Coconut Thinking

In this episode of the Coconut Thinking Podcast, I take a hard look at what school really does, and what it would cost to truly change it. We keep saying education needs fixing, but maybe it’s doing exactly what it was built to do: sort, rank, and hold the world in place.

Drawing on Bourdieu, cultural capital, and the myth of meritocracy, I unpack why mastery and competency models only repaint the same house, why knowledge...

What if the way we eat could root us back into place, instead of tearing it apart?

In this episode, I speak with Elspeth Hay. Elspeth is a writer, public radio host, and food systems advocate whose work explores what it means to live thoughtfully in place. Raised in Maine by birdwatcher parents, she grew up seeing how species adapt seamlessly to their ecosystems, while human communities eroded them, often just to feed ourselves...

What if sustainability’s future was driven by passion, shaped with youth, and told through real stories?

In this episode, I speak with Josh Dorfman. Josh is a climate entrepreneur, author, and media voice at the intersection of sustainability, innovation, and culture. He is the co-founder, CEO, and host of Supercool, the climate-tech podcast and media brand spotlighting the bold founders, investors, and policymakers designin...

How might we consider collapse as a a transformative process that brings us together through loss and renewal?

In this episode, I speak with Maya Frost. Maya is a creative adaptation strategist, grief worker, and trauma‑informed facilitator who specializes in what she calls “creative adaptation": helping collapse‑aware individuals disrupt their despair and cultivate joy even as systems erode. As the founder of&nb...

How do you lead with courage and love for every child when the culture around you is demanding you do the opposite?

Jennifer D. Klein is an educator, author, and global learning advocate with over 30 years in student-centered, project-based education. A product of the very pedagogies she champions, Jennifer has taught and led in diverse contexts—from all-girls education in the U.S. to heading an innovative school in Colombia. She ha...

How might our relationships other-than-human animals help us consider sustainability and regenerative education in more life-centered ways?

In this episode, I speak with Charlotte Hankin. Charlotte is an educator, sustainability consultant, and PhD researcher in the Department of Education at the University of Bath. Her doctoral work explores how relationships between children and animals in international schools can help shift educ...

How can learning&doing help us become good participants in the web of life?

In this special episode, I speak about how systems change won’t happen if we replace names and labels but continue to do the same old thing. I propose that we move beyond assessing learning, competencies, soft skills for their own sake. Rather, what if we collected the voices of the community (human and other-than-human) and had that be the measure of qu...

How might we participate as Earthlings, part of a living planet, in kinship with the more-than-human?

Dan Burgess is a regenerative practitioner, creative strategist, and facilitator working at the intersection of ecology, culture, and transformation. With roots in the worlds of storytelling, activism, and systems innovation, Dan helps individuals and organizations reimagine their roles in a world undergoing profound change. He...

What does it mean to nurture good relationships through regenerative education in these times we live in?

In this episode, I speak with the authors of the soon-to-be-published book, The Art of Regenerative Educatorship.

Bas is an associate professor in regenerative leadership at the Mission Zero Centre of Expertise at The Hague University of Applied Sciences, where he also serves on the management team of the Master’s in Sustain...

We honor Nyepi with this special episode, in which Charlotte Hankin interviews Benjamin Freud. Nyepi is the Balinese Day of Silence, and is a Hindu New Year celebration marked by 24 hours of complete stillness. No travel, no lights, no work, and no noise. It is a time for self-reflection and spiritual renewal.

We recorded this episode a few days after Nyepi and after that time of pause and gather. We discuss:

🥥 Regenerative edu...

How might we shift our educational practices to deepen students’ ecological awareness, nurturing a culture of care and reciprocity with Earth’s living systems?

In this episode, I speak with Katharine Burke. Katharine has been an educator for over 30 years, passionately advocating for ecological literacy, permaculture, and regenerative education. She currently teaches Geography and Social Studies at the secondary level, focusing her ...

Do we have what it takes to change our ways to ones that work with, rather than against, life?

In this episode, I speak with Giles Hutchins. Giles is a leading voice in regenerative leadership and business transformation. With 30 years of experience—including roles as Head of Transformation at KPMG and Global Sustainability Director at Atos—he now focuses on guiding leaders and organizations toward more resilient, nature-inspired wa...

How might we weave stories together as a response to ecological breakdown, using sound to connect to place?

In this episode, I speak with Mike Edwards. Mike began his career researching climate change in the Southwest Pacific, where his work—cited by the IPCC—was among the first to explore ecocolonialism: how climate discourse is manipulated by the powerful to control those most affected. His research challenged dominant narratives,...

What happens when the way we see ourselves changes the way we see the world?

In this episode, I speak with Steffi Bednarek. Steffi’s work explores the intersection of climate change, complexity thinking, and the human psyche. She is the Director of the Center for Climate Psychology. With over 25 years of experience in depth psychology, trauma-informed practice, complexity thinking, and climate psychology, she supports individuals an...

How might leadership open more emergent spaces in schools?

This is the first in a series of episodes throughout the year where we invite educators and practitioners to explore how they might share their time, talents, and gifts to uplift others. As we delve into their stories, we ask our guests what contributions they envision making in the spirit of generosity and regeneration. This isn’t about the spotlight—it’s about the offering...

How might we learn (and teach) to navigate uncertainty when the system rewards final answers?

Dave Cormier is an internationally renowned educational thinker specializing in the intersection of technology and pedagogy. He coined the term MOOC in 2008 and pioneered open and rhizomatic learning. His work on creativity and uncertainty in education is taught globally. In 2024, he published Learning in a Time of Abundance: The ...

How might sound reshape our understanding of and nurture new relationships with the living world?

In this episode, I speak with Louise Romain. Louise works as an anthropologist, an imagination activist (with Moral Imaginations) and a podcast producer. She campaigns for multispecies justice and Indigenous rights through grassroots organising, relationship building and media production. With her show ‘Circle of Voices’, she produces ...

What happens when we tune into sound to make sense of our world? How might noticing sounds and silences tell us more about place?

In this episode, Charlotte and I speak with Melissa Pons. Melissa is a field recordist and award-winning sound designer based in Portugal. Throughout her years of practice, she has independently released field recording albums, music compositions upon commission and her work has been streamed and featured...

How might Biomimicry help us understand the context of a problem in order for us to respond locally, not with one-size-fits-all solutions?

In this episode, I speak with Bronwen Main and Frank Burridge. Bronwen is a landscape architect and co-founder of Main Studio, where she focuses on sustainable, nature-inspired designs that transform urban spaces. Her work emphasizes ecological restoration, community well-being, and biodiversity,...