Episode Summary
Executive Summary: This episode is a candid, lightly edited interview of Jason Jacobs by listener Raimi Evard about why Jason launched My Climate Journey and how his thinking has evolved after a year. Jason explains that after exiting his company he felt a duty to work on climate, shifted from uncertainty to learning in public, and now sees climate as a solvable systems problem requiring coordinated action across policy, innovation, capital, behavior, and communications.
Main Topics: Why Jason Started My Climate Journey (Priority: 5/5): Jason traces the podcast to his personal history with climate concern, post-exit freedom, and a desire to do meaningful work after selling his company. He describes early hesitation, a false start in building another consumer company, and then a pivot back to climate. Learning in Public as a Method (Priority: 5/5): The podcast and newsletter began as accountability tools to document what Jason was learning, keep contacts updated, and synthesize insights. Over time, they became a knowledge repository and a way to help others find a starting point in climate. Mic, Trust, and Guest Dynamics (Priority: 3/5): Jason discusses how podcasting changed conversations over time, noting early self-consciousness and the importance of prep calls, relationship-building, and guest veto power to foster candid discussion. How Jason’s Climate View Changed (Priority: 5/5): Jason says he moved from feeling helpless and anxious to seeing more actionable leverage points. He now believes the problem is daunting but solvable, and that humans’ ability to coordinate is the main challenge. Climate as a Systems Problem (Priority: 5/5): He argues there is no single breakthrough technology or policy fix; progress depends on interactions among policy, innovation, consumer behavior, corporate action, finance, insurance, and data. Sustainability, Mission, and Livelihood (Priority: 4/5): Jason reflects on the tension between staying mission-focused and needing a durable income model. He wants any future livelihood to amplify rather than dilute his climate impact. Advice and On-Ramps for Others (Priority: 4/5): Jason suggests people contribute within their constraints—through voting, behavior changes, or applying existing skills. He highlights BJ Fogg as an example of skill transfer from behavior change to climate.
Key Arguments: Jason launched the project because he felt a duty to use his post-exit flexibility for something important and climate kept pulling him back despite initial uncertainty. Learning in public via a newsletter and podcast created accountability, attracted helpful introductions, and helped others who didn’t know how to begin. The podcast is not the end goal; it is a means to build understanding of the climate system and identify where resources and effort can be most effective. Climate anxiety can decrease when a person moves from passive worry to active engagement, even if the problem remains enormous. There is no single solution to climate change; effective action requires many reinforcing levers across policy, markets, behavior, and innovation. The most important metric may be the share of time, money, and attention society allocates toward climate solutions, not any one sector alone. People with different constraints still have ways to contribute, and the climate movement needs better bridges and on-ramps for diverse skill sets.
Data Points: Time since Jason’s journey began: About a year - Jason is interviewed about where he is in his thinking after roughly a year into the climate journey. Time since podcast launch: About 6 or 7 months - Jason says he started the podcast after first using a monthly email newsletter. Company team size: More than 500 people - Raimi’s background includes serving as CIO of Novartis Research with a team of this size. Amount of raised money returned: More than 90% - Jason says he gave back nearly all of the money he had raised for a prior startup before returning fully to climate. Guest preview: BJ Fogg episode tonight - Jason uses behavior scientist BJ Fogg as an example of skill transfer into climate action. Podcast edit prep: About 5 minutes - Raimi and Jason say the interview was launched with minimal preparation. Website domain: myclimatejourney.co - Jason plugs the show website and emphasizes it is .co, not .com.
Pivotal Quotes: "I just can't do this. And I took all the money that we had raised... and just gave it back and came back around to climate change, but with a vengeance" — Jason Jacobs: Explaining the decisive moment when he abandoned a different startup path and recommitted to climate work. "The journey's the priority of the podcast is not the priority." — Jason Jacobs: Clarifying that the podcast serves the larger goal of understanding climate and mobilizing action. "I think that might be another reason why I'm inclined to focus more at the systems level than on any one specific thing." — Jason Jacobs: Summing up his conclusion that climate requires coordinated, system-level thinking.
Implications: The episode frames climate engagement as accessible through many entry points, not just full-time advocacy or technical work. It encourages listeners to act within their constraints, learn in public, and support a broader systems approach to climate solutions.