Nancy Zavada is the founder and president of MeetGreen, a sustainable event agency that has spent over 30 years helping organizations design and deliver events that are both environmentally responsible and genuinely exceptional.

Nancy grew up on the Oregon Coast, where recycling wasn't a trend but a way of life. She never set out to start a company. She was simply an event planner who noticed something she couldn't unsee: a single five-day conference for 2,500 people would generate 31,000 styrofoam cups destined straight for the landfill. That moment didn't just bother her. It moved her. She made one different ordering decision, told everyone about it, and never looked back. That's the kind of founder Nancy is. Not the type chasing product market fit, but the type whose values simply outgrew the room she was in.

What followed was 32 years of building MeetGreen into a firm that serves clients from 300-person workshops to 60,000-person global conferences across Singapore, Brazil, Denmark, and beyond. Nancy shares the practical wisdom behind her approach: find the champion in every room, lead with education, and always make the business case. She also offers a beautifully simple piece of advice for young sustainability professionals: don't try to take on the world. Pick one thing. Get really good at it. Then pick the next one.

Episode in a glance

00:10 Meet the Woman Who's Been Greening Events Since Before It Was a Thing
03:16 31,000 Styrofoam Cups in One Week: The Moment That Started It All
06:03 Before It Was Called Sustainability: Pioneering Green Meetings in 1994
08:57 Still an Accidental Founder After 32 Years: The MeetGreen Origin Story
13:13 How COVID Forced the Events Industry to Finally Catch Up
16:15 Pick One Thing, Get Really Good at It, Then Pick the Next One

About Nancy Zavada

Nancy Zavada is the Founder and President of MeetGreen, a firm dedicated to providing sustainable event management and consulting for some of the world's most recognizable brands. With over three decades of experience, Nancy is a recognized leader in the industry, helping organizations reduce their environmental footprint while maintaining high-quality attendee experiences. She is an Oregon native, a lifelong environmentalist, and a passionate mentor to the next generation of green event professionals.

Connect with Nancy Zavada and her work

• Email → nancy@meetgreen.com
• LinkedIn → Nancy Zavada
• Company Website → MeetGreen

Send us a message!

Karimah Hudda, founder of Illumine Earth, returns for part two of her conversation with Dominique and Christy. After exploring her roots, Karimah dives into her "champion story." From the mountains of Indonesia to the boardrooms of global giants, she shares the tactical moves and mindset shifts required to rebalance power in global supply chains and lead with purpose. Karimah recounts a powerful story from Aceh, Indonesia, where a simple shift in strategic planning allowed 100 farmers to fundamentally change their relationship with exporters. It’s a vivid reminder that real impact isn’t about doing the work for people, it’s about providing the tools for them to unleash their own potential. Karimah challenges the idea that systems change has to be slow and complicated, offering a refreshing mantra for anyone trying to make a difference: simplify, believe in people, and stay messy.

The conversation also tackles the corporate "survival guide" for sustainability leaders. Karimah breaks down her signature framework for driving change without burning out. She explains why you must learn the "language of the business" (because the business won't learn yours) and how to balance personal, enterprise, and industry leadership.

Episode in a glance

04:56 From guerrilla warriors to expert coffee negotiators
08:28 Karimah's mantra: Simplify, believe in people, and stay messy
16:47 The challenge of passing the torch in long-term work
19:51 The 3 Pillars: Personal, Enterprise, and Industry leadership
22:38 Unlearning burnout: Why sustainability leaders must "flourish"

About Karimah Hudda

Karimah Hudda is the founder of Illumine Earth, a consultancy focused on helping leaders navigate complexity and drive systems change. With over 20 years of experience, she has led sustainability initiatives for global brands, non-profits, and community-based organizations. Karimah is a passionate advocate for equity and has lived, worked, and traveled in nearly 50 countries, bringing a truly global perspective to the fight for a more sustainable and just world.

Connect with Karimah Hudda and her work

Website → illumine.earth

LinkedIn → Karimah Hudda

Send us a message!

Karimah Hudda, founder of Illumine Earth, has spent two decades working where sustainability, leadership, and global systems meet. She discuss how her multicultural upbringing and work across 50 countries shaped her approach to equity. Karimah shares how she navigates the complexities of power to turn core values into real-world action.

Why do we introduce ourselves by our titles instead of our roots? For Karimah Hudda, the journey didn’t start in a boardroom. It started with her grandmother’s courage in a small Indian village. Karimah shares how a legacy of compassion and a belief in "shared humanity" led her from studying microbiology to transforming global supply chains. She takes us behind the scenes of the Fairtrade movement, explaining how simple shifts in equity can change the lives of hundreds of thousands of farmers.

But how do you bring that grassroots mission into a massive corporation? Karimah pulls back the curtain on her time at giants like Mondelēz and Nike, revealing the "messy" reality of corporate sustainability. From flying to Zurich weekly to land a global coffee strategy, to using satellites to track the world’s palm oil, she shares what it actually takes to move the needle within a corporate hierarchy.

Episode in a glance

01:03 More than a title: Who are you really?
04:54 Giving up medicine for global impact
09:46 Behind the scenes of the Fairtrade movement
13:31 Going "In-House": Corporate life at Mondelēz
21:07 Using satellites to solve the Palm Oil problem
23:45 How to get noticed in the sustainability world

About Karimah Hudda

Karimah Hudda is the founder of Illumine Earth, a consultancy focused on helping leaders navigate complexity and drive systems change. With over 20 years of experience, she has led sustainability initiatives for global brands, non-profits, and community-based organizations. Karimah is a passionate advocate for equity and has lived, worked, and traveled in nearly 50 countries, bringing a truly global perspective to the fight for a more sustainable and just world.

Connect with Karimah Hudda and her work

Website → illumine.earth

LinkedIn → Karimah Hudda

Send us a message!