Was 2025 a year we should forget—or the year everything finally became undeniable? As we step into 2026, the hosts of The Way Forward: Regenerative Conversations take on the hardest questions of our time: polarization, democracy, violence, climate disruption, and the collapse of shared meaning. This conversation is honest, provocative, and deeply personal—and we don’t all agree. If you’re wondering where to put your energy now, this episode is for you.

🧭 Show Notes – Episode Summary

In this special 2025 Reflections / 2026 Looking Forward episode, all three hosts—John Izzo, Alain (Alon) Gauthier, and Jim Burke—come together to examine what 2025 revealed about the state of humanity, democracy, and the planet.

They explore:

• How social media algorithms curate entirely different realities—and fuel polarization
• Why the rule of law and social norms are breaking down globally
• Whether figures like Donald Trump are causes—or symptoms of a deeper systemic failure
• The rise of narcissism at every level: individual, national, and even species-wide
• Why mitigation alone is no longer enough for climate change—and why adaptation and regeneration must happen together
• The twin inflection points of democracy and artificial intelligence in 2026
• Why the real work ahead is inner and outer, personal and systemic

The conversation moves beyond headlines and elections to ask a deeper question: Who are we becoming—and how will we choose to respond?

This episode also gives listeners a rare chance to get to know the hosts personally: what grounds them, what challenges them, and where they’re putting their energy in the year ahead.

👥 Host Bios

Dr John Izzo, PhD

John Izzo is a bestselling author, speaker, and former Presbyterian minister whose work focuses on purpose, meaning, leadership, and the future of humanity. He brings moral clarity, historical depth, and a gift for asking the questions most people avoid. John is the author of multiple books, including The Purpose Revolution: How Leaders Create Engagement and Completive Advantage in an Age of Social Good, and a longtime voice calling for deeper reflection in times of disruption.

Alain Gauthier

Alain is a systems thinker, facilitator, and co-creator of the Regenerative Elder process. Drawing from Indigenous history, lived experience, and spiritual inquiry, he helps individuals and communities integrate inner transformation with outer action. His work focuses on regeneration, resilience, and the re-emergence of elder wisdom in a fractured world.

Jim Burke

Jim Burke is the producer of The Way Forward and a lifelong health professional, systems thinker, and climate activist. He serves on multiple local and regional committees focused on infrastructure, climate resilience, and regenerative community development. Jim is deeply interested in longevity, lifestyle medicine, clean energy, and redefining elderhood for the 21st century.

🔗 Links & Where to Find Us

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🙏 With Gratitude to Our Sponsors

This podcast is made possible by the generous support of Elders Action Network and Elders Climate Action.

Their work empowers elders across the country to step into leadership on climate, democracy, and social justice—exactly the kind of engagement this moment calls for.

Learn more and get involved:

• https://eldersaction.org
• https://eldersclimateaction.org

In this episode of The Way Forward: Regenerative Conversations, John Izzo hosts Bill McKibben, Brian McLaren, and Dr. Rupert Read for a raw and urgent dialogue on the climate crossroads. Together, they confront illusions, speak truth we can’t ignore, and explore what agency we still hold in shaping our future. Perfect for listeners seeking depth, courage, and clarity in the climate conversation.

Summary

In this powerful conversation, recorded live at The Climate Crossroads, our panel explores the defining moment humanity now faces. Bill McKibben highlights the accelerating physical realities of a warming planet — and the political forces working to slow progress. Dr. Rupert Read explains why adaptation, resilience, and community transformation may be our most underused leverage points. Brian McLaren examines the spiritual and psychological roots of the crisis, and why outdated worldviews continue to hold us back.

Together, they illuminate how technological change, moral courage, and community-scale action must converge to create a livable future. They invite us to move beyond false optimism and paralyzing doom — toward grounded, regenerative action rooted in compassion, clarity, and connection.

This is the first in a series of Crossroads Conversations exploring how elders, activists, and communities can rise to meet the challenges of our time.

👥 Guest Mini-Bios

Bill McKibben

Bill McKibben is a pioneering climate author, journalist, and activist who wrote the first major book on global warming, The End of Nature. He is the founder of 350.org and Third Act, mobilizing older Americans for climate action. His latest book, Here Comes the Sun, explores the global revolution in solar energy. 🔗 https://thirdact.org 🔗 https://350.org 🔗 “Here Comes the Sun” (2024)

Brian D. McLaren

Brian McLaren is a former pastor, public theologian, and bestselling author whose work explores spirituality, social transformation, and climate consciousness. His recent book, Life After Doom, examines our spiritual response to the ecological crisis and the path to deeper courage and connection. 🔗 https://brianmclaren.net 🔗 “Life After Doom” (2023)

Dr. Rupert Read

Dr. Rupert Read is a philosopher, author, and co-founder of the Climate Majority Project, focused on mobilizing broad societal engagement in climate adaptation. He served as a prominent spokesperson and strategic voice for Extinction Rebellion, helping shape its early messaging and global impact. His work, including Why Climate Breakdown Matters and Transformative Adaptation, calls for a profound shift in how communities prepare for a rapidly changing world. 🔗 https://rupertread.net 🔗 https://climatemajorityproject.com 🔗 “The Climate Majority Project” (2024) 🔗 “Transformative Adaptation” (2024)

🙏 Sponsor Acknowledgment

This episode is brought to you by the Elders Action Network (EAN) and Elders Climate Action (ECA) — two organizations mobilizing elders across the world to stand for democracy, climate justice, and a regenerative future. 🌐 https://eldersaction.org 🌐 https://eldersclimateaction.org

📣 Audience Call to Action (YouTube & Podcast)

If this conversation moved you, inspired you, or challenged you — please support our work: ✅ Subscribe to the podcast & YouTube channel ✅ Leave a comment with your insights or questions ✅ Share this episode with five people who care about our future ✅ Visit our website for episodes, resources, and upcoming events: 🔗 https://linktr.ee/wayforwardpodcast

In this powerful and timely conversation, Dr. John Izzo and Alain Gauthier sit down with award-winning filmmaker and journalist Paul Jay, whose upcoming documentary How to Stop a Nuclear War dives deep into the existential risks humanity continues to ignore. Together, they explore why the Cold War never truly ended, how nuclear weapons remain an urgent and immediate threat, and what each of us can do to break the silence and reclaim our collective future.

This episode is not just about nuclear war — it’s about truth, power, media silence, and our responsibility as citizens of a shared planet.

Jay shares the untold story behind the nuclear threat and the making of his new film inspired by Daniel Ellsberg’s The Doomsday Machine. He argues that the Cold War didn’t end — it simply evolved — and that the same forces of fear, profit, militarism, and denial continue to push humanity toward catastrophe.

You’ll hear why policymakers rarely talk about nuclear weapons, how media myths shape public perception, why dialogue with our “enemies” is essential, and how ordinary citizens can influence extraordinary change by confronting the “house of dynamite” we all live in before it explodes.

About Paul Jay

Paul Jay is an award-winning Canadian filmmaker, journalist, and founder of TheAnalysis.news (https://theanalysis.news). Formerly CEO and senior editor of The Real News Network, Jay has produced highly acclaimed documentaries including:

• Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows
• Return to Kandahar
• The Four Horsemen (producer)
• Lost in Las Vegas

He is also the founding chair of the Hot Docs International Documentary Festival, now the largest documentary festival in North America.

Paul is currently directing How to Stop a Nuclear War, based on Daniel Ellsberg’s The Doomsday Machine, examining the systems of power that shape global nuclear policy — and how citizens can reclaim agency over issues that determine humanity’s survival.

Explore more of his work: https://theanalysis.news

Our Sponsors

This episode is made possible through the generous support of our partners:

• Elders Action Network — https://eldersaction.org
• Elders Climate Action — https://eldersclimateaction.org

Their work empowers elders everywhere to stand up for democracy, climate action, justice, and the future of life on Earth.

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Upcoming Live Event

The Climate Crossroads: Why Haven’t We Changed — and How We Do Now

📅 Tuesday, December 2 ⏰ 8:00–9:30 am PT / 11:00 am–12:30 pm ET

A live global event presented by The Way Forward: Regenerative Conversations Podcast.

https://www.youtube.com/@thewayforwardrc

We know the science — yet society still struggles to change. Why? Join three of the most respected voices in the climate movement for a rare, candid dialogue:

• Bill McKibben — Founder of 350.org & Third Act
• Dr. Rupert Read — Philosopher, author of Parents for a Future
• Brian McLaren — Theologian, activist, and author

Moderated by Dr. John Izzo, this 90-minute event confronts the hard truth of where we stand — and explores the pathway from paralysis to courageous collective action.

Hosted by Elders Action Network, Elders Climate Action, and The Way Forward: Regenerative Conversations Podcast.

Attendees will have the chance to ask live questions.

👉 Register now and be part of the generation that turns awareness into action: The Climate Crossroads: Why Haven’t We Changed — and How We Do Now - Elders Action Network