Finding Purpose, Leading a Global Movement, and the Power of Simple Action
1% for the Planet’s CEO joins Blue Earth’s Will Hayler to explore presence, progress, and the power of simple action.
Blue Earth Co-Founder & CEO Will Hayler sits down with Kate Williams for a deeply energising conversation on purpose, leadership, and the competitive edge that comes from staying connected to the natural world.
There are origin stories that feel inevitable in hindsight, moments that shape a life’s work long before the job titles, the organisations, or the impact ever materialise.
For Kate Williams, CEO of 1% for the Planet and the guest on our latest Blue Earth Podcast, that moment happened not in a boardroom, but at 18 years old, standing on a windswept mountaintop in Wyoming.
It was here, exhausted, exhilarated, and surrounded by wildness, that Kate realised two things:
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She felt most alive in places where nature demanded her attention.
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And she was fascinated by how people come together to navigate hard things.
She didn’t know it at the time, but that combination would define her entire career.
From Wild Places to Global Leadership
Kate’s journey hasn’t followed the traditional arc of a CEO. She wasn’t chasing corporate hierarchy or competing for titles. Instead, she followed a compass built on purpose, a desire to work on behalf of something rather than against competitors.
Her early years were spent as an outdoor educator, helping people experience wild places with competence and confidence. From there, she shifted into environmental nonprofits, eventually taking on leadership roles rooted in that same founding question:
How do you bring people together to protect the places we all depend on?
A decade ago, that question led her to 1% for the Planet, now a global movement of nearly 5,000 business members across 110 countries contributing over $820 million to environmental causes since 2002.
Their North Star?
Simple: Every business, everywhere, paying rent to the planet.
Why Simplicity Wins
In a world paralysed by complexity, climate science, policy noise, sustainability jargon, Kate believes the greatest threat to progress isn’t disagreement.
It’s paralysis.
The fear of doing the wrong thing.
The pressure to be perfect.
The overwhelm of information.
And that, she says, is exactly why 1% for the Planet works so effectively.
It offers businesses a clear, credible, immediately actionable step that doesn’t require perfection, just participation.
“We help people see that there’s a simple model that enables you to take action,” she says. “And once you get moving, it’s much easier to keep moving.”
The Competitive Edge: Presence, Purpose, Practice
Much of the episode explores the theme of competitive edge, and Kate brings a refreshing reframe.
For her, the edge doesn’t come from outperforming others, it comes from:
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Competence over comparison
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Presence over pressure
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Contribution over competition
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And staying connected to the ecosystems we’re part of
That grounding in nature is what keeps her energised in leading a global movement. It’s what keeps the organisation adaptive when the world, and the climate, shift. And it’s what guides her team toward their next milestone: surpassing $1 billion in lifetime giving, then reaching the next billion even faster.
A Partnership Built on Shared Purpose
Blue Earth is proud to be a certified 1% for the Planet member, and even prouder to have the organisation as our Headline Partner for 2025.
Our movements are deeply aligned:
We both believe business must be a force for good.
We both believe in collaboration across sectors.
And we both believe that progress comes not from perfection, but from taking the next right step.
This conversation between Kate Williams and Will Hayler is a powerful reminder of that. It’s honest, thought-provoking, energising, and filled with the kind of clarity that only comes from someone who’s spent years navigating both wilderness and leadership.
Listen to the Full Episode
🎧 Blue Earth Podcast: In Conversation with Kate Williams, CEO of 1% for the Planet
A conversation about purpose, leadership, presence, and the simplicity of meaningful action.
This is one for founders, changemakers, leaders, and anyone who wants to reconnect with why the work really matters.