Eco-Anxiety and Emotional Brain Training - Ashley Bowes

An alum of SOI's 2022 Ocean Conservation Expedition, Ashley Bowes is a multimedia storyteller, communications strategist, and freediver grateful to live and work on the unceded Coast Salish Territory of the Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ nations (Victoria, BC). With a background in Film & TV Production, she brings over a decade of experience using storytelling, digital strategy, and public engagement to help sustainability leaders craft their narratives and inspire communities to connect with the ocean and care for the planet.

At ECOP Canada, Ashley led capacity-building initiatives aligned with the UN Ocean Decade, supporting and empowering thousands of early career ocean professionals. She has worked with artists, scientists, and NGOs on multimedia education projects around the globe, including visual storytelling with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama and citizen science initiatives with Swim Drink Fish. Ashley currently supports the Ocean and Us campaign for a moratorium on deep-sea mining and is writing a climate fiction novel centred on the ocean.

Feeling stressed about the state of the planet (and, well… everything else)? You’re not alone. In this upbeat, hands-on session, we’ll explore a few brain-based tools to help you move from survival mode to a state of joy, calm, and inspired action.

Based on Emotional Brain Training, this workshop offers simple ways to understand what’s happening in your emotional brain — and how to hack it. You’ll learn how to quickly and easily process stress, shift your mindset, and get unstuck, whether you’re navigating eco-anxiety, burnout, or just another doom-scrolling session.

Come ready to breathe, laugh, connect with others, and leave with practical tools to care for yourself, your community, and the planet — even as the world burns.