Viridis Graduate Institute transformed me in the most necessary way. Ecological psychology did not just teach me about ecosystems—they revealed how I am an ecosystem. Energy exchange, diversity, decay and renewal, change and relationship became my daily practice, showing me how the same forces that turn leaves to soil also transform fear into wisdom.
The program challenged everything I thought I knew about being human. My climate denial was not something to fix but to compost. My terror of death became curiosity about transformation. The work awakened my awareness and imagination to how we are porous, processual, plural—allowing me to stop trying to transcend my earthiness and start celebrating it.
Now I teach differently, parent differently, grieve differently. Pye’s ecological psychology showed me that multispecies flourishing begins with remembering we were never separate from Earth’s living systems in the first place. Viridis revealed that building resilience means embracing our fundamental nature as collaborative assemblages rather than isolated individuals. This work transformed my life by showing me it was never just “my” life to begin with—I’m part of Earth’s ancient story of becoming. -Courtney, Doctor of Arts Program 2025
