Fighting Climate Change and Defying Expectations with Liz Georges
In this episode of the WomenHeard podcast, host Julie Hochheiser Ilkovich speaks with Liz Georges, Senior Director of Climate Communications at The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), an organization that advocates for sustainable policies and delivers innovative solutions to protect species and habitats in nearly 100 countries. Liz shares her journey from environmental law to communications, offers tips on job hunting, managing expectations, and taking simple actions to help the planet. Here are some highlights to look forward to in the conversation.
DEFYING THE TYRANNY OF EXPECTATIONS
When women don’t conform to the expectations placed on them, they’re often judged harshly—Georges calls this “the tyranny of expectations.” Despite expanded opportunities, a double standard persists and women’s skills are questioned more than men’s when mistakes occur. That’s why Georges believes senior leaders must model change by being deliberate about redefining workplace expectations. “Culture is intentionally created,” she says. “If you want the culture to be a certain way, it’s up to you to be vocal about your intention to make this a cultural thing.”
YOUR FIRST ACT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE YOUR ONLY ACT
“No path is linear,” Georges says. After starting her career in PR, she realized spreadsheets weren’t for her and began pursuing law school, driven by a love of debating. Her passion for environmental law began during a visit to Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, where she later volunteered. After law school, she hit a wall, took a career break, married, and became a mom. She later found her way back to a law job after her divorce, when she worked in communications at nonprofits like the Cheetah Conservation Fund and The Nature Conservancy. Now, as WWF’s Director of Climate Communications, her advice is clear: Your first act doesn’t define you. “You know, nobody’s working on their Plan A,” she says. “I’m in the middle of the alphabet somewhere, but most people are on Plan B, Plan C, Plan D—particularly when you get to my age. So, I think that’s healthy for people to realize your first act doesn’t have to be your only act.”
CURIOSITY OPENS THE MIND
When Georges first took a break from the law, she promised herself that she would take a couple of months to figure out what she truly wanted to do. She made it a point to ask everyone she met about their jobs and what they loved about them. Through this exercise, she realized there are many ways to make a living. Now Georges encourages women to embrace curiosity when job hunting, focusing not on past roles but on the skills they possess. After all, it can often take several tries to discover the right path to your dream job—and that’s perfectly okay.
WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE
As a climate communications executive, Georges focuses on engaging the public with
WWF’s mission. Over the last decade, she’s noticed a dramatic shift in the public dialogue about climate change: Instead of arguing whether or not it’s happening, the conversation is now centered on what needs to be done to stop it. Right now, countries are focused on cutting emissions, and Liz’s role is to make those decisions clear and relatable for the public.
Want to do something about climate change as an individual? A powerful way to fight climate change is simply to discuss it, Georges says. “Most people are concerned about climate change,” she says, “but they don’t talk about it with people that they care about. And they don’t hear conversations around them.” Conversations with others can inspire action and drive real change, however. “If people do more of that, I think you will see the will to action shift in a very powerful way,” she adds.
Thank you to Liz Georges for joining us! For the full interview, listen to NYWICI’s WomenHeard podcast
