The EV Saga of 1 Woman, 2 Teslas & a Deer Who Should've Looked Both Ways

BREAKING: I drove 15,000 miles in an EV, survived a deer attack, presented to the ICF, got totaled by a drunk driver, bought a SECOND Tesla to finish the mission, and somehow got named a finalist for the Global Social Impact Emerging Catalyst Award.

No, this is not a fever dream. This is Monday.

The Recap (Buckle Up, Literally)

The Mission: Prove that electric vehicles could handle serious American road-tripping without turning into a range-anxiety fever dream. So naturally, I decided the best way to convince skeptics was to drive across the country. Multiple times. Because subtlety has never been my strong suit.

The Wicked Encounters Nobody Asked For:

Outside Atlanta, 1:15 AM: A deer ran into Rouge (my beloved original Tesla Model 3) during the first ONE hour someone other than me was driving. The mirror bracket said "I'm out" but held together with clear guerrilla tape for 9,000 more miles. That tape deserves its own TEDx talk.

NW Arizona, sunny Sunday, high noon: A drunk driver ran a red light and hit Rouge's right rear, seven hours from the California finish line. Rouge did her job, protected me completely, and then heroically sacrificed herself being totaled by the insurance company. Right after she got a full set of new tires, too!. RIP Rouge. You died as you lived: keeping humans safe from their own poor decisions.

Enter Scarlett: Did I let a totaled car stop the mission? Absolutely not. I found an identical Tesla with 30,000 fewer miles at HALF the price from a West Point graduate, because apparently the universe wanted this story to get even more delightfully specific.

The Results That Actually Matter

11 people bought EVs because they watched a 68-year-old grandmother refuse to be intimidated by "range anxiety" while eating gas-guzzling stereotypes for breakfast.

Presented to the ICF (International Coaching Federation) about what climate coaching actually looks like when you stop talking about it and start living it at 70 mph.

The submission I wrote landed our tiny, but mighty 12 X 12 Team being named FINALIST for the Global Social Impact Emerging Catalyst Award from the International Coaches Federation, proving that sometimes the universe rewards you for being stubborn in service of the planet, and telling a compelling story.

Why This Matters for Climate Coaching

Here's the thing about coaching climate resilience: you can't fake conviction.

I didn't just tell my people EVs were viable. I lived through a deer collision, a totaled car, and bought a replacement to finish the mission to prove that setbacks don't equal defeat. That's not a marketing strategy. That's a masterclass in resilience leadership that no PowerPoint presentation could ever replicate.

When executives ask me how to lead through climate uncertainty, I don't hand them a framework. I tell them about Rouge and Scarlett, about guerrilla tape holding together hope, about choosing to keep going when literally everything (including local wildlife and impaired drivers) seemed determined to stop me.

The lesson? Climate leadership isn't about having a perfect plan. It's about having the audacity to keep driving forward, literally and figuratively, when the universe throws deer, drunk drivers, and doubt in your path.

What's Next

If a deer collision and a car totaling couldn't stop this mission, imagine what we can accomplish together in your organization's climate strategy.

Ready to stop overthinking your climate leadership and start driving toward real change?

Plugged IN, Charged UP isn't just my tagline. It's proof that showing up, even when things get literally wrecked, is how movements actually move.

P.S. Scarlett is doing great and has significantly better luck with wildlife encounters. We'll be driving a reprise this October from California to Wisconsin and back writing an even better story to and from a 50-year reunion. Like my Brownie-scout-self singing,

Make new friends,

but keep the old.

One is silver and

the other is gold.

I'll be celebrating old friends and making new ones along the continuing-roadtripping-impact-Plugged IN, Charged UP-way this October from Palm Springs to Wisconsin and back to San Diego.