Green Champions Podcast Launched at Green Drinks
On June 27th, members of the community gathered at Global Gallery Coffee Shop to celebrate the launch of the Green Champions Podcast, co-hosted by Green Columbus Board Member Dominique Hadad.
Green Champions is a podcast that aims to “demystify sustainability” through conversations with individuals in a variety of environmentally focused careers. I spoke to Dominique about her podcast journey, including challenges and proud moments.
Dominique runs a sustainability consulting firm, Green Scope Consulting, allowing her to meet people doing important work that the general public doesn’t get to see. She said, “I found myself sharing those stories with friends and family in the evenings… I just wanted to tell them all about these people and the work that they’re doing, because it’s not often seen.” Green Champions was a way to “peel back the curtain” on the conversations she has everyday, and to give more exposure to undersupported environmental movements.
Adam Morris, Green Champions co-host, suggested that these stories be compiled into a podcast. That started Adam and Dominique’s mission to “try and give the microphone where it was deserved” and give these Champions an avenue to share their stories. While Dominique comes from the sustainability space, Adam does not. “That’s why Adam and I have a nice balance, I think. He really brings curiosity to the table of wanting to learn, just like the audience, about sustainability and about how it relates to him. He helps us to level-set on each topic.”
Dominique describes her latest challenge as figuring out how to cater to the audience and what they want to learn about. “It’s really hard to stop talking,” she said with a smile. Managing how to keep uploads consistent — moving from a passion project to constant stream of content creation — intentionally having a variety of industries represented, and thinking about what the audience wants to hear next are all things she is learning to navigate.
On the flip side, she really enjoys seeing how guests respond after their episode airs. “I think the response from people, getting a chance to pause in the work that they do and share it, and even relish in the success so far — that’s been really positive and rewarding and fun for me.”
Our Executive Director Shelly Douglas, as well as board members Grant Behnke, John McNamara, and Dana Watts have all been featured on the podcast! Dominique mentions, “[Shelly] is a very strong human behind a very big effort…Green Columbus in itself is an amazing space where a lot of people who care can come together.”
Episodes of the podcast are released every Tuesday. You can check out Green Champions at thegreenchampions.com and listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or Overcast.
