S1E7: A Relationship With The Environment with Kendra Obermaier

This episode of Purpose Project features Leslie Pagel in conversation with Kendra Obermaier, who shares insights about her life’s purpose centered on environmental sustainability and community care. The discussion covers Kendra's personal journey from growing up in Indianapolis to her work in climate action planning in Hawaii. She discusses the importance of understanding local history, indigenous culture, and the environment, and provides practical advice for individuals looking to connect with and care for their surroundings in meaningful ways.

00:00 Introduction: Longing for a Simple Life

00:34 Guest Introduction: Kendra Obermaier

01:30 Kendra's Background and Roots

04:04 Discovering Life's Purpose

05:35 Connection to Community and Environment

09:57 Career and Environmental Work

12:14 Learning in Hawaii

15:38 Advice on Environmental Awareness

31:15 Personal Reflections and Future Goals

45:26 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Resources:

Connect with Kendra on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kendra-obermaier-b3913b179/

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Captions are auto-generated.

Transcript

Leslie: 0:04

I often find myself longing for a simple life, a cabin in the woods, time spent out in nature. And yet I find myself living a life. Filled with material items, a closet full of shoes. Clothes that I don't wear. It's very contradictory. This life that I long for yet this life that I choose to live and it's this contradiction that brings our next guest to the show. Hi, Leslie Pagel and thank you for being here on Purpose Project. On the show, we have a woman named Kendra Obermaier. Kendra shares with us her life's purpose, It's a purpose that is about caring for and growing our environment and our community it's a conversation that has changed me. In a good way. And I hope it does the same for you. Let's take a listen. Hello, Kendra. Thank you so much for being here today. I am really looking forward to talking with you and learning from you in terms of the topic of life's purpose.

Kendra: 1:19

Thank you so much for having me, Leslie. I think it's really special to get to be on this podcast today, and I'm grateful for the chance to talk with you and, and just sort of reflect.

Leslie: 1:30

Before we dive into the topic of purpose, I, I'd love to the audience to get to know you a little bit better. Who is Kendra Obermeyer?

Kendra: 1:41

Um, I think. You know, I think everybody has a lot of things, but just in terms of sort of my, my story, my parents are Jim and Sally. Jim is from Kansas. Sally's from Indiana. They met in Kansas, and then they ended up having me in California, and then we moved back to Indiana when I was pretty young. so I grew up there in Indianapolis, and I Was really supported by the Indianapolis community, lived a few minutes from my aunt and uncle, Judy and Fred, from my grandma, and then went to school at Indiana University for four years, studied biology and environmental sustainability studies, and then also, or then after that, ended up moving and coming to Hawaii for an AmeriCorps position, with the County of Hawaii, focusing on climate change planning and climate change action, and then have really grown, some roots here and, and found a community and kind of a new, new way of life here. And so that's where I am now. but I feel like those, those are my roots. That's what I hail from. And then that's, that's who I am now.

Leslie: 2:46

Well, and I heard a real close connection to family, a close connection to the environment and the community. And I also learned that I have been saying Hawaii wrong.

Kendra: 3:00

So there are a couple of different ways to say Hawaii. From what I've been taught, and I am not a cultural practitioner, I am not an Olalohawai'i speaker, but like the, the truly correct way is to say Hawai'i, cause the W is pronounced like a V. Oh, I had

Leslie: 3:18

no idea.

Kendra: 3:19

Yeah, um, but I think a lot of people here say Hawaii, and so usually that's, you know, I mirror what the community around me is saying, but I'm pretty sure like the most proper way is to say Hawaii. But again, I'm not the, I'm not the cultural expert, so there are some other folks that can really speak to that, online. one thing to be like mindful of is, um, The, um, all of the Hawai'i language has like okinas, which are sort of like a, like a stop, so that's a lot of people on the continent say Hawai'i, and like put that, those sounds together when it's like Hawai'i, like, you know, the separated.

Leslie: 3:54

Hawai'i. Hawai'i. Yeah. Okay. Already learned something. We're just a few minutes in. okay. Well, I would love to, dive into the topic of, of life's purpose. And let's just start with the basic question of, do you feel like you have discovered a purpose in your life?

Kendra: 4:19

It's a good question, I have, a purpose right now, but that doesn't mean that that will be my purpose forever, and so I hesitate to say, like, I've discovered it for my life, because I think it's, I think it's constantly evolving, and I, you know, I look back at Kendra five years ago, who had a different purpose, and, I don't know what Kendra 5, 10, you know, 35 years from now will look like, but I think, right now I really find my purpose in supporting and helping grow, my community and my environment, specifically, like, what's around me and wanting to really contribute to the place and the people that I'm working with. Living with and among, that are also, you know, fulfilling in me. and that, that right now, and for what I foresee in the future, that that's my purpose.

Leslie: 5:12

Love that. Where do you think that comes from? Is that something that when you go back to Kendra as a, as a little girl. Did you have that connection to community and in caring for, those around you

Kendra: 5:32

that's a great, that's also a great question. And I think. it comes from a lot of different places and people and I really want to give credit to the people that raised me and then the people that have like mentored and taught me over time, because I think a lot of it comes from them. I don't think that I always grew up with a super strong sense of community or super strong connection to the environment, but I did grow up with a strong sense that we need to care for respect and love each other. and I think my parents. And then the, like I, you know, talked a little bit earlier about like my aunt and uncle were really essential and instilling that and, talking about like forgiveness, listening to each other, uh, being kind to each other. Like, I think that was, those are really, really valued traits, in the community that I was brought up in. And I think there were times when I did that. And then there were times when I, you know, didn't. So like, I used to fight a lot with my little brother, he's two years younger than me, and we're now like. Best friends. And I really remember like there was a time when I was about eight years old and my grandma pulled me aside and she was like, Hey, I know that Elliot is getting on your nerves, but you need to love and respect him because he's your family. And if you don't love and respect him and he doesn't love and respect you, you don't know who else will like. And you guys are going to be there for each other and like the good times are the bad. And I just remember that being so impactful, not that we don't ever fight now, you know, we're still siblings. We still get on each other's nerves, but, and it really just sort of shifted my mindset about like how I looked at my, community and sort of like my place in that. And then I think, so I think that's where that initial sense of like being part of something bigger than myself came from. And, um, I do absolutely put myself first sometimes, but having like that, that sense of like, it's not necessarily about me. It's about this like larger collective. And, and it's important to think about how we care for each other and, are part of that. I think that that was a lot of where that came from. And then the connection to the environment came later in life. I didn't, I grew up in a city. we had, you know, a backyard, there was like a creek, you know, we sometimes went hiking, but I didn't like grow up camping or I like, I grew up swimming a lot, but it was mostly in pools or in lakes, not really like in oceans. And I, I think that came more at the end of high school, I did this 10 day backpacking trip across, Colorado and it really just Like, I loved it. I loved sleeping outside. I loved, I loved, like, walking all day, every day, being disconnected, from technology, and so I think, like, that's when that started to shift in terms of even me thinking about, The environment. Um, and then I think that leading right up into college, that's when, my connection to, to the environment grew. I started to really like value, going on hikes. I started to, study from like an academic perspective, the environment, looking at biology, looking at environmental sustainability, most from the, mostly from the perspective of food. And then I think, by the time I was done with college, like I'd really solidified that I wanted to actually work in the environmental space. and then especially like moving out here, there's a very, very strong sense of connection to place, connection to land, connection to water. And I think moving out here is the first time I've really challenged myself to think like, where's my water coming from? where, and I, and I'd already started thinking like, where's my food coming from? Where are. You know, the materials that build my house coming from, where's the materials that create my clothes coming from? But that's like when I really moving here is when I really started to think about, My own connection to and care for the land and the water around me and more in a reciprocal way, as opposed to just learning to, love the environment and see myself as a part of it. So I think, again, it started with like my community, seeing myself as part of my community and then grew into learning about, nature as a whole, and then growing to see myself as my and my community is inclusive of nature.

Leslie: 9:43

Right. Yeah. You shared two defining moments, one on the family side where your grandmother stopped you and then this backpacking trip and the connection to the environment could you talk a little bit about your job? Cause I, it sounds like in your job, you're also living out. Your purpose as well. Is that right?

Kendra: 10:07

Yeah. And I'd say some days more than others. And that's, I think that's the nature of almost any job. Um,

Leslie: 10:13

but I,

Kendra: 10:13

I work for the county of Hawaii, in their like sustainability and climate action space. So the work that I do really ranges day to day, but it can be, look like climate action planning. So like I hope. with the integrated climate action plan for the county of Hawaii, which maps out like how the county is going to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which are the, you know, leading cause of climate change. And then also what the county is going to do to adapt to climate change. So that's a very like climate change. specific lens on environmental sustainability. and then I also do work like in the grant writing space, sometimes the data analysis space, and then the networking and building relationship space, you know, because I think anytime we're tackling, a lot of, a lot of issues around. Specifically climate change, but kind of anything sustainability are often spoken about, like wicked issues, you know, they're, they're really tangled up. They're not knots that are easy to untie because they're attached to so much else, like how we have developed our infrastructure, how we prioritize land and people as part of our decision making, you know. colonization. just, there are so many, so many different things that have influenced where we are in our relationship to our land and water and how we're using those resources that, we have to really like work together and across, especially in institutions, across departments, across organizations. So it's also like a big part of what I do is, is that like relationship building. Building, um, and hopefully, you know, sustaining. So that's kind of in a nutshell. And again, you know, when it comes to my purpose, some days I really feel like that's making a difference. and other days I'm like, man, I just, I just wish that I'd spent all day planting trees. and so, you know, it depends a bit on the day.

Leslie: 12:00

Right. Yeah. That makes sense. And I think that those that are listening can relate to that. In terms of, every day is different and some days you're more connected and other days you aren't. Exactly. You mentioned that, Hawaii is very focused on the environment. Did you know that before going there? Is that what drew you there, or did you? Learn that after.

Kendra: 12:30

Yeah, that, so I know that was, I, I came to Hawaii, pretty blind to a lot of, yeah, to a lot of what, The history was, and I'm, I'm not proud of that. Like that's something I, like still, and probably for a long time, we'll experience a lot of guilt and shame around. Um, just, because I came and I didn't, I didn't know the history of colonization. I didn't understand, that like land has been stolen from the native Hawaiians illegally. And yet we still continue to occupy the space. and there's a lot of, I think, you know, in the government, there's a lot of work that, perpetuates some of that, those colonizing mindsets, applying Western ideals, limiting access to land and water, and I think it, I'm, I'm certainly no expert now, I, I have so much to learn, so much I didn't know, um, but I just, I think I had a very, you know, you know, middle America perspective on U. S. history. And like, knew a lot about the civil rights movement, knew a lot about Black Lives Matter, knew a lot about what, you know, the, some of the, the, other issues, that, the Americas have faced in terms of, racism or gentrification, limiting people's access to housing based on race, but had just, just had no idea what the history was in Hawai'i or like the impact on the native Hawaiian community and people. Um, so, um, I just wanted to preface, that's not answering your question, but I just like really wanted to preface with that, like I think a lot of people on the continent are not taught about that, and are not taught about Indigenous history in general, and that's just something that I really feel like I'm like having to work on it myself and address. and it's a long, it's like a lifelong road for me. but the reason I came to Hawaii is cause in college, I was originally going to be pre med and then shifted to environmental sustainability, which is a little bit of a story in and of itself. and was really focused specifically on climate change. Then what about six weeks, before I graduated from college, the pandemic hit. And so all of the jobs that I had already applied for, or we're going to apply to sort of just shut down and weren't hiring. And so I took a position, evaluate or listening to people's calls. To apply for unemployment insurance. And so I'd like help people apply for unemployment insurance for like six months, but just totally different from what I'd studied, but like, you know, who's hiring at a time where nobody's hiring the unemployment insurance. Division. and so eventually I found an AmeriCorps position, and I applied for like 10 different AmeriCorps positions, just sort of trying to get back into the environmental fields and out of, um, you know, my pandemic fields. And it just so happened that the folks in Hawaii were the first ones that called me and interviewed me and offered me the position. So I moved site unseen.

Leslie: 15:32

Yeah. Kendra, thank you for being vulnerable and sharing with us. I imagine that there are a lot of people listening to this who don't understand what you've come to learn from being there. What advice or what could you share with us as a way of helping us understand? What we're not being taught and told in the continents.

Kendra: 16:01

That's, yeah, that's also a great question. And again, I feel like, Maybe I'm like, an example of somebody who is actively learning, but the people to, really listen to are the folks, you know, that, actually hold, you know, the cultural knowledge, and have done the work, and so I think I would, I would, as any individual, I think what I would just suggest is, like, try to learn the history including the ugly history of the place that you're in, because every place has, you know, ugly history. Um, going up in Indianapolis, I was probably in high school before I learned about red lining. Um, and that's okay. You know, it's, I didn't learn about it in middle school, but like, and I, it wasn't until college that I read, there's this book called like the Color of Law. Where I actually, learned about how, you know, certain laws were put in place to allow, like, white folks to, get home loans and, you know, black folks weren't allowed to get, like, the same, the same home loans. And so I just, like, I encourage people to like look for, history of the, the space that you're in, both like your local space and then like also, also the nation, and especially like try to like look for, for authors, uh, artists. Um, who are, of color, and if you're, you know, especially if you're trying to think about like the indigenous history of your place, like try to, you know, find out what tribes used to be in that space and then like, look for folks. from, you know, those tribes and what they've published, what they've written about it, what that history is, even like what the ecosystem used to and currently looks like and like where you can go and see that. I think like that's where I would encourage folks to start is just looking for the resources out there about your place, and trying to find out what you can online and not like, you know, find one kind of point person and then be like, Asking them all the questions, so like they're gonna, you know, so they're answer you, but, yeah, that's, I think that's where I would start, and often, like, if you find one resource, it can snowball into another, and so that's, I think, and again, I'm, I'm still like a baby on my own journey with that, not just necessarily with Hawaii, but we're like everywhere I've lived in, you know, And I think then on like the environmental side, I, I would just like really encourage people to start asking, where does this come from? What resources sustain me? Like, you know, water literally sustains everything we do. and a lot of folks don't know what reservoir their water comes from, or, you know, where the, the water from that reservoir comes from, how many people, use that water. Right. how much energy is used, you know, to transport that water to your home. Uh, what is necessary to keep that water clean, you know? And I think just like starting to ask those questions, where does my food come from? And, and I'm again, like by no means, uh, by no means, no search of the imagination. living as intentionally as the questions to ask. Like I've, you know, I'm took a long shower earlier this week. Like I'm not, uh, not perfect. But I think that it's just starting to ask those questions and then like get yourself more aware about your space and the history of your space is like a really good start. and like being willing to be uncomfortable and not always like not everything is going to feel good and, and that's, that's okay. Like it's, um, you know, I think we want to feel good and it's important to feel like connected and all of that. But it's also like, it's okay to, I think, sit with the discomfort and actually reflect on like, you know, how did we get to where we are?

Leslie: 19:39

Right? Yeah. I know that I have not asked those questions about my water source and I been hearing you, understand that as I do start asking those questions, I suspect I will learn a lot about. How we take from the land and, you know, use that, could you talk a little bit about, caring for the environment and what, what does that mean? from your perspective? What does that look like?

Kendra: 20:20

All the good questions. I think it looks different for different people. You know, I think for me, I think where I'm at right now, is a little bit more focused on just like building my relationship, to my environment. And like trying to, I, I paddle canoe, which is, a six person. Um, there's six people in the canoe and, you know, there are different kinds of races, short, long, and I'm part of a larger halal, a larger club, that, is teaching all of us, how to paddle. So I spent a lot of time in the bodies of water that I paddle in. And so I think like part of the way, like I'm, it's not necessarily stewarding the environment, but just growing my relationship to where I am is like spending a lot of time in some of those bodies of, of water. and I'm getting a lot of personal benefit from that. That's not necessarily totally reciprocal relationship. It's, I think that's, that's a big part of where my perspective has started to shift is just, I think anytime you, you like consistently, spend time outside in a certain place, you start to learn more about like the patterns, the rhythm, the breadth of that place. And it changes your perspective on how like the world is. The world at large has patterns and breathes. and that's very powerful. Um, so I think that's kind of like where I am, like growing that relationship. But then when it actually comes like caring for the environment, I mean, I think that That's more aside from like what I do in my job. I think, you know, sometimes it's almost like more impactful is like, just decisions you make that are within your control. And there's a lot of things that like, aren't within our control, but, you know, I just try to be intentional about like, how much am I driving? am I getting my food locally? You know, it's. Small things like turning the lights off. If you're building a new home, you have a lot of opportunity to like, be really mindful about that. to think through like, you know, is it the use of all these resources necessary? So I think, even like I think about it, like every time I fly, um, you know, it's like, Ooh, like this is a lot of greenhouse gas emissions. And so I just think, there are people that are like, you know, actively, like, like a lot of farmers, especially ones that are doing like small kind of farming, and then like folks that are like more actively in the conservation space that are literally doing like habitat restoration, and like folks that are really working with the land, and working with like making sure we have clean water, like, like, You know, those are really the folks doing the work. and then also like the people that are advocating for, different types of land resource management that take land resource out of the hands or land management out of the hands of like institutions or corporations that are, that are not being so responsible and put it into the hands of communities that actually care about that space. Like those are the folks that I think are really like living that out. and I like. You know, where again, where I like, I hope that that that's where I'm headed. And that's, you know, where I'm going. And some, again, some days it feels like that in some days, not so much. So,

Leslie: 23:25

yeah. So, a couple of questions that are just rattling around for me is, in terms of how you're living out your purpose, at least, the side of the, well, really both, but the side of kind of caring for the environment. Um, I hear it's a part of your job. It's part of what you do at work. And some days you feel more connected to that than others. And I think that, you know, I suspect that that's resonates with a lot of people. You talked also about like intentionality towards. Your relationship with the environment and what that looks like as spending time in the environment. And, the visual that you put into my mind was. how it breathes. And, I forget what the word that you used, but it's, alive, right. And feeling that and learning through that.

Kendra: 24:24

Yeah.

Leslie: 24:24

are there other examples or ways that in your, day to day life are living out your purpose?

Kendra: 24:35

Yeah. What I talked about earlier is, you know, being part of that community relationship building. So I, you know, I, part of that for me is, you know, It's just trying to make sure that I have time to care for the relationships that are in my life, and the people that are there for them and, and, you know, sort of show up for them and be my best self. and so I, think about, and try to be intentional about, you know, having, having time for people. caring for them. and I think something that I've really been working on recently is for my whole life, I've always tended to overschedule myself and like, overestimate, the amount that I can take on my plate. and that means that like, something will have to like fall off. And so I've been trying to like, recently evaluate, what can I handle? And sort of like, how can I make sure that I'm not overextending myself and then therefore not showing up for, my friends, or like my paddling teammates in like the mindset and space that I should be in. but instead able to come with a good attitude, a grounding, and again, not, not to be perfect. Like I'm a person, I'm going to continue to mess up. but just we all do exactly, exactly. But just to, you know, try to be. mindful. So you know that I'm reciprocating and not, taking more than I'm giving. And so I think that's like just another, and that's not necessarily like a connection to the environment, but I think like, right. I, you know, I think we are part of the environment and the environment is part of us. Yeah, those are some of the like, just some of the things I yeah, I think about the top of my, of

Leslie: 26:13

my head. I love that being really intentional with how you prioritize your time and spend your time so that when you're with the ones they. You love and you care about that you're in the right mindset for them. and that being with your loved ones is a key part of your purpose as well as caring for them and the environment.

Kendra: 26:42

Exactly. And some of that is, you know, sort of like making sure that I've have time to move, to exercise, to, cook so I can eat well, and, sleep that those kinds of things so that I like I'm taking care of myself and therefore can show up for others.

Leslie: 26:57

Yeah. Yeah. How does living How does that make you feel? What are the emotions underneath it for you?

Kendra: 27:08

So it's a funny question for me because, when I was in college, one of my roommates, Victoria, who I really love, once pointed out to me that I always say, I think I feel. She's like, can you feel it or not feel it? And I'm like, well. You know, this is what my brain has decided I'm feeling, but I don't know if it's what I'm actually feeling. It's so, I think I feel this and it was, so I think it's always, ever since then, it always has made me laugh a little bit when somebody asked me that question. Cause, um, it's like I had to, It's almost like it doesn't like come out automatically. I, I have to ponder it before I can answer. And I always think about Victoria who's, you know, one of the many people, in my life, I think has challenged me to be more intentional and, and who has. It's challenging to think critically about my purpose, but, I think that, that when I am, I feel kind of like my most, my most grounded, when I am working outside, doing something that's actually physically connected with either the water or the land, and especially when I'm helping somebody else. learn how to do that. Whether it's like a kid, or, teaching somebody, something you know, just like how to plant a seed, or how to take care of a, of a certain plant, how to, how to build something. Like I think those are the moments when I feel the most grounded and fulfilled. And I think that's because there's something very fulfilling about getting to share, the ability to do something and then like to care for like a space with others I don't think I necessarily get to do that all the time like I I help coach kids paddling But like i'm by no means the paddling expert I'm mostly there to help steer when they need extra or, you know to give like basic advice But like i'm there are people in the club coaches that have way more knowledge than me, you know But I think like that's a space that I feel very fulfilled in. You And I think it just, it's more like a sense of peace for me than like a euphoria or a happiness. It's, it's a sense of peace and a sense of purpose of like, this is the, you know, like, um, that's not a good way to describe my sense of purpose feeling is. As a sense of purpose, but like it makes me feel like, the moment is meaningful. Or I'm meaningful. So I think that's, that's how, and it makes me feel loved and that I am loving, which I think is, It's a beautiful, that's a beautiful feeling. Um, and, I grew up, I think very focused on like productivity, which is like a very, normal thing, especially in, Western society, and what are all the outcomes, how much did we do? Uh, what grade do you get? And I mean, those are, what we do, how we contribute, how well we're doing it. All of that stuff is important, but I think, That when I'm living out my purpose. I just more feel grounded and at peace And it's not it's not about my success or it's not about like, oh we achieved something. It's about right It's about like feeling like you're part of something bigger and something that's um, that's real

Leslie: 30:26

Yeah. Yeah. You gave me goosebumps on that one.

Kendra: 30:31

That's, that's the best.

Leslie: 30:35

I, um, I want to just throw this out there that I'm sitting here thinking your purpose is to care for the environment and there's so many people. And I put myself in there that don't have the education that we need. And so we're, we're not doing that. And I'm in, in my head, I'm thinking that has got to be so frustrating for Kendra to just watch. What is happening. Do you feel that sense at all? Or does that even make sense? What I'm saying?

Kendra: 31:13

Yeah, no, it, it does. so I'm going to, I'm going to share another very personal piece of this, my story, if that's okay. so like, So the reason I transitioned from being premed to focusing on environmental sustainability, in college, I'd already started to focus on environmental sustainability from the like food perspective, because to me, so much of medicine treats problems and we don't, prevent things. And somehow in that first couple of years of college, I'd already started to think about like the connection between humans and land. And like, to me, that really, came to be in food, right? Like we depend on the land for literally our sustenance. And so, started like kind of shifting my thinking and I did a study abroad between my sophomore and junior years of college where I went to India, to the state of Kerala, and studied like Ayurvedic medicine, which is a very, very old form of traditional medicine that is very focused on the connection between somebody who's kind of like unique physical attributes and their diet and like ways of living. And so there's There are plenty of like treatments, but a lot of what it's focused on is just sort of like Understanding yourself and understanding your habits and you know what you're consuming To think about your well being and at the very end of my time there there was a really big flood That resulted in, the deaths of, I think if you look on Wikipedia, it's a thousand something individuals, I'm not sure if that's an accurate number, or if it's more, and it was, it kind of happened over the course of about two weeks, and at the end of the two weeks, I ended up needing to be evacuated, and sort of, we, There was a group of us that went to a couple of different locations, and, eventually, we're, it was very, very fortunate to get, on a helicopter and get out. And, um, I was very shaken, you know, after that initially. Because, um, you know, I thought I was going to die, for a couple of those days. And, um, when I started, you know, to, to kind of like look into it, this is a hundred years, that then a version of which happened like two years later, and then happened after that. And part of what happened was that there was, A lot of different things contributed, but basically there was a rainier than normal rainy, rainy season, and then there had been all these dams created, up on the mountains of the state that then broke, when there was a flood. so much rain. and then there'd been a lot of areas that have been deforested. So there wasn't, you know, plant matter to catch any extra river water or rainwater, you know, which created some of these massive floods. And that's like a very, brief, not completely robust, picture of what happened, but, some of what really contributed to that was climate change and, the changes in weather patterns that allow for us to have, and also how we've poorly managed our infrastructure and deforested. Right. Cause they're all related. You know, how we drive environment leads to climate change, which then makes it dangerous to live in the environment that we have created, um, and so I think coming out of that, I, that's really when I was like, well, what's the point of going to med school and being a doctor when there's going to be no earth for us to live on? And I like, you know, had this, um, like, Everything is about solving climate change attitude for about five years or five years, maybe like three years after that, because, I felt like, well, like I'd survived, you know, one of the instances and, um, like, and oh my God, we need to fix this. And I still carry some of that sense of urgency. And I think for a while, every time I heard someone talk about how climate change, wasn't real or about how, we don't need to care for our environment or about how, even just things like, we're going to, increase our, product and it's all about making it cheaper to increase the product. And I'd be like, at what cost, And, you know, it made me really, angry because I was like, but I'm, I've experienced this and it's real for me and it's like you're dismissing my experience. And, and then there came a point and I think it was definitely post, moving to Hawaii, um, where I was spending more time just like, actually connecting with my environment here and the people and I just didn't have that anger anymore. And it still comes up sometimes, and there are still times when I'm like, Oh my goodness, how are we not, how is this still not a priority? But, I think that. Everybody is on their own journey. And, those few years, like right after I'd experienced the flood, everything about climate change was like right here in my brain and very real and very visceral to me. but now I have other problems that are like very real and very visceral to me. And, they could be as simple as oh my goodness, the internet went out and now what do I need to do? You know, about that, or like, somebody's sick and we need to be there to take care of them. Um, and that's, what's in front of me. And so that's what I'm caring about. And I think all we can really do is people is care about the people that are around us, the place that's around us, and maybe just do a better job about people. thinking more intentionally about who those people and what that place is rather than disconnecting ourselves from it. I think that when we don't know, who built our home, what materials were used to do it, you know, to make our home. And then, what was the impact on the communities that had to sacrifice potentially like land or resources to make, then that's when we start to disconnect and it's, easy for us to not feel anything about it cause we don't even know the impact of kind of our own lives are making. But, it's a very, very long winded way of saying, the times that I've experienced that like anger or frustration, it's coming from very much like a personal sense of like, have you listened to my story or like a, a personal connection to like, you don't know this water, you don't know this place, you don't know this people. You don't know, this, species of tree that you don't think is valuable. But everybody is just, like, on their own journey, and has their own understanding. And so I think, all we can do, and all I can do, is try to learn about my environment in my community, because I also like that perspective made me really focused on climate change for a while and made me miss like a lot of the bigger picture. I was, so focused on the climate change portion of, of that flood that I like missed a larger picture of. Well, what about that deforestation and what was the impact of the deforestation or like, why were those dams constructed that way in the first place? And why weren't they repaired? And like, those are equally important questions. And then why is a community vulnerable and how is that community recover? Like all of these are just as important as, what have we done to actually make the weather pattern change? Right? And so I think, again, I think that, just if, if we can all just maybe reflect a little bit more in our own journey, yeah, that's the best we can do. And we just have to hope other folks do that as well.

Leslie: 38:40

Mm-Hmm.

Kendra: 38:42

and hold'em accountable, but we can't carry that anger.

Leslie: 38:46

Yeah. When you look ahead forward, what does this isn't the best word, but what is success in your purpose look like?

Kendra: 38:58

Yeah. That's a great question. All these are, you know, um, I feel like I need like a Leslie journal, you know, like a Challenge me to reflect on it but I think when I look ahead I you know, and I talked a little bit earlier about like the folks that I feel Like are really Like doing the on the ground work, like, growing their own food, steward, really stewarding the place that they're in. And, and I, I think that again, that also really includes like the people that are actively really caring for people, you know, because that's essential to, to doing any of the work. Doing any of this, I'd like for more of my life to look like that. I also feel like right now, and some of this is being young, even though I'm, you know, I'm in my twenties, but it used to be in my teens. But I feel like I'm, I'm still very much on like a. Like a learning path with all of this, I came a little bit late to the connection to the environment. for as long as I'm in Hawaii, I will be a guest and learning about the space that is Hawaii. And then if I go somewhere else, I will be learning about that space, you know? Um, and so I would, I also would like to see myself get to a place where I can give back more, because I will hopefully have more knowledge and more experience to give. and then I'd like to see that be a little bit more grounded, in hands on work than, than where I am now. And I think, you know, that's. not a dissatisfaction necessarily with here I am, where I am now. It's just, that's where I'd like to, I'd like to. Right.

Leslie: 40:37

Yeah. Yeah. It's, and you talked earlier about how when you're doing that, I think you use the word feel at peace. Like it's when you're hands on, you're helping, you're teaching, you're in the, in the environment where you have that peace. That makes sense. Yeah, what advice? I suspect there are people listening to this who have a common purpose and they're, thinking, how do I move forward?

Kendra: 41:07

I think my first piece of advice would just, you know, be like, be persistent and give yourself grace. cause I think,,I, I certainly know that there's a lot, I'll be like, I can't believe that I made X decisions for the past, four years and had no idea, that I didn't know. Yeah, I don't know. And so I think, Like this, this is also like an uphill battle, especially if you're living in a society like ours, like, that really doesn't place, lot of care on the environment. A lot of our economic systems and our social systems rely on extraction of the environment, and extraction of people. And so, just, Being persevering is important in those settings. and then I think the other thing, and this is something I actually reflect on, um, for maybe people that share my purpose, like, or, or people that don't, is that it's not necessarily all about, being the person, like, with a, a job title that says, like, environmental specialist or something. Like, I remember I ran into my high school science teacher, Laura Cummings, who should get a huge shout out, because she also was probably a really pivotal moment for me, because That was the first time I actually cared about a science class was her high school biology class. And then she gave me this like list of books to read. And I think all of those that kind of laid the groundwork, for my, um, where, where I ended up going professionally. But I ran into her at a coffee shop, like a year and a half ago. And, she was, You know, we kind of caught up and she's like, Oh my goodness, like, you know, this is so cool. Cause like a lot of the students in high school are like interested in going into this field, but I don't think they know how. And I told her, I was like, I really don't think you necessarily even need to actively be doing something that's, environmentally focused to like, think about and care about your life this way. Like, honestly, like, If you are a realtor, you can think about this and think about like, what are, you know, what are the homes that I'm selling and what am I challenging people to think about with the homes? if you are, an engineer, like there are so many ways to do engineering in a way that's like more conscious about our resources versus less. If you are a business owner, like thinking about how you are Empowering your employees and whether or not you're you know extracting from them or giving them ownership that that all contributes to how we perceive ourselves and value each other and the place that we're in, you know, even like If, you work, like at a school and you build in, days where, like, you know, two or three times a year, everybody goes outside and, works on a garden or you, ask people to start observing, what were the weather patterns like this month? How much rain was there? What did that, like, do to the color of your trees? I think, a lot of those things, can make, make just as much of an impact as somebody that, like, focuses on this or thinks about this or even defines it as their purpose. So I think both for folks that like share that purpose and for folks that are just curious, I really don't think it matters like what you do. And then sometimes it's actually more impactful if you're not specifically like in the environmental field or in that space to start thinking about your environment, in what you do. So I, yeah, I just think it's some additional mindfulness.

Leslie: 44:17

Absolutely. I love that. Thank you for sharing that. Is there anything else, left unsaid in terms of the topic of purpose for you?

Kendra: 44:30

Uh, for anybody that's listening to this, I challenge you to go outside and see if you can identify three different trees in your backyard or on your block. and if you can't, that's one thing that you could learn this week.

Leslie: 44:46

Love it. All right. A learning lesson for each of us, which is, something that I'm going to be taking away from our conversation today is what, what I can do is start asking the questions and learning about, my surroundings. Thank you so much, Kendra for sharing. Thank you for living out your purpose and helping us learn more about what we can do to take care of our environment and our community. It's so important and, and it really needs all of us.

Kendra: 45:22

so much for having me, Leslie. It's been such a pleasure to talk with you.

Leslie: 45:26

One of the things that I'm realizing in the study of life's purpose is that understanding oneself is a prerequisite for discovering our purpose in life. And this conversation with Kendra revealed to me that our relationship with the environment is an accelerator of this self understanding. And so I found myself asking, what is my relationship with the environment? And I found myself being really intentional in creating and improving the relationship that I have with the environment. For example, I've spent more time outdoors. I planted a garden, while I have a long way to go in living that simple life that I long for, I am taking steps to improve my relationship with the environment. And in doing so, I am realizing a better sense of self. A better sense of understanding of my life's purpose and really how connected we all are to each other and to our environment. Thank you all for being here on the show. Purpose project is brought to you for education and for entertainment purposes. This podcast is not intended to replace the advice that you would receive from a licensed therapist or doctor or any other qualified professional.