This week, I sit down with Jonathan Smith, founder and principal of Mobilis Works, an advisory practice to the Problem Solvers on policy innovation, economic competitiveness, and civic capacity, for one of the most thoughtful conversations I’ve had about what it actually takes to move from policy ideas to real-world implementation.

Jonathan has spent his career at the intersection of Congress, state government, economic development, workforce strategy, and coalition building. And this conversation gets into one of the questions I’ve been obsessing over lately: How do we help the Problem Solvers actually solve problems?

In this episode, we discuss:

* Why on-the-ground implementation is the most important part of the policy process

* How communities became stuck chasing grants instead of building long-term investment readiness

* What project developers, policymakers, and industry leaders misunderstand about community buy-in

* Why people support projects when they believe they are helping design their community’s future

* Why opposition is not a “facts” problem but an agency problem

Why Jonathan Smith?

Jonathan Smith has spent his career betwixt and between ambitious policy ideas and on-the-ground reality. He most recently led Michigan’s effort to help communities, workers and businesses adapt to changes in the auto and energy sectors.

What struck me most about Jonathan is that he doesn’t talk about this abstract space in abstract terms. He focuses on the mechanics of getting things done: building trust, developing local capacity, understanding trade-offs, and creating conditions where communities can shape their own future instead of simply reacting to someone else’s plans.

Some of Jonathan’s insights

On the key ingredient to successful policy implementation: “You have to be grounded in reality. This has to work for the people it’s supposed to work for. You can’t get bogged down in the ideology or the idealistic version of it. What matters is whether there’s real impact and real outcomes.”

On getting communities to yes: “All communities really have right now is the ability to say no. But if you give them the ability to design their own future, you will see a huge difference in the way these projects land. If we can build more proactivity at the community level, now the community is choosing what projects to bring in rather than the other way around.”

On the secret sauce to coalition building: “You can solve lots of different problems with a single solution. The key is asking: Am I actually solving your problem with this?”

On what the Problem Solver and project developer must understand: “Most people don’t have super-strong feelings about a lot of this policy stuff. What they care about is: Do they live in a community they feel safe in? Are they happy with their neighbors and their day-to-day lives? Do they have a job that doesn’t just provide a paycheck, but provides dignity and a sense of accomplishment? We have to think about policy from their point of view—because if people see it as prioritizing somebody else’s agenda over theirs, they don’t see themselves in it. You’re talking past people.”

Bonus content!

Watch the episode on YouTube or listen to the podcast on Substack.

My most recent Both True, “Arc of Outrage,” on why communities do not experience infrastructure fights as technical disputes alone.

My recent podcast episodes “Jim Kerr on Your Generational Opportunity,” “Energy Abundance Is Non-Negotiable. Responsibility Is, Too.,” and “Climate Plans Get Punched in the Face,” with California PUC Commissioner Matt Baker.

Order your copy of The Myth and The Moment: From Polarization to Progress in the New Energy Landscape.

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To relationships forged in the fire,Tisha

This week, I sit down with Jim Kerr, chairman, president, and CEO of Southern Company Gas, for a conversation about what happens when the realities of physics, economics, and historically high energy demand collide with The Myth of an Easy Energy Transition.

Jim would be humble and interesting while talking to a tree stump. But lucky for you, he is even more engaging with me. A few things you’ll hear us discuss:

* Why “the laws of physics and economics are undefeated” when it comes to our energy system

* The growing pressure on the natural gas and electric systems as demand rises

* How leaders can move beyond picking winners and losers in energy debates

* Why humility and honesty matter in conversations about energy and climate

We agree: Easy narratives about the energy transition are giving way to mature, nuanced conversations about trade-offs.

Why Jim Kerr?

Before leading Southern Company Gas, Jim served as a utility commissioner in North Carolina—which means he understands energy not just from the perspective of operations and infrastructure, but also from the perspective of public accountability. He argues for natural gas, reliability, and infrastructure investment while also acknowledging trade-offs, environmental concerns, and the importance of public trust. At a moment when so many conversations about energy devolve into ideological battles, Jim’s uncommon sense of leadership, stewardship, and service elevates the conversation.

Some of Jim’s insights:

On the iron laws and intellectual humility: “This is a business that is ultimately governed by the laws of physics and economics. ... We can wish that they were different, but they’re not going to change. The laws of physics and economics are undefeated. And I think if we will humble ourselves, engage, and listen to each other … we can avoid the certitude that ‘I know the answer, and my answer is unassailably the correct answer.’”

On what customers know about energy complexity: “Fundamentally, folks want an energy system that is as clean, as reliable, as affordable, and as safe as possible. But people also understand there’s a balance to those things—that there are trade-offs inherent in the system.”

Bring on the permitting reform! “The system that we were increasingly reliant on had really been underinvested in fundamentally. … There is no substitute for more fit-for-purpose infrastructure being built. So we need permitting reform.”

On why this moment matters: “I do think we’re at the dawn of a new day of abundance, not scarcity, multiple opportunities, not sort of certitude about … a silver bullet. … I think the next couple of decades are truly an opportunity that will be generational.”

Bonus content!

Bio: Jim Kerr is chairman, president, and CEO of Southern Company Gas, one of the nation’s largest natural gas utilities serving more than 4 million customers across the country. Before joining Southern Company in 2014, he served for eight years on the North Carolina Utilities Commission and was president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. Kerr previously practiced energy law and policy at McGuireWoods, where he focused on energy regulation, transactions, and infrastructure development. Today, he is a leading voice on energy reliability, natural gas–electric coordination, and the infrastructure needed to meet growing U.S. energy demand.

Watch the episode on YouTube or listen to the podcast on Substack to hear Jim and me discuss The Myth and The Moment.

National Petroleum Council’s Report Reliable Energy: Delivering on the Promise of Gas-Electric Coordination.

My recent podcast episodes “Don’t Take the Bait,” “Energy Abundance Is Non-Negotiable. Responsibility Is, Too.,” and “Climate Plans Get Punched in the Face,” with California PUC Commissioner Matt Baker.

Order your copy of The Myth and The Moment: From Polarization to Progress in the New Energy Landscape.

What to do next in The Moment

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To certitude with a splash of humility,Tisha

In last week’s Both True, I wrote about a shift I’m watching closely: climate priorities being repackaged as affordability arguments. Affordability is now the governing political test on energy—and some decarbonization-first advocates are repositioning their programs as the key to energy affordability.

This week’s solo pod picks up the next, harder question: What do you—the oil and gas leader—do with this insight?

If your first move is to scoff and say, “That’s just climate masquerading as affordability,” you will be correct. But you are unlikely to be effective.

In this solo episode, I work through:

* Why being right is not the same thing as being effective

* What oil and gas leaders can and cannot credibly call out

* How to respond when affordability arguments skip over energy system complexity

* Why emotional discipline is a core leadership skill

* What political signals from California and Democratic presidential politics may tell us about where energy arguments are headed next

A preview

On the “first simple answer”: “A lot of what is climate masquerading as affordability is a sincere, first, simple solution. And we all need to be committed to working further on that topic to get to the actual, more nuanced answer.”

On why calling it out may not work: “If you say, ‘Oh, that’s just climate masquerading as affordability,’ everyone is just going to roll their eyes and look the other way.”

On what to do instead: “Let’s go up to 100,000 feet. Let’s look at a longer time scale. Let’s explore the question of affordability in a bigger physical context.”

On the real leadership test: “I do 100 percent believe in telling the truth. The subtle thing I want to emphasize here is: When, where, and how can we be effectively persuasive?”

Bonus content for this episode

My latest book, The Myth and The Moment.

My most recent Both True, “Is Climate Action ‘Energy Affordability?’”

Mentioned: Politico’s “Tom Steyer Is Running the Most Expensive Campaign in America. It Might Win Him the California Governorship, and “Tom Steyer’s Climate Pivot Signals New Playbook for Dems.”

Tell me what you think: “Doing Data Centers the Not-Dumb Way” Volts podcast with Jigar Shah.

Relevant podcasts of mine: “Climate Plans Get Punched in the Face” and “Energy Abundance Is Non-Negotiable. Responsibility Is, Too.”

Watch the episode on YouTube or listen to the podcast on Substack.

What to do next in The Moment?

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To effective truth-telling,

Tisha

What you’ll get in this solo episode of Energy Thinks

Last week, I made the case that energy abundance is a civic good—and that oil and gas remain central to achieving it. This solo pod explores some of the consequences of that argument: What does energy abundance as a civic good require of industry? What does it ask of the Problem Solvers? And who decides what comes next?

In this solo episode, I work through:

* What follows from the civic case for energy abundance and the five truths that underpin it

* Why “We’re essential” is not a sufficient case for oil and gas

* What a social contract might require of companies like yours operating at the center of modern life

* Why Problem Solvers matter more than perfect persuasion

* Why someone still has to make a coherent case for unmitigated natural gas (ASAP!)

A preview

Why a civic case for energy abundance matters: “This is particularly poignant right now, when we see the angst around permitting reform, around power systems’ build-out. The momentum is still on the side of anyone who wants to say no. The only way that calculus is going to change is when there’s a sense of ownership and buy-in and agency around these projects at each community level. Or the nays will always win.”

On the social contract: “If you’re doing something that is essential to the well-being of society, there is a social contract expected of the company: that you give more than you receive, that you are there when needed, that you make certain commitments.”

On problem solvers and confidence: “I don’t think there is a way to say ‘The Myth is dead’ that people living in The Myth of an Easy Energy Transition can hear. The conclusion I’ve come to is that Problem Solvers must have the confidence to say ‘This is right’ and be willing to take the critique.”

Plus: Someone needs to make the case for natural gas. Is that you?!

Bonus content for this episode

My latest book, The Myth and The Moment.

The civic case for energy abundance: Being Essential Isn’t Enough.

Matt Yglesias’ piece “Republican War-Mongering Is Their Worst Economic Policy.”

Relevant podcasts: “Climate Plans Get Punched in the Face” and “The World Changed. The Climate Playbook Didn’t.”

Watch the episode on YouTube or listen to the podcast on Substack.

What to do next in The Moment

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To building the social contract,

Tisha

My most important conversations right now are focused on The Problem Solvers—those civic leaders squeezed between the climate ambition of their constituents and energy reality. In this episode, I sit down with Matt Baker, Commissioner at the California Public Utilities Commission, to talk about what Problem Solver leadership looks like on the front lines of climate ambition: California.

In few places have The Myth of an Easy Energy Transition faced The Moment more clearly than in California. This conversation is important to you for a few reasons:

* Matt’s the best kind of Problem Solver—a smart, devoted, pragmatic, experienced climate hawk willing to name trade-offs and argue for workable solutions.

* He’s in the middle of the action. He sits at the center of some of the hardest questions in energy right now: what to build, how fast to build it, and who can afford the bill.

* He thinks differently than we do. And (as you’ll hear) his view of the world—what matters, what is possible, what is urgent—is very different from yours. You need that diversity of thought.

How does Matt address the yawning gap between the climate expectations of his constituencies and the on-the-ground pressures around cost and reliability? “I’m thinking of that quip from Mike Tyson’s,” he told me, “which is ‘All plans are great until you get punched in the face.’”

For a long time, he added, regulators like him operated under an implicit plan for the energy transition: First drive efficiency, then decarbonize power sources, then electrify everything else. But now that punch Tyson was talking about has arrived in California, in the form of rising costs, reliability stressors, and wildfire liabilities.

What makes Baker worth hearing is his unflinching commitment to the centrality and urgency of climate ambition to the state’s goals and his mandate. He argues that reliability and affordability are the necessary conditions for climate action.

You need to understand this point of view.

Why Matt Baker?

I met Matt when I was head of the Colorado Oil & Gas Association and he was a Colorado public utilities commissioner. He’s someone I’ve long known to be both a passionate climate hawk and a deeply pragmatic thinker.

Matt brings a perspective we don’t hear enough from: what it looks like to sit at the center of the regulatory beast, where every decision is a trade-off—and getting it wrong has real consequences for your neighbors. In his case, 39 million of them.

Some of Matt’s insights:

On climate ambition versus reality: “It’s super important as an energy regulator to recognize that if we can’t provide safe, reliable, and affordable energy services, then we will not be able to meet those climate goals. That prime directive—particularly reliability and affordability—has to go hand in hand if we’re going to meet [climate] goals.”

On climate progress: “We have to get used to living in difficult worlds and making trade-offs—but still moving the ball as far as we can every time we get it.”

The quiet part was said out loud: “I continue to believe natural gas is a critical fuel, and that California really needs to be able to think about how do we get clean firm [power]. And until we have clean firm [power sources] that are economical, we’re going to rely on natural gas.”

On depolarizing energy and climate: “This is not a religious war. ... This is not a crusade on either side. My goal is to make energy boring again! Let’s talk about cost allocation. Let’s talk about resource planning.”

Bonus content!

More about Matt Baker: Matt Baker is a commissioner at the California Public Utilities Commission, appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2024. He brings decades of experience in energy and climate policy, including serving as director of the CPUC’s Public Advocates Office and deputy secretary of energy at the California Natural Resources Agency. Previously, he was a commissioner at the Colorado Public Utilities Commission and a program officer at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Baker began his career in public interest advocacy and holds a BA in history from Pennsylvania State University.

Watch the episode on YouTube or listen to the podcast on Substack to hear Josh and me discuss The Myth and The Moment.

Read Jennifer Pahlka’s Recoding America: Why Government Is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better.

CPUC’s report to the California Earthquake Authority: Senate Bill 254 Information and Recommendations.

Order your copy of The Myth and The Moment: From Polarization to Progress in the New Energy Landscape.

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To rolling with the punches,Tisha

What you’ll get in this solo episode of Energy Thinks

Fear works—up to a point.

So even before we found ourselves amid a war in the Middle East and an energy crisis, a fear-driven politics was forming in reaction to AI, data centers, and energy buildout.

Why? Because fear is politically easy for both the left and the right. But you—the successful energy leader—want much more than scoring easy political points. Your challenge: Offer an alternative vision to the demagoguery.

And then connect that vision to your stakeholder communities, to give them a path out of the fear.

Both of these things are true:

* Fear will be the default politics around AI, data centers, and energy infrastructure growth.

* Leaders must offer a vision of the future—complete with that infrastructure—that communities will actually champion.

In this solo episode, I work through:

* Why a politics of fear is emerging around AI, data centers, and energy

* What it takes to offer a credible, optimistic vision of the future rooted in innovation and real-world outcomes

* Why communities—not just policymakers—will ultimately determine what gets built and what doesn’t

A preview

The opportunity the politics of fear gives us: “Fear as a political approach is the default, and we should expect that. … I think it leaves this wide-open lane for someone to talk about the future in an optimistic way.”

On the real goal of community engagement: “You want champions. You don’t just want to be an invited guest, but a recruited, welcome, sought-after partner in building communities of the future.”

On articulating a better enemy: “What if polarization became the enemy? The polarization is turning our politics into these wild, populist pendulum swings, making it impossible to get common sense things done, like budget bills and permitting reform.”

Bonus content for this episode

My latest book, The Myth and The Moment.

A song that inspired my spring break (h/t to the hubby, Brian!).

Relevant podcasts: “The World Changed. The Climate Playbook Didn’t.” and “The Center Won’t Hold Itself.”

Mentioned: an Axios story on how AI CEOs are fueling a more fear-driven conversation about the future.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

What to do next in The Moment

* We can help your busy team work more strategically. Email us to secure a contract spot for Q3 2026.

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To providing that compelling vision,

Tisha

I sit down with Alex Trembath, executive director of the Breakthrough Institute, because I wanted to explore a question that’s been on my mind for a while: Are we really moving past what Alex calls the “peak climate” era? (Because I’m not so sure.)

For much of the past two decades, climate change has been the central organizing force for energy policy, politics, philanthropy, and corporate strategy. But the world is shifting. Geopolitics, economic pressures, and new technologies—especially artificial intelligence—are changing the political context for energy and climate.

Alex and I talk about what that means for the future of the energy transition, the persistence of what I call the “climate orthodoxy,” and the debates now emerging inside Democratic politics around oil and gas, nuclear, the grid, and the one thing that determines how everything unfolds: permitting reform.

If you’re trying to understand where the conversation on energy and climate may go next, this is a good place to start.

Why Alex?

I’ve known Alex for a long time, and he’s one of the people I turn to when I want to stress-test my thinking about energy and climate.

At the Breakthrough Institute, Alex has helped develop an eco-modernist perspective that puts technological innovation and energy abundance at the center of solving environmental challenges.

When Breakthrough first started advancing these ideas, they were often seen as fringe. Today, many of these same ideas—innovation, advanced nuclear, carbon removal, energy abundance—are much closer to the center of the conversation.

I wanted to talk with Alex because the world feels as if it’s shifting again. The climate agenda that dominated the past decade is running into new political and technological realities.

The question now is: What replaces the old playbook—and how does our industry contribute to a thriving, vibrant energy landscape?

Some of Alex’s insights

* On peak climate: “For most of my career, climate change was the central organizing force for progressives and for the Democratic Party. Reaching net-zero emissions by mid-century was non-negotiable. Everything was framed around how it contributed to the climate agenda. I think that world is over.”

* On our role: “The oil and gas industry has a lot of industrial and technical knowledge to share, with carbon removal, clean fuels, geothermal, and other emerging energy technologies. There are many ways industry can continue to accelerate energy innovation and expand energy abundance.”

Bonus content!

Watch on YouTube or listen on Substack to hear Alex and me discuss The Myth and The Moment.

Order The Myth and The Moment: From Polarization to Progress in the New Energy Landscape.

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On to what comes next,

Tisha

The most important conversations often must reckon with a profound tension: two opposing ideas that are both true. Example:

* Communities deserve voice and process.

* Communities can’t keep using their voices to “ban” the stuff that keeps the lights on—pipelines, transmission, firm generation—without consequences: spiking bills, stalling projects, and disappearing reliability.

I look for conversations with people with whom I don’t always agree—in order to explore the tensions that we must confront to make progress.

In this episode, I sit down with Josh Freed, senior vice president for climate and energy at the centrist think tank Third Way, to explore what a U.S. energy strategy rooted in the national interest could look like. That’s the connective tissue between today’s theme and the bigger question behind it: We can’t ban our way to the national interest. We have to define what we’re optimizing for—reliability, affordability, security, competitiveness, and yes, lower emissions—and then build the infrastructure that makes those goals real.

Josh brings an important, and still too rare, perspective to our industry’s work: What is politically viable to Democrats, and what do American citizens care about? We talk about the affordability pressures shaping public sentiment, the deeper failure to build infrastructure at scale, permitting reform, nuclear power, natural gas, coal, innovation, and what it would take to restore a sense of mission to American energy policy.

If we are serious about moving beyond polarization—and about building again—we need this kind of conversation. And if you’re an oil and gas leader, you can’t delegate this to your government affairs team. It’s a direct call to leadership from you. The next decade will be defined by whether we can build—and whether industry (you!) shows up as a credible partner in defining and addressing the trade-offs that building requires.

Why Josh?

I’ve known Josh for nearly a decade. We do not see the world the same way. And that’s exactly why I wanted him on the show.

Josh and his colleagues at Third Way are helping shape the future of the Democratic Party’s energy message. That’s good news—because Josh consistently challenges orthodoxies on the left, questions ideological purity tests, and argues that clean energy must compete on cost and reliability if it’s going to scale.

If you care about building durable coalitions—and ensuring oil and gas companies can be credible partners in what comes next—you need to understand how leaders like Josh are thinking. He represents the kind of center-left partner you’ll be able to do business with ... if you’re ready to make trade-offs yourself.

Some of Josh’s insights

* What energy is politically viable? “Democrats and centrists need to re-embrace ‘all of the above.’ The reality is, natural gas is still used in our economy and in economies around the world for a wide variety of reasons, and it’s going to continue to be used for the foreseeable future. Oil is the same way, and we have to not only accept but embrace that reality.”

* On a linchpin for permitting reform: “We—as a country, the energy sector, developers, investors—need to have confidence that there’s a path that works and that the government is good for its word, regardless of who’s in power in the White House ... and we just don’t have that right now, and we didn’t have that to the full extent that we should have in the last administration, either.”

* On American leadership: “There’s this broader systemic problem, which is we don’t build infrastructure or do big things in the United States anymore. And it is because there’s this ideological challenge on both sides of the aisle that we need to only adhere to a set of technologies, a set of market constraints, or other politically imposed circumstances that really do limit the way our economy builds things and powers the country.”

Bonus content!

We also talk about The Myth and The Moment—why “easy transition” narratives collapse the moment you collide with reliability, permitting reform, and the sheer scale of infrastructure required.

Watch the episode on YouTube or listen to the podcast on Substack to hear Josh and me discuss The Myth and The Moment.

Order your copy of The Myth and The Moment: From Polarization to Progress in the New Energy Landscape.

What to do next in The Moment

* Email us, and we’ll help you train for the energy race. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

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Over (opting out) and out,

Tisha

What you’ll get in this solo episode of Energy Thinks

The political center matters—and it won’t hold itself. Whereas the political extremes reward polarization and populism, sustaining a functioning and productive polity requires … you! The work ahead needs your engagement, curiosity, and willingness to compromise—even when your effort is awkward, incremental, and unappreciated. Whether a strong, pragmatic left emerges to join a vibrant political center matters to you, your company, and what comes next.

Why is this work so important? Because the same sort of tension defines the work of the Problem Solvers—governors, regulators, public utilities commissioners, and others caught between climate aspiration and on-the-ground energy reality. As affordability, reliability, and power-system growth collide with climate goals, these leaders are operating under tightening constraints and are accountable when trade-offs can no longer be avoided. You need to give them a path on which to walk forward confidently. You need to ensure there is firm ground in the political center.

In this solo episode, you’ll hear me think through:

* Why a functioning political center is essential—and why it requires us to build and sustain it

* What’s happening on the center left as pragmatism, populism, and institutional responsibility collide

Here’s a preview:

On why replacing one populism with another is not a solution: “The natural order of things will be for the pendulum to swing from the current populist right to a populist, illiberal left. A lot of progressive politics suggests that this is what we should want. But I think that’s a dangerous assumption, and I don’t live in a world where that feels like a stable or healthy outcome.”

On the active work required to sustain pragmatic politics: “It’s really important in America that we have two functioning parties that encourage civility, that encourage … bipartisan legislation that encourages incremental change, compromise, and progress. … To not have a country run by polarization or populism of either left or right, illiberalism on both the left and the right, we have to be curating the center.”

On engaging across disagreement: “Wherever you fall on the political spectrum, be an organization and a leader worthy of engaging with those with whom you disagree. Be smart. Be curious. Be willing to compromise, and be willing to look at things from their perspective.”

Bonus content for this episode

My latest book, The Myth and The Moment.

My piece “The Best Thought Experiment You’ll Do This Year”.

Relevant podcasts: “The Gas Moment Is Real. It’s Also Fragile.” and “Trim Your Sails”

My series on working with the Problem Solvers: Part 1, “The World According to the Problem Solvers,” Part 2, “Ding Dong The Myth Is Dead,” Part 3, “Three Steps to Calling It Right,” and Part 4, “How Building Becomes the New Climate Leadership.”

Watch the episode on YouTube or listen to the podcast on Substack.

What to do next in The Moment

* We can help your busy team work more strategically. Email us to secure a contract spot for Q2 2026.

* Please take a moment to give Energy Thinks a five-star rating wherever you listen to your podcasts.

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To a crowded center,

Tisha

What you’ll get in this solo episode of Energy Thinks

Tailwinds have blown open a political window for natural gas—especially among moderate Democrats. This Moment is real. It’s also fragile. If our industry mistakes momentum for durability—or indulges our worst habits because it feels as if “we’re finally winning”—we’ll just prompt a backlash that will slam the window shut.

We won’t win The Moment with bravado—or even facts. We’ll win if our industry shows up as a good partner to the stakeholders currently trying to meet us halfway. What does this mean? That we:

* Emphasize our decarbonization ambitions

* Acknowledge their climate concern

* Deliver on environmental performance

And, most important, we must create the conditions for the climate-concerned to change their minds about The Myth without losing face.

In this solo episode, you’ll hear me think through some of what I’m now telling oil and gas leaders privately:

* How you can use reflection and intention to deepen your meaningful leadership

* What it would take to convince me that The Myth is not a myth

* Democrats and natural gas … what’s happening, what comes next, and what could go terribly, terribly wrong

Here’s a taste of what you’ll get:

On your need as a leader to be thoughtful: “There really is a consistent interest in us humans to do something that matters, that’s meaningful, and that will endure past us. … We can only achieve that if we make some space in our lives for reflection and then be really intentional about what we’re going to do and how we’re going to do it.”

On the political pendulum and industry amnesia: “Do not erroneously imagine that the sense of momentum and power and winning that pervades our industry right now … Do not for one moment assume that you’re going to feel remotely that way when the political pendulum swings back. … Just think back two years.”

On the risk of disengagement: “There are people out there on the left going to extraordinary lengths to create a sensical energy and climate platform—we need to be worthy of their partnership, of their faith, of their engagement. … If you are a Republican or a centrist or an independent, and you think this isn’t relevant to you, I say you are smoking crack and wrong, and you need to pay attention.”

Bonus content for this episode

My latest book: The Myth and The Moment

My newsletters “The Question at Dawn” and “The Best Thought Experiment You’ll Do This Year”

Alex Trembath’s recent Substack post “Environmentalism vs. Affordability in New York”

The New York Times piece “Obama Supported It. The Left in Canada and Norway Does. Why Don’t Democrats?”

Matthew Yglesias’ Substack “A Reply to Critics on American Oil and Gas”

Emily Atkin’s Substack “It’s Time to Embrace Climate Conspiracy”

Watch the episode on YouTube or listen to the podcast on Substack.

What to do next in The Moment

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Loving the fresh air from the open window,

Tisha

Climate activists have overplayed their political hand with righteous language, inflexible targets, and clear villains.

But you don’t have to look far to see industry supporters displaying a similarly overconfident absolutism—just pro-fossil and anti-renewables.

We can do better—much better—than an energy politics focused on accumulating temporary wins. Especially when the next swing of the pendulum is always coming.While this political environment rewards performative certainty, savvy industry leaders are setting their sights past the zero-sum story. Their discipline? “Trim your sails,” focus on the destination, match tactics to strategy, and refuse the intoxicating certainty of being “finally right.” That’s how they’ve always built durable outcomes—and this time will be no different.

I wanted to explore these ideas with a thought partner who would challenge my point of view. So to kick off Energy Thinks for 2026, I sat down with Daniel Raimi, fellow at Resources for the Future (RFF) and host of the Resources Radio podcast.

Why Daniel?

Daniel acknowledged something many in our audience know well:

If anyone thinks the energy transition is going to be easy, that’s totally a myth.

Daniel is a rare voice in our polarized landscape. He lays out why the work ahead is hard—technically, socially, and politically. He encourages all of us—climate hawk to industry stalwart—to check our hype and focus on building durable progress instead. Which starts by talking about what’s hard.

That’s what we do in this episode: discuss the scale of the system, the political hurdles, and the pressures—for affordability, reliability, and decarbonization—that shape public sentiment and policymaker reactions. In other words: crosswinds.

Listen and learn why it’s time to trim your sails.

Some of Daniel’s insights

* On oil and gas in the future: “I think there’s a big role for oil and gas in pretty much every scenario that I can envision, but the role is different under different policy assumptions.”

* On the Problem Solvers tack to climate realism: “I think there has been this correction and a return to realism that some of these super-ambitious climate goals are just not really achievable, and in many ways, they’re actually not desirable. They’re not realistic. They would involve trade-offs that I don’t think are acceptable to most people.”

* On the intensity of the polarization: “I think there is room for people on both sides of the argument to try and trim their sails a little bit and really focus on the things that actually make sense from an economic and a scientific perspective. I think there’s going to continue to be energy from the political left on climate. I don’t think that’s going to go away. I think it might actually become more intense.”

Bonus content!

Check out my appearance on Resources Radio next week.

My book: The Myth and The Moment: From Polarization to Progress in the New Energy Landscape.

Report: RFF’s Global Energy Outlook 2025.

Book: Power Lines: The Human Costs of American Energy in Transition.

Bill Gates’s memo, “Three Tough Truths About Climate.”

Watch on YouTube or listen on Substack to hear Daniel and me discuss The Myth and The Moment.

What to do next in The Moment

Let me help you trim your sails and shape realistic energy solutions:

* If this email was forwarded to you, subscribe here. It’s free!

* Email us to book your 2026 tactical meetings.

* The most important thing you can do is tap the heart button below! It helps others find my work.

To leaders who work past the zero-sum story,

Tisha

What you’ll get in this solo episode of Energy Thinks

There was so much volatility in 2025. Were you occupied just doing the freak, as in the classic Chic song? (“All that pressure got you down? Has your head been spinning all around?”)

What I cover in this solo pod: How do you handle yourself as a leader during times of great volatility and uncertainty? What should you do (and definitely not do)?

You’ll hear my lessons learned from forging a career amidst chaos and volatility. One big one: While many of those experiences felt apocalyptic at the time, none of them were.

I walk you through key takeaways from major personal and professional upheavals, peppered with a few never-before-shared stories, such as watching a boss gamble away $20,000. (He could have paid off my student loans instead!)

Bonus content

To hear more about what got me from environmental activist to face of the oil and gas industry, read my first book, Accidentally Adamant.

What to do next in The Moment

* Please forward this Both True to three colleagues looking to start the new year off right!

* Was this email forwarded to you? Please subscribe here.

* Take heart! Hit that heart button below.

Wishing you and yours a happy new year,

Tisha

What you’ll get in this episode of Energy Thinks

A great conversation (as usual) with Chad. His optimism is infectious. So is his discipline in resisting telling potential partners “I told you so” about The Myth. He’s focused on building relationships with those partners instead. Listen and learn why you should, too.

Why Chad?

Chad’s not afraid to hit hard or take a stand … and he sees The Moment as a generational opportunity for oil and gas to lead. Chad and I dig into the unraveling of The Myth of an Easy Energy Transition to discuss the bold plays he is making in The Moment at Williams.

Bonus content!

* The Myth and The Moment: From Polarization to Progress in the New Energy Landscape is available to order on Amazon.

* Watch the episode on YouTube or listen on Substack for our exploration of The Myth and The Moment.

What to do next in The Moment

* Email us if you’re looking to navigate The Moment in your organization.

* Was this email forwarded to you? Please subscribe here.

* Are you ready to hit the gym? Then hit that heart button.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season!

Tisha

What you’ll get in this solo episode of Energy Thinks

The Myth of how climate progress is “supposed” to happen is visibly unraveling in both politics and the media. But it isn’t dead yet! We’re probably not even past “peak climate-crazy.” How we work and engage now—in The Moment—will shape everything that follows. And if you’re not vigilantly strategic, you risk feeding the zombie—maybe without even knowing it.

In this solo episode, you’ll hear me think through:

* The seemingly convincing evidence suggesting that The Myth and “peak climate-crazy” are behind us

* Why that evidence makes me nervous—really, really nervous

* The intentional leadership—how we as oil and gas leaders talk about climate and decarbonization, and how we act—that will keep The Myth from reanimating and derailing real progress

Here’s a taste of what you’ll get, in two quotes:

“This idea that we don’t have to talk about climate and decarbonization anymore is silly. Entire jurisdictions still treat it as a dominant priority—even as they hit the brick wall of affordability and reliability.”

“We have an unprecedented generational opportunity to build the next-generation energy system. Let’s do it in a way that anticipates, engages, and respects the wide and wild world of our stakeholders.”

Listen in to hear this crucial episode of Energy Thinks—it will help define your 2026 strategy.

Bonus content for this episode

My latest book, The Myth and The Moment.

My series on working with the Problem Solvers: Part 1, “The World According to the Problem Solvers,” Part 2, “Ding Dong The Myth Is Dead,” Part 3, “Three Steps to Calling It Right,” and Part 4, “How Building Becomes the New Climate Leadership”.

Article on Tom Steyer’s run for California governor.

Watch the episode on YouTube or listen to the podcast on Substack.

What to do next in The Moment

* We can help your busy team work more strategically. Email us to secure a contract spot for Q2 2026.

* Please take a moment to give Energy Thinks a five-star rating wherever you listen to your podcasts.

* Was this email forwarded to you? Please subscribe here.

* Feeling that holiday spirit? Hit that heart button below.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season!

To effective inoculation,

Tisha

What you’ll get in this solo episode of Energy Thinks

In this episode, I take you with me into the Red Sea to make sense of today’s increasingly strange climate and energy narratives.

After traveling to Egypt and swimming (voluntarily! for a long time!) in the Red Sea, I came home thinking differently about courage, villains, and what it means to keep moving forward when others around us … haven’t.

In this solo episode, you’ll hear me think through

* How climate narratives keep getting weirder—and less useful—for climate action

* Why some adherents of The Moment are stuck, retreading components of The Myth with increasingly outlandish rationales

* How all of that creates enormous opportunity for you—to lead what comes next

Because leaders see open water and dive in.

Listen in to hear about all the weird thoughts and creatures I swam with.

A preview …

Why The Myth explains today’s energy contradictions: “Climate-centric stakeholders think of you, the oil and gas employee, as a tobacco lobbyist. … It helps explain why, even when they need natural gas, they still don’t want to talk to you.”

How climate-centric media coverage keeps falling into a self-defeating framing: “Coverage overwhelmingly sets affordability, reliability, and national security in conflict with climate goals. It sets up climate in a zero-sum game with things it will almost always lose to.”

Why the industry has to own—and outgrow—its role in The Myth: “We need to understand our role as a villain, get really smart about not playing into it, and start articulating a mindset that replaces old thinking with something actually innovative.”

When courage arrives disguised as dolphins: “They turned around, they heard us calling, and they swam alongside us. … It is, other than having my two children, the most magical thing that ever happened to me.”

Bonus content for this episode

The Myth and The Moment is your guide to leading into the energy future. If you don’t have it, get it.

Check out my series on working with the Problem Solvers: Part 1, “The World According to the Problem Solvers,” Part 2, “Ding Dong The Myth Is Dead,” and Part 3, “Three Steps to Calling It Right.”

Mentioned in the episode:

* “The Future of Energy Has Arrived—Just Not in the U.S.” The Daily, New York Times.

* “With the U.S. Absent, China Takes Over at COP30” POLITICO Energy.

Watch the episode on YouTube or listen to the podcast on Substack.

What to do next in The Moment

* Starting your 2026 planning? Email us to set up a briefing on The Myth and The Moment for your team.

* Please take a moment to give Energy Thinks a five-star rating wherever you listen to your podcasts.

* Was this email forwarded to you? Please subscribe here.

* Glad I made it back with all my limbs? Hit that heart button below.

To dolphins,

Tisha

What you’ll get in this episode of Energy Thinks

I’m joined by longtime friend and colleague Roger Pielke Jr., senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute—and one of the most fearless, objective, and valuable analysts of the climate-and-energy space.

Roger’s work lands at the messy intersection of science, policy, and public discourse—the crucial place where oil and gas leaders find themselves navigating The Moment.

Why Roger?

Roger brings a unique blend of academic rigor and clear-eyed political insight to the fraught conversations around energy and climate. Together on this episode, we dive into how political division is dismantling traditional climate narratives—and why that’s good news. Roger shares eye-opening findings from a national poll that reveal a critical insight: Most Americans aren’t buying into climate-apocalypse scenarios. Instead, they’re seeking energy solutions that are reliable, affordable, and realistic.

The climate debate we’ve known for decades—polarized, partisan, predictable—is changing. As Roger explains, the simplistic framing of climate apocalypse versus climate denial no longer holds water, and that creates opportunity for pragmatic energy solutions. Roger’s insights are crucial for leaders like you who are juggling conflicting pressures from your stakeholders.

Bonus content!

* Subscribe to The Honest Broker on Substack for Roger’s thoughtful insights on science, policy, and public dialogue.

* Read Roger’s survey analysis, co-authored with Ruy Teixeira: “The Clean Energy Transition’s Voter Problem.”

* Watch the episode on YouTube or listen on Substack for our exploration of The Myth and The Moment.

What to do next in The Moment

* Got this email from a colleague? Subscribe here.

* Ready to face The Moment head on? Hit that heart button below.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Tisha

What you’ll get in this solo episode of Energy Thinks

I explore a simple, hard question: What comes after The Moment? Answering this question is mission critical if we want to ensure that The Myth of an Easy Energy Transition doesn’t hang on with zombie strength. In the midst of my Problem Solvers’ series (Part 1 and Part 2), I wrestle with how we seize this generational opportunity to write what comes next for the energy system.

In this solo episode, you’ll think through the following with me:

* Who fills the vacuum (and why it’s you)

* A simple framework that attracts the Problem Solvers and lets them build things (listen for the model)

* A case for natural gas—but better

I’m working on both the vision that you, the oil and gas leader, can offer to the Problem Solvers and the framework that can inspire politically feasible platforms. Listen in—and help me make it better.

Bonus content for this episode

The Myth and The Moment sets up the paradigm for today’s episode. Why is The Myth unraveling, and what opportunity does The Moment hold?

Both of These Things are True editions “The World According to the Problem Solvers” and “Ding Dong The Myth Is Dead”.

“The Post-Myth Playbook with Kevin Krausert”

Watch the episode on YouTube or listen to the podcast on Substack to hear me discuss The Myth and The Moment.

What to do next in The Moment

* Thinking about those year-end gifts? Email us for a bulk order of The Myth and The Moment for your team.

* Please give Energy Thinks a five-star rating on your podcast platform.

* Was this email forwarded to you? Please subscribe here.

* Hit that heart button below! It’s the most important thing you can do to support my work.

To the most important job ahead,

Tisha

How can oil and gas leaders like you meet the Problem Solvers where they are? Listen to my new conversation with Kevin Krausert, CEO and co-founder at Avatar Innovations, an energy technology venture studio operating in both Calgary and Houston. (Disclosure: I sit on the advisory board for Avatar, because I share Kevin’s vision of the industry as central to meeting the generational opportunity of The Moment.)

In this episode you’ll hear about

* The opportunity our industry has during the current “five-year hangover” following cleantech euphoria

* Kevin’s three-pillar vision of an energy future led by you

* The hazards of over-relying on a purely disruptive energy future

Why Kevin?

Kevin leads Avatar Innovations, at the sweet spot of energy opportunity: the center of a Venn diagram of innovation, investment, and infrastructure.

Some of Kevin’s insights

* On what cleantech euphoria got wrong: “Five years later, we’ve woken up and realized that the Silicon Valley obsession with disruption is not going to work in energy. You can’t disrupt your way to a new energy future. You can only build it.”

* On the secret sauce of Avatar’s oil-and-gas-centric innovation: “You have to do technology development and leadership development at the same time. … If you do technology development without leadership development, culture will eat technology for breakfast every day of the week.”

* On Canada’s Avatar for The Moment: “There’s probably no one person that amalgamates this moment than Mark Carney, our new prime minister. He was really the high priest of the net-zero finance movement, but now he’s prime minister of the world’s third largest oil exporter. [He leads] at a time when the easiest and fastest way to turn around Canada’s economy and productivity challenges is going to be through doubling down on oil and gas.”

Bonus content!

Applications for the Avatar 2026 program are now open for the cohort starting in February 2026. Check out the program and consider encouraging two high-potential leaders in your organization to apply.

Kevin’s podcast interview on The Climate Cycle: “Rewiring Risk and Return in Climate Tech with Kevin Krausert, Avatar Innovations”

My Both of These Things Are True newsletters “California’s Refinery Reckoning” and “The 3 Ts of Energy Realism.”

Watch on YouTube or listen on Substack to hear Kevin and me discuss The Myth and The Moment.

Order The Myth and The Moment: From Polarization to Progress in the New Energy Landscape.

What to do next in The Moment

* Email us to help your team build a 12-month action plan to lead The Moment. We have one project opening in February.

* If this email was forwarded to you, subscribe here.

* Did you skip the five-year hangover? Tap the heart button below! It helps others find my work.

Play ball!

Tisha

What you’ll get in this solo episode of Energy Thinks

I published “Good Riddance to Climate Week” recently, and I got a lot of feedback, from readers loving and hating it. Overwhelmingly, those who attended Climate Week said I got it wrong—for them, Climate Week was still an inspiring, engaging experience. And those who didn’t attend loved the piece, because it called out the “cringy spectacle” that turns off the very outsiders Climate Week seeks to motivate and mobilize.

That split-screen response inspired me to think about whom I’m targeting in my ongoing work of helping people to acknowledge the end of The Myth of an Easy Energy Transition and to take charge of what comes next.

I start with this question: In our world of stakeholders, who most needs our help right now? That answer is clear: the Problem Solvers. These are the countless regulators, planners, utility commissioners, city staffers, engineers, and dealmakers who have to deliver power, pipes, and projects in the real world.

And so, in this solo episode, I think out loud about these things:

* Who are the Problem Solvers, and what are they tasked with?

* What do they need from us, the oil and gas leaders?

My answer: They need three things from us, starting with help understanding The Myth so that they can name it—and leave it behind. And the key to this work, as always, is to respect the Three Ts. Listen in to hear the rest.

Bonus content for this episode

The Myth and The Moment describes who the Problem Solvers are and why they are tasked with our energy future. (Spoiler alert: because no one else is!)

Watch the episode on YouTube or listen to the podcast on Substack to hear me discuss The Myth and The Moment.

What to do next in The Moment

* Starting your 2026 planning? Email us to order The Myth and The Moment for your team.

* Please take a moment to give Energy Thinks a 5-star rating wherever you listen to your podcasts. It helps others in the industry discover these conversations.

* Was this email forwarded to you? Please subscribe here.

* Support my work: Hit that heart button below.

To being both wrong and right,

Tisha

What you’ll get in this (solo) episode of Energy Thinks

In this solo pod, I reflect on the Abundance conference I attended in D.C. last month. Is there an abundance agenda that oil and gas employees, communities, leaders, and supporters could get behind? In other words, is there an abundance for the rest of us, in which cost of living eclipses everything else?

At the conference, speakers added “clean” before every mention of “energy” as if it were a tic, conveying a reflexive, tribal desire to say “We want to build, but only the stuff that our tribe approves of.” Sure, cleaner energy is undoubtedly our shared goal—but it has to be affordable and reliable as well.

Listen to hear me unpack the qualities our industry—and the rest of the world—could get behind in an abundance movement:

* Nonpartisan: Target outcomes, not tribes.

* High-energy: Energy makes other abundance priorities possible and affordable.

* Pro-building: Not just ADUs—support pipelines, too.

* Clear trade-offs: It’s more than permits; it’s understanding and making way for trade-offs.

Above all—and most radically—abundance needs to shed any good-guys-versus-bad-guys framing. Transforming policy conversations will require a real shuffling of coalitions—not just convenient “labor” additions, but real labor additions, like the employees of oil and gas companies and the citizens of their supporting communities.

My recommendation: Let’s take the first step and define what we would like to see out of the abundance movement. It will have to grow beyond its center-left roots—and I’m guardedly optimistic that it will.

Mentioned in this episode

Varieties of Abundance by Steven Teles, Niskanen Center

Watch the episode on YouTube or listen to the podcast on Substack.

What to do next in The Moment

* Email us to set up a briefing on how your company can understand The Myth and The Moment—and activate on it.

* Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here.

* Love energy? Love your enemies? Tap that heart for either or both.

Energy without enemies cannot exist unless we make the first moves. Here’s what that looks like in practice: disciplined transparency, posture that calms the room, and a bias toward projects that measurably improve affordability, reliability, and cleaner outcomes. It’s how we foster trust—and permission to build—at the same time.

Build more—and argue less,

Tisha

Toby Z. Rice, CEO at EQT, is unabashedly America’s natural gas champion—and I always enjoy his high-energy, high-optimism takes! On this episode of Energy Thinks, Toby was clear: Energy security, reliability, and affordability are nonnegotiable. He paired this resolution with unwavering commitment to the trajectory to zero carbon. Toby framed his company’s imperative this way:

We are still in one of the greatest races ever when it comes to energy. I don’t care if you’re in renewables, batteries, nuclear, natural gas, oil, coal—we are all in a race to be the first energy solution that can present the trifecta to the world: affordable, reliable, and zero-carbon.

Given his outspoken optimism, I pressed Toby on leadership in The Moment—globally, nationally, and locally. You’ll hear:

* How energy abundance can fuel economic development, with Pittsburgh as a proving ground

* Why “best of the above” beats “all of the above” (“RIP ‘All of the Above’”!)

* How American LNG underpins global energy security and (I ask) climate security, too

* Toby’s bold vision for using energy abundance as a “wrecking ball” against poverty to unleash human potential around the globe

Why Toby?

Toby leads EQT, one of America’s largest natural gas producers. His abundance lens is pragmatic: affordability, reliability, cleaner outcomes. That combination makes him a compelling voice for The Moment.

Some of Toby’s insights

* On reframing energy: “Energy is life; energy is wealth; energy is technology and prosperity. Energy is freedom. And that’s a very good message for us to get excited about. And the one way that every single person in this industry can move that ball forward is by making the energy we produce more affordable, more reliable, and cleaner. And then tell people: ‘You do it.’”

* On the role of American LNG: “What’s been proven over the past few years is that LNG, specifically American LNG, is the global guarantor of the world’s energy security. We cannot say that enough times. It was America that really stepped up to deliver energy to Europe when their supply was yanked away [by] Russia. And one truth that we’ve learned from going through that crisis is that without energy security, the world cannot transition. So American LNG is going to play a huge role in providing that energy security.”

* On turning The Moment into action: “What are the next steps [so] that we can take this passion and convert it into real action? That’s going to be different for every company. But one thing that’s going to underpin every one of those action plans is bringing more energy into the world. Because the more energy we bring into it, the better the world will be.”

Bonus content!

My op-ed in The Hill: The “easy energy transition” myth is causing your bills to go up.

My Both of These Things Are True: “The 3 Ts of Energy Realism.”

Watch on YouTube or listen on Substack.

Order: The Myth and The Moment: From Polarization to Progress in the New Energy Landscape.

What to do next in The Moment

* Email us to translate your team’s optimism about The Moment into a 12-month action plan.

* If this email was forwarded to you, subscribe here.

* Wreck that wall! Tap the heart button below. (It really helps!)

Smash!

Tisha

Scott Hallam, president & CEO of Boardwalk Pipelines, joins me to offer his takes on my new book, The Myth and The Moment, and to map how leaders can drive what comes next. You’ll hear:

* Why “the Myth” won’t disappear—but will evolve

* How leaders can engage with true believers in the Myth

* How to build and test a durable strategy for your business that stands up under changing political regimes

Why Scott?

Scott has front-line experience making the case for the triple mandate for energy leadership: decarbonization + reliability + affordability—all anchored in technology and innovation. He challenges us to think big (not “small ball”) to drive what comes after The Myth: America’s energy advantage and best-in-class infrastructure.

Some of Scott’s insights

On the Myth’s staying power (and how to meet it): “I think that The Myth will continue to evolve, and I just think there’s too much investment emotionally and intellectually for The Myth to ever really go away… as those of us that are in the moment, we have to find ways to come alongside those that really believe in the promises of clean energy.”

On building a strategy that survives political whiplash: “We have to consistently test our strategies and our thinking… finding the right alliances… with those that may not be like-minded, but there’s common ground.”

On how we create what happens next in The Moment: “We want to think big. We want to make sure that everything we’re looking at and considering is because we’re thinking large scale, big, big opportunities.”

What to do next in The Moment

* Watch on YouTube or listen here.

* Order The Myth and The Moment for your team’s year end meeting! Contact us for a bulk order.

* If you’re a paid subscriber, thanks! If not, you can support my work by upgrading to paid.

* Hit that heart button in a BIG way to help others find my work!

Home run!

Tisha

I sit down with Arjun Murti, partner at Veriten, creator of the Super-Spiked newsletter and video Substack, and one of the most influential voices for energy realism. You’ll love Arjun’s sharp insights into why The Myth of an Easy Energy Transition is dissolving and what that means for oil and gas leaders, climate stakeholders, and global energy demand. We use his Wall Street framework of “getting the call right” to move past tribal takes and toward action.

You’ll hear:

* Why the “delayed transition” narrative is grabbing attention—but is risky for company leaders

* How decarbonization actually advances—by paying attention to the interests of the emerging economies that will become the global middle class

* Why oil and gas companies must use The Moment to take smart risks and articulate a credible vision for an energy-rich future

* How to build the leadership muscle of “getting the call right”—data in, ego out—and update the call when facts change

Why Arjun?

Arjun has spent over 30 years on Wall Street as a sell-side equity research analyst, buy-side investor, advisor, and board member, with expertise in the global energy sector. Arjun is trusted across the spectrum, from climate-centric stakeholders to oil and gas executives, because he leads with data, humility, and curiosity. He’s trained to “only care about getting the call right” and isn’t afraid to correct his calls publicly.

Some of Arjun’s insights

* On unrealistic expectations: “There is never any one-size-fits-all. … There's a lot of evidence that the bulk of humanity understands there’s no such thing as an easy energy transition.”

* On the “delayed transition” crutch: “They are going to simply try and punt: ‘We’re still right; it’s just delayed.’ And I am encouraging everyone that we advise: Don’t fall for that. Don’t fall for those who are not recognizing the failed analytics of that net-zero mindset.”

* On what actually drives decarbonization: “We will decarbonize, but not by counting carbon. No one on earth, with the exception of activists, actually cares about carbon. … And so then the question is ‘What is going to actually motivate decarbonization?’” (Listen to find out!)

* On the new day in energy: “The greatest thing to be optimistic about is the technology companies—they now care about energy.”

Bonus content!

Arjun’s Super-Spiked video podcast on “delayed transition” narratives: “Obliterating Mainstream Macro Narratives: Natural Gas.”

Watch the episode on YouTube or listen to the podcast on Substack to hear Arjun and me discuss The Myth and The Moment.

Order your copy of The Myth and The Moment: From Polarization to Progress in the New Energy Landscape.

Interview recorded on August 27, 2025.

What to do next in The Moment

* Check out my piece in The Hill “This one climate myth is what’s causing energy prices to rise”.

* Craft your “get the right call” blueprint. Email us for help.

* If this email was forwarded to you, please subscribe here.

* Are you usually right? Hit that heart button below.

To the right call,

Tisha

* The kind of endurance it takes to keep moving when every instinct says stop,

* A culture-war symbol that may become a bridge, and

* The surprising leadership muscle that unlocks momentum after you’ve run out of strategies.

Mentioned in the episode:

The Myth and The Moment is now available.

“Ruben Gallego's 'Big Ass Truck' Pitch to Fellow Democrats”, Newsweek by Jesus Mesa

“Ford leaders sharpen their focus on how to beat the Chinese to lead in global markets”, Detroit Free Press by Jamie L. LaReau

“Beatitude”, Vocabulary

Watch the episode on YouTube or listen to the podcast on Substack to hear me discuss The Myth and The Moment.

Subscribe here for Tisha’s weekly Both of These Things Are True email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Kayla Chieves who makes the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Episode recorded on August 24, 2025]

John led the National Petroleum Council (NPC) study released in April 2024 “Charting the Course: Reducing GHG Emissions From The U.S. Natural Gas Supply Chain,” which was requested by Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

John holds a Marine Engineering degree from Maritime College and an MBA in finance from St. Mary’s College.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Pre-order The Myth and The Moment now!

Subscribe here for Tisha’s weekly Both of These Things Are True email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Kayla Chieves who makes the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on July 22, 2025]

Amy is responsible for providing leadership, management, and vision to NJR Clean Energy Ventures, NJR Energy Services, and NJR Midstream while also overseeing the company’s Corporate Strategy, Government Affairs, Communications and Sustainability functions.

She brings a unique perspective from her career spanning state government leadership and corporate strategy, bridging traditional natural gas operations with clean energy innovation.

Amy holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from The College of New Jersey, an MA in communications from the New York University and an Advanced Management Program Certificate from Harvard.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Pre-order The Myth and The Moment now!

Subscribe here for Tisha’s weekly Both of These Things Are True email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Kayla Chieves who makes the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on August 14, 2025]

Mentioned in the episode:

The Myth and The Moment is available for pre-order. Get your copy today!

“What Passage of the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ Means for US Energy and the Economy,” Rhodium Group

“Assessing Impacts of the House ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ on U.S. Energy Costs, Jobs, Health, Emissions,” Energy Innovation

Watch the episode on YouTube or listen to the podcast on Substack to hear me discuss The Myth and The Moment.

Subscribe here for Tisha’s weekly Both of These Things Are True email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Kayla Chieves who makes the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Episode recorded on July 31, 2025]

Since joining Williams in 2017, Chad has led the company’s expansion by guiding the corporate strategy process, delivering strategic acquisitions and providing commercial leadership across William’s various businesses, geographies and customers.

Chad has a bachelor’s in materials engineering from Purdue University and holds an MBA from the University of Houston.

Chad is located in Tulsa, OK.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Pre-order The Myth and The Moment now!

Subscribe here for Tisha’s weekly Both of These Things Are True email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Kayla Chieves who makes the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on July 7, 2025]

Mentioned in the episode:

Tisha’s forthcoming book, The Myth and The Moment.

Subscribe here for Tisha’s weekly Both of These Things Are True email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Kayla Chieves who makes the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Episode recorded on June 13, 2025]

Mentioned in the episode:

Tisha’s forthcoming book, The Myth and The Moment.

The Both of These Things Are True newsletter, “The Three Ts of Energy Realism”.

Subscribe here for Tisha’s weekly Both of These Things Are True email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Kayla Chieves who makes the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Episode recorded on May 30, 2025]

At AEI, Roger focuses on science and technology policy, the politicization of science, government science advice, and energy and climate. He is also a distinguished fellow at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan, a research associate of Risk Frontiers (Sydney, Australia), and an honorary professor of University College London.

Subscribe to Roger’s popular Substack, The Honest Broker. He has been published in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and the Financial Times.

Roger has written a number of books, including The Rightful Place of Science: Disasters and Climate Change (2018); The Edge: The War Against Cheating and Corruption in the Cutthroat World of Elite Sports (2016); Presidential Science Advisers: Reflections on Science, Policy and Politics (2011), with R. Klein; and The Climate Fix: What Scientists and Politicians Won’t Tell You About Global Warming (2010).

Roger has a PhD in political science, an MA in public policy, and a BA in mathematics, all from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Roger is located in Boulder, CO.

Mentioned in the episode:

Roger’s survey co-published with Ruy Teixeira: The Clean Energy Transition’s Voter Problem.

Tisha’s Both of These Things Are True newsletter published on September 26, 2024: “The 3 T’s of Energy Realism.”

Watch the episode on YouTube to hear Tisha and Roger discuss The Myth and The Moment.

Subscribe here for Tisha’s weekly Both of These Things Are True email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Kayla Chieves who makes the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on May 12, 2024]

Mentioned in the episode:

Tisha’s upcoming book, The Myth and The Moment.

Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson's new bestselling book, Abundance.

Tisha’s Both of These Things Are True newsletter, “Practical Environmentalism Is Inevitable”

The Energy Thinks podcast episode: Are We Beyond Peak Climate? with Ruy Teixeira

Subscribe here for Tisha’s weekly Both of These Things Are True email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Kayla Chieves who makes the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Episode recorded on April 24, 2025]

Ruy focuses on the transformation of party coalitions and the future of American electoral politics. Before joining AEI, he was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress from 2003 to 2022.

He is the author of many books, reports, and articles. He is the coauthor of The Emerging Democratic Majority, one of his most influential books, which was selected as one of the best books of the year by the Economist. Ruy is also often published including in the Atlantic, the American Prospect, National Review, the New Republic, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post. He hosts “The Liberal Patriot” podcast and co-edits the blog on Substack. He is also a contributing writer at The Washington Post and The Free Press.

He holds a PhD and MS in sociology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His dissertation on declining voter turnout was published as Why Americans Don’t Vote: Turnout Decline in the United States, 1960–1984. His BA is from the University of Michigan.

Ruy is located in Washington, DC.

Mentioned in the episode:

The Liberal Patriot podcast: Ruy’s interviews with Marc Dunkelman and Derek Thompson.

Ruy’s piece published January 9, 2025: The Unstoppable Rise of Energy Realism.

Ruy’s AEI report with Yuval Levin published October 11, 2024: Politics Without Winners: Can Either Party Build a Majority Coalition? And another AEI report published from Ruy on May 10, 2023: From Environmentalism to Climate Catastrophism: A Democratic Story.

Ruy’s survey co-published with Roger Pielke Jr.: The Clean Energy Transition’s Voter Problem.

Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson.

Energy Thinks Podcast: Secret?! Practical Environmentalism with Matthew Yglesias.

Tisha’s Both of These Things Are True newsletter published on November 21, 2024: Practical Environmentalism Is Inevitable.

Watch the video on YouTube to see Tisha and Ruy discuss The Myth and The Moment.

Subscribe here for Tisha’s weekly Both of These Things Are True email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Kayla Chieves who makes the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on April 14, 2024]

Mentioned in the episode:

Tisha’s first book, Accidentally Adamant.

Recent Both of These Things Are True newsletters, “The Myth Revealed by The Moment” and “Everything Changes. Here’s a Plan for That”.

If you’re able to help those in need during these times of uncertainty, please consider participating with your local food bank.

Special shoutout to Lindsey Slaughter who has stuck through all the ups and downs with Tisha and 10 years of Adamantine Energy.

Subscribe here for Tisha’s weekly Both of These Things Are True email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Kayla Chieves who makes the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Episode recorded on April 8, 2025]

Mentioned in the episode:

Both Of These Things Are True newsletters “Thank You for Smoking” and “Climate Warrior or Climate Curious”.

Subscribe here for Tisha’s weekly Both of These Things Are True email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Kayla Chieves who makes the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Episode recorded on March 15, 2025]

Mentioned in the episode:

Both Of These Things Are True newsletters “Thank You for Smoking” and “Climate Warrior or Climate Curious”.

Subscribe here for Tisha’s weekly Both of These Things Are True email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Kayla Chieves who makes the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Episode recorded on February 26, 2025]

Lorna received a bachelor’s degree in geology and economics from Cornell University and received her law degree from Lewis & Clark. She also completed the Executive Management Program from the University of Washington.

For 23 years Lorna has worked for Puget Sound Energy (PSE). Her roles have included senior corporate counsel, assistant general counsel, director of environmental services, deputy general counsel, and vice president of sustainability.

She is responsible for PSE’s sustainability efforts and progress toward PSE’s aspirational Beyond Net Zero Carbon goal. Lorna also handles complex litigation and other legal issues on behalf of PSE.

Lorna is located in Seattle, Washington and tries to keep up with her three very active teenagers in her free time.

Watch the video on YouTube to see Tisha and Lorna discuss The Moment.

Subscribe here for Tisha’s weekly Both of These Things Are True email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Kayla Chieves who makes the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on February 12, 2024]

Arnab brought his expertise in policy and law to Employ America starting in 2020 and joined IFP in 2023. Prior to this, he served as a legislative fellow for Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), where he focused on housing policy. He also served as a law clerk with the Senate Judiciary Committee. Arnab has worked as both a teacher and a school leader in Bombay, India.

He received a J.D. from the George Washington University Law School where he was Articles Editor on the George Washington Law Review and also received a M.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.

Mentioned in the episode:

Arnab’s New York Times opinion piece published December 8, 2024: Climate Activists Need to Radically Change Their Approach Under Trump.

Tisha’s Both of These Things Are True newsletters, Practical Environmentalism Is Inevitable and The 3 T’s of Energy Realism.

Watch the video on YouTube to see Tisha and Arnab discuss The Moment.

Subscribe here for Tisha’s weekly Both of These Things Are True email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Kayla Chieves who makes the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on January 23, 2024]

Becca received a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Washington University in St. Louis and a PhD in organic chemistry from Colorado State University. Becca currently resides in the Dallas, TX metro area.

Mentioned in the episode:

The Sarah Troise study, Public Attitudes Towards Electricity Decarbonization and Meeting 2035 Goals.

The Tufts study, The Youth Vote in 2024.

Tisha’s Both of These Things Are True newsletter published on November 7, 2024: Is Power Demand a Force? Or a Directional Driver?

Watch the video on YouTube to see Tisha and Becca discuss The Moment, and to sneak a peak at Becca’s special guest, Cinnamon.

Subscribe here for Tisha’s weekly Both of These Things Are True email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Kayla Chieves who makes the Energy Thinks podcast possible. And special thanks to Morgan Gass and Maanav Jhatakia for all their hard work researching The Moment.

[Interview recorded on January 16, 2025]

Mentioned in the episode:

Both Of These Things Are True newsletters Three Ts of Energy Realism and Practical Environmentalism Is Inevitable.

Matthew Yglesias’ 2024 year-ending appearance on Energy Thinks: (Secret?!) Practical Environmentalism with Matthew Yglesias, and his Substack: Slow Boring, subscribe to his newsletter here.

The Bloomberg Podcast Zero: The Climate Race: What is the Exxon CEO doing on a climate podcast?

Climate Activists Need to Radically Change Their Approach Under Trump by Arnab Datta

Trump’s Choice to Run Energy Says Fossil Fuels Are Virtuous by Lisa Friedman

The response to Lisa’s NYT article: Can we please have a nuanced discussion of development and fossil fuels? by Todd Moss.

Subscribe here for Tisha’s weekly Both of These Things Are True email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Kayla Chieves who makes the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Episode recorded on December 17, 2024]

Tisha and Toby discuss:

·      EQT’s environmental-centric approach to unleashing U.S. LNG;

·      The global decarbonization race;

·      The energy industry’s role in addressing climate;

·      His vision for the “greenest initiative on the planet”;

·      Qualities needed for rising leaders to build trust; and,

·      Motivation resulting from workplace culture.

Toby’s experience as an executive in the industry started in 2007 when he co-founded Rice Energy with his brothers. Up until 2017 when the company was acquired by EQT, he held various positions, including CEO, president, COO, and board member. Along with serving as the president and CEO of EQT since 2019, he serves as a partner at Rice Investment Group. Toby has a B.S. in chemistry from Rollins College.

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Slaughter, Adán Rubio, and Michael Tanner who make the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on June 16, 2022]

Tisha and Vicki discuss:

·      Oxy’s role as a carbon management business;

·      Key qualities for leaders amid the energy transition;

·      Effective collaboration with non-traditional allies;

·      Vicki’s revelation during her 2018 meeting with the pope;

·      Oxy’s DAC project in the Permian and synergies with the chemicals business;

·      The balance between current operations and the demands of the energy future; and,

·      The importance of inclusivity and belonging in a company.

Vicki’s career began at Cities Service, which later was acquired by Oxy. She held various vice presidency positions and was responsible for operations in multiple countries at Oxy, which has assets primarily in the U.S., Middle East, and North Africa and conducts various midstream operations. In May 2016, she became president and CEO of the company, where she continues to serve as a member of its board of directors. Vicki received a B.S. in mineral engineering from the University of Alabama in 1981 and was inducted into the 2016 class of Distinguished Engineering Fellows.

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Slaughter, Adán Rubio, and Michael Tanner who make the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on June 13, 2022]

DRW started his career in the energy industry as a reservoir engineer at Anadarko in 2001. He later became the co-founder and COO of OneEnergy Partners, which was sold in November 2018. In an effort to publish his book, “What the F@&K is Wrong with Everybody Else? (What They Didn’t Teach You in Business School),” he started posting his “hot take of the day” on LinkedIn. From this, the #hottakeoftheday became a website and podcast. DRW has a B.E. in chemical engineering from the University of Calgary and an MBA from Cornell University.

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Special thanks to DRW for letting Adamantine share this episode with its audience. Thanks to Lindsey Slaughter, Adán Rubio, and Michael Tanner who make the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview originally published on May 20, 2022]

Tisha and Brian discuss:

·      Technological innovations in sustainable aviation;

·      The necessary bridge between traditional business and new forms of innovation;

·      The place for incremental versus disruptive improvement;

·      Leadership qualities required for energy transition leaders;

·      Boeing and AEI HorizonX’s achievements in innovation;

·      An intentional culture pivot at Boeing in 2017; and,

·      Investment priorities and the trifecta that guides AEI HorizonX’s efforts.

Brian has years of experience in aerospace, technology, and defense. He served as vice president of corporate strategy at Cobham and as manager of strategy and program operations in the Space and ISR Division at Northrop Grumman. In April 2017, he became the senior managing director of Boeing HorizonX Ventures and served in that position until August 2021 when the venture capital team created AEI HorizonX with AE Industrial. He also is the chairman of the board at Wisk, a joint venture between The Boeing Company and Kitty Hawk Corporation. Brian has an MBA from the University of Maryland and a B.S. in electrical and electronics engineering from Northwestern University.

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Slaughter, Adán Rubio, and Michael Tanner who make the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on May 12, 2022]

Tisha and Alice discuss:

·      Xcel’s affordability and reliability guardrails around energy transition efforts;

·      Three strategic principles for engaging employees amid the transition;

·      Team development and the natural tension of balancing current and future system needs;

·      The value of listening to communities to find a shared path forward;

·      Xcel’s dedicated workers and the pride they have for delivering life essential services; and,

·      A huge solar project!

Listen here for the Coal at Sunset: A Colorado Town in Transition podcast mentioned in this episode.

Alice started working in GTT and IT positions at companies including Enron Energy Services and Oxy, Inc. before becoming director of energy ventures at Oxy in 2004. She became the regional VP of rates and regulatory affairs at Xcel in Amarillo, TX in 2011 and served in the same position a few years later in Denver, CO. While in Denver in 2016, Alice earned the title of VP of strategic revenue initiatives, which she held until May 2018 when she became president of Xcel in Colorado. She also has been a board member of the American Red Cross (donate here) since 2015. Alice has a B.S. in management information systems from Texas A&M University and has completed the Program for Leadership Development at Harvard Business School.

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Slaughter, Adán Rubio, and Michael Tanner who make the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on May 6, 2022]

Tisha and the senators discuss:

·      The value of bipartisan collaboration;

·      Milestones from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act;

·      Energy transition perspectives from Colorado and Louisiana;

·      How oil and gas leaders can build trust with political leaders;

·      Hydrogen hubs, CCUS, and other innovations; and,

·      Geopolitical relations and the need to supply the world with  the cleanest molecules

Senator Hickenlooper’s role in politics began in 2003 when he was elected Denver mayor and served in that position for eight years. He served as the governor of Colorado from Jan. 2011 to Jan. 2019 before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2021. Prior to his time in politics, Hickenlooper founded Wynkoop Brewing Company in 1987. He also worked as a geologist at Buckhorn Petroleum from 1981 to 1986. Hickenlooper has a master’s in geology and earth science and a B.A. in English language and literature from Wesleyan University.

Senator Cassidy’s work in politics started when he was elected to the Louisiana State Senate in 2006. He later was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008 before earning his current Senate seat in 2014. As part of the Louisiana State University School of Medicine, Cassidy taught medical students and residents at Earl K. Long Hospital in 1990. He also co-founded the Greater Baton Rouge Community Clinic during this time. Cassidy has a B.S. from LSU and an M.D. from the LSU School of Medicine.

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thank you to the staff in Senator Hickenlooper and Senator Cassidy’s office for making this bipartisan collaboration possible! Thanks to Adamantine’s Kayla Dolan for her invaluable assistance. Thanks to Lindsey Slaughter, Adán Rubio, and Michael Tanner who make the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on May 3, 2022]

Tisha and Harry discuss:

·      The complicated and messy world view of realistic climate action;

·      Interdependence and interconnectedness themes around climate resilience;

·      COP26’s influence on net zero as an operating principle for business;

·      The need for oil and gas companies to build strategic resilience in certain volatility;

·      Change stories articulating company aspirations;

·      Government and business collaboration and the mobilization of finance; and,

·      Storytelling as a leadership tool.

Reports and content referenced in this episode:

·      IPCC: Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change

·      IPCC: Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability

·      Powered by data, driven by people: The travel sector’s future

·      Protecting people from a changing climate: The case for resilience

·      Diversity Wins report

·      Opportunities for UK businesses in the net-zero transition

·      Women in the Workplace report

·      Keynote for the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week Summit

Harry leads McKinsey’s sustainability practice in the UK and Ireland and is the company’s people leader in these countries. He also leads the company’s U.N. Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP) process and its relationship with the United Nation’s High-Level Climate Champions. In addition to his work in sustainability, Harry leads data analytics for McKinsey’s Travel, Transport & Logistics Practice and the London office’s Travel, Transport & Logistics Practice and Aerospace & Defense Practice. He also serves on the board of Navimeter, a data analytics tool that can predict more accurate port-time arrivals and improve asset utilization via global vessel tracking. Prior to his start at McKinsey in 2004, Harry served as brand manager at Proctor & Gamble for seven years. He has an M.A. in history from the University of Oxford and a M.Phil. in history from the University of Cambridge.

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Slaughter, Adán Rubio, and Michael Tanner who make the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on April 21, 2022]

Tisha and Alan discuss:

·      Their vision for a clean energy future;

·      Millennials’ and Gen Z’s role in the pipeline industry;

·      The need for pipeline professionals to innovate and spark positive change;

·      Employee interconnectivity and the value of new ideas;

·      Williams’ strides in decarbonization;

·      The benefits of unassailable emissions data for company reputation; and,

·      Collaboration with government on energy policy.

Alan became CEO and president of Williams in January 2011 after working as the company’s SVP of Midstream operations. He started working at the company as an engineer in 1986 and later earned positions including VP of Gathering and Processing (1999-2002), VP of Commercial Development (1998-1999), VP of Retail Energy Services (1997-1998), and Director of Commercial Operations for midstream business in the Gulf Coast region (1995-1997). Alan serves on boards for various organizations including the American Petroleum Institute, the Energy Infrastructure Council, and The Williams Foundation. Some of the boards he serves on are for educational organizations, such as the Board of Trustees for The University of Oklahoma Foundation and 3DE. Alan received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Oklahoma in 1985.

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Slaughter, Adán Rubio, and Michael Tanner who make the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on April 7, 2022]

Tisha is the CEO of Adamantine Energy, where she consults private clients from Fortune 100 energy companies to non-profit environmental organizations in energy policy, business strategy, politics, and community engagement. In Season 4 of the Energy Thinks podcast, she is talking to game-changing leaders in and around the oil and gas industry to prepare for her new book about companies translating decarbonization aspiration into action. Tisha has written two books: Accidentally Adamant (2018) and The Gamechangers Playbook (2020). In addition to hosting the Energy Thinks Podcast, she continues to author the company’s weekly Both of These Things Are True newsletters.

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Slaughter, Adán Rubio, and Michael Tanner who make the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on March 31, 2022]

Tisha and Matt discuss:

·      Exxon’s role in the energy transition;

·      Decarbonization roadmaps for global assets;

·      The underlying skills required to meet decarbonization targets;

·      The importance of addressing methane emissions;

·      How to inspire diverse talent;

·      Exxon’s $15 billion commitment to emissions-reduction projects; and,

·      The once-in-a-generation energy transition.

Matt started at Exxon as an environmental engineer in 1998 and has served in multiple positions including global safety, health, and environmental advisor, environment, regulatory, and socioeconomic senior consultant, and unconventional issue and sustainability manager. His past job experience also includes several years of service as an environmental engineer at The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company starting in 1991. Matt currently serves on boards for the Wildlife Habitat Council and the Stanford Natural Gas Initiative. He received a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Akron.

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Slaughter, Adán Rubio, and Michael Tanner who make the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on March 3, 2022]

Tisha and Mark discuss:

·        Reporting actual emissions data rather than estimates;

·        EDF’s methane-detection satellite making emissions data accessible for all;

·        The Oil and Gas Climate Initiative and the industry’s commitment to methane mitigation;

·        Shifting from a focus on CO2 to also addressing methane;

·        EDF’s recruitment of multilingual employees in the global energy industry;

·        Addressing hydrogen’s role; and,

·        What makes a compelling oil and gas leader as a partner.

Prior to joining EDF as managing director of business partnerships in 2006, Mark held two director positions at the Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG). In addition to working at PSEG, he served as an air quality regulator with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Mark was an adjunct professor who taught energy policy and energy project finance courses at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs and the New York University Law School, respectively. Mark has a law degree from the University of Michigan and a B.A. in history and political theory from Vassar College.

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Slaughter, Adán Rubio, and Michael Tanner who make the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on February 24, 2022]

Tisha and Martha discuss:

·        Proactively engaging with government’s around decarbonization to be a part of the solution;

·        The company’s 20-year support of a carbon price;

·        Suncor doubling down on sustainability leadership;

·        Cultivating trust and performance as oil and gas leaders; and,

·        The palpable excitement amid the energy transition.

Martha was appointed Suncor’s first chief climate officer at the beginning of February 2022. Before her start at the company as a chief sustainability officer in January 2020, Martha served as the president and CEO at the Canada West Foundation. She has also held positions as an executive fellow at The School of Public Policy and as chief legal officer at EnStream LP from 2011 to 2016. Prior to these roles, she represented Toronto as a Member of Parliament from 2008 to 2011. Martha has an undergraduate degree from the law school at York University and was admitted to the bar in Ontario in 1988. She received a BA in international relations and an Institute of Corporate Directors designation from the University of Toronto.

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Slaughter, Adán Rubio, and Michael Tanner who make the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on February 15, 2022]

Tisha, Chase, and Cully discuss:

·       Using excess natural gas to power computer processing, including digital currency;

·       Developing a company that is a magnet for talent;

·       Cultivating an idea meritocracy and tapping into an organization’s collective genius;

·       Leading three distinct workforces within one culture;

·       Focusing on DEI in recruiting;

·       Approaching innovation incrementally; and,

·       Building Crusoe’s sustainable and economic business strategy.

Prior to becoming the CEO of Crusoe in 2018, Chase Lochmiller utilized his skills in computer science as a quantitative researcher at GETCO and Jump Trading. He also served as a general partner at Polychain Capital. Chase has a master’s in computer science with a specialization in artificial intelligence from Stanford University and undergraduate degrees in math and physics from MIT.

Cully Cavness, president of Crusoe, puts his financial and leadership experience in the oil and gas sector to use. He has served in multiple positions including business development manager at Recurrent Engineering, CFO at Sword & Plough, and associate of energy investment banking at Petrie Partners. He was the vice president at Highlands Natural Resources for two years before. Cully has an MBA from the University of Oxford and a BA in geology from Middlebury College. He also completed the Executive Education program for Strategic Negotiations, Transaction Design, and Negotiation at Harvard Business School.

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Slaughter, Adán Rubio, and Michael Tanner who make the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on February 9, 2022]

Tisha and Ryan discuss:

·        Ryan’s vision for the evolution of the E&P business model;

·        Taking a stance on knowing actual emissions from operations;

·        Working with Kairos Aerospace and mitigating methane leaks;

·        Making decarbonization efforts profitably; and,

·        Mobilizing innovative talent and keeping employees motivated.

Ryan Keys co-founded Triple Crown Resources, LLC, a company based in Dallas, Texas that develops crude oil and natural gas deposits in the Permian Basin. Prior to his start at Triple Crown Resources in April 2017, he served as a vice president of energy investment banking and later the senior vice president for energy investment banking at Jefferies, a global investment banking firm. He also served as a reservoir engineer at Wapiti Energy and Object Reservoir, both based in Houston, Texas. Ryan received a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 2005 and a M.S. in petroleum engineering from Texas A&M University in 2008.

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Slaughter, Adán Rubio, and Michael Tanner who make the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on December 15, 2021]

Tisha and Shantanu discuss:

·        How direct air capture (DAC) 2.0 builds upon early DAC technology;

·        The enabling component of DAC 2.0;

·        The key solutions to make DAC cost-effective and scalable;

·        Why carbon negative technology will be crucial to our climate goals;

·        The incredible scale required for CO2 removal;

·        The importance of fostering diverse teams; and,

·        The cultural components required to attract and retain Gen Z talent.

Shantanu Agarwal co-founded Susteon, a company focused on hydrogen, CO2, and other low-carbon technologies dedicated to building a cleaner and affordable energy future. Prior to founding the company in January 2018, he served as a partner at EV Private Equity, chairman of the Society of Petroleum Engineers International, and a member of the Board of Directors at Wireless Seismic, Inc. Shantanu currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors at ProSep and an adviser at Swaniti Initiative. He received a B.S. in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in Roorkee and an MBA from Harvard Business School.



Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Slaughter, Adán Rubio, and Michael Tanner who make the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on December 7, 2021]

Tisha and Scott discuss:

·        Putting sustainability and ESG at the top of the leadership agenda;

·        Investor pressures for publicly traded versus privately held companies;

·        Being a nimble, proactive leader instead of a fast follower;

·        Accomplishing ESG goals and Pioneer’s 2021 Sustainability Report;

·        Cultivating Pioneer’s family culture; and,

·        Alternative energy projects and investment in the future of energy.

Scott Sheffield is the founder and CEO of Pioneer, the second-largest crude producer in Texas. Before Pioneer, Scott served as the CEO of Parker & Parsley Petroleum Co. for several years starting in 1985. The company merged with MESA, Inc. in 1997 to form Pioneer, which Scott led until retiring in 2016. He later came back to serve as president and CEO in 2019. Scott got his start in the industry at Amoco Production Co. as a reservoir engineer in 1975. In addition to his responsibilities at Pioneer, Scott serves on advisory boards for the Center for Global Energy Policy at Columbia University and the Energy Council of CSL Capital Management, LLC. Scott has been a big influence in America’s shale revolution and was a driving factor in lifting the U.S. crude oil export ban. Scott received a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. 

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Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Slaughter, Adán Rubio, and Michael Tanner who make the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on November 15, 2021]

Anne and Xuan discuss:

·        Workrise’s commitment to customers and the skilled labor workforce;

·        Retaining employees that support your company’s mission and vision;

·        What Workrise is doing differently to disrupt the industry through empowering employees;

·        Skilled labor shortages and enhancing workers’ marketability;

·        Building company success by empowering your team;

·        Ensuring corporate employees understand the field experience firsthand; and.

·        Lessons to learn from the changing energy landscape.

Xuan Yong is the CEO and co-founder of Workrise, a workforce management company that provides professional training, networking opportunities, and other resources to people looking for jobs and businesses looking for workers in industries including solar, upstream and midstream oil and gas, wind, construction, and defense. The company, which was previously known as RigUp, was rebranded in February 2021 to reflect its growth across multiple industries and the company’s mission of empowering hard workers. Prior to his start at RigUp in March 2014, Xuan served as an analyst at multiple companies including Citadel Investment Group, Kortright Capital, D.E. Shaw & Co., and Goldman Sachs. He received his Bachelor of Business Administration in finance and economics from Texas A&M University.

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Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Slaughter, Adán Rubio, and Michael Tanner who make the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on October 28, 2021]

Tisha and Granville discuss:

·        The growing opportunity to compete on carbon intensity;

·        Imminent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposals for emission disclosure requirements;

·        Oil and gas’s secure place in the global industry mix;

·        Potential scope 3 emission disclosure requirements and the European Commission’s proposed Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive;

·        An expected SEC human capital rule with DEI at the top of data governance;

·        Companies creating long-term value through civil society; and,

·        The aggressive, motivated individuals making an impact in operating companies.

Granville Martin is the director of U.S. policy and outreach at the Value Reporting Foundation (VRF), formerly the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), which merged with the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) in June 2021. Amid talks about potential SEC emission disclosure requirements, Granville has spoken at multiple forums, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Bipartisan Policy Center, about what company leaders can expect in the coming months. Prior to his start at the SASB in March 2021, he served as the senior vice president and general counsel at the Society for Corporate Governance where he helped members navigate increased demands for engagement and disclosure. He also served as the managing director for sustainable finance from June 2005 to February 2017 at JPMorgan Chase. He received a bachelor’s degree in political science and government from Boston University in 1989 and a Doctor of Law from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 1996. Granville also is admitted to the bar in New York and California.

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Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Gage, Adán Rubio, and Michael Tanner who make the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on October 18, 2021]

Tisha and Anthony discuss:

• Utilities’ unique role in enabling a just transition;
• Creating enduring prosperity in underserved and underrepresented communities;
• Diverse teams and the special skills they bring;
• ChargerHelp! co-founders Kameale Terry and Evette Ellis and other examples of leaders with unique solutions; and,
• Anthony’s personal commitment to service at scale.

Anthony Oni is the CEO and managing partner of the Elevate Future Fund at Energy Impact Partners (EIP), an investment firm that invests in companies directly reducing carbon emissions or working toward a net-zero carbon future. He also is the board chairman and founder of Ed Farm, a program in Alabama that provides innovative tools and strategies to increase educational equity. As a game-changing leader in the industry, he has spoken on the need for diversity among the venture capital system and other areas of the energy industry. In December 2018, Anthony founded and became the CEO of Cloverly, a company that developed an API that calculates carbon emissions to help organizations go carbon neutral or carbon negative. He continues to serve as a member of the company’s board. Anthony also served as the vice president for corporate communications at Southern Company Gas from February 2019 to April 2021 and held multiple roles at Southern subsidiary Alabama Power Company from August 2002. He received a bachelor’s degree in management information systems and business from Auburn University in 2002 and completed the executive education program in disruptive innovation at Harvard Business School in 2018.

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Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Gage, Adán Rubio, and Michael Tanner who make the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on September 2, 2021]

Tisha and Maynard discuss:

·        TPH’s pivot from an oil and gas focus to the entire world of energy;

·        How today’s work around innovation is the new incarnation of an exploration department;

·        Blind spots leaders have;

·        Using ESG as an opportunity to transform a company; and,

·        Avoiding groupthink to lead into the energy future.

Maynard Holt is the CEO of TPH, an investment and merchant bank in Houston, Texas that provides financial advice on the energy industry. Before his start at TPH in 2007, Maynard served as a managing director for Goldman Sachs. He is a board member of multiple organizations including OneGoal Graduation, The Houston Museum of Natural Science, and the University of Oklahoma Energy Management Board of Advisors and serves as a member of the George W. Bush Advisory Council. In addition to his daily duties at TPH, Maynard hosts the company’s C.O.B. Tuesday podcast and interviews guests from energy company executives to government officials about sustainability and the energy transition. Check out TPH’s interview of Tisha here! He received a B.A. in economics and Russian from Rice University and later received a master’s degree in public policy analysis from Harvard University.

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Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Gage, Adán Rubio, and Michael Tanner who make the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on September 2, 2021]

Tisha and Tim discuss:

·       Tim’s book, Changing Business from the Inside Out, and its guidance on corporate responsibility and ESG;

·       ESG and sustainability transitioning from a superficial marketing pitch to a company’s long-term focus;

·       Tim’s opinion piece on the shift in ESG data reporting and the rigor companies need to meet investor demand for data;

·       The anticipated U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) climate disclosure requirements;

·       Tim’s opinion piece and views on boards’ impact on company sustainability efforts;

·       Embracing ESG strategies with boards and the No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention example; and,

·       Leadership qualities and the courage necessary for business cannibalization.

Tim Mohin is the executive vice president and chief sustainability officer at Persefoni, a global venture-backed SaaS company that strives to help organizations lower their carbon footprint by providing the appropriate solutions and tools. He also serves as a stakeholder adviser to BASF’s board and a member of the faculty advisory group on ESG Competent Boards. Before Persefoni, Tim was the chief executive for the Global Reporting Initiative for about three years. He also held multiple corporate responsibility and sustainability roles at companies including Advanced Micro Devices, Apple, and Intel. In addition to being a game-changing leader in the workplace, Tim wrote Changing Business from the Inside Out: A Treehugger’s Guide to Working in Corporations to give readers advice on navigating the corporate responsibility sector. He received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Biology from State University of New York College at Cortland in 1982 and received a Master of Engineering Management with a focus on Environment from Duke University in 1984.

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Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Gage, Adán Rubio, and Michael Tanner who make the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on August 23, 2021]

Tisha and David discuss:

·        The rapidly increasing political risk for oil and gas companies;

·        His Engine No. 1 report and its dismissal of “fast following” strategies;

·        His co-authored study on the success of carbon capture and storage projects and thoughts on policy;

·        Pragmatic consideration of the human element in decarbonization strategies and his co-authored paper on climate policy models;

·        The future of natural gas and his California climate-protecting technologies example; and,

·        Energy transition revolutions and decarbonization “workshops.”

David Victor has been a professor of innovation and public policy at UCSD since 2009. He also serves as the Endowed Chair in Innovation and Public Policy for the Center for Global Transformation and the co-director of the Deep Decarbonization Initiative at the university. Outside of UCSD, he serves as an adjunct professor in climate, atmospheric science, and physical oceanography at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the co-chair of the Initiative on Energy and Climate at The Brookings Institution. Prior to these roles, David was a professor of energy and environmental law and the director of the Program on Energy and Sustainable Development at Stanford University. He is the author of many research articles regarding direct air capture, investors in the energy industry, reaching net-zero emissions, and more topics. David, who continues to serve as a consultant and policy adviser for companies and institutions, wrote a report for Engine No. 1 regarding the future of decarbonization efforts and oil and gas. He received an A.B. in history and science from Harvard University in 1987 and a Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1997. David can be reached at david.victor@ucsd.edu.

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Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Gage, Adán Rubio, and Michael Tanner who make the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on July 29, 2021]

Anne and Tisha discuss:

·        How the Foundations essays help oil and gas executives rethink our leadership paradigm;

·        Adamantine’s framework that considers dueling mindsets and the limits of “education”;

·        Tisha’s reasoning for her “Both These Things Are True” mindset;

·        The reception and challenges of the three disruptors in oil and gas;

·        The impact of millennials in the energy future; and

·        Game-changing opportunities for oil and gas leaders to embrace for disruption.

The Adamantine Foundations series lays the scaffolding for game-changing leaders to understand how Adamantine works with our clients and partners to help them pivot from disrupted to disruptor to build the energy future.

Tisha Schuller is the founding principal of Adamantine, where she consults private clients from Fortune 100 energy companies to non-profit environmental organizations in energy policy, business strategy, politics, and community engagement. She also serves as the host of the Energy Thinks podcast. Tisha authors the weekly Both of These Things Are True newsletter and has written two books: Accidentally Adamant (2018) and The Gamechangers Playbook (2020).

Anne Carto is the director of client strategy and sustainability at Adamantine. In her role, she guides clients’ operational sustainability by developing strategies to mitigate the unique risks facing each oil and gas company. By developing and guiding companies’ environmental, social, and governance (ESG), decarbonization, and stakeholder navigation strategies, she supports Adamantine’s proactive and transformational work future-proofing companies against rising social risk.

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Gage, Adán Rubio, and Michael Tanner who make the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on August 25, 2021]

Tisha Schuller welcomes Pierce Norton, incoming CEO of ONEOK, to the Energy Thinks Podcast. Tisha and Pierce discuss:

· The role that asking questions plays in game-changing leadership;

· How traditional oil and gas leaders can address climate and decarbonization within their companies;

· The three workplace benefits of addressing climate issues;

· The key ingredient that shapes company culture; and,

· The positively infectious nature of inclusivity.

Pierce Norton is the outgoing president and CEO of ONE Gas, Inc., a natural gas utility based in Tulsa, Oklahoma that offers distribution services in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas. He served as the executive vice president and COO of ONEOK and ONEOK Partners before ONE Gas became a publicly traded company in January 2014. Before serving these roles, Pierce was president of then ONEOK Distribution Companies, which included Oklahoma Natural Gas, Kansas Gas Service, and Texas Gas Service, and served as the executive vice president of natural gas. In addition to previously serving at KN Energy and American Oil and Gas, he worked at Delhi Gas Pipeline where he started his career in 1982. Pierce serves on the boards the American Gas Association and the Tulsa Community College Foundation. Pierce received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and graduated from Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.

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Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Gage, Adán Rubio, and Michael Tanner who make the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on June 3, 2021]

Guest host Anne Carto fills in for Tisha Schuller to welcome Andrea Passman on the Energy Thinks Podcast.

Anne and Andrea discuss:

· The role intrapreneurship plays in internal innovation

· Five ways to build a culture of intrapreneurship within your company

· How to balance cost and sustainable long-term value when pitching a business idea

· Cultivating values that keep up with the expectations of our current moment

· Recruiting the next generation of oil and gas leadership

· Empowering high-potential women in the workplace

Andrea Passman is the Chief Operating Officer at Caerus Oil and Gas, an investor in many conventional upstream oil and gas properties across western Colorado and eastern Utah. Before moving to her current leadership position in Colorado, she spent 6 years at CNX in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where she held numerous vice president roles until assuming the role of Sr. Vice President of Engineering and Operations. Prior to CNX, Andrea held senior leadership roles at Halliburton and Greenshale Energy. Andrea has an active civic life serving as a Colorado School of Mines President’s Council member and mentor, a University of Denver Crimson and Gold Society member, and a member of the Food Bank of the Rockies Operations Committee. Andrea holds an MBA from the University of Denver and a bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering from Colorado School of Mines. Additionally, she has pursued further studies as part of 1 year study programs at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business and the Harvard Business School.

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Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Gage and Michael Tanner who make the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on May 25, 2021]

Tisha Schuller welcomes Amy Harder to the Energy Thinks Podcast to discuss Amy’s new role with Breakthrough Energy Publishing after over a decade as a leading energy reporter.

Tisha and Amy sit down to discuss:

· The role journalism will play in the energy transition

· The consequences of a K-shaped economic recovery

· Identifying and lowering “green premiums” for clean energy

· Addressing energy justice in reporting

Amy Harder recently joined Breakthrough Energy as Vice President of Publishing to kick off a journalism initiative that will cover the opportunities and challenges of the energy transition. As a seasoned reporter on the energy beat, Amy has drawn a large following and is respected as a leading voice in energy journalism. She worked as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal before starting a regular energy column at Axios, Harder Line. A Pacific Northwest native, Amy holds a journalism degree from Western Washington University.

Episode Resources

· Axios. “To combat climate change, electric cars have to be cheaper”

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Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Gage, Michael Tanner, and Scott Marshall who have made the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on May 3, 2021]

Tisha Schuller welcomes Matt Gallagher to the Energy Thinks Podcast to discuss Matt’s leadership vision for the oil and gas industry.

Tisha and Matt sit down to discuss:

· Gallagher’s proposed “Shale New Deal”

· Three shortcomings the oil and gas industry must address

· Gallagher’s new endeavor, Greenlake Energy Ventures

· Testing professional and personal values after a turbulent 2020

Matt is a third-generation oil man who was most recently President and CEO of Parsley Energy. After Pioneer Natural Resources bought Parsley Energy in 2020, Matt founded Greenlake Energy Ventures to invest in and develop reliable and affordable energy sources that also are sustainably operated. Matt serves on the Board of Directors for Pioneer Natural Resources and Chesapeake Energy Corporation. Matt holds a Petroleum Engineering degree from the Colorado School of Mines.

Episode Resources

· Wall Street Journal, “Young Shale CEO Asks Texas to Curb Oil Output as Coronavirus Cuts Prices.”

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Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Gage, Michael Tanner, and Scott Marshall who have made the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on April 21, 2021]

Tisha Schuller welcomes Kristine Wiley to the Energy Thinks Podcast to explain what the emergence of hydrogen means for the energy future, and why this technology is a promising opportunity for the oil and gas industry.

Tisha and Kristine sit down to discuss:

· The role of hydrogen in a low-carbon economy

· How hydrogen fits in the existing natural gas value chain

· What is most important to developing hydrogen’s potential

· Overcoming the obstacles hydrogen presents

· What a city powered by hydrogen would look like

Kristine has spent the entirety of her career at the Gas Technology Institute (GTI) where she began as a scientist in 2002. Kristine was named Executive Director of GTI’s Hydrogen Technology Center in 2020 where she currently leads the Center’s efforts to develop public-private partnerships to leverage existing natural gas infrastructure to transition into a low-carbon future. She has extensive experience across GTI’s operations from methane detection, utility operations, and environmental compliance, to researching the future use of renewable natural gas (RNG) in current gas grids. Kristine holds an MBA from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago and a B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of Chicago.

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Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Gage, Michael Tanner, and Scott Marshall who have made the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on April 14, 2021]

Tisha Schuller welcomes Rose Mutiso to the Energy Thinks Podcast to discuss addressing energy poverty to meet human potential. They discuss the important and the unique considerations for Africa’s energy future in the context of global decarbonization.

Tisha and Rose sit down to discuss:

· Energy disparity in developing economies

· How decarbonization strategies must differ for developed and developing countries

· Empowering developing nations to prepare for climate adaptation

· The role of natural gas in sub-Saharan Africa

· Importance of bringing values into our working lives

Rose is the Research Director for The Energy for Growth Hub, connecting policy to effective pathways to a decarbonized, high-energy future. Additionally, Rose is the co-founder and CEO of the Mawazo Institute, a non-profit research center in Kenya that empower young African women to conduct climate research and launch successful careers. She is also a Senior Fellow in the Office of International Climate and Clean Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy. Rose is a leading voice in the empowering Africa to couple global decarbonization goals with providing the continent the energy potential it needs to continue economic growth. Rose has spoken in various TED Talks about addressing energy poverty in Africa that are linked below. Rose holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Sciences from Dartmouth College.

Episode Resources

· TED Talk (2020) “The energy Africa needs to develop – and fight climate change”

· TED Talk (2019) “How to bring affordable, sustainability electricity to Africa”

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Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Gage, Michael Tanner, and Scott Marshall who have made the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on April 7, 2021]

Tisha Schuller welcomes Anne Carto, Director of Client Strategy and Sustainability at Adamantine Energy, to the Energy Thinks podcast for a dive into the increasing pressure on oil and gas companies of all sizes to address ESG.

Tisha and Anne discuss:

· The 4 reasons to address ESG now

· Where to start your company’s ESG strategy

· Common mistakes that should be avoided

Anne is the Director of Client Strategy and Sustainability for Adamantine Energy and brings unique experience ranging from regulatory navigation to stakeholder relations. Anne consults up-, mid-, and downstream oil and gas companies on their ESG strategies and how to best navigate uneasy social, political, and regulatory environments for Adamantine. Anne has held positions with the Colorado Oil and Gas Association and the Ohio Oil and Gas Association and is a graduate of Ohio University.

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Gage, Michael Tanner, and Scott Marshall who have made the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on March 18, 2021]

Tisha Schuller welcomes Ajay Mehta, General Manager of Shell New Energies Research & Technology, to the Energy Thinks podcast as part of her discussions with game-changing leaders.

Tisha and Ajay discuss:

· The many reasons oil and gas can be optimistic about the energy transition

· Shell’s ever-growing strategic alliance with Microsoft

· Challenges and growing potential for CCUS

· Incubation of low-carbon solutions

· How to keep personal values front-and-center in 2021

Ajay has spent nearly 25 years with Shell. He has worked in areas spanning from E&P to methane hydrates. Ajay is a board member of the MIT Sustainability Institute and holds numerous other leadership positions at Rice University, UCLA, and the University of Houston. Additionally, Ajay has been honored as a Distinguished Lecturer for the Society of Petroleum Engineers. Ajay holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, an MBA from MIT, and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from India’s National Institute of Technology Karnataka.

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Gage, Michael Tanner, and Scott Marshall who have made the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on February 19, 2021]

Tisha Schuller sat down with Dominic Emery, Chief of Staff to CEO Bernard Looney at bp, on the Energy Thinks Podcast to discuss game-changing leadership.

Tisha and Dominic cover:

· What it’s like to work for bp’s new, young, and dynamic CEO

· The kind of culture change required to accompany the transition to a net-zero, integrated energy company

· Which innovation areas show promise

· If we are investing enough in oil and gas exploration globally

· How Dominic’s leadership style is evolving in real time

Dominic Emery is the Chief of Staff to CEO Bernard Looney at bp and has been with the company since 1986. Currently based in London, Dominic has worked across an array of business areas including E&P, alternative energies, and gas and power. Dominic is a board member for the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and was the founding CEO of OGCI Climate Investments—a $1B fund set up by oil and gas companies to invest in technologies and projects to reduce climate emissions. Dominic holds a PhD in Geology/Earth Sciences from the University of Cambridge and a M.A. in Geology/Earth Sciences from the University of Oxford.

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Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

[Interview recorded on February 19, 2021]

Tisha Schuller welcomes Joseph Majkut, Director of Climate Policy at the Niskanen Center in Washington, D.C.

Majkut characterizes himself as both a political moderate and a climate hawk. In today’s episode, Majkut makes the case for a carbon tax and gives his perspective on why it is in the oil and gas industry’s interest to start leading the discussion.

The world is heading directionally toward net-zero emissions. The time to “wait-it-out” has passed.

In this episode, we dive into:

· The political state of play around a carbon tax

· If bipartisan climate policy is a pipe dream

· Whether a carbon tax can address environmental justice

Also, listen in to hear about Majkut’s big idea on decarbonization he pitched via Twitter to Jeff Bezos.

Joseph Majkut is the Director of Climate Policy at the Niskanen Center in Washington, D.C. and is a respected expert in climate science and climate policy. Majkut publishes numerous research articles for the Niskanen Center and prior to his present role, he has worked as a Congressional Science Fellow for the U.S. Senate. Majkut holds a PhD in Atmospheric and Oceanic Science from Princeton, a M.S. in Applied Mathematics from Delft University of Technology, and a B.S. in Mathematics from Harvey Mudd College.

Episode Resources

· Niskanen Center Bio and Published Articles

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Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Thanks to Lindsey Gage, Michael Tanner, and Scott Marshall who have made the Energy Thinks podcast possible.

[Interview recorded on February 8, 2021]

Focusing on the bridge from vision to pragmatic execution in game-changing leadership, Tisha Schuller welcomes Tommi Paris, Director of Diversity and Inclusion for Southern Company Gas. Tommi is a game-changing leader bringing thoughtful, impactful, pragmatic ideas to your diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) leadership strategy.

In this episode, we dive into:

· The relationship between DEI and productivity

· Personal steps to take to advance professional relationships

· How to create a culture where DEI is embraced and trust can build

· The role of introspection to create a healthy corporate D&I culture

Also, listen to the end to learn a fun fact about Tommi!

Tommi Paris is the Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Southern Company Gas and has nearly a decade of work experience in the area of DEI. As a result of her efforts, Southern Company Gas was awarded the Roosevelt Thomas Champion of Diversity Award by the American Association for Access in 2018. Additionally, she is a Certified Diversity Professional. Tommi holds a Master’s of Public Administration from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and a Bachelor’s of Sociology from Furman University.

Episode Resources

· Definitions:

o Diversity – “The broad array of characteristics that make us who we are.”

o Equity – “Looking at the results and the outcomes from the practices and policies that we have. Ensuring fair treatment, access, and opportunity for everybody. Striving to find and eliminate the barriers that serve to prevent people from fully participating and bringing their best to the organization.”

o Inclusion – “Being intentional about creating and fostering an environment where everybody’s differences are valued and respected.”

· “The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts” by Gary Chapman

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Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

[Interview recorded on November 23, 2020]

On this episode of the Energy Thinks Podcast, host Tisha Schuller is answering your questions with guest host (and eldest son) Carter Schuller. Season 2 focuses on the bridge from vision to pragmatic execution in game-changing leadership.  This episode takes on listeners most frequently asked questions on this topic. Host Tisha Schuller even covers how she is changing her own leadership style to rise to the challenges of 2021.

After an unprecedented 2020 with much uncertainty for our industry, this episode will leave you empowered to meet the challenges ahead as only our industry can.,

In this episode, Tisha answers the tough questions:

• Why does a decarbonized energy future need oil and gas?


• Why doesn’t “educating” the public work?


• What are the most important things for millennials to know to engage in the oil and gas industry of the future?


• How can you impact your company’s work on diversity, equity, and inclusion?

Tisha Schuller founded Adamantine Energy to provide thought leadership to future-proof energy businesses against rising social risk. Tisha consults private clients from Fortune 500 energy companies to non-profit environmental organizations in managing disruption, energy policy, business strategy, politics, and community engagement. She also serves as the Strategic Advisor for Stanford University’s Natural Gas Initiative. In 2017, Tisha chaired Stanford’s symposium to reduce energy poverty in the developing world using natural gas. Previously, Tisha served as President & CEO of the Colorado Oil & Gas Association and as Principal and Vice President with Tetra Tech, a national environmental consulting and engineering firm.  She has a B.S. from Stanford University. Tisha serves on many academic and non-profit boards including The Breakthrough Institute, The Energy for Growth Hub, The Denver Museum of Nature & Science Institute for Science & Policy Strategic Council, and she is a member of the National Petroleum Council, an advisory board to the U.S. Secretary of Energy under both the Obama and Trump administrations.  Tisha’s book, Accidentally Adamant was published in 2018 and her latest release, The Gamechanger’s Playbook: How Oil & Gas Leaders Thrive in an Era of Continuous Disruption was published in October of 2020. Tisha authors a weekly series entitled Both of These Things Are True.

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

[Interview recorded on December 17, 2020]

Kicking off season two of the Energy Thinks Podcast, Tisha Schuller sits down with Kevin Krausert and Bryan Trudel of Avatar Innovations. Rewiring how the world powers itself is no small task, and Avatar has a solution—creating an independent innovation hub where technological advancement is accelerated and risk is mitigated. Avatar is busy answering the question, Where can growth for the oil and gas industry occur if production is to be limited in the future? Today’s episode takes future-proofing the oil and gas industry to the next level. Listen for an exciting and inspired exploration of solutions.

In this episode, we dive into:

· Reshaping the narrative on how to achieve decarbonization

· Creating a new ecosystem for lasting innovation

· How to de-risk the innovation process

Kevin Krausert is the CEO and Co-Founder of Avatar Innovations, an industry wide collaboration between E&P’s, tech companies, and the University of Calgary bringing new technology and AI into the drilling industry. Kevin has spent 20 years on the front lines of energy innovation in numerous executive leadership roles in the industry. Starting his career in the energy industry as a roughneck on the oilrigs of Northern Alberta, he grew through the ranks until he was Chief Executive of Canada’s oldest drilling company. His championed some of the first fully computerized drilling rigs in the world and led the first long-reach horizontal well in the Canadian arctic. Kevin has been an articulate and major champion for unlocking the energy transition solutions inside oil and gas for a better future. Kevin holds a Bachelor of Science from McGill University and a Masters of Business Administration from the Haskayne School of Business and serves on the steering committees of both the Clean Resource Innovation Network (CRIN) and the Energy Futures Lab (EFL).

Bryan is Avatar Innovations’ CFO and Co-Founder. As an accomplished Capital Markets professional, Bryan’s 20 years on Bay Street has seen him lead through many market and investment cycles in energy, becoming an Executive Director at one of Canada’s largest banks. Given his extensive first-hand experience with Canada’s largest institutional investors, Bryan’s insight into the changing landscape of energy investment makes him one of Canada’s rare energy bankers able to connect the importance of oil and gas with the market driven need to decarbonize. Based in Toronto, Bryan facilitates Avatar Innovations connection with the institutional investors critical to unlocking the massive capital required for the energy transition. Bryan holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Carleton University.

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Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

[Interview recorded on December 9, 2020]

To purchase The Gamechangers Playbook, click here

For all things Adamantine Energy, visit us at www.energythinks.com

Tisha Schuller sits down with Chris Smith, Sr. Vice President of Policy, Government, and Public Affairs at Cheniere Energy. Discussing the role LNG will have in the energy future, Chris provides an array of insights on how Cheniere Energy is positioning itself to lead the industry toward a decarbonized future.

In this episode, we dive into:

· Cheniere Energy’s Hurricane Laura relief efforts

· Racial equity and justice in the energy industry

· Cheniere Energy’s recently released Corporate Responsibility Report

· Cheniere’s long-term positioning of LNG in the future energy mix

Chris assumed his present role of Sr. Vice President of Policy, Government, and Public Affairs at Cheniere Energy in 2017 after serving five years as the Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy. He has held leadership positions from a wide range of institutions including Rice University’s Baker Institute of Public Policy, Chevron, Texaco, JPMorgan, and Citibank. Chris is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and served as a Task Force Engineer and Platoon Leader while a U.S. Army Officer. Additionally, Chris holds an MBA from the University of Cambridge.

Episode Resources

· Cheniere Energy’s Corporate Responsibility Report, “First and Forward”: https://www.cheniere.com/pdf/First-and-Forward-2019-Corporate-Responsibility-Report-LR2.pdf

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Purchase Tisha's new book The Gamechanger's Playbook: How Oil & Gas Leaders Thrive in an Era of Continuous Disruption.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

[Interview recorded on September 28, 2020]

Tisha Schuller switches roles and is interviewed by Mike Ming of Ming Energy Partners and Robert Hefner of Hefner Energy as part of the webcast series, “The Future of Energy” produced by the University of Oklahoma Energy Institute at the Michael F. Price College of Business.

Just how does the oil and gas industry carve out its spot as the leader of the energy transition? How does the industry show that it is not just “your dad’s fuel?”

In this episode, we explore:

· The public’s climate tipping point

· How oil and gas leaders must adjust their leadership strategy to meet the moment

· How to find common ground with opposition and create a shared ambition

· How to attract and retain young talent to the industry

Tisha Schuller founded Adamantine Energy in 2015 to help oil and gas companies future-proof their businesses against rising social risk. She serves as the Strategic Advisor for Stanford University’s Natural Gas Initiative. Previously, she served as President & CEO of the Colorado Oil & Gas Association. Tisha serves on many academic and non-profit boards including the National Petroleum Council, an advisory board to the Secretary of Energy under both the Obama and Trump administrations. Tisha’s book, Accidentally Adamant was published in 2018. Tisha authors a bi-weekly series entitled Both of These Things Are True.

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

[Interview recorded on July 29, 2020]

In today’s episode, Tisha and Danielle discuss:

· The drivers behind shareholder advocacy

· How oil and gas companies can engage constructively with shareholder activists

· What to expect next from future shareholder resolutions

Danielle assumed the role of President of As You Sow in 2012 and continues to serve today. She has served in leadership roles for environmental advocacy organizations since 1995 including Environmental Advocates, Friends of the Earth, and the Environmental Law Foundation. Danielle holds a J.D. from the Berkeley School of Law and a degree in political economics from the University of California, Berkeley.

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Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

[Interview recorded on August 26, 2020]

host Anne Carto, Engagement Manager at Adamantine Energy, sits down with Katie Tate, Senior Local Affairs Specialist at PDC Energy. Anne and Katie, two millennial oil and gas leaders and alumni of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association’s (COGA) Energy Generation Leadership Program (EnGen), discuss how oil and gas companies can continue to connect to the communities they serve in the age of social distancing.

In today’s episode, we dive into:

· Changes in engagement strategies with elected officials and nonprofits

· Turning virtual volunteer opportunities into an advantage

· How to keep employees empowered while working virtually

Katie has spent nearly 10 years at PDC Energy and leads their community outreach efforts. Katie organizes the widely popular Energizing Our Community Days at PDC Energy, this year going completely virtual. She was awarded the Denver Association of Division Order Analysts Presidents Club Award and voted one of the most influential women in COGA’s 2018 EnGen Program graduating class. Katie currently sits on boards of the Weld Food Bank and the American Red Cross. Lastly, Katie is pursuing her MBA at the University of Colorado-Denver and is a graduate of the University of Colorado-Boulder.

Episode Resources

· Katie’s email

· Katie’s LinkedIn Profile

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Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Interview recorded on July 30th.

Tisha Schuller sits down with Emily Reichert, CEO of Greentown Labs, the largest cleantech incubator in North America. Tisha and Emily discuss how cleantech and oil & gas can team up to solve pressing issues in energy: decarbonization, climate change, and racial equity and justice.

In today’s episode, we dive into:

· Greentown Labs’ expansion into Houston, Texas

· Leading on the fronts of racial equity and justice

· How cleantech and oil and gas ideas are greater than the sum of their parts

Emily is currently the CEO of Greentown Labs, assuming the role in 2013. Emily previously served as a Senior Scientist at the consulting firm Arthur D. Little, Director of Business Operations at the Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry, and an MIT Sloan Fellow in Innovation and Global Leadership. Emily holds an MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management, a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of California-Redlands.

Episode Resources

· Forbes Profile, “Meet the Woman Who Runs the Fastest Growing Cleantech Startup Hub on the East Coast”

· Emily Reichert TEDx Talk, “The Power of Community: Solving the World’s Biggest Challenges”

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

[Interview recorded on July 30, 2020]

Tisha Schuller sits down with Southern Company Gas CEO Kim Greene to discuss Southern Company Gas’s current efforts on racial equity and justice, decarbonizing natural gas operations, embracing telecommuting, and quarantine-related family balance.

Kim currently serves as chairman, president, and CEO of Southern Company Gas, a subsidiary of Southern Company, which delivers natural gas to 4.2 million utility customers across Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee, and Virginia. Before assuming her current roles as, Kim has held other leadership positions within Southern Company and also spent over 5 years as an executive at the Tennessee Valley Authority. Additionally, Kim serves on the board of directors for Valero, the Gas Technology Institute, and the American Gas Association. Kim is a graduate of Harvard’s Advanced Management Program and holds an MBA from Samford University, a Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from UAB, a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Science and Mechanics from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.

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Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

[Interview recorded on July 22, 2020]

Tisha Schuller sits down with Williams Companies’ President and CEO Alan Armstrong to discuss leadership during a multi-dimensional crisis and how Williams is reinventing its operations and workforce to lead into the energy future.

In today’s episode, we explore answers to the questions:

• How is leadership changing in our current time?


• How is racial equity and justice going to transform the energy future?


• What opportunities will the new $400 million solar investment provide for Williams Companies?


• How will the U.S. adjust to continue providing affordable energy as people work from home?

Alan Armstrong has been Williams’ President and CEO since 2011. In that time, Williams has expanded to touch roughly one-third of all natural gas pipelines in the United States. He first joined Williams in 1986 as an engineer after completing his civil engineering degree at the University of Oklahoma. He has held numerous leadership positions within the company such as Sr. VP of Midstream, VP of Gathering and Processing, VP of Commercial Development, and VP of Retail Energy Services. Armstrong serves on the Board of Directors for the American Petroleum Institute and is a member of the National Petroleum Council.

Episode Resources

• $400 million solar investment by Williams Companies


• National Petroleum Council’s report, “Dynamic Delivery: America’s Evolving Oil and Natural Gas Transportation Infrastructure”

To access the National Petroleum Council’s report, click “Episode Webpage” below.

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

[Interview recorded on July 22, 2020]

In today’s episode, we explore answers to the questions:

· What are the unique strengths millennial bring?

· Are their social forces discouraging millennials from entering oil and gas?

· How do millennial oil and gas workers view and respond to opposition to our industry?

Anne Carto is the current Engagement Manager for Adamantine Energy and brings unique experience ranging from regulatory navigation to stakeholder relations.  Anne consults up-, mid-, and downstream oil and gas companies on their ESG strategies and how to best navigate uneasy social, political, and regulatory environments for Adamantine.  Anne has held positions with the Colorado Oil and Gas Association and the Ohio Oil and Gas Association and is a graduate of Ohio University.

Michael Tanner is the Energy Division Director at Sandstone Capital Group and host of the 360 Digital Closing Bell Podcast on Oil and Gas 360.  Holding dual economics and petroleum engineering degrees from Colorado School of Mines, his quantitative background leads his ongoing work in energy analytics and market intelligence for Sandstone and as a trusted advisor for Adamantine Energy. 

Episode Resources

· Oil Field Helping Hands

· 360 Digital Closing Bell Podcast

· 2019 Deloitte Survey

We invite you to consider a donation to this episode’s charity of choice, Oil Field Helping Hands. Founded in 2003, the organization provides financial assistance to oil workers on a need basis.

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

[Webinar recorded on June 10, 2020]

Tisha Schuller shares her latest “Both of These Things are True” newsletter—Much Ado about BlackRock—that dives into how the world’s largest asset manager is evolving their accountability frameworks including their new prioritization of diversity and inclusion, and doubling down on their climate-related pledges.

Having one eye to the future requires a focus on value and returns while acknowledging that climate and carbon are topics will return soon—and stronger than ever.

How will BlackRock’s new areas of focus trickle throughout the oil and gas industry?

Read this “Both of These Things Are True” newsletter post with links to resources here.

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Tisha Schuller sits down with Marty Durbin, President of the Global Energy Institute at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Elizabeth Gore, Senior Vice President of Political Affairs at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), to discuss how energy companies can minimize risk heading into the 2020 presidential election.

In today’s episode, we explore answers to the following political questions:

• What are the macro trends to watch?


• What are the range of possible outcomes?


• Is there an outcome or possibility that could lead to oil and gas support?

Today’s episode was previously recorded as an invitation-only webinar co-hosted by Adamantine Energy and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). Moderated by Tisha Schuller of Adamantine Energy, the panel also includes welcoming remarks from Ben Ratner of EDF.

Marty Durbin is the President of the Global Energy Institute for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Prior to his current role, Durbin served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at the American Petroleum Officer. He also served as the CEO of America’s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA). Durbin holds a Bachelor’s degree in government from the University of Maryland.

Elizabeth Gore, Senior Vice President, Political Affairs, Environmental Defense Fund. Gore brings the perspective of decades of experience working in Washington D.C. and has held many senior positions in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Office of Management and Budget, and the U.S. Senate. Gore holds a Bachelor’s degree in economics from Swarthmore College.

Episode Resources

• Energy Thinks Podcast with Michele Della Vigna

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Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

[Webinar recorded on June 23, 2020]

In today’s episode, we explore answers to the questions:

• What makes this moment different from past reckonings of racial equity and justice?


• What sort of focused efforts should energy companies adopt for diversity and inclusion?


• How do you make sure your company values are translated into organizational action?


• What must be done to create a company culture that is truly inclusive?

Paula is the President and CEO of the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE), a collection of over 2,000 energy leaders across 40 nationwide chapters, and has more than 25 years of experience in the energy industry. Paula leads the Association’s efforts to voice the concerns of African Americans and other minorities in matters of energy policy, regulations, and environmental issues. Paula is a thought leader around diversity and inclusion issues and has testified before Congress on the impact of policies on underserved communities. In 2014, Paula was appointed to the National Petroleum Council by the U.S. Secretary of Energy, Dr. Ernest Moniz. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware’s Lerner College of Business and Economics.

Episode Resources

• Vox. “George W. Bush in Dallas: Too often we judge other groups by their worst examples” 12 July, 2016.


• AABE. Five pillars for energy companies to follow regarding Diversity and Inclusion. 16 June, 2020.


• AABE Website

We invite you to consider joining the American Association on Blacks in Energy. You can reach out to Paula through email at pglover@aabe.org.

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

[Interview recorded on June 25, 2020]

Tisha Schuller shares the June 1 “Both of These Things Are True” newsletter – One Eye to the Future: Transcendent Oil and Gas.

Having one eye to the future requires using this time to transcend opposition to oil and gas and lead into the energy future. We at Adamantine Energy believe that the oil and gas industry’s current downturn will not public pressure for a decarbonized energy system without from fossil fuels.

We group the social risks that oil and gas companies will face in the future into three categories: political, investor-led, and commitments from majors.

How can oil and gas leaders seize the moment?

Listen here to the June 1 installment of the “Both of These Things Are True” newsletter.

Read this “Both of These Things Are True” newsletter post with links to resources here.

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

We ask the question: Would you rather be the disruptor or the disrupted?

In today’s episode, we explore answers to the following questions:

· Will natural gas lead the energy industry into the energy future?

· How will energy demand rebound in the near future?

· How can oil and gas companies bring together all parties and perspectives to chart a path forward for the industry?

· How can the oil and gas industry attract and retain millennial workers?

Jackie Forrest is the Sr. Director of Research for ARC Energy Research Institute, joining the company in 2014.  Jackie has over 20 years of energy industry experience, a sought-after public speaker, author, and the host of the ARC Energy Ideas Podcast—a weekly podcast exploring the latest energy industry news.  Jackie holds an MBA from Queen’s University and is a chemical engineering graduate of the University of Calgary.

Kevin Krausert is the President and CEO of Beaver Drilling Ltd., Canada’s largest privately-owned drilling contractor, and has moved up the company’s ranks from the rig to the corner office during his 16 tenure.  Kevin is the co-founder of The Avatar Program, an industry wide collaboration between E&P’s, tech companies, and the University of Calgary bringing new technology and AI into the drilling industry. Kevin holds an MBA from the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business and is a graduate of McGill University with a degree in neuroscience. 

This episode was originally recorded as a webinar moderated by Tisha Schuller on May 27, 2020.

Episode Resources

· The Avatar Program

· Kevin’s Book Recommendation: 21 Lessons for the 21st Century

· Jackie’s Podcast Recommendations: Energy Gang, Columbia Energy Exchange Podcast, Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors Podcast

· Tisha Schuller’s Autobiography: Accidentally Adamant

We invite you to consider a donation to our guest’s charity of choice, the Mustard Seed—an organization serving people experiencing poverty and homelessness in Calgary since the 1980s.

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

[Webinar originally recorded on May 27, 2020]

Tisha Schuller shares the June 18 “Both of These Things Are True” newsletter – Racial Equity and Justice in Your Leadership Strategy.

Having one eye to the future requires incorporating commitments to racial equity, justice, diversity, and inclusion into your company’s strategy. We at Adamantine Energy believe that since the energy industry’s employees generally do not resemble the diversity of our customers and communities, energy companies must begin to craft long-term diversity and inclusivity strategies—now.

But what are the first steps? What does racial equity and justice leadership for energy companies look like?

Listen here to Tisha’s overview of the June 18 installment of the “Both of These Things Are True” newsletter, available with links to resources here.

Episode Resources

· Ben and Jerry’s, “Seven Ways We Know Systemic Racism is Real”

· Anti-Racism Resources, Google Drive

· Harvard Business Review, “The 10 Commitments Companies Must Make to Advance Racial Justice”

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Tisha Schuller, Principal for Adamantine Energy, sits down with Michael Webber, Chief Science and Technology Officer for ENGIE—a Paris-headquartered global energy and infrastructure services firm to discuss the pivotal role for natural gas in the energy future.

Webber is the author of the recent New York Times-acclaimed book, “Power Trip: The Story of Energy,” which has been adopted into a 6-part companion PBS mini-series aimed at educating youth on past, current, and future energy challenges.

Based out of Austin, Texas, Webber concurrently holds the Josey Centennial Professorship in Energy Resources for the University of Texas-Austin. Webber is a renowned speaker on current and future energy affairs—testifying before the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, addressing the United Nations and U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and giving keynote speeches for various scientific conferences and business symposiums.

Webber holds dual undergraduate degrees from the University of Texas-Austin, a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.

Episode Resources

· “The Oil Industry is Part of the Solution”, Mechanical Engineering Magazine

· Webber’s book, “Power Trip: The Story of Energy”

· PBS Mini-Series, “Power Trip: The Story of Energy”

· Consider giving to Webber’s group of students at UT-Austin, the Webber Energy Group

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

[Webinar originally recorded on June 17, 2020]

Tisha Schuller interviews Bernadette Johnson, Vice President of Market Intelligence for Enverus, to discuss the current disruptions in oil markets and commodity pricing. In a time where there are more questions than answers in the energy-space, Tisha and Bernadette explore:

• When will oil demand return to pre-COVID levels?


• What are supply risks and challenges going forward?


• What are the drivers that are making prices fluctuate?

Based in Denver, Colorado, Bernadette is a twice graduate of the Colorado School of Mines—holding both a B.S. in Economics and a M.S. in International Political Economy of Resources. Prior to her work at Enverus, Bernadette has held analyst positions at Bentek Energy, Sasco Energy Partners, and was the Founding Partner and Director in Analytics for Ponderosa Advisors.

This episode was originally recorded as a webinar moderated by Tisha Schuller on May 20, 2020.

Episode Resources

Charity of Choice: CASA – Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children

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Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

[Webinar originally recorded on May 20, 2020]

Tisha Schuller shares last week’s "Both of These Things Are True" email blog post – I Spit-Shined the Crystal Ball.

Energy leaders having one eye to the future requires anticipating social-risk pivots now, before it is too late. Three broad trends that we at Adamantine Energy believe must be acted upon today and continually monitored are:

• The return of ESG as an investor priority


• The recent rise of racial equity and justice movements


• The demand for adaptable leadership to create the energy future

The route forward through these uncharted waters will require all of our energy, wit, and capacity—life will never return to the social expectations of a mere few weeks ago and backward-looking leaders will not find themselves at the energy future’s negotiation table.

What will effective leaders do to embrace this ever-evolving future? Listen here to Tisha’s latest email series post, “Both of These Things Are True: I Spit-Shined the Crystal Ball” or read the article in its entirety here.

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

[Originally published June 11, 2020]

Having one eye on the future requires returning to our workplaces with grace, efficiency, and an eye to the next, inevitable disruptions. We at Adamantine Energy broke down a successful return to work strategy into four phases:

· Designating essential personnel

· Creating a staged and phased return, being adaptable along the way

· Discover and embrace an evolved normal – lets stay away from saying “new normal”

· Adapt to future innovation and efficiencies that may arise

Effective and lasting leaders will humble themselves, avoid all-too-common crisis management mistakes, and lead their organization into a brighter future by listening to their workers’ concerns and asking meaningful questions.

For a guide on how to take the first substantive step toward leading your company or organization, listen here to “Both of These Things are True: Our Hiccupping Return to Work” or read the article here.

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

[Originally published May 21, 2020]

Tisha Schuller interviews Katie Bays and Stefanie Miller, co-founders of Sandhill Strategy. Their discussion explores what leaders must consider as they monitor current political and investor trends, including:

• What do stimulus negotiations and outcomes tell us about politics around oil and gas? Will support for oil and gas companies appear? What ramifications will it have?


• What kinds of trends are investors watching and weighing in on with oil and gas companies? Are ESG, climate, and social responsibility on their radar right now?


• How can companies mitigate political risk in this presidential election year?


• Will calls for "green recovery" in European countries affect U.S. politics?

Katie and Stefanie are the co-founders of Sandhill Strategy, a political and regulatory risk-analysis firm headquartered in Washington D.C., and now provide their products under the name, FiscalNote Markets. Katie double majored in economics and Japanese at the University of Minnesota. Katie holds an MBA from Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska in Economics and Political Science.

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

[Webinar originally recorded on May 6, 2020]

This episode was originally an invitation-only webinar moderated by Tisha Schuller and co-hosted by Adamantine Energy, the Environmental Defense Fund, and the Colorado School of Mines Payne Institute for Public Policy.  

Based in London, Michele is the Commodity Equity business unit leader in EMEA, coordinating strategy and content across the Global Equity Energy and Natural Resources teams in Global Investment Research (GIR). He is a member of the GIR Client and Business Standards Committee and European Investment Review Committee. Previously, Michele was co-head of European Equity Research from 2014 to 2017, and was co-manager of the Commodities and Energy business unit in European Equity Research from 2009 to 2014. He joined Goldman Sachs in 2001 as a financial analyst in European Energy Equity Research and was named managing director in 2009. Michele earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Bocconi University in 2001.

Episode Resources

• Goldman Sachs Carbonomics Report: https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/pages/gs-research/carbonomics-f/report.pdf

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

• What factors and measures should we consider to keep the workforce safe, productive, and available?


• How do company leaders remain nimble to ever-evolving considerations?


• Is mental health a corporate concern?


• Can a plan inspire buy-in and personal responsibility among a diverse work force?

Based in Washington D.C., Paula is the Sr. VP of Strategy and Innovation at the Gas Technology Institute.  Paula has held jobs at the U.S. Department of Energy, American Gas Association, and Duke Energy and holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Auburn University.

“When I am thinking about the future at times like these—What’s next? What’s around the corner? How should I be thinking?—Paula is the person I call.”

~Tisha Schuller

Episode Resources

Charity of Choice: Feed the Fight

Microsoft Teams: Website

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Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.

Welcome to the Energy Thinks Podcast with Tisha Schuller! This podcast is made for oil and gas leaders to help explore how to help future proof against rising social risk.

We will introduce the host, Tisha Schuller, and give a brief overview of the types of topics and conversations you will hear on the podcast.

Subscribe here for Tisha's weekly "Both Things Are True" email newsletter.

Follow all things Adamantine Energy at www.energythinks.com.