Dr. Sabrina McCormick on Burnout, Breakthroughs & the Joy of Climate Storytelling
đ˝ď¸ Dr. Sabrina McCormick on Burnout, Breakthroughs & the Joy of Climate Storytelling
âResilience is found in the struggle.â â Dr. Sabrina McCormick
In this powerhouse episode, host Beth Bannerman sits down with Dr. Sabrina McCormick â a trailblazing climate scientist, filmmaker, and entrepreneur â for a deeply personal and wide-ranging conversation on what it really takes to drive change in a world on fire.
From losing her childhood home to toxic contamination to co-leading the largest climate media impact study to date, Dr. McCormick opens up about the early trauma that ignited her mission, how storytelling became her superpower, and why joy â yes, joy â may be the missing ingredient in climate action.
đĽ She shares behind-the-scenes stories from her Emmy-winning work on Years of Living Dangerously, her feature film Burnout, and what sheâs learning from measuring real-time emotional responses to climate media.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone working at the intersection of science, storytelling, and social change â or simply trying to stay grounded and hopeful while making a difference.
đ§ In This Episode:
00:00 | Meet Dr. Sabrina McCormick: Filmmaker, Scientist, Changemaker
06:12 | How Childhood Trauma Sparked a Lifelong Mission
11:19 | The Moment Film Trumped Data in Driving Change
14:34 | Why Storytelling Must Be Built on Real Research
18:30 | Citizen Science: What the Bayou Taught Her
24:05 | When Innovation Gets Dismissed â and Why Persistence Wins
29:24 | The Pandemic Pivot: Building Something New
32:22 | Burnout, Boundaries & the Power of Dance Therapy