Can you be collapse aware and still want kids? w/ Jem Bendell

Can you be collapse aware and still want kids? w/ Jem Bendell

From Reskillience by Catie Payne

March 22, 2026 · 1h 8m · Episode 69

About this episode

Catie Payne interviews Jem Bendell about finding meaning in life amidst societal collapse and the considerations of parenthood in a changing world.

In 2018 Professor Jem Bendell [https://jembendell.com/] published an academic paper that went viral; pretty weird for a piece of scholarly writing. The topic? Societal collapse caused by runaway climate change. The timeline? Soon. Deep Adaptation presented a frank, delusion-free framework for facing the end of the world as we know it, sparked a movement, and copped a lot of flack. I wanted to chat with Jem not so much about the grim facts but about how, "as that collapse guy"*, he is filling his life with meaning at the eleventh hour. And it turns out, that includes becoming a farmer, writing folk songs and considering having kids. *Jem happily identifies as a doomster [https://jembendell.com/2024/08/10/we-still-care-doomster-characteristics/] 🎙️ In this convo Experiencing climate change first hand as a farmer in Bali How to act on knowledge about collapse and climate? Making the leap towards your values (with the help of a global pandemic) Why the wellness community is full of shit Farming fails Picking up music at 48 and writing comedy rock Faulty beliefs we have about our creative gifts Living fully at the eleventh hour Letting go of status and security Why it's all ok when…

People in this episode

Host: Catie Payne

Guest: Jem Bendell

Topics covered

  • climate change
  • societal collapse
  • parenthood
  • meaning in life
  • farming
  • creativity
  • ecospirituality

Keywords

  • climate change
  • societal collapse
  • Deep Adaptation
  • parenthood
  • farming
  • creativity
  • ecospirituality
  • Jem Bendell
  • meaning
  • wellness

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Deep Adaptation

Places: Bali

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