Interwoven Episode 14 – From Broadcast to Environmental Action: Natalie Fée’s Switch to Purpose-Led Entrepreneurship

Before she founded City to Sea, Natalie Fée had built a varied life as a TV presenter, author, singer, and even a yoga teacher. But a sense of imbalance crept in as she moved through a lucrative corporate world, until two pivotal experiences- the devastation of South American deforestation and the discovery of plastic-filled albatross chicks- began to pry her from the old path. These images of environmental harm were no fleeting worry; they became, as she describes, moments that “completely floored me,” shifting her from concern to conviction.

At first, her response was creative, a song and crowdfunding campaign that didn’t have the reach she hoped for, but planted the seed for City to Sea. The move into entrepreneurship wasn’t tidy or pre-planned. Burnout hit early, and balancing advocacy, leadership, and authorship, often while dealing with personal upheaval, forced her to rethink sustainability not just for the planet, but for herself and her organisation. Initiatives like the four-day week were born from necessity as much as ideals.

What distinguishes Natalie Fée’s story isn’t a single lightning-bolt moment but a willingness to experiment, collaborate, and change course, bringing her skills in communication, advocacy, and creativity to bear in a new context. Her journey speaks honestly about overwhelm, periods of doubt, the pain of shrinking a team, and the challenges of working outside the mainstream. Step by step, she reshaped her professional identity to match her values, allowing her campaigning voice and even her music to serve others seeking meaning and action.

Listeners weighing their own pivots will find encouragement in her refusal to settle for easy comfort or heroic certainty. Entrepreneurship emerges not as a destination but as a continuous, human process of learning, regrouping, and finding purpose beyond job titles.