your messaging rock.
Why is it so tough to write good messaging for our business? blog post
Soundcheck
Messaging worksheet
Regenerating the earth's landscapes: It's all about who you know
We chat with David Hodgson, long-time friend, collaborator, and advisor of The Determined on his current endeavor. David is building out Prospero, an innovation lab accelerating the development of regenerative landscapes globally.
prospero.earth
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Savory Institute
Regenerative Projects Around the World
Designing Regenerative Cultures
Why climate change is a huge financial opportunity
We interview Tito Jankowski and Matthew Eshed, founders of Impossible Labs, Inc., a sustainable development and advanced technology consultancy based in San Francisco, CA.
impossiblelabs.io