From transforming how business thinks about nature, to mapping the first global plan to reverse global warming, Paul Hawken has spent his life showing us that regeneration isn’t just possible — it’s already happening. 

As the author of landmark books like The Ecology of Commerce, Natural Capitalism, Drawdown, and Regeneration, and now Carbon: The Book of Life, Paul has inspired generations of leaders to see the economy not as something separate from nature — but as part of it. 

In this powerful episode, we explore how his vision has evolved from early entrepreneurship to global systems thinking — and what it truly means to lead for life in an age of crisis. 

💡 In this conversation, you’ll discover: 

• How listening — to people, places, and the planet — became one of Paul’s most transformative leadership practices. 
• What it takes to move from despair to agency, and how joy can become a regenerative force. 
• How leaders can reframe carbon, biodiversity, and business as interconnected pathways to prosperity. 
• The habits and mindsets that help sustain optimism after decades of environmental work. 

Throughout our dialogue, I was reminded of earlier conversations on this podcast —
👉 with Hannah Ritchie, who shared how data can fuel urgent optimism about the planet’s future: https://www.jpcourtois.com/podcast/not-the-end-of-the-world-with-hannah-ritchie 
👉 with John Elkington, whose Triple Bottom Line challenged business to account for people, planet, and profit: https://thepositiveleadershippodcast.buzzsprout.com/1798971/episodes/17471215-rethinking-capitalism-a-conversation-with-the-godfather-of-sustainability-with-john-elkington 
👉 and with Paul Polman, who showed how courageous corporate leadership can accelerate the shift to a net-positive world: https://www.jpcourtois.com/podcast/becoming-a-courageous-leader-with-paul-polman-ex-unilever-ceo-and-imagine-co-founder

Together, these conversations reveal a truth that Paul embodies: that regeneration begins not in policy or technology, but in perspective — in the decision to see life as our ultimate stakeholder. 

🎧 Tune in to this episode of the Positive Leadership Podcast to hear Paul Hawken’s extraordinary journey — and his call to all of us to answer the question he once asked graduates: “What is the Earth asking of you?” 

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