This Playbook is designed to support leaders and changemakers—whether in business, STEMM, government, or civil society—in making sustainable, systems-aware decisions. Grounded in coaching psychology, complex systems thinking, and climate science, it offers a roadmap for sustainability leadership.
Shaping Tomorrow: Your guide to empowering leaders to take bold climate action. This flexible workbook provides actionable strategies, communication frameworks, and holistic approaches, that will show you how to navigate systems and inspire leaders to make courageous, sustainable choices for our planet’s future. Launched Globally: November 2024
Written by Ruby Campbell and Diana Collett
With significant contributions from: Jackie Arnold, Denise Baden, David Bennett, Wassim Dbouk, Jenny Wardle, Katarzyna Schubert-Panecka, Natalie Nickells, Volker Molthan, Lina Lo and Michael Cavanagh
Copyright © 2024 by Climate Coaching Alliance First Edition, September 2024
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Published by the Climate Coaching Alliance
www.climatecoachingalliance.org
Over recent decades, the realities of climate change, habitat loss, species extinction and extreme inequality have become increasingly dire. Some hopes that seemed achievable even ten years ago now seem difficult to sustain. Abandoning certain hopes can be a positive step when it helps us acknowledge the new conditions we face. Conversely, focusing on what is possible from where we are can nourish the conviction that our actions can make a difference.
The first approach involves recognising our current situation, recalibrating our hopes and letting go of what is no longer feasible. The second approach encourages us to consider future possibilities and what we can still commit to achieving. This backdrop inspired the development of this Playbook, a manifestation of a commitment to empower coaches and other change agents to harness their expertise in significantly enhancing the effectiveness of climate action efforts.
We invite you to join us. Work with your stakeholders to identify tensions in your systems. Use a living systems approach to create effective solutions within an interconnected ecosystem. This ecosystem includes all stakeholders: national, state and local politicians, businesses, educational institutions, community and religious groups, indigenous people and everyone committed to a sustainable future.
By applying the latest tools from the social sciences captured in this playbook and building on the pioneering work of ecological coaches in the CCA community, we can drive meaningful change through our work with politicians and policymakers. Together, we can adapt, evolve and amplify our efforts across organisations and governance institutions working towards a thriving, sustainable world for generations to come. We can build effective
bridges between politics and sustainability.
Dr Ruby Campbell began her career as a research scientist, moving within the corporate world to become an international senior executive in the pharmaceutical industry, an Adjunct Professor at the UNSW School of Business, and for the past 10 years as the founder and Managing Director of ProVeritas Group, which specialises in leadership & learning solutions. With four degrees, including a Masters in Coaching Psychology and an MBA (Executive), and a PhD in Science, Dr Campbell helps create the right leaders and organisations for the 21st Century.
Climate change is not a problem with simple solutions. As Michael Cavanagh writes in the Playbook’s Foreword, we have spent decades implementing "obvious logical answers"—yet greenhouse gas emissions and ecological degradation continue to accelerate. The challenges we face today demand more than technical fixes. They require a fundamental shift in how leaders think, decide, and take action.
This Playbook is designed to support leaders and changemakers—whether in business, STEMM, government, or civil society—in making sustainable, systems-aware decisions. Grounded in coaching psychology, complex systems thinking, and climate science, it offers a roadmap for navigating the tensions, paradoxes, and power dynamics inherent in sustainability leadership.
1. Coaches as Catalysts
How to develop psychological insight and stay actively hopeful in the face of uncertainty.
How to create safe spaces for meaningful conversations on climate action.
2. Grasping Climate Politics
Navigating local, national, and international governance structures.
Understanding the policy landscape to identify leverage points for change.
3. Climate Science in Action
Engaging with the latest climate science to strengthen decision-making.
Communicating complex information in ways that inspire action.
4. Holistic Transformation
Developing the inner skills that enable outer transformation.
Moving beyond technical expertise to cultivate systemic awareness and adaptability.
5. Amplifying Action
Scaling impact by designing interventions that drive lasting change.
Building coalitions and aligning stakeholders to accelerate progress.
6. The Power of Storytelling
Crafting narratives that shift mindsets and inspire sustainable policy decisions.
Using storytelling as a tool for influence and action.
Dr Ruby Campbell is available for interviews, keynotes, speaking panels, guest lectures and workshops.
Contact her by phone on +61 2 8875 7868 or complete our online enquiry form.
Please complete the enquiry form so we can help you with your growth journey. You will receive an email from us within 24 hours.
