At November’s Wellness Moonshot: A World Free of Preventable Disease Full Moon Celebration, Wisdom Works CEO Renee Moorefield and Tom Hering, Co-Founder of Benefit Corporations for Good, explored how purpose-driven leadership can help small businesses—and the world—thrive. Their conversation revealed how embedding purpose into everyday decisions can transform not just companies, but communities and lives.
Purpose as the Core of Thriving Leadership
For both Renee and Tom, purpose isn’t a slogan—it’s the organizing force of leadership. “It’s not about adding another program,” Tom explained. “It’s about shifting the mindset of leaders.”
Small businesses, he shared, are uniquely positioned to do this well. With close-knit teams and direct ties to their communities, they can experiment more freely, learn faster, and adapt their practices to reflect their values. Whether embedding care into performance reviews or ensuring meetings model boundaries and respect, purpose becomes less of an initiative and more of a way of operating.
“When purpose guides daily actions, it naturally embeds wellbeing into how organizations function. It’s not a side project—it’s simply how things are done.”
— Renee Moorefield, Wisdom Works CEO
Business as a Force for Healing
Tom described his work with small organizations as proof that business can either harm or heal—and that many leaders are choosing the latter. “A business that heals leaves people, communities, and the planet better off than before it touched them,” he said.
He shared the story of Wamut Technical Fabricators, a small manufacturing company in Oregon that builds components for renewable energy projects while helping women rebuild their lives after incarceration. It’s a vivid example of business as a catalyst for restoration—advancing green innovation while offering meaningful work and renewed purpose.
As Renee reflected, organizations like this remind us that when people align purpose with practice, they expand what’s possible—not just for profit, but for human and planetary flourishing.
Redefining Success Through Values and Community
Through his organization, Benefit Corporations for Good (BCFG), Tom has certified more than a hundred small businesses guided by eight standards that balance people, planet, and profit. The certification process invites leaders to measure what truly matters—how their companies treat employees, engage communities, and sustain the environment.
Beyond certification, Tom’s advocacy helped pass Oregon legislation that rewards companies operating for public good, demonstrating how policy and purpose can reinforce each other. For him, this movement isn’t just about better business practices—it’s about a better world.
“My hope,” Tom said, “comes from these leaders. They live their values every day, and that gives me faith in what’s possible.”
A Community of Leaders Creating Change
As the session closed, Renee reflected on the collective power of purpose-driven leadership: “When we look around this community, we see people deeply committed to creating a world where everyone can thrive. That is how transformation begins.”
The conversation served as a reminder that leadership grounded in empathy, openness, and honesty ripples outward—strengthening teams, organizations, and communities alike. Through these everyday acts of purpose, businesses of all sizes can be forces for healing and progress.
Watch the full November Full Moon Celebration on the Global Wellness Institute website here.
About the Partnership
The Wellness Moonshot: A World Free of Preventable Disease is an initiative of the Global Wellness Institute (GWI). This year, Wisdom Works is honored to collaborate with GWI in bringing together leaders from around the world to share their insights and experiences—advancing our shared vision of a world where people and organizations can thrive. Read more about the partnership here.
Let’s Continue the Conversation
At Wisdom Works, we believe thriving is the new foundation of effective leadership. For over 25 years, we’ve helped leaders, teams, and organizations embed purpose, growth, and care into how they work every day. If you’d like to explore how thriving leadership can amplify purpose and performance in your organization, we’d love to connect – contact us here.
