Ep 49 Nimmity Zappert, Founder All Of The Good Things & Chair Fair Trade Assoc ANZ on living the Good life

Before founding her own enterprises, All of the Good Things and Authentic Selling, Nimmity worked for 25+ years in senior management in the software industry.  Working across a broad international landscape, this included working in Africa, Middle East, Europe (including Russia and Central Europe), Scandinavia, Asia and the Americas. 

As well as providing fantastic experiences exploring the world, these experiences also highlighted the extreme contrast in her living and travelling circumstances, and those she saw in her travels. Nimmity is passionate about using her business experience for good. Her travels and work experience sparked a passion in the Fair Trade movement. Nimmity currently volunteers as the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand. Nimmity enjoys hiking, exploring new cities, art and camping. 

In this interview we explore the importance of relationships – the emotional bonds we build with other human beings. Not just friends and family, but through business. Nimmity talks about Fair Trade being the antidote to Modern Slavery, but our conversation also reveals it is so much more than that. It is about moving away from transactional bonds to emotional bonds. And in the process building more human businesses and reconnecting to our humanity.

I loved this conversation. It has inspired me to dive deeper into the Fair Trade movement. I hope it achieves the same for you.

Some of the highlights:

• The value of the relationships we build with people through the organisations we work with
• Nimmity’s background and the role travelling played in opening her eyes to the inequities in the world
• How Nimmity’s experiences inspired her to volunteer with the Fair Trade Movement and to eventually leave her corporate background to start her business “All Of The Good Things”
• She shares the mission of All Of The Good Things, including why ethical gifting has such positive impact
• Nimmity explains what Fair Trade is about – the problems it is committed to solving and the principles it adheres to
• She talks about how Fair Trade goes beyond reducing negative impact and instead creates positive impact
• We discuss the empowerment of consumer choice and how the importance of micro actions, on their own but all  collectively in creating positive impact 
• She explains the scale and depth of Modern Slavery and and how Fair Trade is the antidote
• She reveals to us the Artisan side of the Fair Trade movement beyond goods like coffee/tea/chocolate that people usually associate with Fair Trade
• We chat about the idea of buying less but better quality and products using natural fibres; and wearing things till they fall apart
• The stories we can tell about the things we buy including the connections we have as a buyer to the people who produce the goods – bringing us back to the value of relationships
• Expanding on this theme of relationships, Nimmity shares a beautiful story about what happened during Covid when overseas artisans were unable to work during lockdowns and how Fair Trade businesses here in Australia responded
• The ripple effect of employing someone and the positive impact it creates
• The different ways people can support the Fair Trade movement – as a consumer, as a business and as a citizen

Connect with Nimmity 

On Linkedin 

All Of The Good Things website

All Of The Good Things on Instagram

 

Connect with the Fair Trade movement

Fair Trade Association website

List of Fair Traders in Australia

Get involved

NSW Meet-ups

Fair Trade Australia (commodity products)