Small Experiments with Radical Intent with Allen Ewing-Merrill and Rev. Nicole Diroff
How do we take faithful action in a climate-changed world when the problems feel impossibly large? In this final Behind the Scenes episode of the Climate Changed Podcast, host Jessica David sits down with Rev. Dr. Allen Ewing-Merrill, Executive Director of The BTS Center, and Rev. Nicole Diroff, Associate Director, to explore a defining BTS Center phrase: “small experiments with radical intent.”
Together, they reflect on how this deceptively simple idea invites spiritual leaders and communities to take creative, courageous steps—grounded in curiosity, rooted in discernment, and open to transformation. Through stories of our guests and congregations testing new practices, to The BTS Center’s own experiment with reading weeks: Jessica, Allen, and Nicole reveal how small, intentional acts can lead to profound shifts in culture and worldview.
Our guests discuss lowering the stakes and embracing failure as a learning opportunity. They talk about faith work as experimentation rather than perfection. And they get right to the “roots” of “radicalism.” The result is a conversation that reimagines leadership and community as living laboratories for hope, spaciousness, and renewal.
Highlights from the Episode
Allen Ewing-Merrill:
“The root of the word radical is radix, meaning root. What if being radical is really about sinking deeply into our roots—into our essence, our source of life and nourishment and vitality? It takes real discernment to know what that is, but once we do, transformation follows.”
Rev. Nicole Diroff:
“For me, small experiments with radical intent build the muscle of curiosity. They’re manageable but meaningful, and they keep our hearts open in uncertain times. Without curiosity, our hearts can harden—and that’s when transformation stops.”
Allen Ewing-Merrill:
“We’re more likely to act our way into a new way of thinking than to think our way into a new way of acting. A small experiment—taken with radical intent—helps us step toward that new way of being.”
Join the Conversation
Have you tried a small experiment with radical intent in your own life or community? What did you learn?
Share your reflections by email at podcast@thebtscenter.org or leave a voicemail at 207-200-6986.
The Climate Changed Podcast is a project of The BTS Center in Portland, Maine. Produced by Peterson Toscano.
Discover more episodes, transcripts, and resources at climatechangedpodcast.org.
Meet Our Host
Jessica David is a Master of Divinity candidate at Harvard Divinity School, founder of Local Return, and President & CEO of Rhode Island Community Investment Cooperative. With 20 years of experience working at the intersection of people and place, Jessica focuses on the intersection of spirituality and money, supporting community wealth-building and strategic organizational development.
Meet Our Guests
Rev. Nicole Diroff is Associate Director of The BTS Center and an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. A mother, an amateur naturalist, and a self-described “pet collector,” Nicole brings warmth and curiosity to every conversation she leads. Her work focuses on developing programs that nurture spiritual leadership, curiosity, and awe as pathways toward ecological and cultural transformation.
Rev. Dr. Allen Ewing-Merrill serves as Executive Director of The BTS Center and is a pastor, writer, and father of three daughters. With a background in ministry and community leadership, he brings deep commitment to cultivating spiritual imagination for a climate-changed world. He lives in Portland, Maine, with his family and continues to find joy in the small experiments that keep faith active and alive.