I taught law for seven years and I’ve always believed deeply in the power of access to information. During Covid, when stimulus packages were rolling out, there was so much confusion about who qualified and what people could actually do if they were impacted. A producer encouraged me to try TikTok, and while I was skeptical at first, I realized there was a real need for clear, accurate education on social platforms. What keeps me going is the feedback; people tell me a video helped them understand something they couldn’t afford to learn elsewhere. Social media has democratized expertise, and knowing I’m helping even one person makes it worth it.

Before attending the TED creator workshop, I never thought about climate and culture as inseparable, but now I see that climate is culture. Every part of our daily lives is impacted by climate, whether we recognize it or not. When I looked back at my own content, I realized how often I talk about climate through things like extreme weather, insurance costs, and tax dollars. People don’t always realize that policy affects them directly, but climate makes that connection unavoidable. When people start caring in their own lives, that’s when policy begins to change.

I don’t lead with ideology. I lead with reality. I talk about how extreme heat increases death rates, how climate damage raises insurance premiums, rent, and taxes, and how these issues affect people regardless of belief. Insurance companies don’t care if you believe in climate change—your premiums are still going up. Framing climate through lived experience makes it real and relevant.