Humanizing Environmental and Conservation Justice with Melissa Romero

In this episode, we sit down with Melissa Romero, Associate Director of Marketing at The Nature Conservancy, to explore the critical intersection of environmental advocacy and trauma-informed storytelling. We delve into how environmental and conservation challenges profoundly impact communities, revealing the human stories often hidden behind environmental issues.

Melissa sheds light on the often-overlooked trauma that environmental challenges can impose on people, from the devastating impacts of climate change to the displacement caused by conservation efforts. Her insights expose the deep human dimensions of environmental transformation.

We explore the delicate balance between communicating urgency and maintaining compassionate care in environmental communications—ensuring we motivate action without overwhelming or paralyzing our audience. 

Through her thoughtful perspective, Melissa illuminates a path toward more responsible and empathetic environmental storytelling.

About Melissa

Melissa Romero is an Associate Director of Marketing at The Nature Conservancy. She has had the honor of telling stories that drive change for good through various roles as a journalist, editor, and non-profit communications and marketing professional. Today, she continues to champion and practice ethical, trauma-informed, and values-based storytelling. 

Connect with Melissa 

LinkedIn | The Nature Conservancy

About Host Maria Bryan

Maria Bryan is a trauma-informed storytelling trainer. She helps nonprofit leaders tell powerful and impactful stories that resist harm. Maria has over fifteen years in marketing communications in the public sector. She has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, and is professionally certified in Trauma & Resilience, Trauma-Informed Space Holding, Trauma-Informed Coaching, and Somatic Embodiment & Regulation. Maria is a firm believer that storytellers make the world a healthier, safer, cleaner, and happier place.

Connect with Maria

Speaking & Training | LinkedIn | Email

Transcript

Melissa Romero is the Associate Director of Marketing at The Nature Conservancy. She is a career storyteller for good, with experience as a journalist, editor, and nonprofit communications and marketing professional.

Melissa consistently models and advocates for ethical, trauma informed, and values based storytelling in her work.

Maria Bryan:
Melissa, I feel like you have been part of my journey since the beginning. When I tell people about the community calls I hosted back in 2022, you were one of those folks. You are such a strong advocate for trauma informed storytelling, and I just want you to know what an honor it is to have you on When Bearing Witness. Welcome.

Melissa Romero:
Oh, thank you so much. You have also been a huge part of my learning journey, or what I like to call my unlearning journey, in storytelling. It is really wonderful to share this space with you.

Maria Bryan:
You have had such a diverse career. Like me, you started in journalism, and you have worked as a journalist, editor, and nonprofit communicator. I would love for you to share a bit about your journey.

Melissa Romero:
Yes, we have definitely bonded, or commiserated, over our backgrounds as former journalists.

The first ten years of my career were in journalism. My background is in newspaper and online journalism, and I had some incredible opportunities through internships, fellowships, and academic spaces that allowed me to do long form and investigative storytelling.

At that time, social media was not really a thing yet. There was space to experiment, to create, and to tell stories differently than we often can today.

That changed once I entered the professional newsroom world. Working at magazines, newspapers, and online publications shifted my approach because it became more about production. I had to rely on quick hits and clicks. There was a time when I was writing three articles a day. It became about quantity over quality, and often being a one person production house.

That pace led to burnout. Eventually, I decided to move from journalism into nonprofit communications, seeking work that felt more mission driven. That is where my unlearning journey around storytelling really began.

Maria Bryan:
You are now the Associate Director of Marketing at The Nature Conservancy, which I am a huge fan of. Before we dive into your role, can you share a bit about the organization and its mission?

Melissa Romero:
The Nature Conservancy is a global environmental organization and one of the largest in the world. Its mission is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.

There are close to 6,000 staff working across the globe with communities and partners in rural and urban landscapes to ensure that people and nature thrive together.

My role focuses on supporting storytelling around equitable conservation efforts. That includes working with human rights teams, Indigenous peoples, traditional communities, and urban communities, as well as supporting internal culture change to make conservation more equitable.

Maria Bryan:
I think people often separate environmental issues from human issues, but environmental harm has profound impacts on people and communities.

From your perspective, how does trauma show up in environmental work?

Melissa Romero:
There is a common narrative that nature and people are separate, but that is not true. The environment is deeply connected to human rights. Access to healthy land, water, and air is a human right.

The conservation movement has a complicated history. In the United States and globally, conservation has played a role in colonization, including the forced removal of Indigenous peoples from their lands. That process erased culture, language, and history, creating generational trauma that still exists today.

That is why trauma informed approaches are essential. We must acknowledge past harms, repair trust, and transform how conservation work is done so communities and lands can heal together.

Beyond historical trauma, there is also current trauma. Climate disasters are happening everywhere. Communities experience loss, displacement, and what we now call eco grief or ecological grief. Seeing places you love changed or destroyed carries deep emotional weight.

Maria Bryan:
That resonates deeply. I recently experienced intense fear during a projected hurricane impact where I truly felt how little control I had.

I also want to highlight the generational trauma tied to colonization that you named so clearly. Thank you for that.

There is also urgency in environmental storytelling. How do we communicate that urgency without overwhelming people or dysregulating ourselves?

Melissa Romero:
That tension is constant in this work.

We are dealing with multiple crises, including the climate crisis and the biodiversity crisis. Yes, time matters. But we also need to work equitably and in trauma informed ways.

An environmental justice advocate once told me she hates the word solutions. There will never be one solution. Instead, there are better practices. Modeling better practices takes time, especially when healing and repair are required.

That tension will not go away, but we can acknowledge it and give ourselves grace as we do better.

As for staying in this work, I believe it is important to allow yourself to feel grief and anxiety, and then, when ready, turn those feelings into action. Healing in community is essential.

Maria Bryan:
You have talked about unlearning throughout your career. How has your role at The Nature Conservancy shaped that process?

Melissa Romero:
My role gave me space to experiment and innovate again, much like college once did.

I moved from being a one person production house to working through co creation. I began asking questions like, is this my story to tell? What role do I play here?

That led me more deeply into trauma informed storytelling. It has been a long journey, and I am still learning and unlearning.

Maria Bryan:
That is something I say often. Trauma informed storytelling is a journey, not a destination.

Before we close, can you share how people can learn more about The Nature Conservancy and connect with you?

Melissa Romero:
People can connect with me on LinkedIn.

To learn more about The Nature Conservancy, visit nature.org. Each U.S. state has its own chapter, and there are many ways to get involved through volunteering or membership.

I also want to say that our organization is still learning. This work requires adaptation, grounding, and honesty about how hard it is. Sometimes that means literally stepping outside to reconnect with the land.

Maria Bryan:
Melissa, thank you for your work, your honesty, and the care you bring to storytelling. I am so grateful to know you and to have you in my circle.

Melissa Romero:
Thank you for creating this space and for all the learning you have guided me through.