How I Got Jane Goodall to Endorse My Book - True Story!
People still seem stunned that I got Jane Goodall to endorse my book—and truth be told, so am I! A good friend and a talented book agent in NYC even grabbed my hand one night over dinner and asked, “How did you do it?”
Good question. How did I open my inbox one morning to a personal note from one of the people I respect and admire the most?
The story behind it is one that I’ll cherish forever, and it comes with a great lesson about what can be made possible if you dare to give it a try.
So, let me tell you the story.
It was the summer of 2022, and I was in Munich, Germany, recording a podcast series at the BMW headquarters. A summer breeze had rolled in, and I found myself under a tree outside the tech part of their campus, chatting with a guest who had shown up early for our recording.
Behind the scenes at my podcast recording with BMW
Nils Heimes is the Sustainable Supply Chain Manager at BMW Group and was at the time in charge of some important humanitarian work in sourcing the company’s use of minerals. It became clear within minutes that this was a person I had a lot in common with. I don’t remember specifically what we chatted about, but he mentioned that he was highly involved with Germany’s chapter of The Jane Goodall Institution. My ears perked up. Jane is a longtime role model of mine and secretively, a person I dreamed of putting on my list of testimonials. The Climate Optimist Handbook was scheduled to be published later that year and I was in full swing of chasing names for the asking.
But I couldn’t… Could I?
Our recording was set to begin, and my window for courage disappeared for the time being. However, a spark had been ignited deep within. Was this a sign that my dreams were more approachable than I might think?
The two weeks in Munich wrapped and I returned to my life in New York City. I spent the hours on my flight home going through all the new notes my editor had sent over, determined to keep up with my promise to get this baby out before another one was due to make an appearance… my daughter, Eloise.
Back in the Big Apple, I also returned to gathering testimonials. I was honored to receive approvals from people I admire deeply, like Paul Hawken, Per Espen Stoknes, and Ayesha Barenblat, but I couldn’t fully tune out the little bird that kept nudging on my shoulder… What about Jane?
I finally swallowed my pride and decided to ask Nils, whom I’d already connected with on LinkedIn, the big scary question: Was there any chance he could help me get a copy to her?
His answer was sincere and supportive: I can’t promise anything, but let me run it by her VP.
An hour later, he sent me this:
So our Global VP already answered. Jane is in San Francisco right now with a very busy schedule. She'll try to squeeze it in as a discussion point.
I couldn’t believe it. Was there an actual chance?
The day I first held a copy of my book in my hands! truly magical feeling
But as the publishing date got closer and I still hadn’t heard back from Jane’s team, my hope faded, and I began to accept that perhaps it was too long of a shot. I could choose to postpone but with my human baby just around the corner, I knew better than to wait. So when the first box of printed copies arrived at my doorstep in late October, it was without Jane Goodall’s name. However, I couldn’t be prouder — I had done it, I had published my book!
But just wait, for the story wasn’t over…
A couple of weeks into postpartum I find myself on the floor with my newborn girl. The skies turn from orange to blue outside our city apartment and a tiny intrusive thought surfaces:
“What are you doing? You just published a book!”
Small feelings of stress rush over me as I realize that I probably should be out in the world promoting my life’s work, yet here I was, in two-day-old clothes, covered in spit-ups.
I could’ve let that thought consume me but I chose not to give in. Instead, I closed my eyes and sent a silent prayer to the Universe.
“If my book is supposed to make it, it will, and the people who are supposed to read it will somehow find a way.”
When I opened my eyes again, it was with a new sense of calm. I felt hope. I trusted in powers beyond me that this book would install meaning. I had written it with purpose and trusted it would find a way to make it out into the world.
An hour later, I received a text message from Nils:
Make sure you keep an eye on your inbox today! Jane is finally home for a short stretch and has time to read your book!
I couldn’t believe my eyes and instantly opened my Gmail app. Lo and behold, there was an email from her team with a very similar message: keep your eyes peeled! But before I had a chance to reply, another email dipped into my inbox. The title read:
“From Jane Goodall”
Dear Anne-Therese, Have just seen the email from Nils – is it not too late for a blurb for your book?
She told me she was home for a few days in a well-needed break from her crazy travels (the way this lady keeps up at her age is beyond me!) and not only did she give me a beautiful testimonial, but her email had been prompted with the “Out Of Office” automation I had set announcing the news of my newborn.
So although I will forever treasure her endorsement, what she sent next was special beyond words:
“Dear AT,
Make the most of every moment of your baby – this time will fly by, and the lovely smell of the newly washed little body, the clutch of tiny fingers, the nuzzling (if you are breast feeding), the first smiles – soon these will be only memories. And the support of parents in the first couple of years makes all the difference to a child. It is the same with chimps!
Good luck with your book
Love Jane”
I’ve never shared this message publicly. It felt too personal, something that should be kept between me and Jane. But I wanted to share this story because I think it tells us so much!
For one, it speaks to the importance of trying. For if we don’t try, no “impossibles” can ever become “possible.”
Secondly, it shows that we’re all deeply human, that our work extends the written word and hierarchies of success. In those few email interactions with Jane, she saw in me an author, but more than anything, she recognized and celebrated a mom. Someone she could relate to, see, and send love to. Another woman in need of some encouragement, words of wisdom, and reminders of the tiny treasures of life.
I felt seen, not just by my hero and idol, but by another woman, another human being on this magical, beautiful Earth we call home.
On being human
And the reminders of this message keep appearing.
Yesterday when I hosted a virtual presentation for Just Solutions on how to shift the narrative on our climate communications, naturally, even though I had set myself up with a friend’s help, I had to take a break and fetch my crying baby. Does leaving a webinar with tons of unknown faces to go pick up my baby feel a bit awkward and vulnerable? You bet, but I wasn’t gonna carry on with him crying in my background, so… there was simply no other way.
And the feedback that popped into Linkedin as soon as we wrapped was truly heartwarming.
Thank you, Sarah, for recognizing the need for care, and for making me feel seen and validated in my actions. I believe we’re at a crossroads now as beings in this world, one in which we begin to wake up to what’s actually “normal”, to what’s the human way to be.
There are so many answers still to be found in the beautiful quest of being human. But if there’s one thing I keep coming back to, the lesson I keep learning, it’s that we are—in fact—in this together.
So how do we get better at cultivating this feeling of belonging? How do we put CARE and recognition at the center of our actions? How do we normalize a much healthier way to be?
And, most importantly, what wild and magical creations could spur from our courage to go about things the ultimate human way?
Jane’s Testimonial
To read more testimonials (I’m so honored to have received every single one of them) or to get your hands on a copy, head over to my website.
Psst, I still have some signed copies available if you live in the US! Head here to get your personalized copy.
