Words have power—and climate change demands our most powerful words. As a communications, media, and journalism professional with roots in Reuters and The Economist Group, I’ve spent my life learning how language can illuminate complex realities.
Through Word Clouds Consulting, I guide organizations through the delicate balance of climate communication—beyond the hollow echoes of “greenwashing” and the deafening silence of “greenhushing”—and toward authentic storytelling that moves hearts and minds.
My work centers on three interconnected offerings:
- Branding and messaging: I sculpt voices that transcend the well-worn paths of environmental communication. The familiar terrain of earnest treehuggers, catastrophic polar bears, and clinical carbon graphs has dulled our collective senses. Today’s climate narrative requires unexpected approaches—perhaps a dash of irreverence, a sprinkle of humor, a rainbow or two, or a completely reimagined vocabulary that startles audiences into attention. I help clients find the courage to abandon tired tropes and embrace authentic voices that acknowledge both the gravity of our situation and the very human desire to find joy even amidst challenge.
- Communications strategy: The most brilliant message falls flat without understanding who’s listening. Most organizations broadcast rather than converse—particularly with climate communications—assuming audiences want data when they crave stories, or offering vague hope when they need practical solutions. I immerse myself in the psyche of your audiences, mapping their existing beliefs, values, and information ecosystems before crafting strategies that meet them where they are. This anthropological approach to communications reveals the hidden pathways to genuine engagement, allowing messages to resonate rather than merely reverberate.
- Content strategy and production: Ideas need vessels, and I craft them across virtually every medium. My experience spans:
- Audio production, including Climate Swings, my podcast about people working in climate careers—where intimate conversations reveal the human stories behind the climate movement
- Video storytelling that captures both facts and emotion
- Information design that transforms complex datasets into intuitive visual narratives
- Website architecture that guides users through carefully orchestrated journeys of discovery
- Research methodologies that uncover hidden insights—from survey design and analysis to in-depth interview protocols
- Writing that shines across formats, from meticulously researched white papers, to nimble social posts crafted for virality, to a surrealistic coming-of-age novel that I self-published once upon a time
Throughout my production process, artificial intelligence serves as both canvas and brush—a powerful amplifier of human creativity that I wield with deliberate care. I embrace AI’s capacity to expand possibilities while remaining vigilant about its limitations. Each algorithm-generated element undergoes rigorous human scrutiny, ensuring the final product carries those ineffable qualities that only human judgment can provide. Sloppy and careless use of AI can damage even the most well-meaning brand, especially in a mission-driven space like climate.
My path to this work crystallized in 2020, when wildfire smoke turned my hometown of San Francisco’s sky the same putrid color I had known from my early years living and working in Beijing. In that moment of connection between distant places, I understood my purpose: to help build bridges between our present crisis and possible futures.
I maintain a diverse client roster and have collaborated with the following organizations (see the work page for a few deep-dives and the portfolio page for several samples):
- 8 Rivers
- Alder & Co
- BMO (formerly Bank of the West)
- Camus Energy
- Climate Policy Initiative
- Emerald Technology Ventures
- Methane Guiding Principles
- Running Tide (since shut down)
- Sequoia Capital
- The Economist Group
I pride myself on forging productive and lasting relationships with my clients that transcend mere exchange of services. For those who don’t know me, here’s my background in a nutshell:
- Born and raised in Palo Alto, California
- Obtained B.A. in anthropology from Yale University; studied writing under Anne Fadiman, author of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
- Interned in marketing at the American Museum of Natural History
- Lived in Beijing from 2007–2012; worked as a reporter and editor for the Global Times English language edition
- Lived in Taipei from 2012–2015; worked as a correspondent for Reuters
- Lived in Hong Kong from 2015–2019; worked as an editor at The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU; now Economist Impact), sister organization to The Economist
- Moved to San Francisco in 2019; continued working for The EIU until 2021, after which I launched my freelance career and Word Clouds Consulting
- Moved to Barcelona in 2025
- Earned accreditations in short courses ranging from public policy to Python
- Have had freelance pieces published in various outlets, including The Los Angeles Times and The Economist (see portfolio for more)
- Languages: fluent in Mandarin, intermediate Spanish
My full C.V. is available here.
“As for the future, your task is not to foresee it, but to enable it.”
– Antoine de Saint-Exupéry