Nina Simons, Femininity in Action

An internationally acclaimed speaker, advocate; author, and leader within the environmental movement, Nina Simons’ calming voice exudes the strong feminine spirit she writes and speaks of. Nina describes being among the sunflowers, bees, butterflies and vegetables and experiencing an awakening to nature while walking through Gabriel Howearth’s garden with her now husband Kenny Ausubel. Nina and Kenny created “Seeds of Change” in 1989 with Gabriel with the mission “to preserve biodiversity and promote sustainable, organic agriculture.”
One year later, seeing a need to bring like-minded people together focused on sustainability, Nina and Kenny once again trail-blazed creating an annual conference which set the foundation for “Bioneers” a term Kenny created, and now a non-profit hosting their 22nd annual conference which “highlights breakthrough solutions for restoring people and planet and inspiring a shift to live on Earth in ways that honor the web of life, each other and future generations.”
What once began as a 250 people conference now hosts 3,000 people from across the globe and transmits videos around the world reaching over 9,000 people. Nina and Kenny left Seeds of Change with the mission of bringing like-minded people together focused on “innovative solutions” for the planet.
Nina’s personal evolution with Bioneers resulted in the creation of “The Women’s Leadership Conference.” Nina saw the desire by women to rise in leadership related to deeply passionate issues such as children’s health and education. The Women’s Leadership Conference aims at connecting women and accentuating the best of our feminine side to nurture and bond with our masculine side to lead and create.
“Moonrise” an anthology of stories of women “leading from the heart,” edited by Nina and Anneke Campbell, was an outgrowth of Nina’s women’s leadership work.
Nina’s soft-spoken manner is warrior spirit in action. Nina’s grace and eloquence combined with her commitment and dedication results in strength, boldness, and change. Nina is a role model for women desiring to make a difference for the planet. Her 24 years of working in sustainability has paired her with almost every environmental leader in the country. The impact of her work is far reaching. She now speaks at United Nations conferences. Nina knows the planet is calling us for assistance; she also knows it will take men and women moving forward together and educating our children on the important issues.
I was moved by Nina’s openness and sincerity in our interview. Though an interview with Nina requires scheduling several weeks in advance due to her speaking schedule, she was completely enthusiastic and present. Nina underscores how appreciative she is seeing women stepping courageously forward; using our voices to speak for the earth. She sees a ripple effect happening from each woman stepping forward and she reiterates, now is the time. Nina knows personally what the Power of One Woman holds to make a difference and she personifies it.