Supermans Not Coming: Erin Brockovich On Stick-To-Itiveness And What You And I Can Do About Our National Water Crisis – Forbes

It's the one and only Erin Brockovich, and she's back in a big way, talking about what it's like ... [+] being called a verb. To Erin Brockovich something means to investigate and advocate for a cause without giving up.

If you dont recognize the name, Erin Brockovich, her acclaim might have preceded your birth. In 1993, she used her pit-bull determination to help residents of Hinkley, California win a massive arbitration against the Pacific Gas and Electric Company. The company was found liable for dumping chromium-6a carcinogen used to suppress rust formation at the Hinkley gas compressor stationinto an unlined pond in the 1950s and 1960s. The chemical seeped into the towns groundwater. The company hid the problem and misled the community on the effects of that specific type of chromium and its link to local health problems.

But the story doesnt end there. The environmental activist was extolled in the 2000 biographical film aptly titled, Erin Brockovich in which actress Julia Roberts won an Oscar dramatizing Brockovichs true story. Since the film, her name has become a household wordeven a verb. To Erin Brockovich something means to investigate and advocate for a cause without giving up. And thats exactly what she has continued to do with the nations water crisis. Today Hinkley is known as the Erin Brockovich town. But whatever happened to the real Erin Brockovich? This year marks the 20th anniversary of the film that made her famous, but she hasnt slowed down. Shes back in a big way with a brand new book titled, Supermans Not Coming: Our National Water Crisis And What WE THE PEOPLE Can Do About It, written with writer Suzanne Boothby. I had the distinct honor of sitting down with this amazing woman. I asked her where she got her spunk to take on the big guns, inspiring so many to never give up personal and professional quests.

Bryan Robinson: I understand you grew up in a Republican family in Kansas.

Erin Brockovich: My Republican father taught me the value of the land, air and water. He promised me in my lifetime that water would be a commoditymore valuable than oil. Hed sing me little songs like, See the water trickling down the stream. Enjoy it because someday it might not be seen. It never dawned on me that people would be surprised, Youre a Republican? I dont feel that you need to be on either side of the aisle to appreciate, care for and understand the importance of water in our environment.

Robinson: Tell me what led you to write about this particular subject.

Brockovich: Starting at a young age I had dyslexia and was perceived in a certain way, put in a box. I never liked that and realized to break out of it, I was going to have to do it myself. My parents were always there for me. They gave me the power of believing in myself. Having that stick-to-itiveness. This is a very powerful wordthe propensity to follow through in a determined manner, dogged persistence born of obligation and stubbornness. And I took that to heart and applied it to everything I did. I also learned that Prince Charming isnt coming either (laughs). Theres been a divorce or two in my life.

Robinson: Hinkley is best known as the Erin Brockovich town in which your dogged persistence and stick-to-itiveness paid off big time.

Brockovich: I was always looking for that Prince Charming thinking that would make it right. So over the past 20 years after Hinkley, weaving in and out of these communities, I saw the looks on peoples faces when we would say the EPA or the law firm isnt going to get involved. It dawned on me that Supermans not coming to fix this. Were going to have to. And thats were it was born. My whole life, whether it be a learning disability that pushed me into a box and realizing Im going to get out of here. Or through my own personal relationships and marriages. I grew up with these ideas that Prince Charming is coming to fix this, right? In the environmental world, we always think there will be something there that will magically make it go away, fix it or change it. But its not going to happen. The missing component is you and me and we. And we dont need to search for that hero. We can BE IT. Were here, and thats what its going to take because Supermans not coming. But there is something we the people can do about it: be involved, understand it, learn how to better protect ourselves. Its an important message, and once you realize weve got to get busy and fix it, that Supermans not coming, you shift course.

Robinson: Im not so sure people realize that.

Brockovich: Youre right. Im thinking some might be waking up to it, but they might not. I think theres an underlying theme with Superman. Yes, its the environment but its really born out of me because of my disability. What I learned in Hinkley is that were often perceived, labeled, judged, put into a box, dont fit into the square or the way somebody else thinks we should be doing something. Looking to ourselves, realizing who we are, not by what we have but who we are.

Robinson: Youre talking about fortitude, internal strength.

Brockovich: My internal guttural mechanism has always been kicked on. It got kicked on in Hinkley when I was told youre not a doctor, lawyer or scientist. Why should we believe you? Okay, because Im standing here, looking at a two-headed frog in green water, and thats not right. And I stayed with that. I know what I saw. All these people see these kinds of things everyday. Thats not my story. Its theirs, and when they see that, they know it. Youre not going to knock them off of what theyre seeing and experiencing. And when they own that, they get involved with neighbors, the community and start making phone calls and start digging. Low and behold, nine times out of ten they find something out. And they just keep going. Empowerment is contagious.

Erin Brockovich has drawn a lot of attention to serious neglected problems in our country over the ... [+] years. And the grandmother of four isn't going anywhere.

Robinson: What would you say to someone reading this who doesnt have that stick-to-itiveness?

Brockovich: I learned from my mom that youre not born with stick-to-itiveness. You have to develop the habit of persevering even if you dont want to and youd rather give up. It takes a moment of trying to persevere, and you get beaten down and when you do, you pick the ball back up. Its the process of going out there with determination. I visualize a Superbowl game where everybodys watching you. You pick up the ball and run 10 yards and get slammed. You dont throw the ball down and walk off the field. Imagine if we saw that, wed be going, Boo!

Robinson: Thats a great metaphor.

Brockovich: Be prepared that you could get pushed back five or 10 yards. But also be prepared when you pick that ball up again you could rush 30 or 40 yards. Its a process, and it doesnt happen on the first try. In the book, it took the ladies of Hannibal, Missouri three years to get the ammonia out of their drinking water, but that dogged persistence that loyalty to your cause, that stick-to-itiveness is a process. Youll have moments when you get pushed back but youll also have moments when you push ahead. And thats what you need to remember. Im a huge believer in mindfulness because its a matter of what your mind is saying to you and how you deal with that voice.

Robinson: That negative voice that everybody has is not really who we are. Its just a part of us.

Brockovich: I have a name for her. I call her Negative Nancy.

Robinson: So what do you do when you hear Negative Nancy?

Brockovich: I tell her to shut up. It takes years to even recognize it. Where did that come from in my head? Even acknowledging it. We normally wont talk about stuff like that because people might think were crazy. You know what Im saying?

Robinson: Do I ever, yes. What do you do when youre overwhelmed?

Brockovich: I go somewhere I can think and hear myself whether its sitting at the ocean or swinging in my backyard on a late summers night. Or just stopping to appreciate (ahhhh) the smell of rain. Or feeling a breeze across my face. Its the environment I connect to, and I can hear myself think. Thats my recharge and I need that to find motivation to go out the next day and go at it again. Each time you stop, you can hear yourself think and thats where I have a moment to breathe and say Im okay and know I can get through this. I have something outside of me if something goes wrong I will still be okay. And that person is me. When I hear that negative voice, I recognize it and say, Yep. Nope, not today. Buzz off. Shut up. I can almost feel that gear in my head click and go. Im not listening to that, and I am going to hear what my guts saying to me, to believe in what I just saw happening. I am going to follow that little voice that says, Hmm, I think you should look into this further. And then youre going to get the other voice that says, Oh, youre crazy. You cant look into that. You dont know what youre doing. Thats when I tell it to go away.

The new book launches this month.

Robinson: Its been 20 years since the film came out. A lot of people, especially the younger generation, might not have seen it.

Brockovich: Thats very true. There is a message about the environment. But the deeper message is that nobodys coming to save you, and that can be a lot of things whether its Prince Charming or anything else in your life that you think you cant do. I tell people you dont have to look any further for the hero than in your own mirror because youre standing in front of yourself. And I think the key for everybody is that moment you recognize, Ive got this. I can do this. Supermans Not Coming was such an evolution for me, and I think it is for all of us. Were always looking to somebody else to fix it. And its you. The message is to find and believe in you. Thats the deepest message of all.

Robinson: Youve had a huge impact on this country. Whats it like being a worldwide verb?

Brockovich: (laughs). I never thought of myself as a verb. For a long time, I didnt know what to make of any of this. It came because of the film that woke everybody up. I went to the theater by myself and sat in a corner, listening to people as they walked out. Theyre like, I wonder if thats happening to us. And somebody else said, Well I think it could be. Then someone else thought, You know what, Im going to look into that. Another woman said, Gosh, I wish I could be like her, and her husband said, You already are her. Thats all I ever wanted. Its not about me. It never was. Its about all of us. But if my name, Erin Brockovich, represents to somebody that they, too, can find their own strength and personal empowerment, then thats pretty cool. Go, because I will be your biggest cheerleader.

Erin Brockovich joins Resiliency 2020 on Zoom September 10, 2020. You can register for the free live-streaming webinar at resiliency2020.com.

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Supermans Not Coming: Erin Brockovich On Stick-To-Itiveness And What You And I Can Do About Our National Water Crisis - Forbes