Announcing Apocalyptic Optimist
We’re beyond excited to officially pull back the curtain on a new project from Pique Action: The Apocalyptic Optimist — a video podcast hosted by sociologist, climate activist scholar, and author Dr. Dana R. Fisher.
This launch feels personal for us.
Back in the fall of 2023, Dana R. Fisher reached out wanting to talk about screenplays, books, and climate communications. At first glance, she seemed like a very persistent academic. Then we actually talked.
It became immediately clear: Dana is a force of nature.
She’s one of those rare people who can spend all day immersed in terrifying climate data and still radiate humor, urgency, and practical optimism. A relentless doer disguised as a professor. Since that first conversation, we’ve become collaborators and friends, bonded by a shared belief that if we want people to act on climate, we first have to earn their attention.
That’s not a task for the weary.
Dana lives the ethos of The Apocalyptic Optimist: facing reality without surrendering to despair. This podcast is an extension of that philosophy — smart but accessible, grounded but hopeful, built for people who know everything about climate and people who know almost nothing.
This show is for anyone exhausted by performative posting, overwhelmed by climate anxiety, or wondering what real action actually looks like in 2026.
Because contrary to what the internet would like you to believe: doom is not a strategy. Action is. The idea is to frame what’s happening and provide tangible, tactical tools for what we can each do about it.
And honestly? The guest lineup is incredible.
We’re launching with conversations featuring Adam Conover (Adam Ruins Everything), Naomi Oreskes (Merchants of Doubt), Katherine Wilkinson (All We Can Save), Chris Gloninger, and more — people whose work has deeply shaped how we think about climate, media, organizing, and culture.
In our first episode, Adam Conover breaks down why algorithmic platforms want us arguing online instead of organizing in our real-world communities. If you want to actually reclaim your power and change the system, you have to show up where the digital filters can’t block you. Drop the phone. Step outside. And join something! Give it a watch or a listen, and don’t forget to subscribe! (Check it out on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify).
