The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens

Rewilding 15 Million Acres: Why True Wealth Means More Than Money with Kristine Tompkins

Apr 2, 2025

Kristine Tompkins, a dedicated conservationist and former CEO of Patagonia, shares her journey from corporate success to championing biodiversity in South America. She discusses the urgent need for environmental action and how rewilding initiatives can restore ecosystems. Kristine emphasizes redefining true wealth through personal responsibility and community engagement, urging listeners to forge a deeper connection with nature. She also highlights the transformative power of shared experiences with wildlife, inspiring a new generation to embrace activism with joy and purpose.

01:12:50

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Kristine Tompkins

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Quick takeaways

True wealth is not about money accumulation but using resources to foster positive ecological change and community impact.

Active engagement in conservation and redefining personal responsibility can transform fear into meaningful actions for environmental preservation.

Deep dives

Transforming Wealth into Purpose

The notion of wealth is evolving; it's not merely about accumulating assets but rather how those resources are used to foster positive change. The conversation highlights the importance of using one's skills, voice, and community to enact meaningful impacts, thereby shifting from a focus on personal gain to a broader societal contribution. Individuals are called upon to redefine their relationship with power and wealth, emphasizing that the true reward lies in leveraging resources for the greater good. By doing so, lives become richer and more fulfilling, creating a ripple effect in contributing to a more sustainable future.

Intro

3min

From Corporate Leader to Conservation Advocate

26min

Urgent Call for Environmental Action

16min

The Power of Rewilding

6min

Rewilding and Responsibility

16min

A Reflective Moment With a Jaguar

2min

Empowering Youth for Change

5min

While the wealth of the world's richest individuals continues to accumulate year after year, funding billions into AI, technology, and innovation, our true wealth—the planet's natural ecosystems—receives only a fraction of the funding needed for restoration and protection. What can we learn from those rare individuals who have dedicated their lives to conserving and rewilding the Earth, choosing to invest in nature rather than the next market breakthrough?

Today Nate is joined by conservationist Kristine Tompkins, to discuss her decades of work on conservation initiatives in South America, the value of personal responsibility, and how she has cultivated a way of living without fear in taking on unprecedented environmental challenges. Kristine also reflects on the limitations of money as a metric for success and fulfillment, advocating instead for using wealth towards bettering the ecological state of our planet and rediscovering the joy of connecting with humanity’s place in nature.

How can we, as individuals, ‘earn’ hope for the future of our planet through engaging in conservation work? What can be learned from upending industrial norms to restore a personal relationship with the natural world? Finally, how can embracing individual responsibility lead us away from passive activism to usher in active and meaningful work in service of all life on Earth?

(Conversation recorded on January 29th, 2025)

About Kristine Tompkins:

Kristine Tompkins is an American conservationist and the president and co-founder of Tompkins Conservation, as well as the former CEO of Patagonia. For nearly thirty years, alongside her late husband Doug Tompkins, she has committed her career to protecting and restoring wild beauty and biodiversity by creating national parks, restoring wildlife, inspiring activism, and fostering economic vitality as a result of conservation.

As the president of Tompkins Conservation, Kristine Tompkins oversees a multitude of projects rewilding the Americas. Having protected approximately 15 million acres of parklands in Chile and Argentina through Tompkins Conservation and its partners, Kristine and Douglas Tompkins are considered some of the most successful national park-oriented philanthropists in history.

Photography Credits for Kristine Tompkins Headshot: Adam Amengual

Show Notes and More

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