Meet Nancy Hagan | Long-Term Traveler Turned Climate Community Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nancy Hagan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nancy, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
It started in 2018, on a train in Thailand, of all places. My friend and I were watching the documentary *Chasing Coral*, and as an outdoor enthusiast and lover of all things nature, when I learned that the northern section of the Great Barrier Reef had lost 67% of its coral in less than a year in 2016, I was floored. I had always pictured the Reef as this vibrant, thriving ecosystem that I longed to visit some day, and it shocked me to learn of its devastation.

From there, I spiraled deep into research to answer my questions: Why are the oceans warming? What is the snowball effect? What is the human contribution? What are we currently doing to mitigate the damage? And ultimately leading to—why aren’t our governments acting faster? The more I learned, the more I realized how urgent this crisis is, and how slow the systems seemingly meant to protect us were moving. I also noticed how hard it was to figure out which actions *actually* made a difference. There was too much noise, too little clarity, and way too much guilt and shame placed on the individual.

I knew I couldn’t sit around and wait for those in power to act. I had the time, energy, and marketing background to do something, and I became obsessed. I had never been passionate about anything in my life before this. I even left California for a couple years and moved to Arizona, where I didn’t know anyone, to eliminate social distractions so I could focus. I poured 12-hour days into strategizing my business idea and building my waitlist website from scratch, teaching myself new skills and connecting with people in the climate space for feedback and community. It’s then I learned, as part of my target audience research, how isolating it can feel to be a climate advocate when it’s not yet a norm in your circles.

That’s part of what drove me to found VOW for Change. This desire to find community and belonging under a topic that not everyone closest to you understands. To find your people that you can talk about your climate change concerns with. VOW’s a gamified social platform that makes climate action simple, social, and rewarding through education and collective action. Its mission is personal, urgent, and fueled by the belief that if we each take a step, together we can move mountains. Even though I had to pause after launching the waitlist site on Earth Day in 2021 due to a health setback (recently self-resolved), I’m committed to picking it back up. And I’m more convinced than ever that it’s needed.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
In addition to building my social climate platform, VOW for Change—which I’m most proud of because I brought it to life from scratch with nothing but vision and tenacity—I’ve worked in corporate marketing for a multibillion-dollar real estate developer, project managed environmental materials testing for government clients, served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras, worked seasonally at USAID and the US Embassy in the Middle East, and accommodated high-profile guests at a Five Star, Five Diamond resort. Most recently, I headed up Community Collaboration at a Web3 game publisher, leading product marketing, product launches, and customer engagement initiatives.

My career hasn’t followed a linear path, and for a long time I saw that as a flaw. I used to wish I was someone who specialized in one niche, but now I appreciate the range my career trajectory has given me. I’ve been exposed to different ways of thinking and work cultures, thanks also in part to my background as a third culture kid, having spent seven years of my childhood in Jordan and Egypt, and took four years off to travel long-term and explore my interests. In doing so, I learned more about the world and how we make the gears turn. I’ve also proven that my skills can transfer to any industry, and now I want to apply them to work that aligns with my values.

All of these experiences gave me a cross-cultural fluency that taught me how to adapt quickly, communicate clearly, and lead with genuine curiosity. I’m a systems thinker, too. Someone who observes closely, listens to the room, and looks for ways to improve how things work. I’ve been told I bring a calming energy to high-stress situations, and I genuinely enjoy building real rapport with my teammates to make collaboration thrive.

Of course, my journey hasn’t been easy. I traded stability for uncertainty, pouring four years into travel and self-funded work from 2018–2022, watching my savings dwindle, when I could have jumped back into the workforce, purchased my own home with the savings I already had, and climbed the corporate ladder. When Covid hit, I also dealt with unexpected health challenges that forced me to pause after launching VOW’s waitlist. I had been an unstoppable force until then, but for two years, success became measured by if I could get out of bed and do even just one thing in the day that moved me forward. This chapter taught me the value of rest, of self-advocacy, and of being kind to yourself when your timeline looks different than what you expected.

Thankfully, the health issues self-resolved, and I’m transitioning my life back towards stability so I can resume work on VOW on the side. I’m actively looking for a role in product marketing, ideally in climate tech, and am focused on building healthy routines, prioritizing sleep quality, and reading again—not for self-improvement or business as I have done for years—but simply for joy.

One of the most valuables lessons I’ve learned is this: If you have the means, take time off from work and travel. Ideally for at least 3 months. It takes time for the brain to unwind from 40-hour, goal-focused workweeks and let go of the constant need to be productive. There may be some discomfort at first, but it’s in learning to sit through those feelings and adapt to the new norm that the growth happens. I started my travels by creating 15-page guides, which my friends still make fun of me for, but by the end, I had learned to slow down, be present, and redefine what “productivity” meant to me. Having the space to breathe opened my mind up to be curious about things I never had the space to be curious about before. Not only this, but having the time to process more of the world taught me new ways of thinking to build the confidence needed to navigate life with more certainty. This touched every aspect of my life—from speaking up at work to advocating for my health at doctors’ offices.

Today, I’m focused on building meaningful impact through storytelling, community-building, and strategic design—whether that’s in sustainability, tech, or mission-driven innovation. I’ve found that people are more likely to act when they feel understood. And when we build for them, not just for the bottom line, everyone wins.

If there’s one thing I want others to take away from my story, it’s this: Growth doesn’t always look like upward motion. Sometimes, it looks like taking a step back to breathe. Sometimes it’s nonlinear, messy, and full of detours. But if you stay curious, stay open, and continue aligning with what matters most to you—you’ll end up exactly where you’re meant to be.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If I had a week to show someone the area, I definitely wouldn’t spend it all in LA! Here’s what I’d plan, assuming ideal weather conditions, and that they had the energy to keep up 😉:

Day 1: ORANGE COUNTY. Parasail at Balboa Island. Stroll along the Laguna Beach boardwalk, people watch, hop around the art galleries, meander through downtown and pick a spot to eat (can’t go wrong). Get gelato at Gelato Paradiso. End the day with a beach bonfire at Corona del Mar, Bolsa Chica, or Huntington City Beach.

Day 2: SAN DIEGO. Hit up either the Little Italy Mercato Farmers Market or the Hillcrest Farmers Market in the AM. Tour Balboa Park, Gaslamp Quarter, La Jolla Cove, Seaport Village, Torrey Pines. Catch the sunset at Sunset Cliffs. Grab food at Madison or Stone Brewing in Escondido, and dessert at Extraordinary Desserts.

Day 3-4: TEMECULA. Visit Briar Rose Winery (created by a Disney Imagineer), Wilson Creek Winery, Robert Renzoni Winery. Explore Old Town Temecula and grab food at Swing Inn Cafe & BBQ (owned by actor Dean Norris; Hank in Breaking Bad).

Days 5-6: JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK. Camping, hiking, sunset, and stargazing. Visit Sky’s the Limit Observatory. Get a sound bath at the Integratron. Hike Hidden Valley Nature Trailhead and Skull Rock Trail. Sunset at Keys View.

Day 7: LOS ANGELES. Bike or rollerblade between Santa Monica and Venice Beach. Okayama Kobo Bakery and Daikokuya in Little Tokyo. mdk noodles in K-Town. Griffith Observatory for the skyline views and telescopes. End the day with a show at the Pantages Theatre or the Hotel Cafe.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First, I want to shout out my parents, who may not have always fully understood the nontraditional paths I chose, but supported me anyway. From letting me live with them for a few years while unemployed and building VOW, to offering business advice and structure when I needed it the most.

Second, I’m grateful for the coworkers and mentors over the years who gave me a chance, encouraged my ideas, and believed in my leadership before I did. I’ve been lucky to work alongside people who weren’t just incredibly intelligent (and gave me major imposter syndrome during my early corporate years), but who were also kind and generous.

Third, VOW wouldn’t have hit my target Earth Day launch date without my sister, friends, business coach, and those in the climate community who offered their time, services, and feedback to shape my MVP, customer personas, and website design.

And lastly, I want to shout out all the many artists and creators whose work has inspired me to think bigger, act bolder, and live more intentionally. It was the Chasing Coral documentary that opened my eyes to the climate crisis. Creators like Vanessa Lau gave me the tactical tools to build systematically. And blog authors like Dea Pratt, who’s also a climate tech marketer, expanded my knowledge on how to effectively build a business in the climate space. Creators plant seeds, and they’re part of the reason I believe so deeply in the power of storytelling to create change.

Website: https://www.vowforchange.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetravelinghapa

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyphagan