Making waves from the Middle of the Ocean: How One Leader's Inner Transformation led to Global Impact
Emily Penn’s Inspiring story reveals how engaged action is the antidote to despair and the key to sustainability
Last week, I found myself utterly captivated at the Blue Earth Summit. The following story stirred my heart. It is a tale of connection—connection to oneself, connection to others, connection to the raw wilderness of our beautiful planet, and connection to the oceans that sustain life.
Emily Penn, an ocean advocate, detailed her personal journey of transformation. What she shared has left me not just inspired but compelled to act in new ways. It feels as though I was changed forever.
Emily is a perfect example of how deep awareness and empathy, when channeled into action, can drive significant, positive change.
A Weekend Trip Turned Lifelong Mission
Emily’s journey began like so many of ours—on a path of alternative plans and expectations. Fresh out of Cambridge with a degree in architecture, she had her future mapped out, complete with a job offer waiting in Australia. But a chance encounter changed her fate during what was meant to be a simple weekend trip to Brighton, UK (the gorgeous city I live ☀️).
Emily set out to test Earthrace, a record-breaking biofuel boat. What was intended as a weekend visit with friends quickly turned into a nine-month odyssey across the globe. Designed for speed and not comfort, Earthrace was on a mission to navigate around the world faster than any vessel before. The conditions were harsh: cramped quarters, relentless storms, simplest living. The gruelling demands of long-distance ocean travel pushed Emily to her limits.
But, amid the storms and exhaustion, something shifted in Emily.
Confronting the Reality of Plastic Pollution
Emily enthralled us with her vivid descriptions of swimming with pods of dolphins under a sky lit with the colours of the setting sun and the innumerable moments of sheer wonder that filled her with a deep connection to the ocean’s wildness.
She described sailing through violent storms, battling waves taller than buildings, and feeling the raw, untameable power of the sea. She was living on the brink of human vulnerability and not knowing if they would survive each storm.
Yet, those moments of awe, wonder and deep connection with the vastness and beauty of our planet were tainted by something she did not expect in the midst of the vast ocean: the undercurrent of human impact.
Her first shock came in the middle of the Pacific ocean.
Is that a plastic bottle? It cannot be!
But it was. She kept noticing plastic bits everywhere they went. Emily was confronted by a heartbreaking reality: the ubiquity of plastic where there should be none. Pieces of human waste floated in the middle of nowhere and even made it to fish’ stomachs, in what should have been one of the most beautiful and virgin places on Earth.
The thought gnawed at her:
How is it possible that something so powerful and vast like the ocean is now so vulnerable to us humans?
This juxtaposition stirred something deep within her: the beauty and the shocking reality of plastic pollution.
Mobilised to Action: From Observer to Advocate
In that moment, Emily knew. She couldn’t just sail past. The ocean, vast and seemingly endless, was now a victim of human carelessness. That shocking realisation became the catalyst for Emily’s life mission. She no longer had the urge to build more things as an architect, she wanted to clean up. From that point forward, she dedicated herself to understanding and combating plastic pollution in our oceans.
Emily’s voyage has taken her to the farthest reaches of the Earth, from the tropics to the icy waters of the Arctic. She’s covered more than 80,000 miles, leading expeditions with scientists, community leaders, and everyday people.
As she shared in her talk, “Every inch of the ocean now contains fragments of plastic.”
That’s right, every inch. Whether you’re swimming off the coast of a bustling city or in the remote corners of the world, plastic is present.
The world we live in, despite our ignorance, is truly interconnected.
Let’s take a moment to ponder.
Is this what we want?
And… what am I willing to do about it?
Emily’s leadership is inspiring. She has turned collective responsibility into concrete action by enabling and fuelling change through individuals and communities.
She has embraced leading the change she felt so strongly needs to happen by founding eXXpedition, “a Community Interest Company and not-for-profit organisation that runs pioneering all-women sailing research expeditions at sea and virtual voyages on land to investigate the causes of and solutions to ocean plastic pollution.”
Don’t you love their mission?: “To inspire and empower individuals and communities to shift their perspective on the plastics problem and use their superpowers to solve it.”
That’s right—we all have superpowers.
We often forget the impact of each individual within a complex system. As a physicist, I understand that complex systems self-organise after disturbances. It’s a beautiful thing, this often-quoted butterfly effect. Every minor action matters and can compound into significant change.
What if we kept this in mind and used it as inspiration to engage in different behaviour? How might we be able to change things and in what timescales?
The Staggering Impact of Plastic
One of the most staggering facts Emily shared was that if the plastic industry were a country, it would be the fifth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases. The very same plastic we see in the ocean is not only affecting marine life but accelerating climate change.
The numbers are truly staggering: 8 million tons of plastic pour into the ocean every year. Plastic bottles alone, if laid end to end, would stretch halfway to the sun.
Single-use plastic containers are hugely problematic, but the issue isn’t just about stray bottles on the beach. It’s about trillions of micro-plastics, smaller than a fingernail, breaking down in our seas and finding their way into fish, into the water we drink, and eventually into our own bodies.
Micro-plastics are highly dangerous to human health, as they mimic endogenous substances like hormones, and have been linked to chronic serious illnesses like cancer. (I wrote about these effects in my post Leading into the Future: Turning Climate Anxiety into Productive Action).
Emily wanted more specifics about the plastic that might be in our bodies. She ran an experiment funded by WHO. She had her blood tested for chemicals, specifically those that come from plastics. Of the 35 banned chemicals known to disrupt hormones and damage our health, 29 of them were found in her bloodstream. Think about that.
These chemicals are not just polluting the planet—they’re inside us already. And so toxic that they have been banned. But there they are, inside us. They’re silently affecting our health, other species’ and future generations. Later in the conference I learnt that scientists estimate that plastic pollution is leading to a significant decline in male sperm fertility, potentially resulting in a decrease in sperm counts by as much as 50% within three decades. Plastic pollution is truly devastating.
I know, scary figures.
Despite these grim realities, Emily’s message wasn’t one of despair. She is an inspiration and a wonderful role model for us, and she is very vocal of how hopeful for the oceans and all of us she is.
How do we keep a balance between being informed and staying sane and motivated to take the actions required to shift the situation?
How not to despair and focus on what we can do to shift things around?
Emily’s message was one of hope, of action. She turned her emotions and her realisations into concrete action that made a difference. Cleaning up all the plastic in the ocean felt like an impossible task to Emily, but it led her to ask a deeper question:
How do we stop plastic before it gets into the seas and oceans? What can we cut it at the source?
The truth is, plastic pollution isn’t just a problem at sea. Emily pointed out that there’s 23 times more plastic in our soil than in the oceans—a sobering reminder that this problem is bigger and closer than we realise. It begins long before it ever reaches the water. It starts on land, in our industries, our homes, our lifestyles.
And that means the solution doesn’t rest on the shoulders of a few—it’s something we all can and need to be part of.
The Solutions Start with Us
Emily emphasised that plastic pollution is a complex problem due to the variety of plastic polymers in circulation. There are indeed thousands of different types of plastic compounds, and each type requires distinct approaches for removal or recycling, depending on its chemical structure and properties.
Moreover, addressing plastic pollution does require a multifaceted strategy that includes solutions from various sectors, such as industry, community engagement, and policy reform. This reflects the reality that no single solution can effectively tackle the issue on its own as it is too complex; it requires coordinated efforts across society.
No one action will solve this crisis, but together, we can tackle it from every angle. “We can all do something in our sector,” she said, and we must. She gave examples of people using their skills—from scientists innovating biodegradable materials to businesses designing out single-use plastic to leaders advocating for policy change and making changes in their workplaces.
THERE IS A LOT YOU AND I CAN DO AND WE ALL NEED US TO DO AS MUCH AS WE CAN. Let’s put our thinking caps on and roll up our sleeves.
Emily’s voyage, both literal and metaphorical, has shown that while the challenges are immense, they are not insurmountable.
Human beings are highly intelligent, resourceful and creative. When we couple that with empathy and with caring, it is a powerful fuel for positive change.
Leadership, Emily reminded us, doesn’t always come from the front lines of a battlefield—it often comes from those who dare to question, to care, to innovate.
Her leadership is rooted in a deep connection to nature, and it’s grounded in action. From working with heads of state to CEOs to everyday citizens, Emily has shown that real change is possible when we lead with purpose.
As I sat there listening, I was moved not just by her words, but by her example. She is a real person, and when she started she was young and inexperienced. But she is a highly motivated person because her awareness and empathy touched her and moved her to action.
How our emotions can help us take action
Before we take on big projects of changes that require effort, we need to let ourselves be moved inside. Emotionally moved.
The breathtaking video Emily shared—images of towering waves, dolphins swimming alongside her boat, sunsets that melted into the horizon—reminded me of the beauty and fragility of the world we’re fighting to protect. And it reminded me of our collective responsibility.
When we hear “collective” something often becomes diluted and it is easy to eschew our own responsibility. Let’s stop that comfortable way of thinking. We can’t afford to think this way.
Collective responsibility is simply the accumulation of individual responsibilities. Each and every one of us matters and has power.
Emily’s story is a call to all of us—to leaders, to innovators, to change-makers, to every person. We cannot stand by while our oceans, our planet, and our health are threatened in such substantial ways.
This isn’t just a story about plastic; it’s a story about what kind of future we want to create.
Are we creating a future where we reconnect with the raw wilderness, where we protect the oceans and the life they sustain, where we protect our own health and wellbeing?
This is a future where each individual is a micro-leader of change.
We have the power to turn the tide. We have the responsibility to act. And like Emily, we can find our own way to make a difference—whether it’s in our businesses, our communities, or our daily choices. The ocean, vast and powerful, calls to us. It’s time we answer.
My own response to Emily’s story
As for me, since that video Emily shared with us, and since I heard Emily’s story, I question my every choice.
This is because I let myself be moved emotionally. I stay with the pain and let it speak to me and inform me. Pain and discomfort can be powerful forces to motivate us, if we can move through them to the values that matter to us and think of ways to translate those values and needs into action.
How can I make this decision more eco?
Am I upholding my own values for care and sustainability when I do this…?
What more can I do? What regular choices am I making that I could change to remove plastic use?
I feel freer and more integrated. Happier.
A change is not a sacrifice when we embrace it voluntarily. It actually is a joy and it nourishes us deeply.
What will you do today? And tomorrow?
What will you do on all your spheres of influence? At home, at work, in leisure times?
We can do this— together.
With hope and determination,
Nati
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About me
If you are new to this newsletter, welcome. I am a neuroscientist and certified Nonviolent Communication trainer and executive coach by the ICF (amongst other things).
I run Bright Communication; a leadership development company committed to building a more sustainable and compassionate world. Our mission is to help leaders, managers and organisations develop the empathic leadership skills necessary to fulfil the promise of the Global Goals.
Check out my new book blending Montessori and neuroscience for parents and educators— for now, in Spanish. Purchase online or in libraries in Spain, Latin America and the US. To be updated on events, go here.
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