Introduction
There Will Be Dancing is a podcast from Women’s Environmental Leadership Australia (WELA), amplifying the voices and leadership of women and gender-diverse changemakers working for our climate and environment.
Taking its name from the idea that movements for change must leave room for joy, the podcast weaves together personal stories, creative contributions, and thoughtful conversations to show that leadership can be hopeful, collaborative, and deeply human.
Across each episode, you’ll hear from experienced leaders and emerging voices challenging outdated norms and creating new pathways for climate and environmental action.
If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution. – Emma Goldman, Political Activist
Episodes
Each episode explores a central theme in leadership, combining in-depth interviews with leading changemakers with creative contributor pieces from our community members—including poems, essays, and audio reflections—that offer insight and inspiration on leadership and climate action.
Explore the latest episodes on the WELA website.
Looking Back
Kelly O’Shanassy joins us as she concludes more than a decade as CEO of Australian Conservation Foundation to unpack what it really means to “do good”: making hard choices, letting go of perfection, and focusing on impact over appearances. From knowing when a campaign has run its course to celebrating imperfect wins, she offers rare insight into leadership that prioritises outcomes, not optics.
Featuring a contribution from Anna Hutchcroft, who reads a beautiful piece called When Language Returns.
Youth Led Activism
At just 16, Anjali Sharma stood in a federal court arguing that the Australian government had a duty to protect future generations from climate change. Now at 21, she joins us to speak candidly about carrying responsibility young, navigating racism and scrutiny, and reframing age, gender and identity not as barriers, but as a reason to lead.
Featuring a contribution from Carolyn Ingvarson, longtime environmental advocate, who shares reflections on changemaking as a grandmother.
Imperfect Environmentalism
Sometimes the world feels too big, the problems too urgent, the change too slow. For 15 years, Kathryn Nelson has been proving that climate leadership isn’t about perfection—it’s about persistence, care, and knowing your impact matters. From quitting single-use plastics to embracing imperfection through motherhood, she shows that leadership grows when we give ourselves grace.
Featuring a contribution from Carly Dober, who reads a reflection called A Psychologist’s Advice for Showing Up in a World That Feels Constantly On Fire.
People-Centred Solutions
What does it take to create lasting change, and who needs to be at the centre of it? Global labour and climate leader Sharan Burrow AC explores why the most effective solutions are shaped by the people they impact, reflecting on community, hope and what it means to put people at the heart of climate action and decision-making.
Featuring a powerful contribution from Chantelle Cortez Maglalang, sharing lived experience of climate impacts on the ground.
Under the Sea
We go “Under the Sea” with Dr. Yolanda Waters, founder of Divers for Climate Action, PhD researcher in marine social science and a rising voice at the intersection of ocean conservation, climate communication and cultural inclusion. Yolanda takes us through what it really means to communicate climate change with nuance in a world that demands a 30-second reel, why Australia’s climate movement is missing one in three Australians, and how bridging the gap between marine conservation and climate action could change everything.
Featuring a moving contribution from Bianca McNeair – a meditation on grief, country, and the profound responsibility of listening, told through the experience of a group of Malgana women monitoring nesting loggerhead turtles.
Caring for Country
Wadawurrung woman Sarah Eccles shares what 25+ years of working alongside community has taught her about leadership, responsibility, and building partnerships that actually work. From on-ground conservation to Treaty, Sarah speaks to the power of self-determination, the complexity of collaboration, and why caring for Country must centre culture, community and future generations.
Featuring a contribution from First Nations leader Ruth Langford reflecting on the protection of Country in law, and what it will take for our legal and political systems to recognise Country as kin, not resource.
Voices that Move Movements
Can a song shift a system, and what role do artists play in shaping the conversations a country is willing to have? Musician, activist and organiser Holly Rankin (Jack River) joins us to explore the power of art, culture and community in driving social change, and the grief and connection that sit at the heart of her work.
Featuring a contribution from Nidala Barker, who shares her song Boldly Ahead, a reflection on hope, courage and the stories we tell about the future.
Storytelling for Social Change
Can a story change the way we see nature? Can humour do what doom cannot? And what happens when we finally start telling the stories of the women, the weirdos, and the wildlife the world has long overlooked?
Award-winning environmentalist, presenter and author Natalie Kyriacou OAM joins us to explore storytelling as a vehicle for social change. From her acclaimed book Nature’s Last Dance to a decade of creative environmental engagement, Natalie shares how humour, curiosity and narrative can draw new audiences into the climate conversation.
Featuring a contribution from ecologist and science communicator Dr. Kylie Soanes, reflecting on the quiet power of becoming a storyteller and noticing nature in everyday places.
Don’t Sign Anything you don’t Understand
What happens when communities are handed the information they have been quietly denied? And what does it mean to share power in a movement that often assumes its own goodness?
Robyn James, former Global Director of Gender Equity at The Nature Conservancy, joins us to explore community-led conservation, gender equity and the quiet work of building change from the ground up. Drawing on nearly two decades of experience across the Asia Pacific, Robyn reflects on leadership, humility, and why the most effective solutions are often shaped by the people most impacted by environmental decisions.
Featuring a beautiful audio contribution from the women of Katupika, Wagina and Kia in the Solomon Islands, whose traditional songs offer a powerful reminder of the connection between conservation, culture and community.