6. Ready Is the New Well: What the Data Says About Disaster, Resilience, and the Coming Culture Shift | Cecelia Girr
Cecelia Girr is Director of Cultural Strategy at Backslash, the cultural intelligence unit of Omnicom Advertising, and the author of Ready Is the New Well, a landmark report for the Global Wellness Institute on preparedness as a cultural movement. Kim Marshall is the host of LA Rising: Stories of Healing, Help, and Hope, a podcast born from the LA fires.
In this special double-hosted episode, Cecelia joins Jennifer Gray Thompson and Kim Marshall to talk about what the data actually shows: why extreme weather is no longer extreme, why the 2030s will be defined by resilience, and how preparedness has moved from the fringes of doomsday prepper culture into the mainstream.
They cover fear-based messaging and why it drives paralysis rather than action, Yale research showing that small acts of preparedness reduce anxiety and depression, the role of technology in democratising disaster readiness, the rise of disaster-literate social media creators and brands designing for emergencies, and why social connection turns out to be the strongest predictor of survival after a disaster. Jennifer also talks about the Watch Duty app, block captains, and the third way between paralysis and denial.
This is a conversation about culture, data, and what it actually looks like when a society decides to get ready.
Resources:
- How to Disaster
- Learn more about After the Fire USA
- After the Fire USA Resource Library
- Ready Is the New Well - Global Wellness Institute
- Backslash at Omnicom Advertising
- LA Rising Podcast with Kim Marshall
- Watch Duty App
- Community Brigade Malibu
- Connect with Jennifer Gray Thompson on LinkedIn
Produced by NOVA