Show Notes
What happens when a leader loses $30M in just 60 days?
For John Mulka, it marked the start of a leadership journey defined by resilience, calm in chaos, and innovations that changed lives. John shares how he guided the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) through a financial crisis, transforming its structure and culture into one that thrived. Later, as CEO of Blind Low Vision New Zealand, he introduced the 4-Day Work Week and technology-driven service delivery, earning the New Zealand Primary Healthcare Award.
About John Mulka John Mulka is the Executive Director of Osteoporosis New Zealand, where he leads national efforts to improve bone health and reduce fragility fractures. With more than 30 years of leadership experience across Canada and New Zealand, John has built a reputation for guiding purpose-driven organisations through change. His career spans roles in health, vision, and sport, with a focus on client-centred service, resilient teams, and long-term impact. John’s career demonstrates how calm leadership, strategic planning, and values-driven decisions can turn chaos into meaningful transformation.
John shares: • How the 4-Day Work Week boosted productivity and team culture in NZ• Why calm leadership is the key to guiding organisations through chaos • How a $30M financial crisis reshaped CNIB and his leadership • How adversity sparks innovation and transformation • The habits that build resilience in senior leadership• Why consistency and values drive lasting impact
This conversation is perfect for anyone interested in leadership, organisational change, social impact, or navigating uncertainty with resilience.
Timestamps (0:00) $30M loss in 60 days - staying calm in crisis (0:27) Meet John Mulka: calm leadership in chaos(1:12) $30M loss at CNIB and leading through the global financial crisis (5:24) Lessons from crisis management & decentralising leadership (10:25) Shifting to client-centric models and rebuilding trust (17:05) Moving to New Zealand and leading Blind Low Vision NZ (19:48) Innovating during COVID: digital services & client engagement (22:26) How the 4-Day Work Week boosted productivity and satisfaction (26:31) Rethinking KPIs and performance during change (31:06) Leading Osteoporosis NZ and tackling healthcare challenges (36:00) Strategic planning and defining “enough” in leadership (39:11)John’s superpower wish for the future of health and vision (40:33) Closing reflections and key takeaways
Learn more about John and his work:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-mulka-606a5211/- Osteoporosis NZ: https://osteoporosis.org.nz/
Learn more about Azoora and her work
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/azooraali - Website: https://www.accountingandtax.co.nz/
Listen to Care Beyond Profits on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@AzooraAli/podcasts
If John’s journey inspired you, please like the video, share it with a friend, and follow for more stories on purpose, leadership, and impact.
Together, let’s grow a movement of leaders who care beyond profits.
#LeadershipInCrisis, #4DayWorkWeek, #ResilientLeadership, #Innovation, #CareBeyondProfits, #SocialImpactPodcast, #crisisresponse, #leadership #riskmanagement, #decisionmaking, #businesscontinuity
More from Care Beyond Profits
Lani Evans, founder of Fundsorter and former CEO of Thank You Payroll, shares how AI is transforming grant writing and charity funding for New Zealand's not-for-profits, plus the story of a social enterprise she helped gift to a charity.
Diana arrived with years of leadership behind her. Her first job in New Zealand was vacuuming a casino floor.
Mike Casey, cherry orchardist and CEO of Rewiring Aotearoa, shares how electrification, solar and climate action turned his New Zealand business profitable.
"My daughter was young when I had one of my cancer diagnoses… her little life literally fell apart."
Paul Button, CEO of Rotorua Canopy Tours, shares conservation tourism, regenerative business, and purpose-driven leadership in this Care Beyond Profits podcast on sustainability and ecotourism."Humans...All we crave for is just connection."From a whitewater kayaker chasing rivers across North Canterbury, Canada and Central America, to running one of New Zealand's most awarded ecotourism businesses, Paul Button's story is one of adventure, environmental conviction, and people-first leadership.As CEO of the Rotorua Canopy Tours Group, Paul leads a zipline and treetop experience set inside an 11,000-year-old native forest, alongside the Canopy Conservation Trust that funds its restoration work.In this conversation, Paul shares how a tourism business became a conservation engine: 12 years of native forest restoration, 700 self-resetting predator traps, a B Corp certification (the first in Rotorua), and a soil-carbon breakthrough that suggests a predator-free New Zealand could one day be carbon neutral. Throughout the episode, Paul returns to a simple idea, that the staff are the stars of the show, and that connection, not infrastructure, is what people truly remember.About Paul ButtonPaul Button is the Chief Executive Officer of Rotorua Canopy Tours Group, leading Rotorua Canopy Tours, widely regarded as one of New Zealand’s premier nature-based tourism experiences.His career began as a young kayaker on wild rivers, sparking a lifelong connection to adventure and the natural world. From guiding on the Kaituna River to leading teams internationally, Paul has built his career around creating meaningful, high-quality experiences that connect people to place.Since returning to Aotearoa in 2017, Paul has focused on innovation and regenerative tourism, restoring native forests, inspiring visitors, and demonstrating that business can be a force for good. He also oversees supporting businesses in Queenstown, including Million Dollar Cruise and Canyon Explorers.Outside of work, Paul is a hands-on dad who stays active through CrossFit, mountain biking, and endurance runningIn This Episode / Chapters00:00 New Zealand's carbon-neutral hypothesis00:07 Introducing Paul Button & Canopy Tours01:07 The importance of consistency in leadership13:29 Why people are the real product in tourism17:59 Partnership with the Department of Conservation (DOC)20:20 The Canopy Conservation Trust funding model24:22 Why conservation budgets should never be cut25:18 B Corp certification and holistic business32:38 Setting ethical boundaries with clients40:13 The 40% carbon ground composition discovery41:16 Predator-free forests as a carbon solution41:53 International research partnership & future scalingLearn more about Paul and Rotorua Canopy Tours Rotorua Canopy Tours: https://www.canopytours.co.nz/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-button-93241b187/