Imagining a better future is an act of bravery, especially when you’re aware of all the challenges we face in the present. With the world unraveling around us, it can feel safer to burrow into the doom. But history has shown that positive change never came about without a vision that once seemed impossible. Envisioning a better world is essential, can be empowering, and is how our actions become the building blocks of real, transformative change.
We have decided to close out this truly challenging year by asking you to join us in imagining what can often feel impossible—a brighter future.
On Thursday, November 13, 2025, we talked with two people we deeply admire and who have both dedicated their lives to envisioning and building a better future for communities around the world. Rob Hopkins (founder of the Transition Town movement and author of How to Fall in Love With the Future) and Jacqui Patterson (2024 Time Magazine Woman of the Year for her climate justice leadership) joined us for an honest, realistic conversation about what’s possible.
During this 75-minute discussion, we explored:
- How to align dreams of the future with real-world action today
- How a vision for a better future is critical in navigating the Great Unraveling
- How even unimaginable, generational struggles haven’t stopped marginalized communities from working towards a better future
- Exercises to help each of us imagine a future we want for the people and planet we love
About the panelists
Jacqueline Patterson is the Founder and Executive Director of The Chisholm Legacy Project, which is rooted in a Just Transition framework and serves as a vehicle to connect Black communities on the frontlines of climate justice with the resources to actualize visions. Prior to the launch of The Chisholm Legacy Project, Patterson served as the Senior Director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program for over a decade. During her tenure, she founded and implemented a robust portfolio which included serving the state and local leadership whose constituencies consisted of hundreds of communities on the frontlines of environmental injustice. She also led a team in designing and implementing a portfolio to support political education and organizing work executed by NAACP branches, chapters, and state conferences. She was named one of Time magazine’s 2024 Women of the Year.
Rob Hopkins is the co-founder of Transition Network and of Transition Town Totnes, and author of several books including The Transition Handbook and From What Is to What If: Unleashing the Power of Imagination to Create the Future We Want. He is an Ashoka Fellow, has spoken at TED Global and at several TEDx events, and appears in the French film phenomenon Demain. He holds a PhD from the University of Plymouth as well as two Honoris Causas, and hosted 100 episodes of his podcast From What If to What Next. In November 2022 he was made an Honorary Citizen of Liège in Belgium. His new book How to Fall in Love with the Future was released in 2025, as was his collaborative music project with artist Mr Kit, Field Recordings from the Future.
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