The Spotlight Series amplifies the authentic stories of women and underrepresented groups in tech, entrepreneurship, and leadership.
Kim
Lundgren
“I run a woman-owned benefit corporation that designs and implements aggressive, equitable climate action solutions.”
Kim Lundgren
CEO of Kim Lundgren Associates, Inc.
WHAT ACCOMPLISHMENT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?
“Being able to start a successful business while being a mom.
I started my business when my daughter was four years old and my husband was traveling every week. So to start it and grow it the way I have, while still being there for my daughter and my husband and my family… it has not been easy, but it's certainly an ongoing accomplishment that I feel proud of.”
WHAT’S A STRUGGLE YOU’VE OVERCOME?
“I think the biggest struggle has been - how to promote myself. I think a lot of women, in particular, are told, ‘Take it down a notch, don't brag about yourself.’ Whereas a man is told to be proud.
It wasn't until I started my business and started engaging in more entrepreneur-type webinars and publications that I realized - I should be promoting the work that I do.”
WHAT’S SOMETHING THAT’S IN-PROGRESS?
"Transitioning my business to more of a SaaS model, with our dashboard tool and other products that expand from our professional services.
I think it will help us reach more people to address climate change, which is really what we need to do - reach as many people as possible."
CAN YOU DESCRIBE A “CAREER WIN”?
"I wrote the very first Climate Action Plan in the state of Massachusetts, one of the very first in the country.”
“Anyone who knows me, I think they would say, ‘Kim equals passion’."
WHAT'S YOUR DAY-TO-DAY MANTRA?
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
“It’s by Margaret Mead, a historical sociologist that worked in a lot of the Pacific Island nations. For me, to tackle this global challenge as one individual, to grow my business, and to work with one community at a time—I genuinely believe that I can be a catalyst and make a difference as one person.
I think it's very hard to do this kind of work if you don't believe that an individual can make a difference.”
WHAT’S THE LAST THING YOU RATED 5-STARS?
I gotta tell you… have you ever heard of Lunya? They sell these unbelievable sleep masks. It's like heaven. I've never slept so well. Everybody should buy one. I'm not getting paid for this! That mask… that's a game-changer.”
WHAT DOES ADVOCACY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
“Reaching every individual in an equitable fashion, understanding that we're not all starting from the same place in any regard, but particularly as it relates to understanding climate change.
If you're concerned about putting food on the table, you're not thinking about how that extreme weather event may destroy your home. You don't have that luxury.
The fact that we're able to use climate action planning as an opportunity to help build people up and address chronic stressors in communities—it’s something that I've really been a champion for. But we can't get to that sustainable future if even one person is living in poverty or feels unsafe."
WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU WISH YOU’D KNOWN 10 YEARS AGO?
“How to balance my time better. My daughter was born 11 years ago. So if I’d had a better system for work-life balance, it would have made the last 10 years a lot easier.”
WHAT WOULD YOU TELL A STUDENT WHO’S INTERESTED IN SUSTAINABILITY WORK?
“Know that there’s a role for you here. I mean, I'm hiring right now. I need a Customer Success Manager, I'm hiring an Executive Business Administrator…
Just as any other company, we need people to do finance, operations, communications, marketing, administrative work… all of those things are important parts of businesses that focus on climate change.
So for somebody who has an interest in wanting to be part of a social impact organization, don't feel like, ‘Well, I'm not a scientist,’ or, ‘I don't have a policy background, so there's not a role for me,’ because that's really not the case.”
WHERE WILL WE FIND YOU IN RETIREMENT?
“Living off the grid, either in an island nation or Costa Rica with my husband."
Our Spotlight Series ↗ amplifies the authentic stories of women and underrepresented groups in tech, entrepreneurship, and leadership.