Shifting Mindsets with Charly Cox

About this episode

Emma Burlow interviews Charly Cox about the psychological aspects of driving sustainable change and the challenges faced by sustainability professionals.

In this episode of Straight Talking Sustainability, Emma welcomes Charly Cox, Executive Director of Climate Change Coaches and a pioneer in the field of climate coaching. Together, they explore the psychological aspects of driving sustainable change in organizations, the unique challenges faced by sustainability professionals, and practical strategies for overcoming barriers to effective climate action. Charlie Cox's journey from coaching in West Africa to leading a team of climate coaches 01:01 The psychological barriers to action in climate and sustainability work 02:00 Why being a good leader is often more important than having large budgets in sustainability projects 03:21 The "stuck" feeling experienced by many sustainability professionals, and the overwhelming scope of their roles 06:37 The technical vs. people/communications skills required for effectiveness in sustainability roles 07:04 The organizational challenges: lack of executive sponsorship and belief leadership 07:54 The importance of coaching skills for sustainability professionals—especially introverts 10:12 How climate change coaching differs from general business coaching 11:25 Dealing with existential dread…

People in this episode

Host: Emma Burlow

Guest: Charly Cox

Topics covered

• sustainable change
• climate coaching
• psychological barriers
• leadership in sustainability
• coaching skills
• organizational challenges

Keywords

• sustainability
• climate change
• coaching
• leadership
• psychological barriers
• organizational challenges
• effective climate action

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Climate Change Coaches

More episodes of Straight Talking Sustainability

• Making Sustainability Less Miserable with Lucy Hawthorne, Climate Play · June 7, 2026 · 43 min
• Why You Must See the People's Emergency Briefing! · May 31, 2026 · 22 min
• Why Sustainability isn’t the Sustainability Director’s Problem with Joss Tantram, Terrafiniti · May 24, 2026 · 45 min
• Everything, Everywhere, All at Once · May 17, 2026 · 21 min
• How to scale sustainability and the Prisoner’s Dilemma · May 3, 2026 · 21 min
• Speak Up Woman! Uncomfortable conversations with Annie Beavis · April 26, 2026 · 42 min