Dianne Dain

Dianne Dain is the Chief Innovation Officer for the World Humanitarian Forum and a member of the WHO Innovation team. Recognized globally as a thought leader on women's influence and empowerment, sustainable tech, and social innovations, Dain is the co-founder of COPXX and an Honorary Professor at the Wise Center for Economic Justice at Glasgow Caledonia University.  Additionally, she is the President of The Singer Foundation. Prior to these roles, Dianne was with the United Nations Secretariat where she lead the UN Reboot Accelerator for youth crowdsourcing and participated in the creation of the global network of UN Technology Innovation Labs (UNTIL). In 2010 she was named National Mother of America

3 words to describe Nature?

Majestic. Creator. Home

3 things Nature taught you?

Perspective

Humility

Gratitude

3 most treasured Nature spots?

Scottish Highlands

Palos Verdes Peninsula beaches

Waipio Valley, Hawaii

When you look at the OCEAN, it makes you feel...?

Eternally grateful for the rhythm and heartbeat of the universe

When you see a FOREST, it makes you feel...?

Grounded and connected to ancient wisdom

When you see a VOLCANO, it makes you feel...?

Humbled by the power and fire living within the earth Is walk upon

When you see a SUNRISE or SUNSET, it makes you feel...?

Thankful I am alive and get to see another day begin or end 

When you hear THUNDER, it makes you feel...?

Liberated from humans, worshipful of the power of the universe

When you hear the WIND HOWLING, it makes you feel...?

Exhilarated and energized that the air

Are you an OCEAN, MOUNTAIN, FOREST, or DESERT person?

Forest and Ocean

On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?

10

Share with us a childhood nature memory?

My earliest memories are of being born looking for a connection to my environment. I was conceived during a surf lesson and abandoned as a baby at the Salvation Army. As a child, I would sit on the hillside overlooking the ocean and wonder how I came to be here and why. I spent hours alone on the hills because I intuitively felt most at home with the earth. She was my mother and nurtured me through a lack of strong human connections and identity as a child. 

 


Christine Duffy

Christine Duffy is president of Carnival Cruise Line, the flagship brand of Miami-based global cruise industry leader Carnival Corp., the world’s largest leisure travel company. As president, she captains a company that sails a fleet of 24 ships, annually hosts nearly six million guests, and employs more than 43,000 people who hail from 110 nations around the globe. Celebrating six years with Carnival Cruise Line, Christine joined the company in 2015 after a successful tenure as president and CEO of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), which represents the $120 billion global cruise industry. 

While at CLIA, she elevated the industry’s profile before consumers, regulators, industry stakeholders, and the media; led the adoption of the Cruise Passenger Bill of Rights to enhance the industry’s commitment to passenger safety, comfort, and care; managed the industry response to several high-profile crises; and consolidated a network of 15 cruise industry organizations into one global association.

Prior to CLIA, Christine spent 10 years at Maritz Travel Company, the world’s largest corporate meeting, events, and incentive travel company where she served six years as president and CEO.

Christine is the chair of the U.S. Travel Association. She is a member of the board of directors of Aimbridge Hospitality, the global leader in hotel management services, and Herschend Family Entertainment, the nation’s largest family-owned operator of themed attractions, including Dollywood and Branson’s Silver Dollar City. She sits on the Professional Advisory Board of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital of which Carnival Cruise Line is the official celebration partner.

Christine has been a strong supporter of women’s leadership in the travel industry, leading initiatives that delivered research and programs to help women advance their careers. She was recently named by Women Leading Travel & Hospitality as one of its top women in travel and hospitality. Christine is also a member of The Committee of 200, an organization of the world’s most successful women business leaders that supports, celebrates, and advances women's leadership. She was recognized by Moves magazine as a 2016 Power Women recipient for her work in serving as a role model for future generations of young women. She has also been honored by the Convention Industry Council and the U.S. Coast Guard, among others. Christine was a member of the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference class of 2018, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious public liaison program for the Department of Defense.

3 words to describe Nature?

Beautiful. Inspiring. Powerful

3 things Nature taught you?

Circle of Life through birth

Growth

Renewal

3 most treasured Nature spots?

Ocean

Beach

My garden

When you look at the OCEAN, it makes you feel...?

At peace

When you see a FOREST, it makes you feel...?

Small and inclusive

When you see a VOLCANO, it makes you feel...?

Intimidated by its' power.

When you see a SUNRISE or SUNSET, it makes you feel...?

Inspired for a new day or at peace with the end of a day well-lived.

When you hear THUNDER, it makes you feel...?

Apprehensive for what follows...

When you hear the WIND HOWLING, it makes you feel...?

Apprehensive for the damage that can be done.

Are you an OCEAN, MOUNTAIN, FOREST, or DESERT person?

OCEAN

On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?

7

Share with us a childhood nature memory?

Long days at the beach after the lifeguards and crowds have gone home.


Miki Agrawal

Miki Agrawal was named 2018 Fast Company’s “Most Creative People”, 2017 “Young Global Leader” by World Economic Forum, “Social Entrepreneur of the Year” by the World Technology Summit, “Top 20 millennials on a mission” by Forbes, and was one of INC Magazine’s “Most Impressive Women Entrepreneurs of 2016.” That year, she made the cover of both Entrepreneur Magazine and Crain’s Magazine. She is the recipient of the Tribeca Innovation Award and was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Brooklyn Culture in 2017 by the Brooklyn Magazine.

She co-founded THINX, a high-tech, period-proof underwear brand and led the company as CEO to a valuation of over $150 Million and to Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2017, all while helping tens of millions of women period better.

She also founded TUSHY, a company that is revolutionizing the American toilet category with a modern, affordable, designer bidet attachment that both upgrades human health & hygiene as well as the environment from wasteful toilet paper consumption. She and her team are also helping fight the global sanitation crisis by bringing clean latrines to underserved communities in India through their partnership with Samagra. SNL covered TUSHY after its subway campaign was banned. Watch the clip here.

She is the founder of the acclaimed farm-to-table, alternative pizza concept called WILD with 3 locations in New York City, one in Guatemala and more on the way.

Additionally, Harper Collins published her first book entitled "DO COOL SH*T" on entrepreneurship and lifestyle design. Hay House published her second book “Disrupt-Her”.

3 words to describe Nature?

Alive. Present. Symbiotic

3 things Nature taught you?

That we are tiny specs of dust that are here for a short amount of time, so we must add more to nature than take away from it. 

3 most treasured Nature spots?

The Catskills

My backyard garden

Redwood forest in California 

When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel…?

Ever-present

When you see a forest, it makes you feel…?

Meditative 

When you see a volcano, it makes you feel…?

Powerful 

When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel…?

Rejuvenated 

When you hear thunder, it makes you feel…?

Energetic 

When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel…?

Alive 

Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person? 

Forest 

On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being? 

10 

Share with us a childhood nature memory? 

Going camping in Stowe with my family and climbing Mt Orford at 3 years old and feeling very accomplished :-)

 


Denise Thomas

 

Denise is a proven and dynamic leader who has spent more than 20 years helping entrepreneurial companies develop breakthrough ideas. Her public and private company expertise spans the financial services, technology, healthcare, hospitality and online services industries, and she has led companies backed by leading venture capital firms, including Kleiner Perkins, Mohr Davidow and Sequoia Capital.

In the FinTech industry, Denise is considered a visionary and highly respected executive leader. She is one of the few women to receive venture funding for a FinTech startup. Denise founded ApplePie Capital to create a new, more efficient source of capital for franchise businesses.

Denise has founded three other companies, and held executive and management positions with SharesPost, Healthiest You, Navigenics, LesConcierges, OffRoad Capital, Onyx Microcomputer, Post Communications, Kao Infosystems, and National Semiconductor.

She has been a guest lecturer at both the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley.

3 words to describe Nature? 

GROUNDING. INSPIRING. FEARSOME

3 things Nature taught you? 

WE ARE NOT IN CONTROL

THERE IS MUCH TO LEARN

THERE IS WONDER AND FEAR

3 most treasured Nature spots? 

HALEAKALA CRATER

YOSEMITE

WALDEN POND

When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel…? 

EXPANSIVE

When you see a forest, it makes you feel…? 

ADVENTURE

When you see a volcano, it makes you feel…? 

SAD

When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel…? 

INSPIRED

When you hear thunder, it makes you feel…? 

EXCITEMENT

When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel…? 

LIKE RETREATING

Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person? 

OCEAN

On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being? 

8

Share with us a childhood nature memory? 

MY MEMORIES ARE NOT FROM MY CHILDHOOD UNFORTUNATELY. MY FAMILY DID NOT SPEND TIME IN NATURE.