Finding A Career With Purpose (EP30 with Michelle Impey, Save the Kiwi)

For many careers, purpose doesn’t extend much beyond cashing in the payslip.

For Michelle Impey, she’s lived a career of purpose for 20+ years.

As CEO of Save the Kiwi, Michelle has led the organisation’s evolution from a one-person funding distributor to a national team delivering measurable conservation outcomes for our national icon, the kiwi bird.

In this episode, we talk candidly about building a career with purpose - the trade-offs and rewards, the culture that keeps people for decades, and how business skills like fundraising, operations and communications can drive real impact alongside fieldwork. You don’t necessarily need an ecology degree to help; you need intent, passion and persistence.

Michelle also outlines the NZ conservation sector’s evolution. From early research into kiwi decline and DoC sanctuaries, to the community-led and iwi-led movement, Predator Free 2050, new technologies, and Save the Kiwi’s own incubation and crèche programmes - this is proof that collaboration can turn the tide for Aotearoa’s wildlife.

Here are some of the key topics we discussed:

• Lessons from 20 years leading and growing a conservation charity
• How New Zealand’s kiwi recovery efforts have evolved
• What leading a purpose-driven organisation really looks like day to day
• Blending business skills with conservation outcomes
• Applying entrepreneurial thinking to conservation challenges
• Advice for anyone looking to start or transition into a purpose-driven career
• Finding your place in conservation - from volunteering to leadership
• Why culture and long-term commitment matter in meaningful work
• And much more…

👩About Michelle:

For more than 20 years, Michelle Impey has been the CEO of Save the Kiwi, an organisation that’s on a mission to grow kiwi to abundance across New Zealand. Save the Kiwi works alongside iwi, conservation groups, and the Department of Conservation to raise awareness about the plight of the kiwi, how important the species is to New Zealand’s national identity, and what Kiwis can do to help their namesake.

During her 20+ years in this role, Michelle has witnessed the explosive growth of iwi- and community-led kiwi conservation initiatives, which have in turn created more kiwi-safe habitat all over the country and a greater collective desire for kiwi to return to places where they once thrived. Michelle works tirelessly to ensure kiwi remain at the forefront of New Zealand's consciousness, reminding everyone around her that one person taking small action can lead to monumental change.

🔗Learn more:

• Website: www.savethekiwi.nz
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/savethekiwinewzealand
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/savethekiwinz
• LinkedIn: ww.linkedin.com/company/save-the-kiwi

🎙️Learn more about the podcast at www.conservationamplified.org