Episode Summary: In this powerful and moving episode, we welcome storyteller and social entrepreneur Carl Gough, founder of the Nexus project. Carl shares his deeply personal journey through grief, identity loss, and rediscovery during the lockdown, and how storytelling became his way back to meaning, connection, and agency.

Through bonfire tales, barefoot performances, and a growing international presence, Carl has developed a unique approach to storytelling as a tool for emotional resilience and climate engagement. He explains how myths and folktales offer vital breathing room in a media-saturated world, and how the act of sharing stories, rather than drowning in despair, can rekindle a sense of purpose.

We also explore:

• The alchemy between storyteller and audience
• How stories can help us reclaim agency in the face of climate paralysis
• Why grief, when acknowledged, can become a doorway to action
• The origins and power of the Nexus storytelling project
• The challenges of translating a deeply emotional in-person workshop into an online space

Update:

Since we recorded this episode, Carl Gough has taken on a new role promoting the protection and restoration of seagrass—a crucial marine habitat—to help safeguard our ocean environments.

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Mentioned in this episode:

Carl’s performance storytelling website: https://storytelling.wales

TEDx Talk: What if stories could change the climate? – Carl Gough at TEDx Nantymoel

Beyond the Border Festival (Wales International Storytelling Festival)

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Featuring Carbon Almanac Contributors Steve Heatherington, Tania Marien, Rob Slate and Leekei Tang.

From a beautiful valley in Wales, UK, Steve is a Podcast Coach, Producer and Alpaca Shepherd. Steve is fascinated by the ideas of regeneration beyond sustainability and is still a biologist at heart.

From Riverside, California, Tania is an independent environmental education professional and hosts and produces The Talaterra Podcast.

Rob is from Birmingham in the UK, he is an orthodontist, triathlete, coach and podcaster.

Leekei is a fashion business founder, a business coach, an international development expert, and podcaster from Paris, France.

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For more information on the project and to order your copy of the Carbon Almanac (one of Amazon best-selling books of the year!), visit thecarbonalmanac.org

Want to join in the conversation?

Visit thecarbonalmanac.org/podcasts and send us a voice message on this episode or any other climate-related ideas and perspectives.

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The CarbonSessions Podcast is produced and edited by Leekei Tang, Steve Heatherington and Rob Slater.