BOWWBLOG #38: The Weather Report We All Needed: Relearning How to Thrive Together
What happened when a team of planet-protectors turned their care inward—and the climate of their collaboration began to heal
WHAT: A Sudden, Perfect Invitation
"Hi Susan, happy new year! This is Lea (Country Director from Greenpeace)... I’m shopping around for a workshop that will help us reflect about working better together, particularly looking at accountability to the team and collective care."
On January 21, I received this message. Within eight days, my TLC team and our incredible Greenpeace partners co-designed and delivered “Project CARE: Teaming for Impact.” It was a one-day deep dive into cultivating the very mutual accountability and collective care they sought.
For me, this is how a purposeful life feels: not a frantic hustle, but a series of perfect, timely convergences. Greenpeace’s mission to protect our planet’s outer environment aligns seamlessly with our work at TLC: to heal the inner environments of teams and organizations. When the call is to “co-create one world, well and whole,” saying yes feels like breathing.
SO WHAT: Cultivating the Inner Ecosystem
We framed the day using the natural world they fight for. We didn't just talk about team dynamics; we diagnosed “Weather Patterns over the Program Team Terrain.” We asked: Is it stormy? Sunny with high pressure? Are we in a drought of connection?
Using tools from Human Systems Dynamics and mindfulness, we created a safe and sacred space for truth-telling. Through color explorations (Hue Are You?), art, and a World Café, this dedicated team of advocates did what they do best: they diagnosed their system with courageous honesty.
They named the intense “storms” of pressure and unpredictability. More importantly, they identified the lifelines: the “weathering together,” the profound trust forged in vulnerability, and the shared, justice-driven purpose that is their true North. They didn't just want to be a team; they wanted to be a regenerative ecosystem where care is the bedrock of impact.
The raw, beautiful output wasn't a corporate memo; it was a collective heartbeat. It was the sound of a team recommitting to the belief that how they work together is integral to the peace and green future they are fighting for.
NOW WHAT: A "Small Bet" for Your Team's Climate
You may not work on environmental campaigns, but you are part of a team—a family, a community group, a department. Its "climate" matters just as much. The same principles apply: awareness precedes care, and care enables sustainable action.
Your Call to Action: Conduct a "Team Weather Check"
This week, initiate one small, brave conversation to tend to your team's inner ecosystem. It takes 10 minutes.
1. Gather Your "Pod": Find a moment with 1-3 core colleagues. A quiet coffee break or a dedicated check-in works.
2. Ask a Simple Question: “If our team’s collaboration had a weather report this week, what would it be? Is it ‘sunny but humid,’ ‘partly cloudy with a chance of miscommunication,’ or ‘clear and energized’?”
3. Listen and Validate: Let everyone share without debate. The goal isn't to fix, but to notice and acknowledge the shared emotional climate.
4. Plant a "Small Bet": Based on the weather, ask: “What’s one tiny, kind action we could take to gently improve the forecast?” (e.g., “If it’s ‘humid with pressure,’ maybe we all end meetings 5 minutes early for a breath.”)
This simple act does what our workshop did: it makes the invisible visible. It shifts the culture from silent endurance to shared awareness and gentle, proactive care.
Great teams aren't born in perfect conditions. They are forged by people brave enough to forecast the storm together—and then build a sturdier shelter, side by side. Start with your weather check.
-Susan Grace Rivera
Posted on: February 01, 2026
