Anastasija Štelmane

Anastasija Štelmane I am a coach and the author of Eco-being training which helps companies achieve sustainability goals

Is micro-dosing of L*D a solution to the climate crisis? ⠀Before you accuse me of promoting psychedelics — let me explai...
01/07/2025

Is micro-dosing of L*D a solution to the climate crisis?
⠀
Before you accuse me of promoting psychedelics — let me explain what led me to such a radical thought.
⠀
I’ve been reading a book by Stanislav Grof, a psychiatrist and one of the founders of transpersonal psychology. He spent decades studying altered states of consciousness — through breathwork, meditation, and yes, at times psychedelics and found out they can help people experience a profound sense of connection with nature, other living beings, and the planet itself.
⠀
Here’s what he writes:
“In transpersonal experiences, individuals can identify with other people, animals, plants, and even the entire biosphere. They may experience themselves as rivers, forests, or the Earth itself — a living, conscious organism.”
(The Adventure of Self-Discovery, S. Grof)

Reading his work reminded me of something I often witness as a climate coach: while we invest in training programs and rational arguments, the most profound and lasting changes often begin within.

Of course, I wouldn’t compare my coaching sessions or workshops to a full-blown psychedelic journey — not yet, at least.

But the insights are strangely aligned.

Because when someone truly experiences themselves as part of the Earth — not its owner, not its savior — everything shifts.

“Know thyself, and you will know the universe and the gods.”
Maybe that’s what Greek philosophers were really pointing to.

So tell me — what moves you more: climate data, or that deep, inner sense of belonging to something greater?

“Do you want to say I chose this life myself? Do you really think I wanted to live like this!”These were the words my cl...
26/06/2025

“Do you want to say I chose this life myself? Do you really think I wanted to live like this!”
These were the words my client almost shouted at me.

One of the more thankless parts of my work as a coach and facilitator is to gently hold up the mirror. To help people see reality, and recognize the extent to which they participate in the life they currently live.

It’s very beneficial for clients but still hard to accept.

The way we live today is the result of choices we made yesterday.

Including the choice… not to act.
The first kind of choice — to act — we can usually own.
But the second — the choice not to act — is often made unconsciously.

We don’t always decide consciously. We just drift past these moments.

We don’t call our parents.
We don’t go to the gym.
We don’t speak up in meetings.
We don’t rest until we burn out.

Not acting is still a choice. And sometimes, it works out.

When the market crashes — you can wait. It will pass.
When you want cake at 1am — you can wait. “This too shall pass”.

If it doesn’t work out it has negative consequences.
For our bodies. Our relationships. Our sense of purpose.
Still, those consequences are often personal —
Not tragic on a collective scale.

Except in the case of climate.
It won’t pass.

The longer we freeze, the hotter it gets.

“I never worry about action, but only about inaction.” — Winston Churchill

What are you not doing right now… and what might it be costing you (or all of us)?

"Is it like helping someone in hospice? Does climate action even matter when all the forecasts are so bad?"— a student a...
24/06/2025

"Is it like helping someone in hospice? Does climate action even matter when all the forecasts are so bad?"— a student asked a while back.

I've heard variations of this question countless times. From sustainability managers who've stopped believing their reports matter. From activists who've burned out after years of "fighting." From students who feel like after a cold shower listening to me.

Although the question itself gives me hope. I'm sure that if she truly believed it was pointless, she wouldn't be asking. She wouldn't be in that classroom. The fact that she's questioning means she still cares — and that care is exactly what the world needs right now.

When I’m asked that, I usually say something along these lines:
We're not working to guarantee specific outcomes. We're working because it's who we are. Because the alternative — giving up — isn't really an option for people who feel deeply about this planet.

I believe that every action we take creates ripples we can't see. Every conversation shifts someone's perspective slightly.
We're not just trying to save the planet; we're becoming the kind of people who don't abandon what they love, even when the odds are unclear.

The forecasts are scenarios, not certainties. And between the worst-case and best-case scenarios lies an enormous space where our actions determine which direction we go.

Your doubt doesn't disqualify you from this work. It qualifies you. It means you see reality, recognize our vulnerability, and still choose hope.

That's the bravest thing we can do in this moment.

How do you respond to the question, 'Does it matter?'

I was accepted to the “One Health in Northern Communities & Ecosystems” postgraduate course! I’ll learn from Arctic case...
19/06/2025

I was accepted to the “One Health in Northern Communities & Ecosystems” postgraduate course!

I’ll learn from Arctic case studies—how real communities deal with environmental, health and cultural challenges.

It’s not just theory—we’ll work in teams on real-world problems that demand creative, systemic solutions.

Stay tuned - I will keep you updated and share my insights!

A vulnerable reflection on standing out with my speech at Impact Day Conference. Read the slides and share your own expe...
16/06/2025

A vulnerable reflection on standing out with my speech at Impact Day Conference. Read the slides and share your own experience!

"What if your sustainability training will work too well?" — a CEO once asked me, only half-joking.He wasn’t worried abo...
13/06/2025

"What if your sustainability training will work too well?" — a CEO once asked me, only half-joking.

He wasn’t worried about resistance.
Quite the opposite.

He was concerned that employees would engage with it seriously. That they'd start connecting their personal values with the company's sustainability goals — as my training is designed to do.
And after they'd come back asking for more:
• More ambitious climate initiatives
• More funding for employee-led green projects
• More workshops on eco-anxiety and wellbeing
• More authentic action, not just reporting.

In other words — they'd start asking for real investment.

This wasn't fear to change. It was fear of the true cost of transformation.

As the old saying warns: "Be careful what you wish for — you may get it."

So here's the uncomfortable question: Do we actually want transformation? Or just the story of wanting it — as long as it stays within budget?

Are we ready for employees who don't just comply with sustainability policies, but who challenge us to live up to our stated values?
Sustainability isn't just a strategy. It's a shift in consciousness. And consciousness, once awakened, doesn't stay quiet.

The real question isn't whether my training will work. It's whether you're prepared for what happens when it does.

Do we want real change — or just the appearance of it?

Today I want to share some good news!We’ve been selected as one of 15 ESOs to join a study program by Climate KIC, Europ...
11/06/2025

Today I want to share some good news!

We’ve been selected as one of 15 ESOs to join a study program by Climate KIC, Europe’s leading climate innovation agency and community.

Over the next six months, I’ll be learning new tools and strategies to better support climate-focused Startups.

Twice in my life, I’ve been a participant in startup incubators, and now it’s time to learn the other side of the process.

The program covers sustainability, climate action, and leadership in diversity and inclusion.

It’s also a chance to connect with a global network and bring back insights to strengthen our impact in addressing climate challenges.

On a personal note, this brings me one step closer to my dream of creating a ClimArt Residency—a space where science and creativity meet to reshape our relationship with the planet💚

A banking executive once told me: "When I'm exhausted and sad, sustainability becomes a luxury I can't afford."I know th...
09/06/2025

A banking executive once told me: "When I'm exhausted and sad, sustainability becomes a luxury I can't afford."

I know this intimately. When I'm too tired, I simply don't have the resource to cycle or walk—I get in the car and drive. I sit there with my shame and guilt riding in the back seat. I'm stuck in traffic, watching my dashboard as my hybrid runs out of electric charge and switches to gasoline. I can hear the engine kick in, and it frustrates me.
Anger climbs into the passenger seat. The Guilt starts to speak loudly.

Sometimes I only have energy left to be angry. Sometimes I don't even have that—I just want to get home.

What helps us in these moments? Something human. Definitely not lectures about emissions and forecasts. Not another presentation on circular economy.

We need to talk with like-minded people. We need support. We need someone to remind us why this all matters and help us not devalue our efforts. We need validation that we're still doing our best, even when our best looks different on difficult days.

This is why I facilitate workshops, climate cafés, and employee trainings.
Because I understand this struggle personally. Our path to sustainability goals can only be a human path—one that acknowledges our limitations, honors our efforts, and builds the inner resilience we need to keep going.

When we support people's well-being, we're not just being nice. We're creating the conditions where sustainable choices become possible, not just another burden on an already overwhelmed system.

The most sustainable action might just be taking care of ourselves first!

“Do not tell your audience all they need to know; tell them the one thing they need to remember.” Rune Kier Nielsen from...
04/06/2025

“Do not tell your audience all they need to know; tell them the one thing they need to remember.” Rune Kier Nielsen from the book
“Speaking on Climate: A Guide to Speechwriting for a Better Future”.

I was lucky to read this book just a few weeks before giving my speech at the Impact Day conference — on the topic of why we need to communicate the climate crisis.
What a timely coincidence!
The book made me rethink my own approach. Was I going too deep into data and detail? Was I forgetting to share why this crisis matters to me? Reading it helped me look at my speech from a different angle — not just as an argument, but as a story.

So I changed my speech. I added a personal story with the answer to the question “why does this matter to me?”
At first, I hesitated — there were important people in the room, including Lithuania’s Minister of Finance. Would they really want to hear about my personal connection? But then I realized — what do I know better than my own truth? What can I share more honestly than what I believe in?
I’m deeply grateful to Rune Kier Nielsen for this book!
It’s an easy, engaging read, full of powerful examples. And most importantly — it brings the distant climate crisis closer to home, closer to our own hearts.
That’s what I try to do in my own work too. And what we all need to get better at.

If this post leaves you with just one thought — let it be this: read the book!
Speaking on Climate: A Guide to Speechwriting for a Better Future

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30/12/2024

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Riga

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