Deep Ecology

In this episode, you’ll hear Glyn Fussell in conversation with Oasis Associate, practitioner, coach, writer and activist Gill Coombs as they discuss Deep Ecology. What is Deep Ecology? Gill suggests that as we have evolved, our rational minds have taken over, with a tendency to dominate over the natural world causing an imbalance of power. Deep Ecology is a way of recognising the harm we have done to our relationship with other living beings and to begin the process of healing it.

We explore how the world of work has evolved and changed over time, along with Gill’s thoughts on essential, wise principles by which individuals and organisations can work towards creating and nurturing a healthy world in their own authentic way.

We also discuss how we can bring Deep Ecology into coaching. This could be as simple as bringing in external elements of nature to our coaching space, or going for a walk with someone outside rather than simply sitting facing. Both of these can add a vibrancy and healthy shift in the relationship between coach and coachee.

Additional resources

The book Gill highly recommends starting with is old(ish) but good: Spiritual Ecology, edited by Llewellyn Vaughn Lee.

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer is also excellent, and From What Is to What If, by Rob Hopkins, and The Nature of Business by Giles Hutchins. Also Manda Scott’s podcast Accidental Gods is superb.

And Gill’s own book Hearing our Calling.

Also Bill Plotkin’s Wild Mind, as some listeners may well be interested in eco psychology, the people practitioners’ facet of Deep Ecology.