- Webinars
June 20, 2026 – In this webinar, WTR Facilitator Member, Zsanna Sebesteny presents her book, Guardians of the Poison Fire and the projects that emerged from writing it. Zsanna joined by Kathleen Rude and Kathleen Sullivan, two experienced Nuclear Guardians who have worked closely with Joanna Macy and her vision of the Nuclear Guardianship ethic. Our explorations take us to a broader consideration of Guardianship Consciousness, as we invite participants, to share about what they protect and what challenges and inspires them.
Read the summary on this page to have an idea of the story in the book and follow the link to download it, if you wish.
Zsanna is a WTR and Active Hope Circle facilitator. She is currently creating a community called Guardians of Gaïa on Patreon, with the intention of honouring and supporting Guardians of all kinds, so that they are nourished and inspired in their projects. Her motto: We are all Guardians of something! What do you protect?
Connecting with the presenters and their work
Zsanna’s work:
- Guardians of the Poison Fire by Zsanna Sebesteny is available as a free download in English, Spanish or French
- Zsanna’s website: Echos de la Terre
- Zsanna’s Guardians of Gaïa Patreon page – Free membership gives access to interviews with Guardians of all kinds. Paying membership of Guardians of Gaïa supports Phoenix’s work and these projects, and gives access to community calls to support your own Guardianship projects.
- Guardians of the Poison Fire film trailer in English, French and Spanish
Kathleen Rude’s work:
Kathleen Sullivan’s work:
- Hibakusha Stories
- Joanna Macy Fellows | Naropa University
- Joanna Macy Center | Nuclear Guardianship
- Joanna Macy Center Mailing list
- Nuclear Truth Project
Reading Recommendations and Related Resources :
- World As Lover, World As Self by Joanna Macy
- A Wild Love for the World by Joanna Macy
- Elm Dance practice
- Nuclear Power and Artificial Intelligence (video)
- No to Nuclear: Why Nuclear Power Destroys Lives, Derails Climate Progress and Provokes War by Linda Pentz Gunter
Gratitude from the chat:
“I have appreciated every single word and moment so far. This is a profoundly important event, and I admire each of you for your hearts and care and attention and intelligence, and intention to help us all awaken more fully all of the time.”
“Loved the three main speakers, so well informed, committed and truly showing up”
“It was so great to see the trio and hear your thoughts on nuclear guardianships!!!”
“Very inspiring and encouraging to be in community here”
“Loved the warmth! A welcome shift from what I find in the world these days.”
About the Presenters
Zsanna Bird River is a Work That Reconnects facilitator living in southern France and Spain who guides the non-profit association Echos de la Terre. Inspired by rituals emerging from Joanna Macy’s work, Zsanna tells a story that came as a memory from the future: “Guardians of the Poison Fire”. She now plans to make the film of this story and to continue developing the community “Guardians of Gaïa” on Patreon, which honours guardians of all kinds that take care of Gaïa.
Kathleen Sullivan, PhD is the Co-Chair of the Nuclear Truth Project an international initiative connecting Indigenous and First Nations Peoples, affected community members, civil society organizations, experts and governments working for nuclear abolition, and director of Hibakusha Stories (an ICAN partner, Nobel Peace Prize 2017). Kathleen has supported the facilitation of hibakusha voices in conferences and UN fora on the humanitarian and environmental consequences of nuclear weapons. She is the Nuclear Guardian Fellow of the Joanna Macy Center, at Naropa University.
Kathleen Rude is a longtime Work That Reconnects facilitator and mentor, an author, healer and anti-nuclear activist. She is a Network Weaver and was mentored by Joanna Macy. Joanna opened her eyes to the perils of nuclear weapons and power and Kathleen has been advocating for a nuclear-free world ever since. To help people engage with the Spiral outside of workshops, she created a Guided Self-Practice of the WTR, a 42-minute interactive audio recording. Kathleen fell in love with the natural world as a young child and found her voice for environmental activism at age 10. With degrees in wildlife ecology and environmental policy, Kathleen worked as an environmental writer for 15 years. Her apprenticeships with North American indigenous elders inspire her healing practice and ceremonial work. Her website is GaiaWisdom.org.
About the WTR Network Webinar Program
The Work That Reconnects Network offers a wide range of rich, educational and supportive opportunities for our global community to inform, inspire and keep us connected and resilient within a global community of seekers and activists. Offerings include Spiral events led by WTR facilitators, and a wide variety of sessions with guest teachers from complementary fields. See upcoming offerings and access a treasure trove of past webinars and resources here.