Description

My guest this week, Karimah Hudda, has lived and worked across 40+ countries, guided by a lifelong commitment to equity, purpose, and human flourishing. She’s helped shape the sustainability agendas of some of the world’s most recognized organizations — from Fairtrade and Mondelez to Nike — and today leads IllumineEarth, a purpose-driven leadership and systems-change consultancy that helps executives, teams, and changemakers thrive from the inside out.

In my rich and expansive conversation with Karimah, she shares stories, frameworks, and deeply personal lessons from her global journey — from her roots in India to boardrooms and farms around the world. Her message: true sustainability begins with people.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Her Underswell — that thing under the surface that drives her and powers her commitment to the work she does.
• Lessons from Fairtrade — how smallholder farmers and artisans shaped her lifelong philosophy on equity and shared humanity.
• The evolution of corporate sustainability — from grassroots ethics to enterprise leadership and what’s needed more than ever.
• Moving beyond compliance — why regulation matters but heart-led leadership matters more.
• The human side of sustainability — how to avoid burnout, find joy, and practice “personal flourishing.”
• The call to align personal purpose with organizational systems — bridging people and planet for a flourishing future.
• What she’s learned from her work with Gen Z and why she believes her best is yet to come.

💬 Memorable quotes:

“We’re all born to purpose — we’re just trained out of it.”

“Once you go see, you cannot unsee. You cannot un-care.”

“Flourishing means humanity and nature coexisting in equilibrium.”

“Stay unreasonable. Stay untainted. The world needs you as you are.”

Listen to this episode if you’re: 

• A sustainability or purpose-driven leader balancing impact with well-being.
• A professional seeking to align personal values with career choices.
• A student or early-career changemaker looking to build courage, clarity, and community.
• Curious about the next era of leadership — one built on empathy, imagination, and shared humanity.

About Karimah: Karimah Hudda is a transformative leadership expert, systems change catalyst, and founder of IllumineEarth. A graduate of Oxford University and the University of Washington, she has led sustainability and supply chain initiatives for global brands and continues to mentor the next generation of leaders. Learn more at linkedin.com/in/karimahhudda.

Music🎵 by Lidérc

Links mentioned in the show:

Links to share:

• Karimah Hudda - https://www.linkedin.com/in/karimahhudda/
• Illumine.earth - https://www.illumine.earth/
• IUCN World Conservation Congress - https://iucncongress2025.org/
• University of Oxford - https://www.ox.ac.uk/
• University of Washington - https://www.washington.edu/ 
• Doctors Without Borders - https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/
• SBTs - https://sciencebasedtargets.org/ 
• CSRD - https://www.csrdreadiness.com/ 
• Salute - South Asian Leaders Unite To Empower - https://www.salute.community/ 

Inquire about being a guest on The Underswell at theunderswell.com/livewithderek