EP11: Going Off Script

Writing coach and ghostwriter MJ Halberstadt joins Ania to explore how queerness, creativity, and climate intersect. From their origins as a queer theater kid to writing plays about Antarctica and ghostwriting books on transformational leadership, MJ shares how they’ve navigated imposter syndrome, burnout, and the pressure to “have it all figured out.” Together, they explore how comparison can paralyze us, why the perfect can be the enemy of the good, and how bringing our authentic selves — flaws and all — is exactly what this work needs.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• 🌱 Why a “vague passion” for climate is still powerful—and valid

• 🎭 How MJ’s arts background shaped their approach to writing and advocacy

• 🧠 The link between burnout, transformation, and creative contribution

• ✨ The importance of storytelling and specificity in climate communication

• 🌈 A powerful call to queer listeners: your way of being is a roadmap for reimagining the future

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Music in this episode is by Broke for Free, available via the Free Music Archive.