Sustainable business speaker work often begins with a moment that shifts everything, and for me, that moment happened a year ago in Eldoret, Kenya. I walked into a primary school that instantly opened my understanding of fairness, courage, and the responsibility leaders hold when they try to make the world better.
I felt the heat before I saw the classrooms.
Then I noticed everything at once. No electricity. No water. Holes in the roof. Children sat at desks that looked older than the school itself.
They still smiled, still learned. They still showed a level of resilience that rivals many corporate leaders I have worked with over the years. Their teachers showed the same strength, even though they managed challenges that most of us never need to face.
That school changed me. It deepened my commitment to using my voice as a sustainable business speaker to help leaders rethink how they build their organisations. It showed me that sustainable leadership is emotional before it becomes strategic. And it confirmed that a business must live for more than profit, otherwise its purpose dissolves the moment difficulty appears.
Twice a day, the children collected water from a distant point. They carried it in heavy containers across dusty paths with no shade. We turn on a tap. They walk. We complain about minor inconveniences. They survive them. We forget that resilience is not a corporate buzzword. It is a lived experience. That day reminded me that sustainability begins with seeing the world as it really is.
Why A Sustainable Business Speaker Starts With Humanity, Not Metrics
Many people expect sustainability to be a report or a policy. Yet sustainability grows from compassion, intention, and awareness. It begins when something touches you deeply, and you can no longer turn away from the reality in front of you.
When I share this story during my talks, I explain that sustainability is about people first. Leaders often need reminding that numbers do not change the world. Humans do. A sustainable business speaker uses stories because stories move people. They prompt action. They help teams understand why purpose matters.
Kenya reminded me that sustainable leadership cannot be theoretical. It must stay rooted in the richness and the rawness of lived experience. That school had almost nothing, yet I saw more determination and hope there than in many boardrooms. I realised that when you strip away comfort, distraction, and noise, you see what truly drives people forward. You see courage. See the possibility. You see the connection.
These qualities sit at the heart of sustainable leadership. And as I spoke to teachers, I also saw something else. I saw exhaustion. I saw pressure. People working beyond reason, because there was nobody else to do it. That is why I now talk more boldly about responsibility when I speak as a sustainable business speaker. If you have the ability to help, then help. Have a platform, then use it. If you have influence, then channel it towards something meaningful.
Giving Your Business A Personality And A Purpose Beyond Profit
I often say this line, and I believe it wholeheartedly:
“It’s about what happens when you give your business a personality, a purpose, and a reason to exist beyond profit.
It’s about daring to lead with heart, values, and a touch of quirkiness and in doing so, creating something unforgettable.” That principle guides everything I build and everything I teach. Kenya reminded me why it matters. Many businesses talk about purpose yet fail to live it. They create strategies with no soul. Create brands with no story. They create cultures that feel hollow. A business with personality stands out because it feels real. A business with purpose drives loyalty because people feel something when they connect with it. And a business built with heart leaves a mark on everyone it touches.
During my visit I saw first-hand what happens when communities go without the basics. Water. Safety. Education. Everything we take as a given. When I share this during my talks, leaders lean in. They start to rethink the assumptions they hold. Start to question the way they use their resources. They start to imagine the kind of impact they could create if they aligned profit with purpose. That is the magic of speaking about sustainability with real experiences, not just slides. It makes people feel something. And when people feel something, they act.
Why Sustainable Leadership Needs Courage, Curiosity And Discomfort
The world desperately needs leaders who see beyond their own walls. However, sustainable leadership also demands discomfort. It asks you to sit with hard truths, which is why many people avoid it. But uncomfortable stories change us. They show us gaps we never noticed. Strengths we forgot we had. They show us the work that still needs doing.
Kenya challenged me to become braver in my work as a sustainable business speaker. I now talk openly about courage. You need courage to change a business culture. Courage to question old habits. You need courage to say, “Profit matters, but people matter more.” And you need courage to turn a purpose statement into real-world action.
This shift can start small. Leaders often think sustainability requires huge resources, but that is rarely true. Small changes become big changes when repeated every day. Kenya reinforced that message too.
Small Actions Create Big Impact
We sometimes underestimate the power of small actions because they feel insignificant. Yet nothing meaningful starts as a finished masterpiece. Sustainable business grows in layers. One choice at a time.
One improvement at a time. One conversation at a time.
That is why organisations that embrace sustainable leadership often begin in simple ways. They choose more ethical suppliers, reduce waste. They support local communities and shift their mindset, even before they shift their systems. Each choice creates momentum.
Kenya showed me that small actions matter more than grand intentions. The children carried water every day. Teachers taught in sweltering heat. They changed lives without resources.
Meanwhile, many leaders hold enormous resources yet hesitate to use them. This is why, during my talks as a sustainable business speaker, I focus on the idea of meaningful micro-actions. Leaders can transform their organisations with consistent, thoughtful decisions that reflect their values.
Why Sustainable Business Needs Community
The work with One Woman At A Time continues to grow because community fuels change. Kenya strengthened our commitment to offering sustainable support to women and girls. We work to improve access to education, safety, resources, dignity, and long-term opportunity. These goals need money, of course, but they also need advocacy. They need people willing to amplify stories that deserve to be heard.
Sustainability thrives when people come together. Leaders forget this sometimes. They try to solve everything alone. But purpose multiplies when shared. This is why the call to “join forces” sits at the end of that LinkedIn post. It is not a slogan. It is an invitation. The world changes when individuals collaborate. The world strengthens when businesses contribute. And the world becomes fairer when leaders decide to lead with intention rather than ego.
A sustainable business speaker can spark that shift by showing leaders that their choices ripple far beyond their walls.
How Kenya Reframed The Way I Teach, Speak And Lead
That visit changed the way I frame my talks. It changed how I approach purpose. Changed my understanding of responsibility. It also changed the way I guide organisations that want to become more ethical, more human, and more sustainable. Because the truth is simple: you cannot talk about purpose without feeling it. You cannot talk about resilience without respecting those who live it daily. And you cannot talk about sustainability without understanding the human cost of inequality.
Kenya made those lessons real. And because of that, I now speak with even more conviction about what sustainable leadership requires: Heart. Values. Curiosity. Quirkiness. Responsibility. Humanity. These qualities make businesses unforgettable. They also make them powerful forces for good.
Why Sustainable Business Speaker Work Matters More Than Ever
I end many talks with one clear message: Every small action matters. Every choice matters. Every leader matters. The world needs businesses that dare to be different. Not louder. Not bigger. Just braver. We can create change, one school, one girl, and one community at a time. And yes, one business at a time too. If you want to build a business that leaves a mark, start with your purpose. Start with your values. With your humanity. Start with what you feel when you see the world as it truly is.
