Climate Coaching Action Day 2025: why coaches must work on their own eco-anxiety

The climate and ecological emergency (CEE) is not just a crisis of the environment; it is a crisis of human emotions, resilience and the way we process change. As Climate Coaching Action Day 2025 arrives, it is crucial for executive and team coaches to reflect on their own emotional responses to the CEE. With climate-related anxiety increasing across industries and organisations, coaches must prepare themselves to hold space for clients grappling with issues like eco-anxiety, rather than unconsciously avoiding the topic or failing to pick up on subtle cues.

Eco-anxiety and its place in coaching

The psychotherapy and counselling professions have already begun recognising the importance of addressing eco-anxiety. Organisations such as the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, the UK Council for Psychotherapy, and the British Psychological Society have taken steps to integrate climate psychology into their work. However, in the coaching profession, this topic remains largely unexplored, often seen as either a personal agenda or something outside the scope of professional practice.

But the reality is that climate concerns are bleeding into all aspects of life, including leadership, business strategy and personal growth. If clients mention the climate or nature within a coaching conversation, they may be signalling something deeper.

Coaches who have not worked through their own climate emotions risk shutting down these conversations prematurely. As Trudi Macagnino shares in her contribution to the excellent book Climate Psychology, and Change, "If the therapist holds onto the therapeutic context, sticking rigidly to the original focus... then the therapist has failed to be the reliable and trusted other whom the client’s ecological self can depend on."

The same applies to coaches.

Recognising avoidance and discomfort

Many coaches may feel that introducing the climate emergency into conversations risks pushing an agenda, or that it is simply not relevant to the coaching space. However, this can lead to a blind spot.

Some may unconsciously avoid discussions about climate-related distress because they themselves find it too overwhelming. Others may intellectualise the issue, keeping an emotional distance to protect themselves. In Climate, Psychology, and Change, Macagnino highlights that this avoidance can mean that neither client nor professional truly opens up about the subject, leaving the client feeling unheard and alone in their concerns.

To counter this, coaches must first examine their own relationship with the climate crisis. What emotions arise when they consider the state of the planet? Are they fearful, apathetic, angry, or grief-stricken? Have they processed these emotions, or do they push them aside? Without this inner work, it is difficult to create a safe space for clients to explore their own feelings.

The window of tolerance and Active Hope

To engage effectively with climate emotions, coaches can use the concept of the window of tolerance (Daniel J Siegel). This framework describes an optimal emotional state where individuals can reflect, learn and take action without becoming overwhelmed.

If a client is outside their window of tolerance - either in hyper-arousal (panic, despair) or hypo-arousal (numbness, detachment) - coaches can help regulate the conversation, ensuring that climate discussions do not become retraumatising but instead foster clarity and resilience.

Another valuable resource is Active Hope by Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone, which encourages individuals to move from despair to empowered action.

Rather than being paralysed by the enormity of the climate crisis, Active Hope offers a structured approach to acknowledge emotions, find inner strength and take meaningful steps forward. For coaches, this means helping clients move from eco-anxiety to agency, finding ways to contribute positively within their spheres of influence.

Creating space for the ecological self

When clients reference climate issues - whether explicitly or subtly - they are often expressing their ecological self, the part of them that feels a kinship with and dependency on the natural world. If a coach is not attuned to their own ecological self, they may miss these cues, failing to provide the "transitional space" that allows clients to explore their climate emotions creatively. As Macagnino argues, therapy (and by extension, coaching) must be "re-visioned as a collective eco-psychosocial endeavour rather than a purely individualistic one." This shift is essential in a world where collective action is needed to address the challenges we face.

Moving towards a climate-conscious coaching practice

So, how can coaches begin to integrate climate awareness into their practice without imposing their own views?

• Self-reflection: spend time examining your own feelings about the climate crisis. Journaling, group discussions, or personal coaching can help you become more aware of unconscious biases or avoidance patterns.
• Education: engage with climate psychology, eco-anxiety research, and frameworks like the window of tolerance and Active Hope. Understanding these concepts will increase your confidence in navigating climate-related discussions.
• Listening for cues: be open to moments when clients bring up nature, climate, or ecological concerns. These might be subtle, but they provide opportunities for deeper exploration.
• Holding space, not solutions: clients may not be looking for immediate action plans but rather a place to process their emotions. Acknowledge their concerns, validate their feelings, and support them in discovering their own paths forward.
• Community engagement: join networks of climate-conscious coaches, such as the Climate Coaching Alliance, to share best practices and learn from others who are also navigating this terrain.

As we mark Climate Coaching Action Day 2025, let’s challenge ourselves as coaches to step into this space with courage, awareness and an openness to transformation - both within ourselves and in service of our clients. The climate crisis is not just an external event; it is an internal and collective challenge that requires us to show up fully. If we do the inner work, we can help others do theirs, and together, we can foster the change that is so urgently needed.